In February, the city of Toledo will continue to show its artistic side on the first weekend of the new year. This gives the art scene an opportunity to showcase their work and connect with the public.
Although Lincoln County continues to be a high risk category for COVID, these studio and gallery spaces will be open to art lovers this Saturday and Sunday – but under the recommended guidance of the Oregon Health Authority.
The Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio shows the works of nine artists in a new location on Main Street. Janet Runger, the founder of Crow’s Nest, will show off her picture book assemblage art from the picture book. Alice Haga shows her glass melting work. Val Bolen, a tile and ceramic artist, shows her pieces. Paula Teplitz, primarily a ceramic and mixed-media artist, shows her work as well as her sculptural jellyfish mobiles. Jeff Gibford is a photographer who digitally manipulates his photography. Tish Epperson shows her vibrant watercolor work.
This month the gallery will show a wide selection of works by Yeta Bhaktina, whose paintings and illustrations focus on topics such as home, nostalgia and manifestations of infinity in nature through the lens of a Russian-American immigrant. Bhaktina grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the end of the communist era, and owes much of her inspiration and work style to her contact with the unknown nature, rural Russian landscape and tradition of heritage. “Internal Landscapes” is an ongoing portfolio project on symbolic realism in oil and acrylic. Inspired by the artist’s legacy and influenced by traditional Slavic Palekh and Khohloma styles, the pieces address the artist’s immigrant experience and draw on symbolism from transcultural spirituality.
The Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is now located at 305 N Main St. and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Continuing the previous month is the Gibbons Retrospective Exhibition at the Yaquina River Museum of Art. Twenty paintings by the well-known regional painter from Oregon, the late Michael Gibbons (1943-2020), are on display in the museum’s schoolhouse exhibition. Gibbons was known for his Impressionist open-air style (painting outdoors) that captured the essence of the place. He often described his paintings as an artist’s blessing on nature. This series of paintings shows works completed by his numerous artistic expeditions over the course of his 40-year painting history around the world.
The Yaquina River Art Museum at 151 NE Alder St. is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information is available at www.yaquinarivermuseumofart.org
Across the street, Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery displays “A Summer Afternoon In Salishan,” an outdoor oil painting that shows a serene view of the ocean on the Oregon coast. Gibbons often turned to the ocean for inspiration, where the ever-changing weather and tides presented a unique challenge to detecting movement. For more coastal paintings, visit the Michael Gibbons Signature Gallery at 140 NE Alder St., which is open both days from 12pm to 5pm. Further information is available at www.michaelgibbons.net
Just a short walk from Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery, Ivan Kelly’s Studio & Gallery displays new works by the landscape and the big game artist. Particular emphasis is placed on “A Robin Spring”. This New Year, people are now looking forward to the promise of spring when the riverside willows burst out and the branches fill with songs from this perennial favorite, the red-breasted American Robin.
The Ivan Kelly Studio & Gallery is located at 207 E Graham St. It is open on Saturdays from 11am to 5pm and Sundays from 12pm to 5pm.