The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts welcomes Wenda Vorce for an exhibition of her found-object works from April 5 to May 25 in the Coastal Oregon Visual Artists Showcase (COVAS) at the Newport Visual Arts Center. Vorce’s exhibit, “Astoria Regatta,” will feature mosaics on driftwood, glass and wood pendants, bone and glass mobiles and painted folk art on driftwood—all created from objects the artist found during walks along the shores of the Columbia River. The COVAS Showcase represents artists living on the Oregon coast, rotating among Oregon’s seven coastal counties. Wenda Vorce will be representing Clatsop County in the COVAS Showcase, and a First Friday opening reception will be held on April 5, 5-7pm, with the artist talking about her work at 6:30pm.
“Living near the Columbia River provides an endless supply of materials and inspiration,” says Wenda Vorce. “I am not only getting exercise and fresh air, I am going on a treasure hunt. I never know what I will find, like the day I discovered the blue cabinet door. I first spotted it along the bay and it was there three weeks later. Now it is part of my upcoming show.”
Wenda Vorce describes her work as organic, inspired by nature and not without flaws. “My work is whimsical and spontaneous, each piece dictating what it will become through its shape, color and size. I am sometimes as surprised by what the finished piece looks like as I never quite know until it is finished.”
A self-taught artist, Vorce first became involved in making art with recycled objects in the 1980s. She calls her art company “Columbia River Creations,” and her works can be found at Creations Studio and other galleries and retail locations around Astoria. “Wenda finds objects along the Columbia and turns them into breathtaking works. Her work is surprisingly unique and affordable,” writes Beth Bauer of Clatsop News.
In 2018, Vorce was awarded a COAR residency with Astoria AVA and Recology Coastal Oregon Artists. The challenge of the residency was to showcase art that could be made only from items found at the local transfer station.
The COVAS Showcase is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 4pm.