Dropping in to the cool, comfortable gallery at Art Presence Art Center will provide you with the gift of new artistic dimensions, stress reduction, and possibly a treasure to add to your collection! Stop by to view the art currently on exhibit any Friday, Saturday, or Sunday from 11:00am-5:00pm.

Artists Workshop Annual Show & Sale—The Southern Oregon Artists Workshop will take over the gallery at Art Presence for their Annual Show & Sale during August. Please see their article in this issue for more information.

Harvest Time—While we’re excited about the Artists Workshop show & sale this month, we’re already looking forward to our September and October exhibits and events. Please save the dates and join us!

Harvest Time, a show of Autumn- and harvest-themed artworks by Art Presence members, opens on Friday, September 1, with a reception on Saturday, September 2, from 1:00-3:00pm. At the reception, Jacksonville authors Ginna and David Gordon will read from their new books: hers, Deke Interrupted, is book two in “The Lavandula Series,” a family saga set in Carmel in the 60s; his, The Little Bach Book, says on the cover, “An Eclectic Omnibus of Notable Details about the Life and Times of the esteemed and highly respected Johann Sebastian Bach.”

Fifteen abstract works in watercolor, acrylic and collage by member artist Dolores Ribal will be featured on the gallery’s back wall.

Also in September, photographer Thomas Glassman and Raku potter John Dodero will present a two-person show in our front gallery. Though rarely at a loss for words, Glassman lets his beautiful images speak for themselves. Of the inspiration behind his work, Dodero says, “I refrain from characterizing my pieces to allow the viewer to interpret them in their own way. That said, I would like to point out that geometry is all around us: lines, angles, arcs and, in my view, even color, as the frequency or wave/vibration that prompts us to see the corresponding color can be geometrically graphed. Nature can—not exactly, but to a large degree—be modeled mathematically or geometrically. Case in point: the Golden Mean, though there are others. My latest pottery designs seek to express this natural geometry and the mathematical relationships between natural elements.”

Art Presence Offsite Exhibits—On July 27 at Pioneer Village, Patrick Beste’s new show, “Abstracts,” opens with a reception at 4:30pm. “Landscapes,” Tom Ommen’s show of photography at the Medford Library and “Fabric Art,” Charlotte Wirfs’ exhibit of textile art in the Jacksonville Library’s Naversen Room, remain on display through August.

October Creative Challenge—We have challenged the artists of southern Oregon to create new works in this year’s theme, “The October Imaginarium: Hats and Masks.” (Note to artists: the deadline for applications has been extended to Sept. 1. Visit our website or stop by the gallery for an application.) They will be making hats and masks in unique and possibly outrageous designs, including their own interpretations of the theme. Many mediums will be represented, including paintings, collages, assemblages, photography, papier-mâché, and more, depicting the spirit of Halloween. In addition, the Imaginarium Small Works section will display smaller, affordable artworks, including jewelry, art boxes, wood, stained glass, cards, prints, ceramics, and more. The artistic results of this year’s Challenge will be on display October 6-29, 2017, with a festive reception for the artists on Saturday, October 7, from 1:00-4:00pm. Come decked-out in your Halloween costume!

Reserve our upstairs room for your class, workshop or meeting! Contact Anne Brooke at 541-941-7057. As always, you can find this information and more on our website, https://art-presence.org.