(Above: #9 Where the Spring Begins by Susan Applegate is part of a show at the Maude Kerns Art Center, titled Escape to the Forest.)

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Part of Marco Elliott’s Natural Women series

The Maude Kerns Art Center presents its season opener, Escape to the Forest, featuring work by Yoncalla artist Susan Applegate, husband-and-wife artists Joanna Carrabbio and Marco Elliott of Eugene, and Gearhart, Ore. artist Greg Navratil.

All four of the artists in the show infuse their art in the natural world, with particular focus on the rivers and forests of the Pacific Northwest and ranging in nature from “grounded to matical.”

The show opens with an artist reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, and will be on display through Feb. 6.

Joanna Carrabbio’s Leaves

From 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, there will be a free artist talk at the art center at 1910 E. 15th Ave. in Eugene, at the corner of 15th and Villard streets.

Here’s a rundown of what will be on the walls, as described by the Maude Kerns staff:

The four exhibiting artists, whose work is immersed in the natural world, create distinctly personal visions of the rivers and forests of the Pacific Northwest. Their various interpretations reveal a view of nature that is both “grounded and magical.”

Each artist has a particular theme for the work in this show:

  • Applegate displays paintings of the woods on her own property and the way it affects her personal view of the forest and spring that has served her family for generations, summarizing her approach as
  • Carrabbio, a painter, graphic artist, and muralist, offers a series of paintings titled Leaves, using oil and watercolor to create shape, color, and texture that “draws from emotions and dreamlike memories loosely improvised with color, texture, and design.”
  • Elliott creates in a variety of artistic media, including painting, printmaking, assemblage, and mural. In this show, he emphasis “the fusion between the physical body and the sylvan environment,” using the female figure “to present a guilt-free Eve set in a pristine forest landscape.”
  • Navratil uses acrylic paintings to focus “on the abstract and chaotic qualities of nature,” including using “an unconventional method of applying paint with squeeze bottles to create a sense of spontaneity.”

Escape to the Forest at the Maude Kerns Art Center

When:  Jan. 9 through Feb. 6, 2026

Where: 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene

Regular gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday when exhibits are on display

Information: 541-345-1571 or online at mkartcenter.org

Above: Salmon Spawning, by Greg Navratil