The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Colors decree, “It’s fall” in the leaves, in the skies, and in the galleries of Sisters. It is time for Fourth Friday artwalkers to bundle up, slow down, and appreciate the more relaxed pace of this month’s event.

At Canyon Creek Pottery, Ken Merrill will be firing raku in front of his gallery at 310 N. Cedar St., just north of the library. This is a must-see experience, happening live between 5 and 7 p.m. The gallery features beautifully crafted ceramics, all made on site.

Stitchin’ Post is featuring work by Journeys Art Quilters in a show called “Mélange, meaning a mixture of incongruous elements. The show explores a mix of new and traditional techniques. Artists include Jean Wells Keenan, June Jaeger, Judy Beaver, Jan Tetzlaff, Donna Rice, Helen Brisson, Betty Gientke, Marion Shimoda, Martha Sanders, and Mary Stiewig. The exhibit opens with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m.

At The Rickards Gallery, visit with Bob Bousquet, a local, self-taught woodworker who learned his trade by trial and error, creating a lot of firewood along the way. Woodworking has been Bousquet’s passion since grade school. His objective is to build practical pieces that are pleasing to touch and beautiful to see.

Toriizaka Art features three artists — Robert Paulson, Lieu Nguyen, and Rae Holton — and refreshments from 4 to 7 p.m. Paulson, a talented wood artist who is a gallery favorite, will be on site from 1 to 7 p.m. His work begins with collected snags, driftwood, blowdowns, and fire- or storm-damaged trees. Using basic hand tools, sandpaper, oil, and wax, he turns found objects into refined wood art that is elegant and captivating. Vietnamese artist Lieu Nguyen often paints while in a dreamlike state. He dreams of his images in vivid color and then recreates his dreams on canvas. Other than some initial brushwork to create the framework or structure of some branches or a tree trunk, Nguyen does not touch the canvas with either palate knife or brush. Instead he drops paint onto canvas, a technique pioneered by Max Ernst and popularized by Jackson Pollock. Tens of thousands of single points of color are applied with a precision, creating flawlessly balanced, vibrant landscapes. Rae Holton was born and raised in Oregon among a family of artisans. After experimenting in a wide variety of media, she now works primarily in clay, stone, and metals. Holton has studied raku, saggar, pit fire techniques, sculpture, and three-dimensional design.

Hood Avenue Art welcomes Sharyl McCulloch and her one-of-a-kind wearable fiber art. She will demonstrate the use of a rigid heddle loom. She uses merino, alpaca, and organic plant-based yarns (mostly hand-dyed — to create treasured wearables that are perfect for fall. Vivian Olsen has a new “gang” of wildlife paintings — otters, foxes, and more — and a newly published book, “The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy.” Sandy Dutco’s experimental mixed-media art is inspired by the natural world. There will be refreshments and music by Mark Barringer and Jana Novotny.

Sisters Gallery & Frame hosts two beloved Sisters artists: Steve Mathews and Barbara Berry. Mathews started his art career as an illustrator but soon moved on to teaching at the high school and college level. Now retired he still volunteers in the art department at Sisters High School. He’s known for his whimsical creatures — both human and other — rendered on wood slabs with fine-line markers and colored pencil. Berry is best known for colorful acrylics on board or canvas. Aspens and the striking colors and textures of fall in the High Desert are featured in new paintings of favorite scenes from Sisters landscapes.

Space in Common owner Amelia Morton is a featured artist in her own gallery this month. She started watercolor painting at age 4 in Ashland. Her work looks simple but is deceptively complex, as she explores the relationship between color and emotion, and translates “felt moments” into landscapes inspired by the high desert. Her new work explores a combination of acrylic and watercolor techniques in a larger scale than her earlier work. Also featured in the gallery are new works by Taylor Manoles.

Jill Neal is back, this time at Campbell Gallery at Sisters Artworks. Recent work includes impressionistic Western images with bold colors and strokes. But she is best known for her “Wild and Tasteful Women” who embody a diversity of color, size, and ethnicity and show power, sexuality, joy, and good humor. They are soul enhancing and joyful. Her work will be hanging in the gallery for two months.

Wildflower Studio welcomes new potter Hunter Teig, who lives and teaches in Bend. He mixes and creates his own glazes in various styles and colors, and will show small bowls, mugs, and cups at the studio.

Autumn arrivals at Raven Makes Gallery include jewelry and art from American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nation artists. The gallery will be closed during Fourth Friday, but you can see the collection at http://www.ravenmakesgallery.com.