Join us at First Thursday, September 5th to meet our featured artists Beth Bailey and Janis Newton
During the September 5, First Thursday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, enjoy the music, light snacks, and drinks to help us celebrate these artists’ fine work. There will also be an Awards Presentation for the winners of our Community Arts Show, “At the Beach”.
Beth Bailey- Metal Art
When I saw a course offering for Metal Art in the LCC catalog over a year ago, I was intrigued. As an art teacher, after studying the works of Alexander Calder, I had my students create art with wire. Taking a length of wire and making an image in 3-D was a challenge.
I decided that I needed that same challenge to create something different. My husband encouraged and advised me along the way. I have continued to learn new techniques and start my own equipment especially this summer in the Metal Arts 2 class taught by David Pittsley at LCC. Luckily, I have access to a plasma cutter and welder at home so I can concentrate on learning new methods of manipulating metal in class.
Whether I take a new flat piece of metal or re-purpose an old piece of metal, it makes me feel like Michael Angelo carving from stone. It’s a challenge to envision something when you look at this flat piece of metal or a rusty metal object. I enjoy being able to manipulate, twist, blend, bend and weld pieces together. Plasma has to be my favorite form of attacking metal. I have come a long way since my first plasma cut!
A lot of my pieces also reflect a personal interest in the Northwest scenery and sailing. Occasionally I stray from the nautical and approach nature such as flowers, birds, and trees. I hope you will help me celebrate my new endeavor.
Mt Hood view from Portland
Janis Newton- Photography
Janis Newton
This show features a sampling of my work from past to present.
Sometimes the creation and printing of photographic works is a bit like the proverbial sausage being made; we don’t wish to detract from the finished product by revealing too much about the messy details of how a particular image was created and printed lest it detract from the impact of the final product. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to break with tradition and include some test strips from some of my large photo murals. Getting the right combination of focus, exposure, contrast, development time, and emphasis or de-emphasis on particular areas of light and dark is a trial-and-error process. Since large-format enlargement paper is quite expensive, we test these variables on narrow strips of photo paper, several of which I have included in this exhibit to complement the large prints.
Though I generally preferred to do candids over portrait work, the large photo mural centerpieces of this exhibition are a pair of portraits I felt compelled to do because of the subjects’ interesting charisma. It’s probably not a coincidence that they are both performers, one a musician and the other a thespian. I was especially struck by the intimate relationship of the musician and his instrument as he caressed its keys.
The color section of this exhibit will reveal the not too well hidden secret that I don’t have a readily identifiable style or specialty. Rather, I take whatever scene or object I feel speaks to me and will make an interesting composition. In this sample of four color photos, I loved the richly textured tree bark in the landscape composition and the standing tall American flag against the massive bridge conveyed to me a statement of strength. I was wooed by the impressionism of the autumn scene, while the delicate glass flowers overlaid on the massive girders of the Space Needle pose a contrast between technological wizardry and sublime art.
