20-20 VISIONS
Book sm-art
Former art teacher and accomplished
illustrator MerryAnn Blanchard is
Beachstone Gallery’s featured artist for
the month of January.
A graduate from Whitworth College
in Spokane Washington with a double
major in Art and English and a teaching
degree certificate, Blanchard taught
high school art in Madras, Oregon and
English in Salem. She also taught art at
Chemeketa College in Salem and started
an art school in Monmouth. She now
lives in Lincoln City with her husband,
also an artist.
Blanchard has illustrated books
throughout her career and has recently
become a regular at Arlon Gilliland’s
Thursday open studio at the Artists’
Studio Association’s classroom in the
Beachstone Gallery.
The Gallery is located at 620 NE
Hwy 101 in Lincoln City. Parking is
available at the rear of the building.
Sometimes serving as mayor can seem
like a pretty dull job, but at least once a
year things get colorful for these public
servants when Lincoln County mayors get
to look at work made by local artists, and
honor some of them by selecting them for
a special annual show the Newport Visual
Arts Center.
A First Saturday opening reception
on Saturday, Jan. 4 from 2 to 5 pm, with
a speaking presentation at 3 pm, will help
introduce the eleven artists chosen for this
2020 Mayor’s Show, which will continue
through Sunday, Jan. 26 in the Runyan
Gallery.
The artists were selected from 120
Lincoln County artists who participated
in the 2019 PushPin Show in December.
Final selections were made in consultation
with Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer, Yachats
Mayor John Moore and OCCA VAC
Director Tom Webb.
The featured artists include Linda
Aguirre (miniature dioramas), Haley Dean
(watercolor still lifes), Denise DeMarie
(fibre wall sculptures), Graece Gabriel
(photography), Sallie Inman (acrylic on
wood panels), Susan Jones (woven reed
sculptures), Herb Kateley (photography),
Bill Posner (photography), Ben Soeby
(mixed media on wood), Emy Syrop
(gouache and acrylic on paper and canvas)
and Jeff Syrop (watercolor and gouache on
paper).
“Being selected for the Mayors’ Show
highlights the VAC’s ability to inspire
artists,” says Jeff Syrop. “The inclusiveness
of the PushPin Show really jump-starts
artists’ creativity and the Mayors’ Show is
an extension of that energy. It’s definitely an
honor to be included.”
The 2020 exhibition marks the fifth
year for The Mayors’ Show at the VAC.
The project was started in 2016 by former
Newport Mayor Sandra Roumagoux and
the Oregon Council for the Arts. The
exhibit’s intent is to give more exposure
to participating PushPin Show artists and
This display will turn your head
The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts
presents “Turning,” an exhibit of acrylic and
ink paintings on paper and plywood and
wood sculptures by Seal Rock based artist
Helen Nighthawk.
A First Saturday opening reception will
be held Saturday, Jan. 4 from 2 to 5 pm,
with an artist’s talk at 4 pm. The exhibit
will continue until Saturday, Feb. 1 in the
Upstairs Gallery at the Newport Visual
Arts Center.
A visual artist and poet, Helen
Nighthawk has been painting in the fine
arts tradition for over 50 years. Since
moving to South Lincoln County 13
years ago she has been involved with the
Nye Beach Banner Project and has been
a featured artist at libraries around the
county.
Nighthawk’s past creative professional
roles included working as a scenic artist for
14 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • January 3, 2020
numerous films, television shows and public
and private productions throughout Seattle.
Her credits include collaborating with
directors David Lynch and Robert Altman.
“You can see this scenic work in my
painting approach,” Nighthawk said.
“Though our average canvas size there was
60’ by 40’.”
Nighthawk also created large figurative
carvings done on ancient planks and
found beams in old Seattle circa the 1990s.
Two of Nighthawk’s sculptures are at the
Monarch Arts Center in Tenino, WA and
in private collections around the Pacific
Northwest.
The Newport Visual Arts Center is
located at 777 NW Beach Drive. The
Upstairs Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday
from noon to 4 pm.
For more information call 541-265-
6569 or email twebb@coastarts.org.
artsy
to build connections between municipal
employees and elected officials with the arts
community.
“The talent in our local arts community
is amazing and gets better with every new
PushPin Show,” says Newport Mayor Dean
Sawyer.
selected artist Susan Jones saw the
Mayors’ Show last winter and considered
the possibility of being selected for a future
year.
“That singular thought strengthened my
commitment to art and inspired the choices
I made while weaving my sculptures over
the past year,” she said. “I am excited and
encouraged to be honored in this way by my
community. We are fortunate to have this
kind of support.”
The Runyan Gallery is open Tuesday
through Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.
For more information call 541-265-6569
or email twebb@coastarts.org.