(Above: Secrets No One Knows, by Wen Hang Lin, examines the difficulties of an immigrant trying to assimilate into a different country and culture.)

The featured show at the Emerald Art Center for November 2021 is And I Wander, a photographic study by Wen Hang Lin of his difficulties as an immigrant from Taiwan to the United States.

For the past three decades, he has lived in Arizona, and in yin yang fashion, the pictures superimpose images of the state’s sprawling deserts and blue skies on an imprecise human shape, sometimes clearly and other times nearly obliterated by the environment. The artist says this art conveys his “unreconciled yearning for a sense of belonging in America.”

In addition to this display, the art center also has exhibits of work by several of its featured members:

  • Paul Bourgault, a member of Emerald Art Center for more tan 20 years, uses water color to

    Birds at Feeder; Paul Bourgault

    portray the beauty of old structures and landscapes of Oregon. He does much of his painting on the scene, or en plein air, rather than in a studio. His background is in graphic design and advertising, first in Southern California and now here.

  • Sharon Heinz also came to the Eugene-Springfield area from California, where she worked in graphics and human resources in Silicon Valley before being persuaded by her children to retire to Eugene where she could devote much of her energy to artistic creation. Although basically self-taught, her paintings reflect the influences of many well-known art instructors, often finding its inspiration in the natural world.
  • Lou Maenz finds her inspiration in ordinary subjects and objects but interprets them based in an impressionistic style rather than a representational one. Painting while listening to music also influences her creative style.

    Sharon Heinz’s Horse

In addition to these featured displays, the center also is showing new work by many other artists in its membership group.

November 2021 at the Emerald Art Center

When: Through Nov. 27

Where: 500 Main St., Springfield

Gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (except Nov. 25 and 26);

Special event: Open 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 for the city of Springfield’s Second Friday Art Walk

Information: 541-726-8595 or emeraldartcenter.org

Trees, by Lou Maenz