ART CENTER EAST PRESENTS WATERCOLOR EXHIBIT “AVIAN NEIGHBORS”

ART CENTER EAST PRESENTS WATERCOLOR EXHIBIT “AVIAN NEIGHBORS”

August 19, 2022

LA GRANDE, Oregon – Art Center East (ACE) presents “Avian Neighbors”, an exhibit featuring new original paintings of flora

Varied Thrush
Watercolor
by Hiroko Cannon

and fauna by Pendleton-based watercolorist Hiroko Cannon, in its Main Gallery. The community is invited to attend a free opening reception on Friday, September 9, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. “Avian Neighbors” will be on display September 9 – October 22. 

For the past 20 years, Cannon has been using the plants and wildlife of the Columbia Plateau as the inspiration for and subjects of her watercolor paintings. She moved to Pendleton, Oregon, from Japan in 1986, and in her work she references the Japanese Muromachi period’s simplicity of unfilled space. She spends weeks or months painting each piece using tiny brushes to apply the paint in a pencil-like manner. 

Cannon has generously donated an archival print (16 ⅜ inches in width x 22 inches in height) of her painting “Hummingbirds & Trumpet Flower”. The print is valued at $150. Purchase raffle tickets ($1 for one ticket; $5 for six tickets) between the September 9 opening reception and the October 21 closing reception. The raffle winner will be announced Saturday, October 22. The closing reception for “Avian Neighbors”, free and open to the public, will be held Friday, October 21, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. 

Find out more about this exhibit and other ACE exhibits, classes, and events at artcentereast.org. Art Center East is located at 1006 Penn Avenue in La Grande. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday – Friday 12:00 – 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Exhibits can also be viewed online at artcentereast.org thanks to a partnership with John J. Howard Real Estate in La Grande. Art Center East galleries are open to the public and admission is always free.

Art Center East, based in La Grande, Oregon, was founded in 1977 and is a [member-based] 501(c)(3) arts services organization that brings arts opportunities and arts education to the residents of ten Eastern Oregon counties. Our historic Carnegie Library building hosts art classes, art exhibits in our three galleries, and community cultural events such as Día de los Muertos celebrations, Guinean drumming workshops, and literary readings. Our Artists in Rural Schools Program engages K-12 students across Eastern Oregon and our Community Music Program brings together community members of all ages in ensemble settings.

Art Center East programs are supported by our members, community donations, business sponsorships, and regional and statewide foundations. For a list of our supporters and more information, visit www.artcentereast.org or call 541-624-2800.