August Gallery Exhibition Opening Reception
August 3 | 3:00-5:00pm
Hoffman Center for the Arts | 594 Laneda Avenue | Manzanita
Free and open to the public
This collection of work represents my current process of making art. In the last five years I have reconnected to my artistic pursuits and have been working at Studio 6000 in Sisters, after owning a retail store and raising a family. Previously I worked with clay and made sculptural, hand built, figurative work. I can see that influence in my present work with the cutting into shapes and new marks making texture.
Making art is an activity that occupies a different part of my brain. Time can appear to pass rapidly and I get caught up in the activity. I find that it’s important to take a risk to change by subtracting or adding something that you hope shifts into an intentional composition. It is a wonder what can be discovered. I observe things in my daily life that then later surface in my work: the shadows on the landscape, the rectangle that represents a road or plot of land, a response to an emotional experience becomes a visual image.
I think it may be important to clarify what monotype is compared to commercial reproduction prints. Commercial prints are a copy of painting or drawing; these are reproduced mechanically and in multiples.. Monotypes are created by using tools to apply ink to a hard surface and then transferred to the paper by running it through a press under pressure. Each is an individual art piece, hand pulled, and one of a kind.
Mary is a ceramic artist living near Neahkahnie beach on the north Oregon coast. She works on the potter’s wheel in her 240 sq. ft. private ceramic studio outfitted with an electric wheel, kiln, tools, worktables, and her ceramic arts library.
Mary uses fine white or coarse tan clay to create elegant and modern forms; each shaped to be firmly planted while the volumes are lifted – resulting in a feeling of solidity and optimism. After reaching a refined surface, Mary applies finishing abstract marks to carry the eye around the form. These marks convey strength and assertiveness with a bit of messiness. The marks may be carved, etched, or achieved through wax-resist patterns, slips and glazes.
She is most influenced by contemporary British and Scandinavian ceramics and modern Japanese textile design and ceramics.
Mary studied ceramics at the Oregon College of Art and Craft and the Multnomah Art Center, Portland, Oregon. She has also participated in workshops at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana and the Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, California. Prior to having her own studio, she frequented the Hoffman Clay Studio where she has also volunteered.
Mary is a member of the Oregon Potters Association and is represented by the Riversea Gallery, Astoria Oregon.
Elise Wagner, a painter, printmaker, educator, and innovator, currently resides on the North Coast of Oregon in Astoria, having originally hailed from Jersey City, New Jersey. Since 1986, she has called Oregon her home, where her creative journey has evolved into a distinctive fusion of artistic expression, spiritual exploration, and a profound interest in various scientific disciplines. Elise’s work seamlessly integrates her fascination with physics, astronomy, geology, cartography, and meteorology, exploring their connections to evolving technologies and the environment.
Notable for her artistic contributions, Elise has garnered recognition, including the prestigious 2015-16 Pollock Krasner Foundation Award, several regional awards, and grants from esteemed institutions such as the Ford Family Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Her art graces galleries in Washington D.C., Astoria, New York, Palm Springs, and Seattle.
Elise’s artistic footprint extends into corporate and private collections throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Beyond her artistic endeavors, she is a dedicated educator, sought after internationally to teach and present encaustic painting and printmaking at conferences and institutions. Currently, Elise imparts her knowledge through semi- private workshops.
Her artistic passion ignited early in life, fueled by parental and teacher encouragement. Despite a serious car accident as a teenager that altered her dream of becoming a professional dancer, Elise’s survival became an enduring source of inspiration for her artistic journey.
In 2022, Elise embraced the North Coast of Oregon as her new home, sharing her space with her companions, Willomina the dog and Rothko the cat. Notably, she shares her birthday with the renowned artist Mark Rothko, and her college studio occupies the same building where Rothko attended elementary school, now part of the PSU campus in Portland.
This past June, Elise unveiled her newest body of work “Wonder Lands”, a twenty- piece self proclaimed “love letter” to the Pacific Northwest at Imogen Gallery in Astoria.
August 3–Gallery Exhibition Opening Reception
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Situated on the main street in Manzanita just a few blocks west of Highway 101, the Hoffman Center Art Gallery is located across the street from the North Tillamook Library.
