This art rocks

A new show at the Newport Visual Arts Center features work by Emy Syrop, the recipient of the first art residency at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. The three-week program gave her the opportunity to explore and immerse herself within the amazing biodiversity found at this exceptional site.

“Intertidal: Explorations of an Artist in Residence,” showing in the center’s COVAS Gallery from Saturday, July 9 through Aug. 28, is a culmination of Syrop’s time at Yaquina Head.

Meet the artist at the opening reception this Saturday, July 9, at 2 pm.

During her residency, Syrop observed and documented tide pool inhabitants, migrating and nesting seabirds, pupping seals, transient orcas, stormy seas and clear, sunny skies. She started each day on site without a plan and let nature present her with a muse, which most often took place along the cliff edges and rocky intertidal zone where land meets the sea. The changing colors and form of sky and sea against the enduring hardness of basalt rocks and islands provided infinite opportunities to paint landscapes. 

Syrop primarily paints plein air landscapes in gouache as it dries fast and can be reworked at her home studio. She also enjoys creating scientific illustrations and wildlife art in a variety of paints and drawing media. She has a master's degree in Biology and minored in Studio Art at University of California, San Diego. Her career in marine biology and lifetime of ocean hobbies inform her perspective and understanding of seascapes and marine life. She is active in the local arts community and lives in Newport with her partner, Jeff, and their two children.

In early June, Yaquina Head hosted a Paint Out with Syrop, where artists were invited to spend the day painting on a 5”x7” canvas. Some of the work created on that day will be included in this exhibit.

The Newport Visual Arts Center is located at 777 NW Beach Drive and is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to coastarts.org. or call 541-574-3364.