The Salem Art Group: Dayna, Kathy, Tory, Woody standing in for Celia, Katy, Nancy
I’m a member of the Salem Art Group, a closed, close-knit group of six women. We get together once a month, varying our activities. Some months we meet for coffee and to share what we’ve been up to, other months we take field trips. Regularly we meet for art play dates. And once a year we go on a multi-day art retreat in the woods. Earlier this year we decided it would be fun to do an art show together and last night we hosted our opening reception at The Art Department, a downtown Salem fine art store. Our show, Group Dynamics, will be up through the end of November.
The south wall, artist’s work left to right: Katy Vigland, Nancy Eng, Dayna CollinsThe north wall, left to right, the art work of Tory Brokenshire and Kathy Shen
I created three pieces for the show, which I started at our retreat back in August.
Camp Sherman art retreat 2014
Here are my completed pieces:
My art work, all are 16×20 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax on cradled boards“Fairy Tales & Poetry,” 16×20 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax on cradled board“Curiosity & Tolerance,” 16×20, plaster, oil, and cold wax on cradled board“Insight & Imagination,” 16×20, plaster, oil, and cold wax on cradled board
And here are photos from last night’s reception.
Cynthia and Susan try on clothes created by CeliaTory and Becky, an old friend from when my son was in schoolCynthia and meKathy showcasing her workKathy reveals herselfValentine and Kathy discuss encausticsBy the end of the evening, we were all a bit rummyDayna, Kathy, Tory, Katy, and Nancy
I’ll have Funky Junkyard Birds, Curious Elements, cards, and plaster, oil, and cold wax paintings. I’ll also have a few sale items. (Note: This is where my mother lives. It is an independent senior living community and the Christmas Bazaar is open to the public.)
Artful Gift Show
Left Coast Artist Collective
Multnomah Art Center Gym
7688 S.W. Capitol Highway
Portland, Oregon
Friday, December 5, 2015: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 6, 2015: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
I’ll have Funky Junkyard Birds, Curious Elements, cards, and plaster, oil, and cold wax paintings.
Little Things 14
Guardino Gallery
2939 N.E. Alberta
Portland, Oregon
Show opens Thursday, November 27, 2014 and runs through December
I’ll have a grid of 6×6 inch plaster, oil, and cold wax paintings
An opportunity to tour the Art Studios at Mission Mill
Our very first Open Studios, on the second floor, and the grand opening of Compass Gallery on the first floor. Come see the art fort that Tory and I created: Studio F.
Willamette Heritage Center
1313 Mill Street S.E.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
5:00 – 7:00 pm
I’ll have a selection of Funky Junkyard Birds, Curious Elements, cards, and new paintings.
An opportunity to take a class
Oil and Cold Wax: Abstracted Play With a Punch of Texture
Art Studios at Mission Mill
January 16-18, 2015
Friday 1:00-5:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Limited to six participants
$300
For more information or to register, contact me: dayna@daynajcollins.com/curele
Twice a year, the Portland Art Collective holds an art retreat at Menucha, a conference and retreat center, located about 45 minutes east of Portland. It begins on Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday. We each set up our space in the Greenhouse and make art. And visit. And walk. And sleep. We also horse around.
And eat gourmet-ish food prepared especially for us.
And wear silly noses on Friday night.
But primarily, we made art. I took 22 boards, varying in size from 6×6 inches to 10×10 inches. I didn’t get any of them finished, but I moved some along from meager beginnings and got some initial layers down on virgin boards.
And before I knew it, I was laying waxed paper between my boards and packing them up, ready to continue working on them in my studio.
In the meantime, here are some photos of the happy artists at work (and play).
I’m a member of the Salem Art Group, a small closed group of six (soon to be seven) women. About twice a year we plan a mini retreat where we pack up food and art supplies (and a portable latte machine) and head out of town. Last week we landed outside of Independence, Oregon at the Rogue Brewery Hop ‘n Bed. The Hop ‘n Bed is a big old six bedroom farmhouse located along the Willamette River and smack dab in the middle of a working Rogue Brewery farm.
Come on in and I’ll show you my room: The Honey Bee.
Part of the check-in process included joining the Rogue Nation, which required a swearing in process of drinking a shot of beer and repeating a long oath of allegiance. Tory took the oath and drank her shot (and mine since I don’t drink anymore). PS Being a member gets you a hefty discount on the house.
As our group trickled in, we moved furniture and set up tables to accommodate our huge amount of art supplies. Joanna claimed the living room to set up her sewing machine, Kathy took over the laundry room for her encaustics (there was a back door for ventilation), and the rest of us jockeyed for space in the living room: Tory with her clay, Nancy and Katy with their oil and cold wax, and me, kind of in the kitchen prep area, with my oil and cold wax AND acrylics for my visual art journal.
After getting settled, I took a walk around the grounds.
It was time to spread some paint. Working in oil and cold wax does not bring immediate gratification the way working with acrylics does, so I brought both mediums. I started with the oil and cold wax, knowing I wouldn’t finish any pieces, but I would sure have the opportunity to add layers, scrape back, and add more layers over the three days. None of these pieces are finished, and some haven’t even been scraped back, but it gives you an idea of what I worked on.
I’ve just returned from spending four days with my Salem Art Group at a cabin in the woods along the Metolius River. We left on Thursday morning — I took a small suitcase with clothes, a big suitcase with art supplies, my espresso machine, some food, my art journal, and a half case of kombucha.
Arrived. A sweet cabin located on US Forest Service land.
The view from my corner bedroom.
Everyone worked on their own projects. Tory won the award for most versatile, especially when she whipped out her harmonica and started playing a blues tune.
The rest of the gang: Nancy, Katy (it was her cabin), and Kathy in the photos below (and Joanna, who was inside the cabin with her sewing machine). A lot of oil and cold wax was being spread . . . . and even a little gelli plate action.
We had a visit from a Forest Service Ranger who was looking for a water line using a water witching technique with two pieces of a wire coat hanger. Of course, we had to give it a try.
I worked on several projects: oil and cold wax on 8×8 and 6×6 cradled wood boards and I also did some acrylics on watercolor paper for making cards. (I finished the cards, but not the boards.)
It wasn’t all art all the time. On Saturday, we walked to the headwaters of the Metolius River and then to Jack Creek.
Just what I needed. Several days of making art, laughing, eating healthy, going on daily walks, and getting plenty of sleep.
