Join us for our First Thursday Reception at the Broadway Gallery on September 4, 5:30-7:00 pm.
Enter into the realm of two artists with different perspectives and mediums at reception of Ron Otis, abstract acrylic painter and Bernadette Crider, pottery. These two talented artists offer some unique approaches in their works of art. Visit with them as well as other Gallery artists, friends, and have great refreshments while listening to the live music by Curtis Johnson.
Ron Otis – Abstract Acrylic Painter
Ron Otis
My work is rooted in the exploration of contrast, texture, and
pattern. Using acrylic paint, I create abstract compositions that
emphasize the interaction between layered surfaces and bold
visual elements. I’m drawn to the tension and harmony that can
emerge through unexpected juxtapositions-smooth against
rough, dark, beside light, structured forms meeting organic
chaos.
Beyond the canvas, I work in three-dimensional forms using
resin epoxy to craft functional art pieces like candleholders, soap
dishes, and coasters. These pieces allow me to bring fine art into everyday spaces while continuing to experiment with color, transparency, and surface.
As a self-taught artist, my journey has been shaped by curiosity, trial and error, and a deep appreciation for the creative process-guided in part by online resources and the encouragement of artists like Bob Ross. I am a proud member of The Broadway
Gallery, and in 2025, my acrylic paintings were featured in the Columbian Artists Annual Spring Show, a meaningful step in my evolving practice.
Bernadette Crider- Potter
Bernadette Crider
You know that perfect moment when you have both your hands wrapped around a cup of coffee or a bowl of soup and you close your eyes and sigh in a moment of complete contentment? That happened to me 51 years ago this summer as I stood in the kitchen, unpacking boxes with my new housemate. She was the former wife of a potter, but I knew his work – and this was not his. It was, however, a beautiful, perfectly formed, quiet little soup bowl that rested in my hands and felt … right. When I asked who had made the bowl, she responded that she had.
I had two thoughts in that moment: a) Pottery beats plastic; and b) If she can do that, I can do that!
It is the little moments that shift the axis of your life. So began my adventures in clay. I started with lessons at the local art center questing after perfectly round bowls butcreating something akin to hockey pucks with off-centered holes.
Later, I had the opportunity to work with Leroy Kitzman, a master potter who taught me technical knowledge, like “for every 1/8” you pull the pot up, the wheelhead must go around one time,” the art of Raku firing, and the spiritual component of working with clay – that to center the clay, I must first center myself.
began the grad program – and lasted all of a week before I picked up the phone and called my
old housemate’s husband and asked if he wanted an apprentice. Jay Widmer, like Leroy Kitzman, was a master potter and from him I learned the rhythm of the studio, the tricks of the trade, and the Japanese sensibility that holds that the elements of the pot, from foot to throw ring, are a reflection of the potter’s journey and are instructive about the craftsman.
Fast forward through a return to school to study art, getting a teaching job in Pendleton, OR married my husband, Bob Crider, and taught Ceramics briefly at Blue MountainmCommunity College before moving to Longview, WA. Here I set up my first studio, taught Ceramics and other art courses at Lower Columbia College, and helped set up the Broadway Gallery all those years ago.
There are so many things that happened after this including lots of moves, new adventures with teaching and building studios.
I am, therefore, drawn to “Little Gidding,” from Four Quartets, by T.S. Elliot:
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
