High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon

Oregon High Desert Classic -- Kimry Jelen

Thanks to last years High Desert Gallery advertisements for my 2007 summer show in Redmond, Oregon the events coordinator for the High Desert Classic saw my work and thought they would like to use my art for their next poster. Serendipity! I got a call about doing the High Desert Classics poster for 2008, something I've wanted to do ever since moving here. I noticed the high quality posters and ads they run every year, horses and art, how perfect!

The staff at J Bar J was great to work with and they gave me 'free rein'.  I had some specific ideas about how I wanted my horses to look, but found I had to do quite a bit of research on jumping horses to get it realistic. In Milbrook, NY, in order to get my British Horse Society Stage III certification, I evented, what a thrill it was to jump! I try to incorporate that into my painting, it is amazing what these equine athletes can do. The horses have incredible focus and seem to enjoy their fantastic leaps, intent and happy doing what they love - almost effortlessly it appears! This painting was super fun capturing all that during the creation of it with color and brush strokes.

I started painting on several canvases experimenting with different concepts and ideas. When I got far enough along with a few of them, this one seemed to demand completion, sort of "jumped out" at me you might say. You'll be seeing it about town this summer in poster form.

Held during the last two weeks of July, the Oregon High Desert Classics feature two consecutive weeks of competition, running Wednesday through Sunday.  Each Classic draws professional and amateur competitors from all over the west and Canada and closes on Sunday with the Grand Prix competition, where the top horses and riders compete for purses up to $25,000.  Since its inception in 1990, this annual fundraiser has become a premier event for both riders and spectators.  Competitors enjoy a USA Equestrian A-Rated show on superb grass footing, while spectators enjoy the athletic skill of the horses and riders and a variety of food and shopping at vendor booths.

J Bar J Youth Services hosts the show and benefits from the profits made at the show, which enable them to provide much-needed services and supplies for the various youth and family programs.

The original painting will be available at High Desert Gallery, the use of the image and poster design is donated to J bar J, and a team effort from High Desert Gallery and myself of a framed giclee will be donated and available at the silent auction the night of the first week's Grand Prix dinner.

Again this year the gallery is featuring my original artwork at High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon in Redmond Oregon in June and an artist reception on Friday, June 27^th from 5-8pm.  I hope you can visit the gallery to view my work.  If you are in the Central Oregon area, stop by the High Desert Classic during the last two weeks in July -- You will enjoy it!

Kimry Jelen -- April 23, 2008

Sky Jump, (Acrylic on canvas  18" x 24" (image size)) is an Original Painting by Kimry Jelen.  For additional information about Kimry, her work and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 / 866-549-6250.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing – An award winning fine art and custom framing gallery with retail locations in Central Oregon including Redmond, Sisters and Bend Oregon (opening December 2008) specializing in Central Oregon Artists and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery and work by Kimry Jelen can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

Original artwork by Kimry Jelen.  All rights reserved and copyright 2008. Use of image is restricted and prohibited without prior written permission.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2008.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.  Subscribe to High Desert Gallery's art gallery weblog via Feedburner RSS permission based email service.  Or ... Call 866-549-6250 x 3, visit our art gallery events calendar at www.events.highdesertgallery.com or subscribed to the following: Twitter, subscribe to our blog, RSS, or our events calendar.   Don't worry -- We won't spam you or give, rent or sell your email address and you can always unsubscribe. We promise! or our

To inquire or to purchase call 866-549-625, Email High Desert Gallery or purchase online at  Sky Jump.

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My Sunflower Effort -- Grace Bishko

Sunflowers, are incredibly large, strong, tall plants, and their seeds are enjoyed by most animals, including birds and human animals. So many artists have painted these interesting, yellow flowers, such as - Vincent van Gogh, who was the king of “ochres, and yellows”; and also, Egon Schiele, who preferred the dark, dried flowers and leaves, which he turned into dark blues, purples, reds and brownish greens. Such intense feelings have been deposited on this flower! How could I resist, I said to myself. So, here you have it - my sunflower effort. I decided to make them happy, with possibilities of movement. And, I do like to include “witnesses” like the cat and the bird, to take my place in the paintings I create, whenever possible.

Grace Bishko,  April 18, 2008

Sunflowers, (Gouache on Handmade Paper 15 x 19 inches (image size)) is an Original Painting by Grace Bishko.  For additional information about Grace, her work and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 / 866-549-6250.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing – An award winning fine art and custom framing gallery with retail locations in Central Oregon including Redmond, Sisters and Bend Oregon (opening December 2008) specializing in Central Oregon Artists and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery and work by Grace Bishko can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

Original artwork by Grace Bishko.  All rights reserved and copyright 2008. Use of image is restricted and prohibited without prior written permission.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2008.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.  Subscribe to High Desert Gallery's art gallery weblog via Feedburner RSS or our permission based email service.  Or ... Call 866-549-6250 x 3, visit our art gallery events calendar at www.events.highdesertgallery.com or subscribed to the following: Twitter, subscribe to our blog, RSS, or our events calendar.   Don't worry -- We won't spam you or give, rent or sell your email address and you can always unsubscribe. We promise!

To inquire or to purchase call 866-549-625, Email High Desert Gallery or purchase online at Sunflowers.

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Pastry Chef -- Original Painting by Cristina Acosta

Pastry Chef, Acrylic & Hard Pastel on 100% Cotton Rag Paper, 22” x 30”

Some person, place, thing or event sparks the memory & emotion that become a painting. Pastry Chef was inspired by my memory of the first time I ever saw Jen McCrystal, partner in the restaurant Jen’s Garden in the town of Sisters, Oregon. Many years ago I was at a friend's birthday party and I saw this very slim, lovely woman walking barefoot across a polo field carrying a giant wedding-like cake. It was iced with white butter cream and had 4th of July sparklers poked into the top cake layer! (The cake was her gift to the birthday girl.) What an amazing image!

In my painting this pastry chef dances joyfully, her artistry sings from her pan, as she balances lightly on the ever-changing flow of her creative process, inviting us to enjoy the abundance of her creation. This painting also conveys my love of most everything to do with cooking. Pastry Chef is one of the images published in my book, Paint Happy! (North Light, 2002©, 2004©).

August 11th I’m teaching a week-long workshop with Art In The Mountains ( Bend Oregon ) sharing my Paint Happy techniques with beginning and intermediate artists. 

Cristina Acosta – April 1, 2008

To inquire please call High Desert Gallery at 1-866-549-6250 x 3 or visit:  Pastry Chef.

About Cristina Acosta :  Cristina Acosta is a life long artist. A painter, writer and designer, she’s garnered national acclaim for her artwork. Born in Los Angeles, Cristina earned her BFA in Painting from the University of Oregon in 1988 and resides in Bend, Oregon. She paints original oil or acrylic paintings for exhibits, sales and commissions. Taking her art off the easel and into life, she is a color consultant, designing interior & exterior color palettes for homes & buildings; illustrates and writes books & articles; loves to cook and create recipes, teaches, makes presentations and more.

Her career has included:  A two-year stint as a billboard mural and lettering artist. Five years teaching college art classes. Nine years as an artisan tile designer & production artist for her nationally distributed signature line of ceramic tile during the 1990’s, and more.

Her artistry is featured in a variety of books and magazines, including her successful art book, Paint Happy! (North Light Books, ©2002,2004).  She illustrated the children’s book, When Woman Became the Sea (Beyond Words Pub., ©1998) and contributed to many other books and periodicals including Artist Magazine, Pure Inspiration, Better Homes and Gardens, House Beautiful, Latina magazine, Latina Style, Good Housekeeping, and Woman’s Day home design publications.

Cristina continually paints and writes from her studio at her home in the rain-shadow of the Cascade Mountains. She creates three distinct series of paintings: Paint Happy series, Hispanic Heritage series (Madonnas) and her oils including her Animal Spirit series. Despite the different styles, her work is typified by her lush use of color, dynamic design and the presence of joy.

Museums, galleries and collectors nationwide collect and exhibit her work.

About High Desert Gallery:  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening December 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Art Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

Original artwork by Cristina Acosta.  All rights reserved and copyright 2008. Use of image is restricted and prohibited without prior written permission.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2008.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.  Subscribe to High Desert Gallery Feeds:  Follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our blog, RSS, and our events calendar.

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Gouache on Handmade Paper -- Two new paintings by Grace Bishko

 

Cornstalks by Grace Bishko
Gouache on Handmade Paper, 19 ¾ x 15 inches

Do you think I like to make repetitive dots, lines and circles, etc. on paper?  I LOVE to do that!  It’s so completely peaceful and satisfying.  Also, painting on handmade paper is an exquisite experience.  The paper, being thin and full of fibers, becomes a bit sculptured by the paint, and takes on a life of it’s own.

These physical happenings actually help me create a strange and beautiful image, regardless of the subject, because the paper is “alive”.

The “Cornstalks” is an abstraction of a real environment – cornstalks, earth, sky, wolf, black birds.  Turning the ancient African mask image on its side makes it into something else, doesn’t it.  However, we don’t really have to know what it’s doing there. The color, the shapes, the patterns – they add to the mystery of the Cornstalks, and that’s my goal.

Old Friends by Grace Bishko
Gouache on Handmade Paper, 19 x 191/2 inches

This painting, “Old Friends”, is still another image belonging to a long series of my paintings that are based on The Ancient Trilogy – Man, Wolf and Raven.

Again, I’m carried away by the delight of working on handmade paper that responds physically to my brush.  Still another ancient African mask divides the painting into land and sky, and the flock of birds belongs to early spring.  The complex earth is wet with black.

Grace Bishko -- March 30, 2008

"Cornstocks" and "Old Friends" are Original Paintings by Grace Bishko.  For additional information about Grace, her work and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 / 866-549-6250.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing – An award winning fine art and custom framing gallery with retail locations in Central Oregon including Redmond, Sisters and Bend Oregon (opening December 2008) specializing in Central Oregon Artists and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery and work by Grace Bishko can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

Original artwork by Grace Bishko.  All rights reserved and copyright 2008. Use of image is restricted and prohibited without prior written permission.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2008.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.  Subscribe to High Desert Gallery's art gallery weblog via Feedburner RSS or our permission based email service.  Don't worry -- We won't spam you or give, rent or sell your email address and you can always unsubscribe. We promise!

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It's winter now but I still like to paint bits of summertime from memory -- Kathy Deggendorfer

Spot Sits on The Cabin Porch...

We've been spending quite a bit of time out at the cabin this year. It's winter now but I still like to paint bits of summertime from memory.  I love the places where the creeks flow into the main river and you can catch little glimpses of those charming little cabins that are upstream.  These little cabins are quiet now but full of life all summer long.

"Spot Sits on the Cabin Porch" includes a little bit of what makes the Camp Sherman Oregon and the Metolius River area so special...  it's a place where a friendly pooch, like Spot ,can sit and soak up the sun and watch the river flow.  A place where you know it must be midday because the neighbor down the way came in for lunch and left his fishing vest hanging on the hook outside the door... he won't come out until dusk when the bugs come out and the fish jump.  Oh, and did you notice the neighbors got new sky blue cushion covers for their old comfy bench?

Kathy Deggendorfer – February 2008

“Spot Sits on The Cabin Porch,” an original watercolor on Paper by Kathy Deggendorfer.  Image: 21.75" x 7"  Professionally and Archival framing by High Desert Gallery with Frame size:  33" x 18.5" +/-   All rights reserved and © copyright 2008.

View More Kathy Deggendorfer Originals (including: Wishin' I Was Fishin' )

For inquiries please call High Desert Gallery at 1-866-549-6250  or purchase online at  Kathy Deggendorfer. For additional information about the artist and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 and toll free 1-866-549-6250. High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz .

About Kathy Deggendorfer:  Kathy Deggendorfer lives on a cattle and hay ranch just outside of Sisters, Oregon. Inspired by the color, pattern and texture of her surroundings, she creates vibrant and colorful watercolor paintings. Whimsical images of flowers and ranch life fill the paintings with color and life. "Folks tell me they just feel happy when they look at my work-- that makes me happy." 

Raised in Portland, Oregon, in a clothing manufacturing family, she says ,"Sewing skills skipped a generation with me... but I love fabric. I like to call my creations 'Painters Quilts.' I can prowl around the rounders full of prints at the Stitchin' Post with the best of 'em... I just put my fabrics in with a paintbrush."  Kathy's collaborative work with master quilter, Tonye Belinda Phillips, is another fun combination of painted image and textile interpretation.

Kathy is currently working on a project about Oregon Specialty Farming and sustainable farm practices.  This project takes her out into the fields of Oregon farms to paint and learn about what makes Oregon agricultural practices and people unique.  Trips to the cattle ranches of Eastern Oregon and vineyards of the Willamette Valley provide her with plenty of rich and colorful images.

Kathy's work is collected throughout the Pacific Northwest and reaches out to all corners of the United States. Represented by High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon, she has pieces in the permanent collection at Redmond Airport, 2007 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Poster Artist, she wrote and illustrated a children's book for St. Charles Medical Center, and her work has been translated into clothing and fabric for Columbia Sportswear.  In 2005, Kathy was awarded 'Citizen of the Year' in Sisters Oregon for her contributions to the community and the arts.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is honored to represent Kathy Deggendorfer exclusively in Central Oregon.

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Central Oregon Symphony Winter 2008 Concert -- Grace Bishko

Last year, I was contacted by the Director of the Central Oregon Symphony, regarding a series of paintings I’ve done on musicians. Her idea was to use these images on the programs, as well as on symphony mailings. After several meetings, the idea was launched, and the first image, “The Cello”, was used on a brochure mailed to supporters of the Symphony. By Fall, 2007, the Central Oregon Symphony Program was redesigned for the first time in many years, and my painting of “The Flute” was on the cover, as well as on the poster for Music in Public Places, that took place in High Desert Gallery's Redmond art gallery.

The “Bass” is the program art chosen for the upcoming weekend winter concert, and has a snow setting – the painting is virtually white. The bass player, in his black overcoat, is carrying his instrument through the snow. His red hair is almost hidden by his shoulders hunched against the cold. Actually, we see very little of him and his bass, as he is entering the scene at this very moment. He is facing a row of frozen trees with their branches embracing each other against the cold. Surrounding all is the border of the painting – a rectangle of barren, brittle tree branches isolated by the winter sky.

I am honored to have my artwork associated with the Central Oregon Symphony.

Grace Bishko -- February 18, 2008

“Bass” by Grace Bishko, Oils on linen, 25” x 29” image, Framed 34.5" x 30.75" +/-

About Grace Bishko:  Grace lives in Central Oregon, hikes the trails, and paints her memories of what she has seen. A serious and honest painter, she paints from her heart and of her memories and experiences. Her imagery contains an ever so slight surreal edge to grab and retain the viewer’s attention, while at the same time satisfying their deep emotions and enjoyment. High Desert Gallery is truly honored to represent Grace Bishko. A nationally and internationally known artist.

In the 1970’s she decided to stop painting directly from “life,” and to develop a vocabulary that would allow her to paint through her personal feelings. Through education, and experimentation, her creative endeavors evolved in many stages. The results of this adventure are embedded in the artwork she is involved in today. Now, Grace is honored that her paintings are appreciated and understood across a wide multicultural expanse.

Winning all possible awards at the Cleveland Institute of Art, she went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers, The State University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. After receiving her M.F.A. degree, Grace taught life drawing at Rutgers, design at University of the Arts, and lithography at Moore College of Art. Since then, she has focused on her own art, exhibiting yearly in solo and group exhibitions.

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is honored to represent Grace Bishko exclusively in Central Oregon.

For more information, to inquire or purchase "Bass" call High Desert Gallery (1-866-549-6250 x 3) or visit: Bass.

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening December 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Art Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

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Four New Original Paintings by Paul Alan Bennett

I always liked the simple composition of The Healing Space but, over time, there were parts of the over-all design that bothered me.  For example, the blue in the upper left hand corner seem to come forward, competing with the attention I wanted to give to the feather.  Also, the shape of the clouds were too, well, intestinal and the mountains at the bottom seemed to need to be pushed back more.

Basically, it just needed to be simplified in color and design to bring clarity to the poetic power of the composition.

Paul Alan Bennett – February 2008
All rights reserved and © copyright 2008

Read about Paul's previous post (July 2006) on "Healing Space" (older image to  right).

"The Healing Space" and three additional original paintings by Paul Alan Bennett can be viewed and purchased online at:

The Healing Space

Water Sparks

Passage from the Metolius To Lake Billy Chinook

Wallowa Moon

To inquire please call High Desert Gallery in Redmond at 1-866-549-6250 x 2 or purchase online at www.highdesertgallery.biz . For additional information about the artists and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 and toll free 1-866-549-6250. High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializes in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz .

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The Red Couch -- Paul Alan Bennett

The Red Couch -- I wanted to combine a furniture piece with a forest setting but not make it look like the piece had just been abandoned in the woods. Making it surreal by putting the feet and head of a woman on the pillows seem to put it more into that poetic realm I was reaching for.  Because the face is asleep, it also added a dreaming element that went along with this surreal intent. The piece offers much in the way of a painting about color- the reds against the greens.  My eye is drawn as much to this color theme as to the image of the woman sleeping.

Paul Alan Bennett -- 2008

"The Red Couch"  Image: 19.5" x 16"  Professionally and Archival framing by High Desert Gallery :  25" x 21" +/- Medium: Oil on Board.  All rights reserved and © copyright 2008.

For more information, to inquire or purchase "The Red Couch" call High Desert Gallery (1-866-549-6250 x 3) or visit: The Red Couch.

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Art Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

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New Work -- Glen Corbett and Trisha Hassler

"Palatine Hill"  Some of my childhood memories have a way of lingering in my mind. The view of poplar trees stirred by afternoon breezes, Queen Anne's Lace and daisies in the sheep meadow and the view to the west from Palatine Hill is one of those. It felt like days were open forever to explore and the lanes across the fence were there to travel if I wanted. The sounds were soft: cicadas and the occasional robin drunk on cherries. Just beyond the trees on the left was the garden where the grapes were ripening. This watercolor study is a way of returning to timelessness of those memories.

"The Bench" is along a trail in Nepal during the monsoon season when light is rather flat and muggy. The bench sits under two trees, the male and female trees, planted intentionally to give the traveler a shaded place to pause: to remember "it's the journey, not the destination." Painting this watercolor was a way for me to honor that person who planted the trees and for the person who provided the bench and left the pile of wood that fuels my memory. The bamboo, a renewable resource, is a reminder to daily keep vigilance and remember to leave a light footprint. And then there are the exposed roots and the implication of buried ones that remind me to pay attention to the simplicity of the lifestyle that supports and created the bench.

Glen Corbett -- January 2008

About Glen Corbett:  Glen, an award winning painter, tapestry weaver and print maker makes Central Oregon her home. She has participated in numerous one woman and group shows in the Northwest and beyond including the Oregon Capital, Maude Kerns Art enter, Honolulu Academy of Art, Ithaca Museum and several Fine Art Galleries on the West Coast. Glen’s work is found in private and corporate collections worldwide including AJ Heinz, State of Hawaii, Walsh, Walsh, & Foster, Washington Mutual  Savings Bank, Black Butte Ranch, Brooks Resources, Fred Meyer Inc. and many more. "Art captures a very present moment, sometimes evocative of the past or predictive of the future – but at best taps a timeless core/chord." High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is honored to represent Glen Corbett exclusively in Central Oregon.

“Go Ahead and Pile It On” is an Original Mixed Media Fiber/Metal wall hanging  by Trisha Hassler. 

About Trisha Hassler: Lifetime quilter and award winning Oregon Artist, Trisha has enjoyed numerous group and one woman exhibits in the Pacific Northwest.  Former “Art in the Pearl” board member and former member artist of L.O.C.A.L. 14, she has been featured in Fiber Arts Magazine and other national fiber arts magazines.   Trisha Hassler embraces both torch-cut steel and improvisational quilting and through her artistic abilities combines the two mediums in one art form even though they are considered being on the opposite ends of the artistic spectrum.  Trisha Hassler’s artwork is available exclusively in Central Oregon at High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Redmond and Sisters, Oregon.

To inquire or to purchase please call 1-866-549-6250 or visit:  " Palatine Hill, The Bench, and Go Ahead And Pile It On.”

"Palatine Hill" a 10.5” x 29.25” (image) Watercolor on Paper  and “The Bench” a 22” x 30” (image) Watercolor on Paper by Glen Corbett.  All rights reserved and © copyright 2008.     “Go Ahead And Pile It On” a 24” x 19.5” mixed media metal fiber wall hanging by Trisha Hassler.   All rights reserved and © copyright 2008. High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz

Original artwork by  Artist(s).  All rights reserved and copyright 2008. Use of image is restricted and prohibited without prior written permission.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2008.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.

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Reflections on Nature -- Grace Bishko

"The Ravens Are Back"  Original Painting by Central Oregon Artist, Grace Bishko

When I first moved to Bend, Oregon I had a studio space on Greenwood Avenue, with an abundance of windows, overlooking a parking lot. The view was disappointing and distracting, but at least I had good light.  So, every day at 9am I climbed the stairs to my space, and settled down to sketch ideas in my sketchbook.  Soon, I became aware of various raven calls coming from a tree on the other side of the parking lot, and before long, a large flock of these strong, black beauties were filling the tree.  One raven perched itself at the very top of the pine tree with a mate on a limb just below.  The others kept circling the tree, flying in and out of the branches to change their positions – working their way throughout all of the branches. After about half an hour, the couple at the tip of the tree called out, and flew away, as the others followed.

The next day, they returned at the exact time as the day before, and repeated their ritual, much to my delight. From that day on, I heard their calls as they gathered together before they even came on the scene, and stayed at the window sketching their movements and listening. For the next 6 months, until I moved out of this studio, they were there – same time, same dancing performance.  Their unified movements, voices and various positions, shaped my days into creating a plethora of drawings and paintings of these intelligent, gallant birds.

Recently, I heard a raven call out among the trees near my window, and I recalled the days back at the parking lot.  “The Ravens Are Back” emerged on canvas slowly, but eventually, I realized how I could portray the movement of the flock, and the stationary position of one raven at the same time.  The nuthatch is me, the witness.

Grace Bishko -- January, 2008 – Bend Oregon

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"August” Original Painting by Central Oregon Artist, Grace Bishko:

This past summer, it seemed to me that there were more groups of deer within the perimeters of Bend, Oregon than last year.  Driving around town, I saw them running across the streets, regardless of the cars whizzing by; and also, twice I saw a dead deer by the side of the road.  At home, looking out of my window each day, there were deer in the fields among the parking lots of the buildings around me.  Sometimes they were there all day eating the tops of the bushes, laying down to rest, and then nibbling more.

By August, the fawns were born, and they were fresh and beautiful – and added to the numbers.  At that time, the different family groups became evident – the “female yearlings” stayed with their mothers and the fawns.  Seeing this portion of their yearly cycle was tender and satisfying.  However, there was something I intensely wanted for them, and that was for the deer not to have to adapt to human beings, the surge in building and development, parking lots and cars. Rather than having to adapt to the human element, I wanted them to live, give birth and migrate in lush meadows and forestlands.

And so, as a reaction to my thoughts and feelings, I painted the pastoral, freshness of a grove of aspen trees in August – a haven of lush vegetation to nibble on for the fawn and his mother – to prepare them selves for the barren winter.  It seemed a perfect environment for them, but it’s just a painting.

Grace Bishko -- November, 2007 – Bend Oregon

"The Ravens Are Back" and "August" are Original Paintings by Grace Bishko.  For additional information about Grace, her work and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 / 866-549-6250.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing – An award winning fine art and custom framing gallery with retail locations in Central Oregon including Redmond, Sisters and Bend Oregon (open Fall of 2008) specializing in Central Oregon Artists and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.  To purchase online visit:  "The Ravens Are Back" and "August"

Original artwork by listed artist(s).  All rights reserved and copyright 2008. Use of image is restricted and prohibited without prior written permission.  High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2008.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.  Subscribe to High Desert Gallery's art gallery weblog via Feedburner RSS or our permission based email service.  Don't worry -- We won't spam you or give, rent or sell your email address and you can always unsubscribe. We promise!

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