The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts presents the exhibit “Creative Life Expressions” from October 4-26 in the Upstairs Gallery at the Newport Visual Arts Center. The exhibition will include works by members of the Coastal Arts Guild, an active partner organization with OCCA and the City of Newport at the Newport Visual Arts Center. An opening reception will be held on Friday, October 4, from 5-7pm, with artists discussing their work at 6:15pm.
The “Creative Life Expressions” exhibit is being chaired by Dian Swendsen, with support from committee member Bonnie Powell. “The Coastal Arts Guild’s first art exhibit provides the Newport community and Lincoln County an opportunity to look inside the creative lives of CAG members,” says Swendsen. “Many members not only enjoy volunteering for the OCCA Visual Arts Center (VAC) but also engage in their own art making, using a range of media.”
Bonnie Powell is a longtime painter focusing on seascapes and a former arts teacher in Lincoln County. “There is a real sense of the imagery of the sea as I’m painting – I am so drawn to it. The movement of rising and falling waves intrigued me,” says Powell. “One of my goals is to express that rolling blue green image so that the viewer is drawn into the emotion of the ocean. Relating that inspirational image is my goal as an artist.”
The Upstairs Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon-4pm.