10A • May 6, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
DragonFire celebrates Eagle sculptor ‘a rebel’
15 years by giving back
“It was a pretty emotional experi-
ence. My heart just broke,” she said.
To show her sculptures are 100 “She was an amazing little girl, so vi-
percent handmade, she prefers to brant and amazing and she fought it
sculpt “slightly stylized,” like when so much.”
she adds personal, artistic touches
The artist has also sculpted a pel-
to the eagle’s fathers.
ican, owl, pufins, turtles, life-size
“It’s realistic,” she said, “but dogs and more.
there’s some contemporary styliza-
“I have a little bit more freedom
tion.”
sculpting animals,” she said, while
After completing the clay origi- portraits are focused on accuracy.
nal, she will cut the eagle into smaller
Although she creates proliic
sections, since she casts about 3-by-2- sculptures for various clients and
foot sections at a time, and the pieces is one of the irst women to own a
will be made into about 300 molds.
bronze foundry in the United States,
Soderberg-Greene uses a foundry Soderberg-Greene wasn’t always sure
process that she said was used centu- about making art a full-time career.
ries ago.
Growing up in Arizona, she cre-
“It’s the same method Michelan- ated and sold her work before she
gelo used and all the old civilizations was even in kindergarten. Her early
used but with a little more technolo- sculpting skills, shaped by spending
gy,” she said. “I love welding and the time in the foundry with her artist fa-
whole production process, the whole ther, landed her in People magazine
historical process, keeping that alive.” and National Geographic World.
Soon, she will
Instead of pur-
rent an old ire sta-
suing art, Soder-
tion to complete the
berg-Greene opted
‘It’s the same
eagle’s bronze cast-
to study criminal sci-
method
ing, in time for the
ence and psychology
Michelangelo
client commission-
in college. After, she
ing the eagle to pro-
became a certiied
used …
mote it using a large
scuba diver in Ha-
but with a
semi trailer.
waii.
little more
Building
and
“I
completely
casting a sculpture of
rebelled and wanted
technology.’
such massive scale
nothing to do with
is no easy feat. The
art,” she said. “Then
Heather Soderberg-Greene
sculptor said that
I understood that’s
although she some-
what I was meant to
times wishes she had
do.”
An near-drowning experience
“a robot doing all the hard work,”
going up and down ladders and scaf- drew her back to sculpting.
“I took it for granted growing up
folding all day is a “great workout.”
Soderberg-Greene is used to cre- in the foundry,” she said. “Now I love
ating large-scale sculptures, though it and appreciate it.”
She got a job welding in a Port-
much smaller than 55 feet.
“The biggest I’ve done before are land foundry, began running her own
monuments of people,” she said, “and foundry in 2009 and expanded to her
current location in Cascade Locks.
they’re only about 11 feet tall.”
Soderberg-Greene will return
The Port of Cascade Locks com-
missioned her statues of Sacagawea to Cannon Beach to unveil new
and Seaman, important igures in work at Primary Elements Gallery,
regional history. Soderberg-Greene where her sculptures can be found
said she enjoyed learning about Sa- year-round. She will be available to
cagawea’s “life and stories” and cre- answer questions and demonstrate
sculpting in clay for bronze sculp-
ating art for the community.
“I love public art,” she said. “I like ture Friday, May 6, from 1 to 5 p.m.
“Any chance I get to go there and
to do bronze pieces because people
can jump on it and interact with it and participate in arts shows is just so
much fun,” she said.
it won’t hurt it.”
After the eagle, she has another
Soderberg-Greene recently cre-
ated a life-size bronze sculpture of sculpture lined up.
“It’s crazy in the art world,” she
a 5-year-old from Hood River who
died from cancer. The sculpture will said. “It’s either total chaos or it’s
dead.”
be placed on the girl’s grave.
Eagle from Page 1A
Art show raises
funds for North
Coast Land
Conservancy
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
DragonFire Gallery is getting
“wild” this weekend at the Spring
Unveiling Arts Festival. The gallery’s
25-artist group show “Wild Spirit,
Conservation for Life” features art-
work in various medias expressing the
natural environment.
To mark its 15th year in Cannon
Beach, DragonFire will donate 15
percent of sales during Spring Unveil-
ing to the North Coast Land Conser-
vancy.
“They went on my radar big-time
when I heard about the clever work
they were doing,” DragonFire owner
Eeva Lantela said. “They’re such a
great organization.”
Lantela wants to highlight the
North Coast Land Conservancy’s
work to connect and preserve lands
and waterways. The local nonprof-
it helped expand Ecola Creek For-
est Reserve, restored a loodplain at
Circle Creek, and recently signed
an agreement to purchase Boneyard
Ridge on Tillamook Head.
Fundraisers like DragonFire’s
could help raise money to help pur-
chase Boneyard Ridge, which cur-
rently has about $1.1 million of the
$1.3 million needed.
“Everything adds up,” Lantela
said. “I think what I like more than
anything is raising awareness both
with our customers about it and their
possible participation or donation to
help.”
Lantela said moving to Cannon
Beach in 1999 with her late partner,
Mari Rockett, was “mind-blowing.”
“I always thought that I was so lucky
to be able to live here,” she said.
Lantela and Rockett had a “paint
your own ceramics” shop before
they decided to open a gallery. Eight
years ago, DragonFire expanded and
moved into its current space.
Starting a business in a seasonal
town like Cannon Beach can be chal-
lenging, and Lantela said the gallery
was in “survival mode” until recent
years. She brainstormed how to give
back to the community that helped
fuel DragonFire’s success, and its
15th anniversary presented one op-
portunity to do so.
“I’m excited to use my busi-
ness that has been so good to me to
give back to community and to raise
awareness and be a part of something
I feel is important,” she said. “It’s not
all about making money and it’s so
easy to get caught up in that, especial-
ly in the art world.”
DragonFire donates proceeds from
its “Wild” section, started by Lantela
several years ago, to the North Coast
Land Conservancy, Clatsop Animal
Assistance and the Wildlife Center
of the North Coast. Last year, about
$10,000 of proceeds was donated
from the section, which has books,
notecards, T-shirts and more.
The “Wild” section is one way
that tourists can help raise money for
organizations that “keep the place so
beautiful that people want to come
and visit.”
Although she was born in Finland,
Lantela spent her childhood in Cana-
da, where her family worked in com-
mercial ishing and she learned the
importance of clean streams.
“If you don’t have clean land and
water, what have you got?” Lantela
said. “The most basic thing is a clean
environment. We can’t live without
it.”
Energetic art in a
colorful space
Lantela attributes the success of
both DragonFire and the artists whose
work hangs inside to the close, trust-
ing between the two.
“I care about all of the artists,” she
said. “It’s such a personal business.
I like to know the person and I like
them to know us.”
The gallery is known for its di-
verse body of contemporary original
art, 90 percent created by Northwest-
ern artists.
“Even if there’s a storm outside,
you forget about it when you’re in
here,” Lantela said. “We meet a lot of
really nice people. For the most part, I
don’t think grumpy people like it here.
We’re too happy.”
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
DragonFire Gallery’s owner Eeva
Lantela is passionate about rais-
ing funds through the arts.
Lantela encourages people to
come in and look at artwork, even if
they don’t purchase it.
“I know people may not buy any-
thing ever and they come regularly
but they love the artwork,” she said.
“It’s important for art to be looked at
even if they don’t end up inding a
home.”
The saying “Art saves lives” res-
onates with Lantela. She said she is
driven by the strong, healing connec-
tions that can be made through art-
work.
“There’s something important
that happens with you connect with a
piece of art that really speaks to you,”
she said. “Everyone doesn’t necessar-
ily buy art for a soul-level understand-
ing, but I love when that connection
happens for people.”
♦ ♦ ♦
On Friday, May 6, from 4 to 6
p.m., the gallery will host a “Wine
& Chocolate Reception” with an
unveiling of Andrew Holmberg’s
newest blown glass creations and
a North Coast Land Conservancy
presentation by Executive Director
Katie Voelke. The group show begins
at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, May 7.
The daylong event includes a book
signing with Bonnie Henderson,
artist demos and a reception with live
music. An 11 a.m. brunch Sunday,
May 8 includes artists, demos, music
and unveiling.
FRESH FOODS CANNON BEACH
We are looking for about a total of 30 employees!
Full and part time positions to come
on board between now and June 1st:
• 3 full time produce clerks
• 3 barista positions
• 3 deli clerk/baristas
• Numerous grocery clerks
and cashiers
WORK IN A
BRAND NEW
BUILDING!
COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
$12-$20 hr
AFLAC Accident Policy (full paid)
Paid vacation
Paid sick time
Matching 401k
Flexible spending account program
Employee discount
Medical insurance (full time)
Bonus program (certain positions)
Cannon Beach and Manzanita locations
CONTACT US AT:
jon@freshfoodsmarketplace.com
or call us: 503-368-5250
or send us a message on Facebook!