Fern Prairie, WA — The second annual Fern Prairie ART FEST is a two-day event connecting local artists and the community on Saturday and Sunday, July 31 and August 1 from 10am to 4pm. The ART FEST is staged in the peaceful and tranquil setting of Shangri-La Farm, located 1.5 miles north of Lacamas Lake just outside the city limits of Camas, Washington. A total of 15 artists will participate in the juried show.

“These fine artists are excited to show and sell their work at ART FEST,” said organizer and local artist Liz Pike. Liz will be joined by artists Sarah Bang, Bev Birdwell, Tom Daniels, Derek Danielson, Cheryl Folkers, Dave Garbot, David Gerton, Suzanne Grover, Charlene Hale, Gail Haskett, Amy Jan Ernst, Cheryl Mathieson, Keith Russell and Diane Springer. Original work includes paintings in oils, acrylics and watercolor, pastels, mixed media, pottery, ceramics, fused and enamel glass, jewelry, pen and ink, wood, cast metal and copper mixed media.

The public is invited to take in original works of art surrounded by the beautiful gardens at Shangri-La Farm. Attendees will park at rented Grove Field Airport parking lot, 632 NE 267th Avenue, Camas, WA. Guests may either walk the 1/4 mile trail through the woods to Shangri-La Farm or take the free “Sunflower Mobile” shuttle service. The Sunflower Mobile is an art piece all on its own, hand painted by Liz Pike in oils on fiberglass in her signature sunflower motif. The free shuttle will be available to transport attendees from the airport parking lot to Shangri-La Farm on both days, Saturday and Sunday, July 31 and August 1 between 10am and 4pm.

For more information, contact Liz Pike at 360-281-8720 or email pikeadvertising@comcast.net

Camas, WA — Attic Gallery, located in historic downtown Camas, is featuring for the month of October a Solo Exhibit with 15 new paintings by Earl Hamilton.

“Earl’s been really busy during the pandemic and he brought over some stunning new work, and we’re so happy to feature him all month long,” said Maria Gonser, co-owner of Attic Gallery. “His new work is amazing! Please come see it.”

About Earl Hamilton

Earl, now in his sixties, spent most of his childhood living in a small cabin in the Rodgers Mountain area outside the town of Scio (Oregon) in the Willamette Valley, with his parents Satsuko and George Hamilton, both successful artists. The family lived self-sufficiently on their secluded homestead, painting together in their cabin’s living room. Thus, from an early age, Earl was influenced to enter the art world. Living a frugal lifestyle, hauling water, milking goats, collecting eggs from their chickens and minus TV and radio, he was encouraged to read and talk a lot about art. Earl learned self-sufficiency and a desire to follow his own artistic instincts. He now lives in Lebanon, another small Oregon town, where he works on his paintings every day and usually most of the night. 

Earl studied art in high school where he won a Scholastic Gold Key award for the State of Oregon and a National Gold Medal Scholastic Award for a competition in New York City. He won an art scholarship while studying art at Oregon State University. In 1980, Earl won The Grumbacker Award for the Northwest Watercolor Society, and 1981 the First Place Sweepstake Award for the Watercolor Society of Oregon. 

Earl’s paintings are filled with a kind of whimsical lightness reflected in many images such as castles, clowns, children, animals and lovers. He layers acrylics and uses collage materials in many of his abstract works. Earl’s paintings whether abstract or whimsical objects, could be called meditative, mystical, contemplative, energetic, bold and confident in brushstroke. “I knew that I would always be an artist. Art has become a way of life for me, of perceiving and being. You take art with you whether you paint or not. It’s in your eyes and in your hands.”

Learn more at www.atticgallery.com

421 NE Cedar St
Camas, WA 98607

360-833-9747

Email: staff@atticgallery.com

Art presents itself in so many different forms and can incorporate many different media. This became a challenge and opportunity for Canyon Creek Middle School 6th grade art teacher, Alice Yang, once schools closed and distance learning began.

“During our first week of distance learning in mid-April, students hadn’t gotten their art kits from me yet, so I had to come up with a project using household items,” Yang explained. “We started our unit by looking at some artists who use cardboard and paper as their medium. I uploaded a video that shows several ways of connecting cardboard, some that do not use glue. The assignment was very open-ended, to create a sculpture using cardboard or paper which they could paint or decorate as they wished.”

Projects submitted by students included a cuckoo clock, a Polaroid camera, shoes, and a boat. One project, created by Morgan Musser, stood out with its intricate detail and the spiraling form which gave it a sense of movement and realism.

“Morgan worked about six hours a day for this week-long assignment,” said Yang. “When we shared the projects during our weekly Zoom meeting, the other students were blown away. Some felt a bit down that theirs weren’t at the same level, so we stopped and talked about the danger of comparison and how everyone is good at something.”

“I was inspired by pictures of Chinese Dragons I viewed on the internet,” explained Musser. “I used tinfoil to make a form for the body, which I later learned from my art teacher is called armature.”

Musser further explained her process, that began by cutting out each individual scale from thin cardboard, empty waffle boxes, and hot glued them to the form. She used a thicker cardboard, from a shipping box, for the back spines, which also provided a different element of color. Then she cut different shapes for the face and pieced them together in a kind of puzzle and secured the pieces in place with hot glue. “My favorite element of this piece is the dragon’s face,” she said. “I was nervous about the final result, but it turned out better than I expected.”

Distance learning overall has been a challenge for Yang and all WSD art teachers. “Not having access to materials is the biggest roadblock,” she said. “I was able to put together an art kit for my 30 sixth-grade students containing a drawing kit, oil pastels, watercolor set, a sketchbook, glue stick, and an assortment of papers. They received these during their second week of remote classes.”

Art instruction is a feedback-driven process, Yang explained, saying it can be difficult for students to work in isolation without input from the teacher and peers. Access to the internet is also a driving factor in students’ ability to complete work. Most of the projects involve viewing videos in Google Classroom, and though all students have iPads, some don’t have the capability of using it for online work.

“I appreciate the time and effort students are putting in and am impressed with the work that is coming back,” Yang said, “However, I’m so ready to return to school!”