November 2019 Featured Artists

Join us at First Thursday, November 7th to meet our featured artists Scott McRae and Trudy Woods

During the November 7, First Thursday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, enjoy the music by Curtis Johnson , light snacks, and drinks to help us celebrate these artists’ fine work.

Scott McRae- Painting

Scott McRae

When it comes to what I paint, I like to picture myself sitting at a picnic table somewhere in my yard where subjects and ideas come to me. A sunflower, a potted pansie ready to be planted, or a photo—my own or one given to me by a friend– comes to my attention at the table. At this table, what I paint comes to me from my living life, like recording the actors I feel are important to depict.

I like to explore as I paint. I love to find as many shapes I can develop. Colors start with the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow as well as trying new tints from the art store. My color choices are mostly instinctual, but I also draw upon what I have learned from color theory.

I compose spontaneously, often starting with black ink to establish my design. Other ways I explore with my art is to start with a solid color background playing off of the strokes and pattern of this wash of color.
I have explored with many mediums over the years but recently I am using Acrylic Gouache on watercolor paper.

This show is filled with primarily sunflower paintings. Sunflowers make their way on the table because they represent to me the coming of Fall. There is much work that goes on during the Summer—mowing lawns, planting and weeding gardens, and enjoying the fruits of labor. The other paintings in this show represent supporting flowers that lead up to the showcase the coming of the sunflower.

Trudy Woods- Pottery

I have been creating pots on the potter’s wheel for over 40 years. My work has changed over the years, but for the past several years I have been working with carving motifs – either derived from African textiles or inspired by the river that I can see from my studio – and glazing them simply with a beautiful blue glaze that never ceases to amaze me with its complexity.

I enjoy making pots that people like to use. The relationship between form and function is an interesting concept to me, perhaps because it is a recurring theme in the study of biology, the subject of my formal education.

A chance request from a friend of a friend for a special pot decorated using the horsehair technique, with the hair from her own horse, has sent me exploring a new direction. The horsehair pots are not fired to vitrification, which means that they do not hold water and are therefore non-utilitarian – a new approach for me.

I retired from teaching at Lower Columbia College at the end of March, 2019. Teaching was very energizing, even though it was time-consuming. Through my students and colleagues, I gained ideas as well as friends. I thought that having more time for my own work would lead to new directions for my work, but it seems that life had other plans for me, and I am still enjoying the line of work I began several years ago. I’m promising myself more studio time – perhaps in 2020!