(Above: Epic Seconds, a retro music and movie store, also features original art, such as this piece by proprietor Benjamin Terrell.)

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Pick up your ArtWalk guide for the first First Friday ArtWalk of 2023 at Art with Alejandro on the second floor of Eugene’s 5th Street Public Market (Suite 224) at 246 E. 5th Ave.) and set off on your self-guided tour of the many galleries and art venues in the downtown area.

As has become usual, please bring a mask in case certain locations request that you wear one.

 Here’s an alphabetical listing  galleries and art venues that will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 6, unless noted below:

Allies LLC (131 E. 11th Ave.) — With the mission of supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Allies hosts the theme Stay Gorgeous with new artworks by their customers. See works by featured artist Jessica Payne, visit with resident artist Jon Conway to receive a tarot reading or speak with artist Cromika about her crochet artwork. Offer up snacks of gratitude to their group sculpture “Eco” or create your own mini collage.

Artist Alejandro Sarmiento’s interpretation of Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

Art with Alejandro (5th Street Public Market 2nd floor, 246 E 5th Ave, Suite 224) — A solo show features an eclectic mix of Alejandro Sarmiento’s paintings, ranging from landscapes, figures, mystical themes, commercial, and a wall with new works in progress that is always changing as Sarmiento continues to create.

ArtCity Studios on Broadway (160 E. Broadway, basement level) — Eugene Printmakers will be printing cute and sweet bunny images for the Chinese Year of the Rabbit — Chinese New Year this year is Jan. 22 — from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Barn Light (924 Willamette St.) — Black Coffee and a Slice of Cherry Pie is a surreal and vibrant take on the TV show Twin Peaks, created in mixed-media by Ariel.

Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway) — {Khaostasis 11.0- Amalgam} is an exhibit by David “CP” Placencia that features hundreds of original paintings large and small from his 10 years of showing his works during the First Friday ArtWalk, beginning in January 2012. The ouevre includes large austere landscapes, fun 3D Bubble artworks, mural studies, and many owls. Placencia is a local muralist and the founder of WheelHaus Arts, a local teaching studio for K-12th graders that has been helping connect the next generation of local artists for five years. The reception is at 7 p.m.

Epic Seconds (30 E. 11th Ave.)  — Listen to me, butterfly features new work by Benjamin Terrell on the One Wall Gallery. The title is a song lyric, something perhaps said to a loved one, and also a phrase that artist Terrell thought about while painting expansive landscapes from a place that felt intimate, describing it as “the quiet place where monologue first becomes dialogue.”

Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave., Children’s Center) — Meet LIttLE BIG Bear & Friends via the Giant Cover Art Display of platinum award winning books by father and son author and illustrator team “Chef Andre” Royal & Andre Royal Jr. The cover art was originally created using Copic Marker, pen, and watercolor pencil, and based on hand drawn illustrations by Andre Royal Jr.  More info: Chefandreroyal.com. Open until 6 p.m.

FUSE Jewelry Collective (112 E. 13th Ave.) — This new art venue offers a place for jewelry lovers to learn, shop, create, and connect. Check out the FUSE showroom, displaying collections by local jewelry designers as well as thoughtfully curated, small-batch gift items. During the ArtWalk, there will be live music and studio tours of the FUSE Classroom, which offers weekly metalsmithing classes to the public and is open to all levels of experience.

Karin Clarke at the Gordon (590 Pearl St., Suite 105) — Work by gallery artists including Robert Schlegel, Heather Jacks, Mark Clarke, Margaret Coe, Adam Grosowsky, and others.

Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.) —  Gone Midnight, new oil paintings by popular Eugene artist Adam Grosowsky, featuring his signature grand-scale portraits, reclining figures and nudes, landscapes, and a number of paintings including his cat Masso; show ends Jan. 14.

The New Zone Gallery (110 E. 11th Ave.) — 
In addition to the eclectic mix of art created by the New Zone members, four special shows are featured during January:

  • Day After Day, paintings by Uyen-thi Nguyen, exploring the relationships that are interlaced between, within, and around us.
  • Transformation, paintings by Nancy Friedemann through which she explores herself during the painting process.
  • Cosmology & Buddha Consciousness, by Martin Whitney.
  • The Gift Zone, handcrafted, artsy, and local gifts created by New Zone members.
  • Live music

Paintings by Omar Shamsi are on display at One Vision Nutrition.

One Vision Nutrition (946 Willamette St.) — LoveTM Eugene, Oregon, features sketches, acrylic and oil paintings, and photography by Omar Shamsi, plus  live music by Jocelyn Karina, an experimental artist that plays guitar and sings, sharing freestyle, poetry, and spoken word over beats and jazz influenced backing tracks.

OSLP Arts & Culture Center (110 E. 11th Ave, Suite C) — Check out SHOWCASE! at the new gallery space, featuring fresh amazing artwork created by Arts & Culture Center participants.

Starlight Lounge (830 Olive St.) — Watercolor and acrylic paintings by Grace Carolyn, a collection that “showcases the beauty of every body, in different shapes and sizes” not as often romanticized by art but including “beauty in each of our bodies, down to the cellulite, back rolls, stretch marks, etc.”

Windowfront Exhibitions – Downtown Eugene’s empty storefronts become interactive artworks and galleries with new and evolving paintings and art installations:

  • 224 W. Broadway — Vexing me!, a multi-medium installation by Zoë Gamell Brown portraying the welcoming of visitors to a Guyanese American meal.
  • 120 W. Broadway — Celestial Migration, a mural by Valentina Gonzalez (VRGNZ) representing the creation story of the Coyote and the Jaguar.
  • 833 Willamette St. — Altered Cumulus, an installation by Justin Kittell and James Sartor, originally featured in BEAM, an annual showcase presented by ArtCity that features works of art incorporating light, and consists of 10 glowing clouds strung from an octahedral frame. The clouds are synced together and rotate through an assortment of light modes, sometimes evoking lightning and other times calm skies.
  • 873 Willamette St. — The art of Leo White Horse, a Sicangu Lakota artist with ancestors from the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, is influenced by the quick sketches of cowboys, rodeos, and natives from the past that were drawn by his father (Myers White Horse) long ago. Sue Gallego’s identity as an Indigenous woman has shaped her development as an artist, as she feels a responsibility for depicting the emotional values and stories of indigenous people and cultures.
  • 1059 Willamette St. — A Sunset Together, a mural by Pattrick Price using traditional formline designs and ancient petroglyph styles.

Special event

Design Arts Apprenticeship Showcase (Spark, 22 W. 7th Ave.)
 — See innovative products made by local middle and high schoolers in a unique apprenticeship with professional design artists. Products include fashion, graphic design, 3D modeling, digital art, biomimicry, and more. Meet the student designers and learn about their creative process at this interactive showcase sponsored by Connected Lane County. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Free.

About Lane Arts Council

Lane Arts Council is a nonprofit organization that works to cultivate strong and creative arts communities throughout Lane County, by providing high-quality arts experiences, engaging people of all ages in arts education, and encouraging artistic endeavors.

Jessica Payne is one of the artists who participates in programs at Allied LLC, which works with adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.