Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2017)
10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM FROM WINTER DARKNESS COMES A SUBMITTED PHOTO “Blue Coast Crow” by Brin Levinson. SPRING UNVEILING FROM NATURE TO WIDE-EYED DREAMS, INSPIRATION FOR PARTICIPATING ARTISTS COMES IN MANY FORMS By NANCY MCCARTHY FOR COAST WEEKEND First, comes the inspiration. Then, the art. Finally, the unveiling. or each artist participating in Spring Unveiling from Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7, in Cannon Beach, inspiration – the whisper that quickens the heart and sharpens the intuition – ar- rives in different forms. “It’s usually something that’s spec- tacular about that moment; that’s when inspiration comes,” said painter Jeffrey Hull, owner of the Jeffrey Hull Gallery and president of the Gallery Group, which organizes Spring Unveiling. The 17th annual festival features new works by artists from 11 Cannon Beach galleries, as well as art demonstrations, receptions and music throughout town. Local chefs will create “edible art” influ- enced by work from a gallery. Hull’s definition of a “spectacular moment” usually involves how light falls on a scenic landscape. On a morn- ing beach walk, Hull was stunned by the way the light pierced through broken clouds, landing sharply on the ocean, while deep purple flooded the sky. “It was incredibly dramatic,” Hull said. But dramatic landscapes are ev- erywhere on the North Coast, he noted. “What pushes it over is the lighting.” Sculptor Melissa Cooper didn’t even know she was being inspired while growing up on her parents’ Arabian horse ranch in Colorado. She never thought about sculpting her own work while helping out her dad with his sculp- ture at a foundry for 10 years. “But one year I decided to make my dad a Christmas present, and that started my love for the medium,” said Cooper, whose wildlife sculptures are in the Bronze Coast Gallery. While she sculpts foxes, grizzlies and horses, much of her work involves birds, which stir her imagination. “Birds are a real joy to me, really all wildlife is. It’s a chance meeting that gives me pleasure,” Cooper said. ‘THE MUNDANE AND THE EXTRAORDINARY’ For Eli Mazet, who will partic- ipate in Spring Unveiling for the first time by demonstrating his glass-blowing skills at Dragonfire Gallery, inspiration came through another medium: pottery. His broth- er taught pottery at the Universi- ty of Oregon and later turned to glass-blowing. Fascinated by the art, Mazet devel- oped his own glass-blowing skills over several years. He and his two brothers operate Mazet Studios in Springfield, Oregon. CONTINUED ON PG. 11
