She’s a natural
Artwork that explores the patterns of nature will be on display when Jody Andersen’s new exhibit, “A Beautiful Random Order” opens at Lincoln City’s Chessman Gallery this Friday, Sept. 27.
The exhibit opens with a reception from 5 to 7 pm on Friday, offering wine, appetizers and a chance to meet the artist. A virtual gallery tour will be available on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Facebook@lincolncityculture.
Andersen’s mixed media works explore the theme of nature’s seemingly random order of many small parts. From the floral patterns of “The Garden Series” to the dreamlike play of “The Enchantment Series” and the growth of “The Evolution Series,” the works developed from color, texture and line, and seek to find balance, peace and joy.
At first glance, the viewer sees the cohesive whole of each piece. But, upon closer inspection, the works reveal the parts that make up the whole, much like a forest made up of trees and a field made up of wildflowers. Overall, this group of works seeks to share joy and peace by inviting the viewer to contemplate that even the messy can be beautiful.
Andersen started making art when she was a little girl growing up in Amity, Oregon. She would spend hours in her room or art class drawing or painting. Eventually, she graduated from Oregon State University with a BFA in Visual Design. In 2021, after a 20-year hiatus, she joined the Pacific Artists’ Gallery and has been an active member on the leadership and new member teams.
“My art is influenced by colors and how they work together,” Anderson said, adding: “It’s all about colors and textures. The colors of the ocean on a bright sunny day, the varying shades of a handful of sea glass, the bright pinks of a rhododendron flower against their background of shades of green, or the way golden yellow feels warmer next to plums and violets. Have you ever looked out into a forest, a field of wildflowers or the star-filled night sky and felt like everything was just right? That is the peace I strive for.”
“A Beautiful Random Order” will be on display through Nov. 10 in the Chessman Gallery, located inside the Lincoln City Cultural Center at 540 NE Hwy. 101.
For more information, call 541-994-9994 or go to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org.
Meanwhile, in the hallway of the cultural center, visitors can enjoy a bonus exhibit by Oregon Coast mixed media artist Maria Esther Sund.
Born in El Salvador, Sund studied art at Simmons College, Boston, and Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Her life and Latin American culture are a deep source of inspiration in her work. Through her own personal desire to invent something original, she is now working with collage and mixed media, incorporating old and new elements.
“I like the exploratory process,” she said. “I enjoy using acrylics for its fast-drying capabilities, which allows multiple layers of paint, glaze and other media. As the layers build, I am able to excavate into the surface, sanding back to reveal the hidden beauty that lays beneath.”
Sund often uses copies of old, handwritten family letters and photographs, pages from old books, stamps, dress patterns and music paper as collage elements under the painted surface.
“My work is about stories, personal journeys, love, happiness, loss and what goes on in life,” she said. “The essence of an idea or concept is rarely concrete, leaving the door open for personal reinterpretation. For me the creative process is more important and fun than the finishing result.”
The hallway exhibit will be on display through November.