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The Big: Winner of Outstanding Jewelry Sherry Shar

The Big: Winner of Outstanding Jewelry
Sherry Sharman for "Iced Coffee Divine"

Tell us why you selected the pieces you submitted:
"I absolutely love working with quality stones. The pieces I chose this year called to me because of their magnificent sparkle. It has not been a very sparkling year and these both bring a smile to my face."

What inspired those pieces?
"Boldness. I very much enjoy working with the larger stones, especially for art shows.
The labradorite pendant was tagged for “The Big” when I purchased it."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"I have recently started using much smaller faceted stones in my designs. I am looking forward to acquiring more of those beads for my designs and seeing what I can create!"

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"I love the people and the friendly environment."

Artist Statement:
"Sharry Sherman has been creating jewelry using semi-precious gemstones for over a decade. Her love of gemstones and the look and feel of them continue to draw her in. She will tell you she is addicted to beading!
Sharry enjoys creating with mixtures of stones and metals, making one-of-a-kind designs. She quite often has customers try a piece on so they can experience how a certain stone feels on their skin.
Designing jewelry makes Sharry feel happy and content. Bringing a customer that same sense of joy by helping them choose one of her designs made with a particular stone is such a great feeling of accomplishment."

Iced Coffee Divine
Crackled Agate and Crystal
$65 Set (SOLD)

Unlock the Magic
Labradorite
$95.00

The Big: Artist Spotlight Celine Burke Tell us wh

The Big: Artist Spotlight
Celine Burke

Tell us why you selected the pieces you submitted:
"These are original works that were finished during quarantine – what a year. The shape is modeled after the Christmas Star, used in the three wise men's navigation."

What inspired those pieces?
"The idea for these pieces came from thinking about shadow boxes and an egg ornament process I learned as a child with my grandmother. They are named after the blue and red giants Vega and Antares, respectfully."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"I am currently exploring a fusion of fiber and metal arts."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"While I appreciate the natural beauty of the valley, particularly Mt. Emily and the Grande Ronde River, I also enjoy the people. I appreciate the sense of community, friends, and family in the region. I cannot wait to be able to participate in our local music groups once they start again, especially the Alleluia Bell Choir and Community African Drumming."

Artist Statement:
"I enjoy working with my hands. I have a natural tendency towards minimalism and would describe my style as cozy, geometric, functional, and textured. I'd like my work to inspire happiness and nostalgia."

Vega
Eggshell
$50

Antares
Eggshell
$50

The Big: Artist Spotlight David Memmott Tell us w

The Big: Artist Spotlight
David Memmott

Tell us why you selected the pieces you are submitted:
"During the pandemic, I have been particularly active in creating several series of digital abstract paintings. "Wildfire" is self-explanatory but represents an attempt to capture the terrible beauty of this force of nature. "Subduction 01" is a more abstract painting with subdued tones overwhelmed by the color of what lies beneath, which I hope captures the emotional state of lives on hold."

What inspired those pieces?
"For the past nine months I have done something like 200 digital paintings inspired, I suppose, by practice and a desire to bring some color and feeling into my experience during these bad times."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"I am gradually producing these digital paintings as 24 X 30 canvas prints and 18 X 24 giclee prints matted and gallery-ready in 24 X 30 frames. I hope to show more of these in the near future."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"As a writer and artist, my imagination is fed by the region's textures, shapes, patterns and colors. But I want to bring these features of place and my experience living here through some personal context which I have come to describe as "subjective regionalism." "

Artist Statement:
"As a left-handed artist, my frustration with penmanship early in life carried over into drawing and painting which led me to photography. After years of photographing the region, I began scanning ink drawings which I merged with my photography and developed a method as much informed by my desire to produce images digitally which I never felt competent enough to produce with paint on canvas."

Wildfire
giclee print of digital painting
$125

Subduction 01
giclee print of digital painting
$125

The Big: Artist Spotlight Linda Peterson Tell us

The Big: Artist Spotlight
Linda Peterson

Tell us why you selected the piece you've submitted:
"I chose the pieces because they represent a style of painting I have been experimenting these past few years."

What inspired those pieces?
"I have been studying books by the artist Ann Blockley. She takes the step of watercolor to an almost abstract look, using many new and unusual use of tools and paints. Years ago I loved the techniques of her father John Blockley. Both are from Great Britain."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"I will continue to work on watercolor skills. Health prevents me from class work."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"I love the land and the friendly community. Painting en plein air with a special friend."

Artist Statement:
"Linda has always remained true to herself in her approach to her artwork. It is honest to the place she grew up in, in the lands of Eastern Oregon.
South Eastern Oregon is both desert and lush mountains and rivers. In all the pieces there is a reflection of honesty and feeling.
Linda was born in 1947 and raised in the deserts and forests of Burns, Oregon. She graduated with a BA in art and education from EOU in La Grande, OR. She taught art in the schools and also spent many years as an Artist-in-Education.
In her later years she has continued to express honest pieces of art in many mediums."

"Forgotten" (detail)
Watercolor
$430

"Distress" (detail)
Watercolor
$220

Don't forget to pick up a copy of this year's Big

Don't forget to pick up a copy of this year's Big Read title: In the Heart of the Sea! We have a few available to borrow from the ACE Gift Gallery, and Cook Memorial Library has a stash, too. Read the book now so you're ready to go for Fishtrap's month of (100% online!) Big Read events, starting in February!

The Big: Winner of Best Three-Dimensional Kevin Bo

The Big: Winner of Best Three-Dimensional
Kevin Boylan for "Brilliant Canary Teardrop"

Artist Statement:
"Through the years, my work has evolved from my beginnings as a potter to my current stage as a mixed media sculptor and glassblower. Exploring new mediums, learning new techniques, and examining my most immediate surroundings; my process almost always results with a non-objective, abstract form.
The common thread is that my work is a personal journal. While my hands are creating an object that I’ve overthought without sketching; my mind is contemplating ideas, relationships, past experiences, or daily occurrences in my life. I may not know what the piece is about until I’ve completed it and am able to reflect on the process.
Because I use internal reflection of sorts to create my work, I consider it to be self-portrait work, and my latest body of work has become more figurative."

Brilliant Canary Teardrop (detail)
Blown Glass
$470.00

It's time to drop off your entry for Comfort: the

It's time to drop off your entry for Comfort: the 5th Annual Fiber Arts & Jewelry Exhibit at Art Center East!

To complete your entry:
1) Drop off between Jan 13 - 30 (one entry per person)
2) Pay the $10 entry fee
3) Submit the online application (https://artcentereast.org/artist/annual-fiber-arts-jewelry-exhibit/)

The Big: Artist Spotlight Scott Nearing Tell us w

The Big: Artist Spotlight
Scott Nearing

Tell us why you selected the pieces you submitted:
"I follow the center and love local art. Glass art is my life and I enjoy sharing my creations with anyone interested."

What inspired those pieces?
"I make skulls out of Boro Glass and have enjoyed creating my own universe that they live in.

The small skull wrap features a black opal suspended over a white opal with mirrored skulls. My comment on the difference of humans in the note that underneath we are the same regardless of our outer appearance.

The second large glass mixed media is a skull collector. This is a hand mixed skull with 24k gold teeth, hand lined spiral tubing, and a custome uv stand set off by led lighting. This skull collecter was build during the fall of humanity as a caretaker and now adorns itself in relics of the lost human civilization."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"I work everyday on new projects that I'm very excited about and collaboration with my fellow glass artists."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"I love the small community and the ability to know most of the people in it. No matter where I go in La Grande I see a friend and wave at every car I pass because there is a 90% chance I know them."

Artist Statement:
"Exploring new and creative glass blowing techniques while incorporating multimedia technology to increase the audiences perception of the created subject"

Mirrored Headhunter Skulls
Boro Glass and wire
$300

Skull Collector #1
Boro glass, 24k gold, wire, wood
$3,000

The Big: Artist Spotlight Heather Tomlinson Tell

The Big: Artist Spotlight
Heather Tomlinson

Tell us why you selected the pieces you are submitting:
"The two pieces are very different from one another. One boldly stands out more while the other offers more in skill and subtlety in color and texture."

What inspired those pieces?
"Nature. Random beauty found on hikes and escapades."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"Continuing on with tufting! I'm loving it and working on more pieces."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"Friends and community (which I miss) and the surrounding beauty."

Artist Statement:
"Impressions of the complicated network of elements found in nature harmoniously pieced together. The discovery of overlooked beauty in the passage of years and combination of souls. This serene order is achieved through the tufting layers of yarn of varying colors, widths and textures."

Ascent to Athena (detail)
tufted yarn (acrylic, cotton & wool)
$450

Lycaon 29 (detail)
tufted yarn (acrylic, cotton & wool)
$540

The Big: Artist Spotlight Terri Stoltz Tell us wh

The Big: Artist Spotlight
Terri Stoltz

Tell us why you selected the pieces you submitted:
"Last year I experimented with sheet rock mud and paint. This year I have really advanced with this media and am very excited to get public response."

What inspired those pieces?
"My niece shared photos of when she swam with whales. I used those photos for reference.
The second piece is a fox and raven. My favorite duo."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"I have another sheetrock piece in mind but don't want to rush it. So it will have to wait till next year."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"Eastern Oregon is the friendliest place around. My husband and I love to golf and have included our son, his wife and our grandchildren. We love family game night."

Artist Statement:
"As a business owner my artistic time is limited. So I have to make every minute count. It's always exciting to explore a new medium. My new motto this year is "Be braver". My subject matter always varies. I go with my mood. My hope is that my pieces elicit some sort of emotional response."

Whale song (detail)
Sheetrock mud, paint and epoxy
$650

An exchange of gifts (detail)
Sheetrock mud, paint and epoxy
$650

The Big: Winner of Best Creative Glass Tom Dimond

The Big: Winner of Best Creative Glass
Tom Dimond
"Yellow + Blue Frit Shields"

The Big: Artist Spotlight Maggie Yeates Tell us w

The Big: Artist Spotlight
Maggie Yeates

Tell us why you selected the pieces you are submitting:
"I've taken a real liking to creating one of a kind light fixtures."

What inspired those pieces?
"It started as updating the light fixtures in my home and grew into something I really enjoy. I love experimenting with different colors and patterns and watching them transform when lit up."

What are you working on in the near future that you are excited about and want to share with the community?
"This winter while the hot shop is shut down I will be working on glass etching, painting and fusing."

What is your favorite part about living in Eastern Oregon and/or your favorite past-time in this region?
"What I love most about living in Eastern Oregon is our proximity to the outdoors. In my free time I enjoy hiking in the woods with my dogs."

Artist Statement:
"I love exploring new possibilities and techniques in glass and being able to mix art into everyday functional pieces. Glass is such an expansive medium, it keeps me growing and trying new things as an artist."

Amber Lamp
blown glass & metal
$100

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Observer Columns

Read more + January 15, 2018 By artseastadmin in The Observer
The Big Read
Read more + September 19, 2017 By artseastadmin in The Observer
The Evolution of Art Center East
Read more + July 18, 2017 By artseastadmin in The Observer
Who is an Artist?

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