Players put on one-act plays
Non-traditional sculptors open new show Peninsula
Festival showcases four original productions this weekend
Cannon Beach Gallery features Stan Peterson, Jeanne Henry
CANNON BEACH — Cannon
Beach Gallery’s September
show brings two non-tra-
ditional sculptors together.
Stan Peterson is a self-taught
woodcarver. Jeanne +enry is
an established potter who has
stepped out of the box to cre-
ate innovative ceramic reliefs.
Both these bodies of work
boast an element of folk art
charm while still maintaining
their credentials in the realm
of ¿ne art.
The gallery will host an art-
ist reception from 5 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29. There will
be an artists’ talk at 6 p.m. The
gallery is located at 1064 S.
+emlock St.
“I carve wood sculptures,
which depict moments when
something is about to happen,”
Peterson says. “These are ev-
eryday moments, sometimes
poignant, sometimes with an
edge of humor.”
+is work is often modest in
scale, handheld, yet on occa-
sion feels larger than life. The
work begins with sketches,
usually drawn in the evening,
depicting the things he has
seen, heard, read or remem-
bered. The drawings capable
of standing up as a sculpture
are redrawn or painted on
basswood, then rough-cut with
Japanese saws.
Over months these are
carved with chisels and Àex
knives, de¿ning the gesture
and giving the ¿gures pres-
ence. The ¿nished carving
is then de¿ned with hints of
washed on color.
“When the sculpture stands
on its own with a casual sense
of grace, it is time to travel to
the gallery,” he says.
Jeanne +enry has been a
potter for 38 years, creating
elegant and functional ceram-
ics. +er divergence into relief
sculpture originated in her
passion for photography.
“I’ve been drawn to images
that pull you in and make you
wonder, what’s around that
corner"” she says.
In 2000, +enry took photo-
graphs in southern France and
Submitted photos
Self-taught woodcarver Stan Peterson creates sculptures in his studio.
“Landscapes trays” by Jeanne Henry.
Corsica. “One set of images of
ancient archways had intense
appeal to me. I printed end-
less photographs, blew them
up, drew them, made intaglio
prints and did water colors of
those archways,” +enry says.
“I was compelled to work with
them. It became essential to
¿nd a way to blend my pho-
tography with my clay.”
Determined to ¿nd a way
to wed the two disciplines,
she worked with layers of
clay and reali]ed she could
show distance and perspec-
tive by carving. Employing
the ¿ring and gla]ing tech-
niques with which she was
familiar, she began to exper-
iment with stoneware clays,
mason stains and oxides to
create a sense of space and
distance.
She continues to base these
works on her own photographs
from Oregon and abroad, call-
ing them vacations for your
mind.
This exhibition was made
possible by the support of
the gallery’s funding partner,
the James F. & Marion Miller
Foundation.
10 | August 27, 2015 | coastweekend.com
ILWACO, Wash. — The Penin-
sula Players’ annual One Act
Play Festival 2015 is about to
begin.
Four original one-act plays
will be produced: “Scamming
Grandpa,” “Creative Writing,”
“The Door” and “The Widows
of Oysterville.”
The festival opens with a
champagne gala at 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 27. It contin-
ues at 7 p.m. Friday and Satur-
day, Aug. 28 and 29 and closes
with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday,
Aug. 30. All shows will take
place at the River City Play-
house, located at 127 Lake St.
S.E.
Many of the plays are writ-
ten by local playwrights. The
are performed by local actors,
directed by local directors, and
are written with local people
and events as character-mod-
els.
Festival Producer Joe Pa-
liani, a resident of Ocean Park
and an avid supporter of the
Peninsula Players, said “The
River City Playhouse is a jew-
el, a treasure chest of comedy,
drama and musicals, written,
directed, and performed by
local people who love theater,
love their community and give
their all for each performance.
This is why everyone should
love being part of it — local
theater only exists because of
you.”
“Scamming Grandpa” is
by playwright John Byrne.
Prepare to be delightfully
surprised by this tale of grip-
ping turns and twists, directed
by Karl Johnson. What will
Grandpa ¿nd" Carrie is played
by Beth Winters; Joyce is
played by Rose Powers; Fred
played by Ed Ahlers; and Mar-
tha is played by special guest
performers.
“Creative Writing,” written
and directed by Jim Tweedie, is
a marvelous unwinding of sinu-
ous characters whose very lives
seem so ephemeral as to deny
their very existence. Are they
who they say they are" +ow
can you or I be certain" The Girl
is played by Shannon Driscoll;
The Boy is played by Aaron
+umber; The Man is played by
Barry Sears; and the Prop Per-
son is Jim Tweedie.
Playwright Dean Mead
makes his River City Play-
house debut with his suspense-
ful play “The Open Door.”
Directed by Tracy Roach, this
play is an exciting vignette
about how reality often turns
on itself amid unpredictable
situations. Who knows what
will someday walk through
a door that is never really
closed" Aunt Eli]abeth is
played by Rose Power; Uncle
Ned is played by Karl John-
son; Vera is played by Missy
Bageant; and Frampton Nel-
son is played by Matthew
Warner.
Paliani’s play, “The Wid-
ows of Oysterville,” is his
sixth play to be produced by
the Peninsula Players. Di-
rected by Melissa Goldberg,
the play promises to thrill the
audience with a Willapa Bay
mud shrimp expose. +arriet
is played by Laurie Carter;
Lucinda is played by Tracy
Roach; Belinda is played by
Sharon Patterson; Cyril is
played by Bob Goldberg; Ge-
rard is played by Barry Sears;
and Sheriff Tugg is played by
Michael Goldberg.
All tickets are $5, available
at Okies’ Market, Stormin’
Norman’s in Long Beach, Old
Towne Coffee Shop in Ilwa-
co, and at the box of¿ce. The
plays are family friendly and
fun for children and adults of
all ages.
“Sitting Rock” by Stan Peterson.
A fantastical pelican carving by Stan Pe-
terson.
Submitted photo
“Looking Up at Lecce” by Jeanne Henry.
“The Widows of Oysterville” oce-act play cast is, from left, Sharon Patterson, Michael Goldberg, Laurie Carter, Barry Sears, Bob Goldberg,
Tracy Roach and Sherry Ahlers.