(Above: Eugene artist Shelley Roenspie’s paintings combine an up-to-date impressionistic style with a special finish that gives them a shine of their own. Her work is on display at the downtown Eugene Public Library.)
By Randi Bjornstad
The Fourth of July parades, sparklers, festivals and booming fireworks displays may be over, but the “Seventh of July” offers one more chance to experience colorful artwork, dance and music when downtown Eugene comes alive for this week’s First Friday ArtWalk.
As always, many galleries, shops and eateries will be open late to welcome visitors, and five locations have been tapped to be official stops on the monthly guided art walk.
This time around, it’s hosted by Janelle McCoy, executive director of the Oregon Bach Festival, which also is in full swing, through July 15. McCoy will greet official “tourists” at 5:30 p.m. at The
Lincoln Gallery at 309 W. Fourth Ave., with additional 30-minute stops at Capitello Wines, the Karin Clarke Gallery, InEugene Real Estate and the Pacific Rim Art Guild, ending at 8 p.m.
Official Guided Tour
The 5:30 p.m. stop at The Lincoln Gallery at 309 W. Fourth Ave. features a show called “FEAST,” made up of artwork about local food and food culture by artists in the Oregon Supported Living Program’s arts-and-culture division, as well as additional work by other artists in the community. The show is co-sponsored by the Lane County Farmers Market. The gallery also has a photo exhibit of work by Jacob Smith. The father-daughter duo of Sergei and Masha Teleshev will play their accordions at the gallery, starting at 5:15 p.m. (See a video clip of them performing at youtube.com/watch?v=A5XwOgY_amA)
Moving right along, to Capitello Wines at 540 Charnelton St. at 6 p.m., the tour will watch dancers from the Eugene Ballet Company in the process of creating one of their
“instaballet” performances, in which the audience helps by suggesting ballet steps or ideas for the dance story, or just watches. The final #instaballet will be performed at 8 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m. at the Karin Clarke Gallery at 760 Willamette St., the art will be a collection of
20 new drawings and paintings of Oregon and the Atlantic seaboard by Eugene painter Bets Cole, who works in charcoal as well as acrylic and gouache. Cole often works in the “plein air” tradition, capturing the essence of her art in the open landscape with its constantly changing light and color.
The art is very different when the tour stops at 7 p.m. at InEugene Real Estate at 100 E. Broadway, where master craftsman Thom Whipp is showing his mosaic wood art, done by hand with traditional woodworking tools rather than a computer-assisted cutter. His repertoire also includes carpentry of artful porches, benches, doors and other woodworking projects.
The last official stop on the July ArtWalk is the Pacific Rim Art Guild in the basement of 160 E. Broadway, at 7:30 p.m. The theme of the show there is “America the Beautiful,” with each artist illustrating a line from the song of the same name. There also will be artists on hand who will
paint iconic American scenes on the spot.
More Arts and Culture
For those who wish to stop where and when they want, there are many additional places to visit during the July 7 downtown Eugene ArtWalk:
• The Barn Light-East (545 E. Eighth Ave.) — “Life is New Every Moment,” new paintings by Benjamin Terrell.
• Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway) — Work
by fine art photographer and artist Tracy Sydor, juxtaposing historical elements with digital photography.
• Cowfish (62 W. Broadway) — Neon paintings by Wayde Love.
• ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery (25 E. Eighth Ave.) — Felted wool home décor and apparel by Tylar Merrill; clay tile collages by Annie Heron; wall art by Mari Livie; hand-painted wood and linen pieces and silk apparel by Lybi Thomas; stone carvings, wood sculptures and masks by Cedar Caredio; and Luminessence light sculptures by Stephen White.
• Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) — Café and equestrian scenes and bright floral still-life paintings by local artist Shelley Roenspie; entertainment by Cascade Chorus, featuring a cappella barbershop harmonies starts at 6 p.m.
• Euphoria Chocolate Company (946 Willamette St.) — Oregon Bach Festival poster retrospective.
• Eugene Yoga (245 E. Broadway) — Abstract mandala images by Tom Gettys.
• FourWinds Gallery (273 W. Eighth Ave.) — Paintings by Amber Allen.
• Framin’ ArtWorks (505 High St.) — Kristina Rust’s abstracts of water, night sky, molecules, and the random patterns of nature, using recycled materials printed on metal and mounted on “up-cycled” wood.
• gilt+gossamer (873 Willamette St.) — “Love and Affinity,” semi-abstract work by Christian Ives that reflect his own experience and the Eugene area.
• The Jazz Station (124 W. Broadway) — Photos of artists appearing at the Jazz Station by Keith Munson; gallery open until 7 p.m. Starting at 8 p.m. is music by the duo of Greg Johnson and Ben Haugland, a release of their “Lines of Flight” CD; tickets $12.
• Maven Art Boutique (271 W. Eighth Ave.) — Work by Marlis and Amanda Blauer.
• Mosaic Fair Trade Collection (28 E. Broadway) — Garden art, hammocks, and planters from around the world, along with fair trade wine tasting.
• The New Zone Gallery (220 W. Eighth Ave.) — “The Dramatic Leaf,” photography by Matt Reese and Kind Tree (Autism Rocks) in the Klausmeier Room. Entertainment by Brook Adams on guitar and ukelele, playing roots, pop, and americana music. Info at brookadams.com
• Oregon Art Supply (1020 Pearl St.) — “Interconnections: Abstract Explorations in Watercolor” by Terry Duffy. Open until 6 p.m.
• Out on a Limb Gallery (191 E. Broadway) — “Pyrographic” art by Matt Hayward, utilizing leather, canvas and reclaimed cedar.
• Passionflower Design (128 E. Broadway) — Jewelry, clothes, and gifts by regional and U.S. artists and designers. Open until 7 p.m.
• Red Wagon Creamery (55 W. Broadway) — “Abstract Sass and Fur,” work by Christian Ives.
• Shadowfox (76 W. Broadway) — Coffee and original art.
• St. Vincent de Paul (100 E. 11th Ave.) — Work by St Vincent’s resident artists, including glass artist Christopher Jenkins and designer and “upcycling” artist Mitra DeMirza Chester.
• Townshend’s Teahouse (41 W. Broadway) — Shamanic paintings by Shannon Moe.
• Vistra Framing & Gallery (411 W. Fourth Ave.) — Oregon landscapes and flowers in watercolor by Marsha Brennen and Anita Vuksich
• White Lotus Gallery (767 Willamette St.) — “Twenty-Five Years of the White Lotus Gallery,” featuring work by Miao Hui Xing, Su Xing Ping, Wang Gong Yi, Chen Hai Yan, Wu Jide, Hiroyuki Tajima, Kawase Hasui, Tanaka Ryohei, Frank Okada, and Morris Graves, and others. Exhibit ends July 8.
Special Events
• Artist Alley (Kesey Square, corner of Broadway and Willamette streets) — Artist tables for sale of original work of any medium; open 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• The Human Library (942 Olive St.) — At The Human Library™, readers can “check out” a real person for 15 minutes of conversation that challenges stereotypes and prejudices through person-to-person dialogue. These 22 people, ages 19-25 years, were chosen by U.S. Embassies because of their outstanding leadership in their home countries. They are in Eugene as part of a program of the U.S. Dept. of State; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• No Shame Eugene (99 W. 10th Ave.) — Doors open at 7:30pm with live music; show begins at 8 p.m. and includes 15 original, five-minute acts of monologues, sketch comedy, and the experimental. The first 15 acts to register starting at 7:30 p.m. make up the show.
The First Friday ArtWalk is sponsored by the Lane Arts Council, lanearts.org/ or 541-485-2278.