President's Message

President’s Message June 2022

There’s a lot going on in the next few months. Here’s a quick list of what’s coming up:

We are partnering with Oregon Society of Artists for a May 2023 sculpture show. This will be an open call for entries. Rip Caswell will be the Juror. Cash awards will be given in several categories. Watch the monthly Calls for Artists. The listing will be added soon.

We still have a tentative show scheduled for May-June 2023 at Newport Visual Arts Center. We are trying to reschedule that for a slightly later date since it will conflict with our OSA show. Details to come as we learn more.

We have a new member sculpture on display in the garden at OSA. Shelly Durica-Laiche with help from Andy Kennedy have installed a large steel sculpture. See “Who’s Doing What” for a photo.

Our relationship with OSA continues to expand. Proposals for workshops are open now. Download the overview for course proposals. Their goal to include more sculpture in their shows and classes is an open opportunity for us. We also share a goal of expanding the diversity of our membership.

Creative Collaborations continues with about 18 sculptors collaborating in pairs and trio to produce a virtual show that will be posted by September 1.

We have tentative plans for an Annual PNWS Picnic. Pending confirmation of a location, the date is Saturday, August 27. This will be a real face-to-face event with opportunities to share experiences, ideas, stories, food and drinks. Mark your calendar. Confirmation to come soon. Contact Terri Elioff to help organize.

We are always looking for interesting places to hold our monthly member meetings. If you are interested in hosting a meeting, contact Bob Deasy. As pandemic restrictions loosen, opportunities for more hands-on demonstrations become much easier to create. Our goal is to fill our calendar for the year with interesting presentations. Sculptors in all media are welcome. You do not have to be an active member to host an event.

Our June meeting with be with Ulrich Parker. His work is bold and dynamic. His works in steel and water are impressive. It should be an enlightening meeting.

Our July meeting is scheduled at Marty Eichinger’s studio. Marty has been exploring 3-dimensional images in 2-dimensional space using epoxy and a variety of additives. This is a bold departure for one of our most successful sculptors. Plan to attend this live event. We plan to Zoom it as well.

President’s Message – May 2022

Our monthly meeting for April included an interview with stone sculptor, Art Wells. His insights included a perspective on selling through design centers. These are private showrooms where interior designers seek unusual art pieces for their clients and commission artists to create site specific pieces. For Art, this has been a far more lucrative channel for sales than his gallery affiliations. See the whole story.

Our show schedule now includes Oregon Society of Artists for May 2023. This will be a juried show of PNWS and OSA members. Details to come as we get closer to the date. We are also scheduled for the Newport Visual Arts Center in May-June 2023. We are trying to push that date back a month or two so it won’t conflict with the OSA show. Finally, work for our Creative Collaboration show continues. Most projects are still at the conceptual stage, but visible progress should be available soon.

Another upcoming opportunity for PNWS members is our demo booth at Art in the Pearl. We have been active participants in this event every year since its inception. It is always a great source for connections with potential students and sales. To be included in this Labor Day weekend event, contact Andy Kennedy.

Finally, our social media activity has been in hibernation for the past few months. This is usually a significant source of new web traffic and connections. Shelly Durica-Laiche, one of our previous social media champions has offered to assist getting one or two new people up to speed. This is a project that takes little time, but produces important results for all of us. It’s an ideal task for members in remote locations. As an all-volunteer organization, the only way things get done is through contributions by members. Please contact me if you can assist.

President’s Message April 2022

Here’s a quick overview of recent and upcoming activities for PNWS Members. See “Who’s Doing What” for an update of recent work, work in progress and member shows.

Our Creative Collaborations virtual show participants have started their journeys for their September 1 show. We have over 20 participants. You can monitor their conversations on our NEWS PNWS forum. Not much to see yet, but as the ideas, issues and solutions are discussed, you will be able to participate and even contribute your opinions.

Check out another collaboration currently in progress with Andy Kennedy and Russ Ford: Kiln Loading.

Our March meeting included an amazingly informative and insightful talk with sculptor, Sam Cobb. The video is available. It’s worth a look. Our next meeting, April 27 will be a conversation with Dan Fine. Dan’s knowledge of NFTs will include overview and advice.

Our informal Zoom conversations continue every 2^nd Wednesday at 7pm. Hosted by Alisa Looney, every session is driven by the interests of whoever shows up. Join the conversation! Share work in progress, ask advice, find resources, and more.

We are happy to welcome Toni Parque to our Board. Toni is a retired school teacher who has worked in education for 40 years. She has been a lifelong artist, drawing, painting and printmaking. She plans to help with connections to arts organizations and schools to hopefully expand the membership and provide some educational experiences through those connections. Toni is also interested in working on diversity.

President’s Message

There has been a lot of activity for PNWS this past month. We have an interview with George Heath who retired from our Board after two separate extended terms as President. The big news is the recognition awarded him by our Board. I hope all will read the interview.

This month we announce “Creative Collaborations,” a new virtual show for active PNWS members. Pair up with another PNWS artist to explore new ideas and new media. If you don’t have a partner identified, register anyway and we’ll try to match you up with another sculptor. There is no fee to participate. Register by March 15. The show will be on our site beginning September 1.

Several members have shared examples of recent works and works in progress. See Who’s doing what.

Finally, I am happy to welcome Alisa Looney and Scott Price to our Board. For Alisa, this is a return engagement. She’s served on our Board before. Her immediate focus in on diversity and inclusion. She has submitted a grant proposal to the Regional Arts and Culture Council. If approved, our Board will participate in training that hopefully will move us toward a more aware and inclusive organization. Read more.

Scott Price founded the Price Sculpture Forest on Whidbey Island. He is not a sculptor himself, but brings a business and organizational perspective to the Board that will help set a more strategic approach toward our future. Their bios will be on the site soon. Take a minute to connect and get to know them.

Unfortunately, Jonas Hartley, whose name was also on the ballot had to withdraw. We are looking for at least one additional Board member. If you are interested in knowing more, contact me.

And finally, at our Annual Meeting, we had a discussion on upcoming shows, formats, venues and outreach. A lot of ideas came up. This is a discussion that hopefully will result in several shows this year and next. Shows take a lot of effort and a lot of people. Members interested in participating in shaping our future show strategy should contact Andy Kennedy.

President’s Message January 2022

New Year. New Optimism.

After the Great Plague came the Renaissance. Not immediately, of course, but time has compressed considerably since the 14^th to 16^th centuries. I am an optimist. I am predicting another Renaissance beginning now. I anticipate increased attention and appreciation for the arts and artists fueled by an intense increase in new work produced during the past few years.

We have endured two years of this pandammit. If you’ve made productive use of your isolation, you probably have created a lot of new work. Or perhaps your work has taken a new turn. The final chapter of the pandemic isn’t over yet, but it’s time we start emerging and sharing the fruits of our labors.

With the overhaul of our website at the end of 2020, we included a new Directory for members to display their works, add links to videos and to their own websites. To date, only about half of our active members have taken advantage of this opportunity. This is a great venue to display your work, engage a broader audience, drive traffic to your own website, market your classes, and sell your work.

View tutorials for editing your pages.

If you would like to share news of your work, upcoming shows, thoughts on techniques or reviews of work you’ve seen, you’ll also find instructions at the above link . We would all enjoy hearing from you.

Board Changes

This year we said farewell to several Board Members. Dave Frei, Chayo Wilson and Rocky Jaeger have shifted their focus to changing conditions in their own lives. We appreciate their contributions and will miss their positive energy.

Turnover is nothing new for our Board. It happens every year, which is why it’s so important that we have new people, new perspectives and fresh energy ready to step up. I am very happy to list the following members as candidates for our Board: Scott Price, Alisa Looney and Jonas Hartley. In addition, Bill Leigh has committed to another term. Election of these new Board members will be held at our Annual Meeting on January 26. Our By-laws require a minimum of 8 Board members. With this election, we will maintain 10, which has been our average for the past several years.

We have a great Board. Our meetings are organized, efficient and productive. All members are welcome. If you would like to attend to see how we function or are interested in learning about the Board job description, contact me.

Annual Meeting

Our Annual Meeting will be held virtually again this year. Please plan to attend Wednesday, January 26 at 7pm via Zoom. Agenda items include election of our Board members, a few minor changes to our By-Laws, reports on our activities of the past year and an update on our improved financial condition. Open conversation will follow the business items. One discussion topic will be another collaborative show similar to our “Unmatched Pairs” show in 2019. It’s another opportunity to stay connected and creative.

We need a quorum to make our election official. I would like to see 100% participation. It’s also an opportunity to meet and learn about our new members, and updates from existing members.

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING

You may vote online if you cannot attend the Annual Meeting. It will only take in 1-2 minutes. VO TE HERE

Upcoming Events

Check the Calendar on our website for info on upcoming meetings. We are actively scheduling for April and beyond. If interested in hosting a virtual or live meeting or other event, contact our new Meeting Coordinator, Bob Deasy.

Tour of Firebird Bronze

Our meeting on October 27 was a major milestone for PNWS. It was our first face-to-face meeting in over a year and a half. Over 20 attended in person, another dozen via Zoom. We had our usual tech glitches, but we got it done.

Our presentation by Rip Caswell at Firebird Bronze was outstanding. Also participating was Chad Caswell of Firebird 3D and Will Amber at Indigo Metal Fabrication. It was information rich, visually stimulating and incredibly inspiring. The three businesses compliment each other to produce outstanding sculptures for artists across the country. It was encouraging to see so many members attending a real event again. The networking session after the presentation felt like old times.

Many thanks to our board members who helped make this happen. Dave Frei organized and promoted the event. Terri Elioff worked the second camera, welcomed nonmembers and made everyone feel comfortable. Andy Kennedy also sparked conversations and made introductions. It was reassuring to see a room full of animated conversations. At some point, we will all be comfortable meeting and networking as before. Until then, our real challenge continues – to stay connected.

When the pandemic began, I estimated we might lose 20% of our members. Networking is our greatest member benefit. Without that interaction, our value is compromised. We have, in fact, lost about 20%. through our new website and the success of our recent virtual exhibit, we gained 7 new members in the past two months. We are on a positive trajectory.

Chas Martin

PNWS Members Lead Local Sculpture Activities

PNWS members are sharing their knowledge, selling work, earning commissions and recruiting students through a series of local activities. Here are some highlights.

Following the recent vandalism of the York sculpture at Mt. Tabor Park, Julian Voss-Andreae offered to raise funds to cast the bust in bronze as a gift to the city. We have had multiple communications among our board, Libby Carruth (who assisted the anonymous artist), Kristen Calhoun at RACC, Director Long of Portland Parks and Recreation, and City Commissioner Carmen Rubio. A more thorough and coordinated strategy is in the works. It is likely we will have a role in its outcome. It is too soon to know what form that may take. This is a great opportunity for PNWS to provide a real service to our community. It raises our visibility and could open new doors for our group and our members. If interested in participating, contact me.

We will have a demo booth at Art in the Pearl on Labor Day weekend. We have been part of this event every year! While promoting sculpture and PNWS activities, our volunteers have benefited from sales, commissions and gained new students. PNWS usually recruits a few new members as well. Thanks to demonstrators Andy Kennedy, Russ Ford, Jonas Hartley, Phil Seder and Tony Furtado. Thanks also to Carole Murphy for keeping us engaged. She moved to a supportive role this year for health reasons. If you want to help, contact Andy.

We are returning to the Troutdale Festival of the Arts on September 18 and 19. This is another event where our participating members have enjoyed sharing their work and techniques. The public has reciprocated with purchases and support for our artists. Thanks to participants Marlena Nielsen, Rocky Jaeger, Sue Quast, Jonas Hartley and Andy Kennedy for representing PNWS at this event. If you want to help, contact Andy.

A few names recur in these activities. I’m always grateful for their dedication. They understand the reciprocal benefit to being actively involved. Your knowledge also has value! Artists and non-artists can learn from what you know. A small investment of your time helps us fulfill our educational mission and increases your accessibility. Most of our activities are the result of contributions from about 25% of our members. With such a diverse group, what you could contribute is probably not duplicated by anyone else. Contact Andy to discuss ideas and possibilities. We’ll all benefit from your generosity.