THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019 // 9
SPRING UNVEILING
UNVEILS A NEW BOOK
By KATHERINE LACAZE
FOR COAST WEEKEND
C
ANNON BEACH — The Spring
Unveiling Arts Festival in Cannon
Beach ushers in an air of anticipa-
tion as artists at galleries across town col-
lectively reveal their new work — breath-
taking and poignant paintings, lustrous
blown glass pieces, intricately detailed
sculpture made from various materials,
and, in the case of Steidel’s Art, a new
children’s book.
The gallery will be officially debut-
ing “Mallory in the Forest of Lost Kites”
at 6 p.m. Friday during the Cannon Beach
Gallery Group’s Spring Unveiling festival,
which takes place throughout the week-
end. The book is fully illustrated by art-
ist Bill Steidel, who started creating art-
work in Cannon Beach in 1959. As one
of three original artists in town, he was “a
big influence in the discovery of Cannon
Beach as a community of art,” according
to Sam Steidel, Bill’s son who now owns
the gallery.
Sam Steidel, who was on the origi-
nal development committee for Spring
Unveiling, came up with the story for
the book about 40 years ago in college,
based on his father’s work “Forest of Lost
Kites.” The story then “bounced around
the family a little bit” before they decided
to put it in writing and produce “a real
book kids could put their hands on,” he
said.
Bill Steidel created other illustrations
to accompany the story, which follows a
mouse named Mallory who gets caught up
in a kite string and carried to the Forest of
Lost Kites, a land that is ruled by a coun-
cil of owls. The birds face the danger of
getting stuck in myriad kite strings strewn
throughout the forest, so Mallory offers to
help them solve the problem in exchange
for his protection.
Because of the text style and 90-page
length, the book is designed for grandpar-
ents and parents to read to children, Sam
Steidel said.
In addition to showcasing and hosting
a book-signing for “Mallory in the Forest
of Lost Kites,” the gallery also will show
several new pieces and the original art-
work Bill Steidel created for this year’s
Sandcastle Contest. The gallery is hold-
ing a silent auction for the original artwork
from Spring Unveiling up through the con-
test in June.
Sam Steidel, of Steidel’s Art in Cannon
Beach, displays his father Bill Steidel’s
original artwork for this year’s Sandcastle
Contest. The gallery is showcasing this
piece, along with other new artwork and a
children’s book during the Spring Unveiling
Arts Festival this weekend.
Essentially, Spring Unveiling is “a
show,” in that “you get scheduled for a
show, then you produce work and show
up and have some sort of reception,” art-
ist and gallery owner Jeffrey Hull said.
This show simply occurs on a larger scale
among numerous galleries, as they join
in a “celebration of the end of winter and
an acknowledgment that artists are often
producing work during the quiet time of
year,” Hull said.
Allyn Cantor, owner of White Bird gal-
lery, agreed, adding, “In one way, it’s a
great opportunity to get fresh, new work in
for the season.”
The festival features numerous recep-
tions with live music, cocktail hours,
demonstrations, and opportunities to meet
artists throughout the weekend. Gallery
group members are the main participators
and they collaborate on the weekend’s offi-
cial event itinerary. Other establishments
IF YOU GO
What: 19th Annual Spring Unveiling Arts Festival
When: Friday, May 3, through Sunday, May 5
Where: Numerous locations throughout Cannon Beach
For more information: Visit cbgallerygroup.com or email info@cbgallery.com
and organizations outside the art collec-
tive also participate in the festival in vari-
ous ways.
Cantor said she appreciates that the
concept of Spring Unveiling provides
scope for imagination, flexibility and vari-
ous interpretation.
“I think everyone just runs with it in
their own way,” she said.
Gallery owners put on the first Spring
Unveiling festival nearly 20 years ago,
using an idea former Bronze Coast Gallery
owner Kim Barnett borrowed from a simi-
lar art celebration in northeastern Oregon.
They didn’t formalize their creative collab-
orations until two years later, founding the
Cannon Beach Gallery Group to promote
the arts in town.
“I’m pleased just personally that the
galleries can work together on something
like this,” Hull said. “We’re competitors
in one sense, but we’re also likeminded in
that we want to see each other succeed and
do well, as well.” CW