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SPRING Submitted photo “Drawn Towards Light” by Christopher Mathie, who is showing at White Bird Gallery. More info UNVEILING Check out the full weekend schedule, lists of artists and the Art from the Chef’s Table rundown at cbgallerygroup.com Energetic and still growing, this 15th annual art festival celebrates the season May 1, 2 & 3 in Cannon Beach Story by ANDREW TONRY Submitted photo Artist David Rice melds together the organic with the human-engineered in his work, exploring how the two can coexist. Rice will unveil new work along with other artists at Archimedes gallery at 10:20 a.m. Saturday, May 2. Galleries you don’t want to miss Archimedes Gallery Bronze Coast Gallery Cannon Beach Gallery DragonFire Studio & Gallery Icefi re Glassworks Jeff rey Hull Gallery Modern Villa Gallery Submitted photo by Jafe Parsons Linda Prokop chooses to depict the human form on an emotion- al level in a simplifi ed, abstract manner; pictured here is “Poised for Success.” She will be present for a cocktail reception, painting demo and unveiling of new work at Bronze Coast Gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 1. 12 | April 30, 2015 | coastweekend.com Northwest By Northwest Gallery Primary Elements Gallery White Bird Gallery A s Spring Unveiling ap- proaches its 15th year, Kim Barnett, owner of Bronze Coast Gallery, recalled one his favorite moments from festivals passed. “Jeff Hull hand painted what appeared to be an old fence with knot-holes in it, out of canvas,” said Barnett. “He blocked off a section of the gallery with this canvas fence and people were just anx- ious. People would come and could peek through the knot holes. And rather than unveiling a single piece, he unveiled his entire gallery. “I thought it was pretty brilliant,” Barnett add- ed. “It was one of those things that shows the inno- vation of artistic people.” Coordinated for spring Indeed, Spring Unveiling, Cannon Beach’s second-longest running arts festival, hems quite literally to its name. It is an invitation to get out of the house after a (usually) rainy winter and join artists bringing their new works to the world. As such, Spring Unveiling is pointedly different than Stormy Weather, the city’s original — and eldest — arts fest. “The Stormy Weather event is really not a co- ordinated event between the galleries,” said Bar- QHWW³6SULQJ8QYHLOLQJZDVWKH¿UVWRSSRUWXQLW\ to coordinate the timing of the unveilings to allow all of the patrons to move throughout the city and throughout the different galleries and get an op- portunity to see each piece being unveiled if they chose to do that.” In other words, by not scheduling the unveil- ings concurrently, Spring Unveiling creates more individual events, focusing the spotlight on one artist or gallery at a time. The idea came from Debbie Roberts, a gallery owner in Cannon Beach who has since moved on. “Debbie had been doing Spring Unveiling in a smaller way in the little town she started in,” said Barnett. She shared how the concept had excited interest in galleries in another small town: Joseph, Oregon. “A few us got together,” said Barnett, “Jeff Hull, myself, Debbie and a few other people. We got together an informal group of galleries to dis- FXVVLWDOLWWOHIXUWKHUDQGWKHQÀXVKHGLWRXWWRWU\ and put something together.” At the time, Stormy Weather was already over DGHFDGHROGDQGDVVXFK%DUQHWWDQGWKHÀHGJ OLQJJURXSNQHZDUWD¿FLRQDGRVZHUHRSHQWRWKH idea of traveling to Cannon Beach for a festival. So, in 1999, Spring Unveiling kicked off. “It was small to start with,” Barnett remem- bered. “Just like every event, it takes some time.” Now, almost 15 years later, Spring Unveiling is part of Cannon Beach’s tradition. “From a personal basis,” said Barnett, “it’s like, where has the time gone?” Artist connect For the last decade, Christopher Mathie has been more than just showing his work in Cannon Beach — he’s been drawing inspiration from it. “I’m drawn to the ocean,” said Mathie, who resides in the country outside Seattle. “Anytime I can get to the ocean I’m going to go there. And when we came here I realized that this is an amazing place for art WRR,W¶VDSHUIHFW¿W´ In textured acrylics, Math- ie creates bold, elemental ab- stractions and seascapes. But unlike many of the oceanic Submitted photo Icefi re Glassworks’ lineup of artists in- cludes Bend-based glassblower Mark Gordon, whose current work focuses on blending colors and balancing them with individual forms. scenes that can be found in Cannon Beach’s gal- leries, Mathie’s eschew any actual locations. “I’m creating more from an emotional place,” he explained. “I don’t really care about reality with the way I paint. I don’t look at a photo and try to create realism at all.” And what inspiration Mathie draws from the ocean, too, may be unconventional. “Most people go to the water for calm,” he said. “But I go to it for uncontrolled, unbridled en- ergy — just total mass release.” For Spring Unveiling, Mathie will show some 20 new pieces at White Bird Gallery. As much as it is about debuting the work, Mathie also looks for- ward to spending time with the audience. Cannon Beach, he says, offers an ideal setting. “If I do an opening in Seattle or in Portland people are in a hurry,” Mathie said. “They’re in and out, and they don’t really hang. Here at a festival people are actually leisurely, and you can actually talk to them for a long time. And in my experience I’ve made friends with a lot of them. I actually have coffee with them when I go to where they’re at, or when they come to ZKHUH,¶PDW´6XFKLQWHUDFWLRQVDUHIXO¿OOLQJWR Mathie in more than just the obvious commer- cial sense. “It means a lot for me as an artist because you’re connecting with people,” he said. “And I think the collectors feel that. They look at a piece of art and feel something, and then they meet the artist and they go, ‘Oh my god, that artist, they do resonate with me — it’s more than the piece of art, but the artist themselves.’” That assertion was borne out moments lat- er, as Mathie happened to meet a buyer of one of his works who hap- pened to be in Cannon Beach at the same time to pick it up. “It was just a wonderful treat to get to meet him and to like him so much,” said Julie Frantz, the buyer, “because he is the man who created this piece of art that I love that is going to hang in my living room for as many decades as I have left.” For Frantz, the interaction put a cherry on top. “Now I have this additional, really good feeling about the piece of work and it adds an extra depth and dimension to the work because of getting such a genuine, strong, engaged impression from him about his work and where it comes from,” she said. Furthermore, what Fratz gleaned from the piece was right on. “It doesn’t appear as he was trying to do any- thing,” Frantz said. “Rather, he was creating what he felt and saw. And that, I think, is what commu- nicates the feeling that I felt, back to the painting when it pulled me in. “It’s also not two-dimensional because of that,” Frantz added. “It has this depth — it’s not like tak- ing a photograph and transferring it to painting. It has this depth of feeling and engagement.” Demos, receptions and chef creations Over the weekend 10 participating galleries will show new works, though each will do it in its own way. Some will cover the pieces and literally unveil them, while others will simply schedule a time and reception with the artists. 7KH RI¿FLDO XQYHLOLQJV WDNH SODFH )ULGD\ DQG Saturday. The weekend will also be packed with a myriad of demonstrations, presenta- tions and receptions, many of which come with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Restaurants are participating as well. In the component Art from the Chef’s Table, eateries around town will add specials inspired by par- ticular works of art found in local galleries. For instance, Sweet Basil’s chef John Sowa has con- cocted an alligator jambalaya based upon Tom McCallum’s sculpture at Primary Elements Gal- lery. Perhaps a little easier to connect, Bruce’s Submitted photo White Bird Gallery artist Christopher Mathie creates bold, elemental abstractions and seascapes inspired by the unbridled energy of the ocean. Candy Kitchen is building a “huge candy sculp- ture” that’s inspired by David Jonathan Marshall’s painting, “Lollipop Trees,” on display at Modern Villa Gallery. Art from the Chef’s Table is a more recent addition, only a few years old, but is a sign that Spring Unveiling is still growing. As for marking the 15th anniversary, however, nothing particular is planned — the regular festivities will be cele- bration in and of themselves. “It’s nice that it’s had longevity, and the indi- viduals who come to the shows seem to enjoy it, and the artists who come seem to enjoy it,” said Barnett. “It’s a wonderful way to get new work into the galleries and new energy and focus on the artists when they do come.” Submitted photo “Beach Combers” by Chuck Gumpert, who will unveil new work at DragonFire Studio & Gallery at 11:40 a.m. Saturday, May 2. Adept at both abstract expressionist and fi gurative imagery, Gumpert focuses on exploring light, color, energy and abstraction. April 30, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 13
