WHAT GOES AROUND ...
2019
Circles and Cycles! Our lives are full of these two things from marbles to polka
dots to peas to the seasons and even a life itself. Our group decided to take on
these two concepts and “What goes Around…” was born.
It was decided that either or both ideas could be used, and so there is a piece
about the moon which can be round at one point in its phase, or many other
shapes throughout its cycle. And then there is a tongue-in-cheek bicycle
because after all, you can’t cycle if you don’t have circles! Some abstracted
tulips show their life cycle with dramatic changes of color, and tiny soap bubbles
become something else entirely when enlarged. And that’s just the beginning.
We hope you enjoy this theme and the ways we have chosen to express it.
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Blowing Bubbles
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Moon Cycles
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Gear Up
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Round Pegs - Square Hole
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Seeing Red
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Merry Go Round
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Graffitti
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Tulip Envy
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WEATHER
2018
Today it seems that the weather all over our globe is in the news more than ever. The wild swings in climate, whatever their cause, gives us continual headlines: Flooding, Drought, Monster Storms, etc. No part of our world has escaped these extremes and when these occurrences affect the food supply, results are of even more consequence, often in the "catastrophic" category.
In the end, instead of asking ourselves "What on earth will I do with this subject?", it became "How should I limit my portrayal to deliver the subject with the most punch?" Living in the northwest brought many thoughts naturally to rain, some for drama and some for it's soothing and sometimes playful aspect.Others illustrated the consequences of weather occurrences or pondered the often unknowable weather we all live with; even if we listen to the weather report every evening, we are still sometimes caught without our umbrellas.
Wind and Water #1 and 2
Lynn Anderson
Rain for Dry Land
Kathy Blondell
T Time
Valri Chiappetta
Convergence
Betty Davis Daggett
Rainbows of Rain #1 and 2
Diane Losli-Britt
Storm Watching at the Beach
Annette McFarlane
Rain and Shine
Elaine Millar
Snow and Ash
Hilde Morin
REFLECTION AND RENEWAL
2017
Portland’s Japanese
Garden, created in 1967, completed an
expansion and renewal project in April 2017.
Our MIX group was excited and intrigued by this endeavor to add what is
primarily an architectural space to what has been mostly a serene garden of
lovingly tended plants.
As usual with our
group, we established a few working parameters:
A primary piece measuring 24” square
A smaller piece (to be hung on either side, top or
bottom), measuring 24” x 10”
The possibility of adding another small piece
We did not specify the
use of a particular color, nor did we say that concentration had to be on the
new structures or the garden. That was
left that up to the artist.
As we discovered with
last year’s show, “Urban PDX”, our affection for Portland is strong, and we
enjoyed the whole process from time spent in the garden getting inspirational
photos to wrestling with some new techniques.
We hope these pieces show our wonder at this beautiful spiritual
sanctuary.
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"The Spaces in Between" Kathy Blondell |
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"Japanese Pathway" (top) "Garden Pathway" (bottom) Annette McFarlane |
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"The Garden's Silent Welcome" (top) "Sticks and Stones" (bottom) Betty Daggett |
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"Pathways" (right) Diane Losli-Britt |
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"Peace and Reconciliation" (top) "Strolling Pond Denizens" (bottom) Valri Chiappetta |
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"Tranquility" (right) Elaine Millar |
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"Under The Maple Tree" Hilde Morin |
URBAN PDX
2016
Enjoy our work and do leave a comment if you wish. Feel free to join our mailing list. You can do so on the right hand side of the home page either by a direct email feed or the RSS reader of your choice.
And/Or
Kathy Blondell
How Dense is Dense Enough?
Valri Chiappetta
Condemned
Betty Daggett
The Pearl
Melanie Grant
Go by Train
Diane Losli-Britt
Tillicum Crossing
Annette McFarlane
An Urban Conversation
Elaine Millar
Busy Day at the Portland Mercado
Hilde Morin
A SENSE OF PLACE: THE ALLISON
2015
In our search for a theme this year, our MIX group thought it would be interesting to see how our individual interpretations of one place, known to us all, might vary or coincide. We chose the Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg, Oregon and had a couple of field trips together and sometimes separately to obtain photos. These photos were intended as jumping off points for our pieces since we also undertook some studies of abstraction earlier in the year.
Some artists chose to lean closer to the representational aspect in their portrayal, while others moved toward abstraction. We each hoped to create one “Hardscape” piece and one “Softscape” piece. Hardscape inspiration was likely to come from either the architecture of the building itself, or some of the rigid lines surrounding it such as the stonework or sculpture. The Softscapes might be related to the lush gardens, surrounding bounty of Willamette Valley agriculture or the more organic sculptures the Allison has scattered about its grounds. While we did get together to show progress throughout our designing season, seeing the show as a whole has delighted and surprised us. We hope viewers who know the Allison will see some of what they have enjoyed there in our interpretations, and those who do not will feel inspired to go and see it for themselves.
All pieces in this Exhibit measure 24"W x 30"H
Some artists chose to lean closer to the representational aspect in their portrayal, while others moved toward abstraction. We each hoped to create one “Hardscape” piece and one “Softscape” piece. Hardscape inspiration was likely to come from either the architecture of the building itself, or some of the rigid lines surrounding it such as the stonework or sculpture. The Softscapes might be related to the lush gardens, surrounding bounty of Willamette Valley agriculture or the more organic sculptures the Allison has scattered about its grounds. While we did get together to show progress throughout our designing season, seeing the show as a whole has delighted and surprised us. We hope viewers who know the Allison will see some of what they have enjoyed there in our interpretations, and those who do not will feel inspired to go and see it for themselves.
All pieces in this Exhibit measure 24"W x 30"H
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Standing Tall Shadow Play
Kathy Blondell
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The Lost Weekend The High Life
Valri Chiappetta
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Elephant Ears Hold No Secrets Spa Secrets
Betty Daggett
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Vessels Architectural Elements
Melanie Grant
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Bowl Follow a Path
Diane Losli-Britt
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Stacked Allison Stacked Grapes
Annette McFarlane
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Arbor Vitae Micro Rhythms
Elaine Millar
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Where to Stay Where to Go
Hilde Morin
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EXTREME STUDIES
2014
MIX artists developed a series of new works examining the concept "in the extreme". Whether it be through use of a single theme or similar technique, the work explores material, shape or distortion and color "in the extreme". To further unify the body of work, each piece is rendered at 18 inches square.
All works in this exhibit measure 18"W x 18"H
Box of Crayons - It'ss Not All Black and White - Where Have You Been
Kathy Blondell
Red Is Just Part of the Story - Fire and Ice - Interruption
Valri Chiappetta
Glacial Melt - Move Over - Scrap in Orbit
Betty Daggett
Betty Daggett
A Neutral Point of View - It's Hip to be Square - Off the Grid
Melanie Grant
Ostracized - Cast Off - Running Apart Side by Side
Diane Losli-Britt
Annette McFarlane
She Gives New Meaning to Going Green -
She Has a Night on the Town and Nothing to Wear -
She Put her Freak On
Elaine Millar
A Study of Distortion - A Fun Experiment - The Forbidden Color
Hilde Morin
LOCALLY GROWN
2013
People are becoming increasingly interested in the health of the food they eat. Farmer's markets are growing in popularity. Restaurants proudly announce that their food is purchased locally. Barbara Kingsolver wrote in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle the story of her family's desire and subsequent trial to eat only what they could grow themselves. The quilts for this exhibit were inspired by these and other personal experiences with "locally grown."
Compost Bin
one 12x12 piece made by each artist
one 12x12 piece made by each artist
Betty Daggett
Kathy Blondell
Hilde Morin
Looks like you guys are having great fun! Thanks for letting us take a peek.
ReplyDeleteand thanks for visiting Val!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful pieces! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am still interested in talking with Kathy Blondell about buying her IT'S NOT ALL BLACK AND WHITE piece that I saw in Sisters Library in July 2015. Could she email me?
ReplyDelete@gmail.com