President's Message

New year. New faces. New opportunities.

Another solstice passes and the daylight hours lengthen once again. As the new year begins, so do new opportunities for connection and knowledge-sharing. PNWS has many opportunities for members to engage, promote themselves and learn from our eclectic group of artists.

As I pass the torch on to Andy Kennedy to lead this group, I do so with great hope. The past three years have been a challenge for us individually and as a group. We have weathered the storm and can now start looking and planning ahead again.

Turnover in our membership has been notable, about 20%. That has created a lot of new ideas, energy and a whole new group of artists to meet. I encourage everyone to create or update your membership page on our website. It’s a great way to introduce yourself and to open the door for more conversation. It’s not difficult. Log in and upload a few images. (If you’re already logged in, that link won’t appear in the menu.)If you’re unsure how to upload images, we have a few tutorials to explain it all.

I also encourage everyone to post an occasional article on your page. We feature several each month in this newsletter which reaches about 700 subscribers.

Here are two additional activities you should plan on:

Our Annual Meeting will be Sunday, January 29 at Bill Leigh’s Studio. New board members will be approved by the members, you’ll get an update on the state of PNWS and hear what incoming President Andy sees as the future of the organization. See details.

Our upcoming show “Into the Depths” at the Newport Visual Arts Center is moving forward. See details on how to participate.

Attend our Monthly Conversations via Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm

The year comes to an end. So does my term as President of PNWS. It’s been an unanticipated 3-year adventure. I took on the role in February 2020, just a month before the pandammit hit the fan. All the plans the Board had carefully prepared went sideways. And, not long after that, some of our Board Members went sideways as well to deal with more immediate life issues.

I’ve always been a huge advocate for change and innovation. And, here was a plateful of opportunity to manage both. We scrambled. We reassessed. We went Zoom to stay connected. We built and launched a new web site. We raised funds for the site and for ongoing operations. We filled vacancies on the Board with new, energetic participants. We hosted our first and second virtual shows. We lost a number of members and gained nearly as many new ones.

So, it has been an adventure. The rewards have outweighed the frustrations. I leave this position with the organization in better shape financially, with more energy and more potential. Leadership will pass to Andy Kennedy whose familiarity with our volunteer resources and his fresh ideas will create new opportunities for everyone to participate and reap the benefits of interaction.

I will continue to put the newsletter together and contribute to the Board for one more year. I mostly look forward to more studio time and more time to directly interact with artists and friends. The support I’ve had over the past 3 years from members and past Board members has made this time much more productive and enjoyable. Thank you to all for your support, encouragement and advice.

Changes are the theme of the immediate future. In an attempt to engage and involve more of our members, we are looking at additional times and formats for our meetings. Our VP, Andy Kennedy, will be updating everyone about some of the options and looking for your input. Look for a separate email soon.

Our November meeting will be delayed a week to avoid the Thanksgiving holiday. The new date is November 30. Our presenter will be Carole Murphy and the location will be at Oregon Society of Artists. See details.

Our January meeting will also be at Oregon Society of Artists on Sunday, January 8 at 1:30. Led by Russ Ford, this will be a member-only Spirit Mask Making event. The masks will be fired the following Sunday at his studio in Vancouver. See details.

Time and date for our Annual Meeting will come soon. There should be some language changes for our bylaws and election of new board members.

Several changes are in the works for PNWS members. After a highly uncontested campaign, Andy Kennedy has stepped into the role of Vice President and will succeed me as President in the new year. This is entirely appropriate since Andy the most knowledge of our volunteer resources.

Andy’s vision for member engagement revitalizes a process from our past where every member has a role. In a volunteer organization, it’s up to you to make the experience valuable for everyone else. And that, in turn, makes it more valuable for you. Watch for updates.   

FIGs are a new feature. Focused Interest Groups are member organized communities within our organization to facilitate conversations and information exchange. The goal is to engage members on specific topics. Our Forums will be the primary point of contact, but face to face conversations, site visits are all possibilities. Read more about FIGs.

Long time member and former PNWS President, Carole Murphy is on a mission to contact and convert past members to active status. She’s the perfect person for this task. Carole is superb listener and natural motivator. Until this past year, Carole was the primary organizer for our annual participation at Art in the Pearl, our most visible activity. Many thanks to Carole for her consistent commitment to PNWS. Also, if you are not subscribed to Carole’s Sculpture Newsletter, take a look. It’s always an inspiring visual treat.

And finally, newsletter subscriber Melanie Furtado is a sculptor and teacher offering a free online workshop: Intro to Clay Sculpting. It starts Oct 12th. It’s 3 video lessons with a focus on traditional skills. Appropriate for stone sculptors as well. Register here.

It’s fall. The pace of life/work quickens as summer doldrums yield to fall activities.

Our next meeting is at Portland ADX on Wednesday, September 28 at 7pm. See the description for more details.

We ended the summer with our annual appearance at Art in the Pearl. Traffic was moderate. Demos were excellent. Although we had fewer than usual demonstrators, we were well represented. Thanks to Andy Kennedy for coordinating and to Jerry Woodbury, Russ Ford, and Jonas Hartley for their time and effort.

Our Creative Collaborations Show went live on our web site at the end of last month. We lost a few collaborators along the way, but the final list is an interesting mix of imaginations. Take a look.

Our Annual Picnic was held at Oregon Society of Artists on August 28. Maybe it was the timing, maybe the weather, maybe the location, but turnout was light. Those who did attend were rewarded with plenty of food and good conversation. Special thanks to Ulrich Pakker and Pamela Pakker-Kozicki for making the trek from Seattle to connect face to face. Also check out their article: Origin of a Successful Design.

This past month, Scott Price resigned from our Board for personal reasons. We appreciate his contributions. We will miss his wise perspective and organizational skills. He remains an active member and welcomes our participation in the Price Sculpture Garden.

Additions to the Board in the past few months include Bob Deasy and Katie Sallos. Look for a few changes in committee assignments to rejuvenate member interaction and volunteer participation. After a few years of pandemic pandemonium, it is time to return to our more social and less virtual interactions. Be prepared to get involved again.

In an attempt to build a stronger relationship with Oregon Society of Artists (aka Oregon School of Arts), we are invited to participate in an all sculpture show in May 2023. We helped define this show. Our members may submit images at the member entry fee rate of $35 for two entries. Although this is a juried show, Rip Caswell, the juror, will identify recipients of cash awards. Acceptance of at least one, and more likely two entries is consistent with their usual procedure. More details will be shared as soon as dates are finalized. I hope everyone will consider participating.

Annual picnic will be Sunday, August 28 from 1-5pm at Oregon Society of Artists, 2185 S.W. Park Place, Portland. A sculpture by Olinka Broadfoot will be installed in honor of one of our amazing members who died this past year. See details.

Creative Collaborations continues with about 18 sculptors collaborating in pairs and trio to produce a virtual show that will be posted on our website by September 1. Details in the next issue.

The recording of our July meeting at Marty Eichinger’s studio is available for viewing. Please excuse the quality of the video. We’re trying.

Group show at Newport Visual Arts Center is confirmed for June/July 2023. This will require many volunteers to make this work. If you plan to enter, also plan to contribute some time. We will collect, load, deliver, set up in June.Contact Katie Sallos to volunteer.

We are always looking for interesting places to hold our monthly member meetings. If you are interested in hosting a meeting, contact Bob Deasy.

We are always looking for volunteers for a variety of tasks. A small group of dedicated people make everything happen. A few more volunteers would help us make more things happen. Contact Chas for details.

A quick reminder of upcoming activities:  

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.

Annual picnic is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 27. Location and details to come. This will be a face to face with some refreshments provided.  

Burning Gnome Party July 16th from 3 pm till the last gnome standing hosted by Joe And Lupita Highfill

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

Group Show at Oregon Society of Artists is confirmed for May 2023. If you have an idea for a theme, contact Katie Sallos.

Group show at Newport Visual Arts Center is confirmed for June/July 2023. This will require many volunteers to collect, load, deliver, set up in June. Contact Katie Sallos to volunteer.

We are always looking for interesting places to hold our monthly member meetings. If you are interested in hosting a meeting, contact Bob Deasy.

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.