Steep yourself in art
Samovar favorite artists are at Toledo’s First Weekend
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
Toledo, the small mill town with a vibrant artistic side, hosts First Weekend Toledo Art — an event during the first part of the month where galleries and studios open their doors to the public and artists show their process. Toledo will be celebrating First Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 5 and 6.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery and Studio houses the works of 15 artists with a variety of styles and mediums. Oil painter Veta Bakhtina will be featuring her highly detailed works inspired by Russian fairy tales.
Bakhtina, who grew up in St. Petersburg during the fall of the Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States at the age of 10, draws artistic inspiration from her childhood.
“I don’t know how other artists would describe it, but for me to make art as a career there has to be a reason. As a transplant, I wanted to paint things that I love but couldn’t see. I paint things that tether me to the places and things that I love.
I use art as a way to work out or explore a concept in-depth, whether it’s a therapy or a spiritual exploration or just exploring your feelings about something, it’s a very useful process. It’s fun too. For me it’s painting, but it could be dance, writing or whatever you choose as your creative outlet. Just give some time to it and you will learn about yourself through the process.”
Janet Runger, founder of the Crow’s Nest, creates storybook found-object assemblage art. She and Bakhtina often take inspiration from each other’s work.
“Janet and I have known each other since I was in high school,” Bakhtina said. “We are so different in our approach, but our styles are from the same frequency of fairy tale and magical realism. My paintings are mostly from my imagination and Janet is inspired by the objects she finds, but she has taken my drawings and made amazing sculptures from them, and then I will create something from that. We bounce off of each other in that way and it’s really fun.”
Other artists at the Crow’s Nest include Alice Haga, fused glass; Val Bolen, tile and ceramic pieces; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Tish Epperson, watercolors; Sylvia Hosie, wildlife photography; and Susan Jones, woven fiber jellyfish.
Crow’s Nest Gallery and Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street in Toledo and is open from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The Yaquina River Museum of Art will be presenting a new exhibit during First Weekend. The Founder’s Sale Show features small plein air landscapes of the museum’s late founder, Michael Gibbons. This curated selection of vignettes from Gibbons’ collection will be available for collectors and admirers to purchase. One such painting is “Sergius’ Delight,” a 6x9” oil on panel painted in 1988 after Gibbons moved to Toledo. Depicting a pastoral scene with wildflowers and towering trees, this work was completed on location just beyond Lincoln City on the way to Tillamook.
Also available at the museum is Michael Gibbons’ fine art book “Painting in Nature.” All proceeds from the book go to supporting the museum. In the gift shop there will be Valentine’s Day Specials on art and jewelry for museum-goers who are on the hunt for a special Valentine’s Day present.
The Yaquina River Museum of Art is located at 151 NE Alder Street and is open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information go to yaquinarivermuseumofart.org
Across the street, Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery will be featuring “Pink Forest Hills.” This en plein air work is selected from a series of paintings featuring the lowly skunk cabbage, which Gibbons always found beautiful. The painting shows a view on South Bay Road along the Yaquina River at the start of spring, just as the flowers were blooming.
The Michael Gibbons Signature Gallery is located at 140 NE Alder Street. For more information, go to michaelgibbons.net.