Art Center East

CURRENT EXHIBIT ABOUT THE ARTIST ARTIST TALK VIRTUAL GALLERY SHOP THE MAIN GALLERY ORLASKE GALLERY

Exhibits can also be viewed virtually online
at artcentereast.org thanks to a partnership with
High Country Realty Professionals.

The Art Center East Main Gallery is an international fine art exhibit space in Union County. It is a community-supported gallery, funded by Art Center East memberships and private donors. Exhibiting artists of all mediums are juried by the Gallery Committee in order to show their work in the Main Gallery. Exhibits typically run for 2 months.

The Main Gallery also hosts a selection of annual group exhibits, including:

The Big: ACE Annual Open Exhibit
Eastern Oregon University’s Junior (art majors and minors) Exhibit

All exhibits are free and open to the public.

Gallery hours:

Wednesday-Friday noon - 5 pm & Saturday 10 am - 2 pm

Art Center East (ACE) announces the opening of "Journeys and Convergence," a collaborative exhibit featuring the works of local artists Jan Clark, Linda M. Peterson, and Denise Elizabeth Stone. Community members are invited to a free opening reception on Friday, September 6, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The artists will discuss their work, inspirations, and creative processes in an artist talk beginning at 7:00 p.m. The exhibit will be on display in ACE’s Main Gallery from Friday, September 6 - Saturday, September 28, 2024.

The roots of “Journeys and Convergence” run deep. Clark, Peterson, and Stone initially gathered to learn the batik watercolor method with Sue Orlaske, another local artist. Orlaske died in 2021. As a group, they developed techniques that expanded the possibilities of the method and exhibited their work as the “Batik Convergence”. Chronicling 16 years of individual artistic journeys and collaborative creative work, “Journeys and Convergence” is unified by the themes of nature, color exploration, and storytelling.

Jan Clark
Clark’s lifelong passion for art is deeply rooted in her love for nature and shaped by her experiences growing up in the stunning landscapes of Bend, Oregon. Her work, which spans a variety of mediums including oil, pastel, watercolor, and mixed media, vividly reflects her connection to the natural world. Clark’s artistic journey began in childhood with simple materials like crayons and paint-by-numbers and evolved into a richly diverse practice that includes realism, abstract art, and batik watercolor. Her work is marked by its celebration of the quiet beauty of mountains, trees, rivers, and lakes—places that renew her soul and bring her peace. Whether capturing the serenity of plein air painting or experimenting with bold abstract forms, Clark’s art is a testament to her deep connection to the outdoors and her continuous exploration of new techniques and styles.

Linda M. Peterson
Based in La Grande, Oregon, Peterson is an artist whose work is a vibrant reflection of the natural beauty and colors of Eastern Oregon. She specializes in watercolor, batik watercolor, and collage, combining these techniques to capture the fluidity of water, the boldness of batik, and the unique textures of collage. Peterson’s work in “Journeys and Convergence” captures the unpredictability and spontaneity of water, the striking contrasts of batik, and the rich textural elements of collage, all of which are influenced by the landscapes she calls home.

Denise Elizabeth Stone
Stone’s art is a compelling blend of storytelling and archetypal themes, reflecting her background in education and psychotherapy. Stone lives in an Eastern Oregon river valley and draws inspiration from the ever-changing stories of the land, water, and wildlife around her. Her work spans watercolor, batik, acrylic, and mixed media, producing both figurative and abstract pieces characterized by intense color, texture, and light. Throughout her career, she has maintained a reverence for nature that she expresses with a touch of humor and a unique, quirky vision. Her pieces in “Journeys and Convergence” explore the natural world with both profound respect and playful creativity, seeing each painting as part of a larger, ongoing narrative.

Raffle tickets for original artworks by Clark, Peterson, and Stone will be available for purchase in person and online at artcentereast.org beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6. Proceeds from the raffle support the ACE Gallery Program. The three drawings, one for each artwork, will take place after September 28. The public is invited to attend a free closing reception on Friday, September 27, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Find out more about “Journeys and Convergence” and other ACE exhibits, classes, and events at artcentereast.org. Art Center East is located at 1006 Penn Avenue in La Grande. Gallery hours are Wednesday - Friday, noon - 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Exhibits can also be viewed online at artcentereast.org thanks to a partnership with High Country Realty Professionals in La Grande. ACE galleries are open to the public and admission is always free.

Painting on Location - Perry Swimming Hole

About the artist (left):

Jan Clark has loved doing artwork since she was really young. She went from using a pencil and crayons to oil paint-by-numbers. She loved trying anything and everything that came along. Art classes in school were always the highlight of the day. Jan studied art in Central and Eastern Oregon and has continued expanding her skills through many workshops and experimentations.

Her reputation as an artist was founded on her love for nature. This included birds, animals, and all of the great outdoors. Growing up in beautiful Bend, Oregon taught her at an early age the love of the outdoors and its majestic beauty. Camping, hiking, fishing, and riding horses throughout the Three Sisters mountains made a deep impact on her.

Jan’s mother introduced her to oil painting at an early age. They painted together often. She was drawn to realism, painting many scenes from her beloved central Oregon landscape. Next, she took a workshop in Pastels. Using the pastels many detailed Native American children were captured in their full dress while dancing and attending Pow-Wows. Also, she painted the rugged Mountain Men in their leather and skins carrying muzzle loaders as they competed at the rendezvous. Then along came watercolors. Again, she jumped in and soon found she also found another love.

In recent years Jan has added some bold abstracts, mixed media collages, and acrylic layers to her repertoire. With these styles, she uses hand-dyed papers, fibers, diffused ink pages, handmade stamps, and found items. Batik Watercolor has also caught her imagination. This is a lengthy and age-old process of using hand-made papers, watercolors, hot wax, and ink to produce an unpredictable intriguing work of art. Jan, along with Linda Peterson, Sue Orlaske, and Denise Elizabeth Stone have formed a tight-knit group called “The Batik Convergence” who get together regularly to share their ideas

With whatever medium she is planning to use, she is constantly drawing, designing, painting, and experimenting. She says, “it is in the daily experimentation and critiquing that the real growth occurs.”

As an accomplished teacher, she is locally well-known for her easy-to-follow watercolor and oil classes.

About the artist (center):

Linda M. Peterson grew up in Burns, Oregon, sketching and painting her surroundings, even as a child. She pursued a career in art and education at Eastern Oregon State College. She graduated in 1972 and taught high school art in Union, Oregon, and at Ackerman Elementary on the Eastern Oregon State College campus. She was an Artist in Residence for the Arts East Artist-in-Education program, and served on their board of directors.

Linda is known for her works in watercolor, weaving, stained glass and batik watercolor. She has shown her work in many galleries, has won numerous awards for her works, and she has been a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon since 1980.

Linda has also created and installed more than 50 sustained glass church windows around Eastern Oregon, The Dalles, and Caldwell, Idaho.

Linda says much of her success in artistic endeavors can be credited to her professors, Ian Gatley, Judd Koehn, and Tom Dimond, for their supportive atmosphere, inspiration, and encouragement for her award-winning batik watercolors.

Linda’s work is characterized by her loose, expressive style and her deep love of the natural world.

About the artist (pictured right):

Denise E. Stone says, “I came to art later in life, after a career in education and psychotherapy; my art reflects this background with its storytelling and archetypal themes. I use a variety of media, including watercolor, batik, acrylic, and mixed media to produce figurative and abstract works of intense color, interesting texture, and light. Living in a beautiful eastern Oregon river valley, my art is lovingly grounded in the ongoing and ever-changing stories of the land and waters and critters. Even my abstract work has an organic quality, drawn from the forms and colors of nature. I have been honored to receive numerous recognitions of my work, including Best of Show and People’s Choice awards. When not painting, I read, bake breads, hike with my husband, Ted, and play with the World’s Best Dog, my Kamela.”