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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016
Artist Michael Wood to judge ‘Little Dickens’ contest WOU stops requiring ACT
professional artist. Discovered
by the director of the Triton
Museum of Art in Santa Clara,
Calif., Wood was hooked.
Since then he has become a
signature artist in Oil Painters
of America, appeared in books
and magazines and participat-
ed
in
many
National
Exhibitions. He is nationally
recognized for his land and
seascapes, animal and figura-
tive works.
Internationally, his work
appears in private collections.
View his work at the
Vardanian Gallery, Old Town
Coffee or on line www.
fmichaelwood.com.
Wood teaches what he calls,
“Holisic” oil painting at
Florence
Regional
Arts
Alliance, where the student
learns by taking in the whole
of the subject matter.
Classes are offered on
Wednesdays from 1:30 to 4:30
COURTESY PHOTO p.m.
Contact Wood at fmwood@
Painting by artist and Little Dickens Juror Michael Wood.
msn.com for more informa-
bling his palette, quickly sometimes it’s PAINting.”
tion.
bringing chaos into orderly
During high school he start-
A reception honoring the
resolution with dramatic ed showing his work and had artists will be Saturday, Dec.
results.
his first one-man show in jun- 10, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Wood says of art, “Some- ior college. In 1985, he took
Backstreet Gallery is open
times it’s painting, and then the giant step of becoming a daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Final house concert of season to feature John Paris
Award-winning jazz pianist
and composer John Paris
returns for his fourth appear-
ance in Kathy Parsons’ house
concert series on Saturday,
Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.
This will also be a CD
release concert for Paris’ new
solo piano Christmas album.
Paris received “Best Jazz
Album of the Year” awards this
year and last year from
Enlightened Piano Radio. This
year’s award was for his “Piano
Jazz My Way” album.
Paris made his Carnegie Hall
debut in 2015.
His first instrument was the
accordion and he recently
COURTESY PHOTO
John Paris
acquired a new one that he
loves to perform with. So this
concert will be combination of
piano and accordion and will
feature a couple of surprises as
well.
A life-long performer with
an impressive resume,’ Paris’
concerts are always a special
treat.
He has been a featured per-
former
alongside
the
Minneapolis Symphony, an
accompanist to the Moody
Blues and a special guest on
The Merv Griffin Show and
Jerry Lewis Telethon.
His diverse and varied career
has spanned four decades.
Touring the country’s major
cities, he entertained millions
as the leader, composer and
arranger of his show-band,
Atlantis, which was based out
of Las Vegas.
In addition to composing
and performing, John Paris is a
music teacher in the Yuba City,
Calif., schools.
There is a suggested dona-
tion of $15 at the door.
Reservations are required by
calling Kathy Parsons at 541-
999-9720 or emailing her at
kathypiano@gmail.com.
Her Florence address and
directions will be given when
reservations are made.
HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY,
FLORENCE EVENTS CENTER!
Home of Last Resort Players Since 1996
or SATs for applications
Students applying for
admission to Western Oregon
University (WOU) will no
longer be required to submit
an ACT or SAT test score.
This change goes into
effect for fall 2017 applicants
with a cumulative high school
GPA of 3.0 or higher and who
have successfully passed the
required college prep high
school courses.
“Our admission require-
ments are now better aligned
with our role as a public uni-
versity with a strong commit-
ment to access,” Rob
Findtner, director of admis-
sions, said. “This change is
designed to help us extend our
access priority while also
ensuring admitted students
are prepared to succeed in the
classroom.”
ACT and SAT scores will
be used in some scholarship
competitions, the Honors
Program and for students who
have a cumulative GPA below
3.0 or who did not complete
the required number of col-
lege preparation courses in
high school.
Transfer students are not
required to submit test scores.
“Our retention and student
success data revealed that
ACT and SAT test scores had
no relationship to student suc-
cess at WOU,” said David
McDonald, associate provost
at WOU. “As many other col-
leges and universities have
determined, the most effec-
tive predictor of student suc-
cess is the high school GPA
and courses taken. We believe
eliminating the test require-
ments will open the door to
college for more students who
are already prepared to suc-
ceed.
“The cost of the exams,
optional
test-preparation
courses and very real levels of
testing stress and anxiety are
barriers to access and run
counter to our mission and
institutional priorities.”
The university has also
revised
its
President’s
Scholarship requirements to
match the move to being test
optional. Students who have
excelled in high school will
be able to receive a
President’s Scholarship with-
out a test score.
Students who have high
GPAs and submit optional test
scores may receive higher
awards, if their test scores are
sufficiently high.
WOU is fully accredited by
the Northwest Commission
on Colleges and Universities.
Buying or Selling? I can help.
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FROM THE
MEMBERS OF
LAST RESORT PLAYERS
CHICAGO
PIRATES OF PENZANCE
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
INTO THE WOODS
JOSEPH & THE AMAZING
TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
COME JOIN THE FUN!
OUR TOWN
AUDITIONS
Ken Ludwig’s
“MOON OVER BUFFALO”
DECEMBER 17 & 18
1:00 TO 4:00
FLORENCE EVENTS CENTER
WE LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE!
KISS ME, KATE
LADY PIRATES OF CAPTAIN BREE
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
THE ODD COUPLE,
FEMALE VERSION
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Backstreet Gallery is hon-
ored to welcome nationally
acclaimed oil painter, Michael
Wood, as the juror for the 10th
annual
Little
Dickens
Miniature Show in December.
As an Army brat, Wood
found his artistic bent early
when he and his family around
traveled Europe. In one loca-
tion, eight-year old Wood
found an impressionistic paint-
ing in a storeroom that inspired
his pursuit of art.
After much early experi-
mentation with colored pencils
moistened with a quick lick,
then later with watercolors,
Wood’s parents gave him a set
of oil paints. He copied tech-
niques of artists he respected
like Sargent, Wyeth and
Parrish, developing his present
technique of Impressionism.
“The first impression is the
heart of the scene,” said Wood.
Observation is key in exe-
cuting his signature style,
where he captures the essence
of his subject bathed in lumi-
nosity. Wood paints “a la
prima.” This is a technique
where the artist paints wet into
wet paint. Using a large brush
he mixes a combination of rich
color on the canvas, resem-