The Main (Street) event
With train cars as the backdrop for sculptural works along the riverfront and mosaics woven through the charming Main Street, Toledo is a small town that integrates art and industry seamlessly.
Every month, Toledo showcases the arts during First Weekend, giving artists and visitors a chance to make a personal connection to art. The event returns this Friday, April 2, through Sunday, April 4.
Featured this month at the Yaquina River Museum of Art is “Toledo Treasures — Eight Artist Interpretations.” Thirteen selected works from the museum’s permanent collection depict iconic views of buildings, roads and landscapes found within this small mill town. The wide variety of subjects and media will be displayed within the Schoolhouse Exhibit Space. Also continuing through April at the Museum is a fundraising raffle, offering chances to win a crystal set, art books and other collectables.
Included in the Toledo Treasures exhibit is “View Down Graham Street” a watercolor by John Hewitt from Mendocino, California. Hewitt is a well-known watercolor painter and teacher. He has taught since the 1980s at College of the Redwoods and, for the past 15 years, the Pacific Union College Summer School of Art. His paintings have been juried into more than 140 prominent watercolor society exhibits, winning more than 30 awards. The museum is located at 151 NE Alder Street, open noon to 4 pm, Friday through Saturday.
For more information, go to www.yaquinarivermuseumofart.org or call 541-336-1907.
Across the street in Gallery Michael Gibbons is “Daylight Moon;” a 13”x13” painting on canvas of an outbuilding encased in trees and bushes, captured in the Oregon countryside on October 16, 1981. Painters are often considered historical recorders and this particular painting attests to the artist’s skill of capturing a little seen view of the moon and sun. Framed in a unique hand-built frame, this painting is shown and available at the Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery, located at 140 NE Alder Street, open from noon to 4 pm, Friday through Saturday. For more information, go to www.michaelgibbons.net or call 541-336-2797.
Yaquina River Museum of Art and Gallery Michael Gibbons will be closed on Sunday for Easter.
The Ivan Kelly Studio-Gallery will feature an oil painting titled “Morning over the Flood Marsh.”
“A familiar scene takes on magic and mystery during a misty dawn,” Kelly said, “as the sunlight flows across the receding floodwaters and the remaining stocks of winter's marsh grass.”
Many other paintings that depict local scenes are also available for viewing at the gallery, located at 207 E Graham Street, open 11 am to 4 pm on Friday and Saturday. For more information, go to www.ivankelly.com or call 541-336-1124.
Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio will be showcasing the works of a murder of artists, including founder Janet Runger’s assemblage art; unique creations made using found objects.
The featured artist this month is Val Bolen, who works in tile and ceramics.
“I love to see how the light influences the glass,” Bolen said. “I am working on a series of sunflowers, which brings me joy and I want to make people happy through these pieces during these difficult times.”
Also on display: Alice Haga’s fused glass creations; Paula Teplitz’s ceramic and mixed media art, including her sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford’s digitally manipulated photography; and Tish Epperson’s vivid watercolor work. Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street and will be open from 10 am to 5 pm Friday through Sunday. For more information, call 541-207-8088.