Revitalize your horizons and visit the gallery during October to view our fantastic featured artists, Marie Wise with her paintings and Steve Jones with his wood-turned pieces and sculptures.
Marie Wise – Contemporary/Classical Painting
I create paintings that reflect the beauty I see around me.
Marie Wise
People tell me my paintings are like poetry for the eyes. My paintings evoke a mood, so that viewers are reminded of their own memories, nostalgia or dreams.
For the past 40 years I’ve been painting the sights, places, florals and naturescapes of Southwest Washington State. There’s a lot of water, boats, trees, sky and green colors where I live. It’s a place where I never fail to find artistic inspiration.
Walks with my dogs along the Columbia River, trips across the state to wine country, hikes into Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, are just a few of my favorite landscape inspirations. I’ve also painted the human figure; finding beauty in the shapes and curves of our human form.
My work is done mainly with oil paints using many layers of transparent and opaque colors. I add and subtract colors, scraping and blending until I develop a sense of ethereal realism that depicts the subject in a painterly way. I want the viewer to connect with my work, and allow themselves to be drawn into my paintings.
Water Reflection #4
Steve Jones- Woodturning and Sculptures
Steve Jones
I began woodworking in about 1970 with the gift of my first table saw that I have since handed down to my daughter. During the last 50 years I have purchased numerous tools to add to my skill level. There were many resources back then to learn how the real pros accomplish many woodworking feats. Now we find so much easily accessible over the internet. The tool shows in our area in the past have had many skilled demonstrators sharing their talent and skills.
About 8 years ago I discovered a small wood lathe on sale at Vancouver Nut & Bolt store in Longview along with a beginners set of turning tools. These tools did not last very long before upgrading to a real set of gouges. The beginners set practically requires one to keep the sharpening grinder on for frequent resharpening. Very sharp tools are required to prevent wood tear-out and also minimize sanding.
After about a year I decided it was time to upgrade my electronically variable speed Shop Fox lathe to a variable step speed wood lathe by Jet. That’s when I discovered my first lathe had plenty of torque if the drive belt is properly tensioned. Woodworking is a learning experience.
When my sailing crew from Olympia invited me to their Woodturners of Olympia Club, I began a rapid learning curve. This large club with over 300 members has enough dues revenue to afford some very talented, nationally known professional demonstrators. That club as well as the Southwest Washington Woodturners of Vancouver sport massive camaraderie to assist fellow woodturners improve their skill level.
My present lathe is a Laguna 18 by 47 electronically variable lathe with a 220 volt inverter to control a three phase two hp motor. It is capable of turning an 18 in diameter piece of timber up to 47 inches long. The infinitely variable speed is capable of turning 50 to 3000 rpm.
For me, woodworking is a rainy season hobby as I love the outdoors.
Past activities include yacht racing with the former Columbia Sailing Club, the Longview Yacht Club and South Sound Sailing Society as well as previous hiking with the Saint Helens Hiking Club. I was Scoutmaster of Troop 385 and am proud of the 12 Eagle Scouts that I had the good fortune of helping.
I have been active in Longview Kiwanis in the past and helped fund raise my share by selling up to 100 boxes per year of grapefruit. I am now taking the reigns of the Longview Discovery Club that meets twice monthly bringing in guest speakers of mutual interest. My current personal interest is in the elimination of the invasive Eurasian Milfoil and Lily pads in Lake Sacajawea.
Wood Turning on Burl
