Hoffman Gallery
June Gallery Exhibition
Exhibit-Thursdays–Sundays | June 5–28| 12:00-5:00pm
Opening Reception June 7 | 3:00-5:00pm
Gallery is closed the last Sunday of every month
Hoffman Center for the Arts | 594 Laneda Avenue | Manzanita
Free and open to the public
Featuring Works by
Deborah Gangwer, Maude May, Jeremy Furnish
Deborah Gangwer—Painting Wonder
PAINTING WONDER is a collection of observations and personal response to time spent roaming north Oregon’s stunning coastline. Where the meeting of the sky, water and land become an interchangeable wonder. I am moved by the natural world—a fleeting moment or a time of day—and the subtle interplay of light. I paint to capture a mood or feeling, the emotion it evokes, versus the facts of an exact location. The results are paintings that operate between naturalism and abstraction.
I have long been drawn to elements of water and the attraction the coastal landscape holds for us. My childhood experience of first seeing the Pacific ocean is a clear memory. One I often think about as I paint. These memories together with my emotional response furthers my goal to capture the Pacific Northwest’s environment—the abstract beauty, change of seasons and diverse geography—and inspires new ways of interpretation.
My creative process mirrors the landscape’s unpredictability, capturing its dynamic energy and translating it into a vivid interplay of memory and artistic expression. Like nature, painting brings unpredictable and exciting moments that grab my attention. It requires a willingness to let go of a preconceived idea about what the subject should look like. I am curious about aesthetic elements—color, light, shape, texture and movement—what is revealed when images operate between memory and creative interpretation. Each artwork has emotional energy and atmospheric qualities where the paint forms and shapes the landscape into being.
Artist Bio
In the mid-1980s I joined a staff of twenty as a design assistant at an internationally-known interior design firm in Rancho Mirage, California. Natural elements, elegant custom furnishings and original works of art was my introduction to the visual arts. In the 1990s I moved to Los Angeles to manage diverse projects for an architectural art design studio specializing in sculpture, glass, mosaic, and decorative metal commissions. Upon relocating to northern California, I completed a Master of Arts degree in Art History from the University of California, Davis. As an arts educator and public speaker, I engaged with students at institutions, including Pacific Union College Department of Art, Napa Valley College, and Oregon State University Department of Art. From 2001 to 2006, I was Associate Curator of exhibitions and projects for Copia Museum in Napa, CA, collaborating with artists, collectors, museums, traveling exhibition services, and galleries. Following my tenure at Copia, I developed Subject Matters Traveling Exhibitions, dedicated to enhancing cultural understanding through art. Currently I live in Portland, Oregon where I paint full time.
Jeremy Furnish—bits and pieces of now and then
After years of creating large-scale works and intricate installations, I have returned to the quiet comfort of found object sculpture. This medium allows me to express an idea, tell a story, or capture a fleeting moment through a thoughtful arrangement of obscure and everyday items. I am drawn to the objects themselves—their original purpose, their history, the nuances of their industrial design, and the traces of their manufacturing process. These qualities become a silent language in my work, often revealing new meanings when placed in the context of my compositions.
My subject matter often emerges from the objects I choose—recognizable, unaltered relics of daily life that carry their own weight of memory and association. I strive to keep them intact, honoring their integrity while coaxing out their hidden stories. This commitment to minimal alteration is both a challenge and a guiding principle: to say as much as possible with the simplest means. A unifying thread in my practice is this pursuit of clarity through restraint—an invitation to the viewer to pause, observe, and uncover the connections I’ve embedded. I trust my audience to engage actively, whether by discovering my intended message or forging their own deeper resonance with the work.
Artist Bio
My journey as an artist began in childhood. In preschool, I was paddled in front of the class for coloring outside the lines—an early lesson that my pencil could stir emotion. As I grew, I embraced creative mischief, rearranging objects on my teacher’s desk to amuse friends. Creativity felt instinctive, and over time, my playful experiments evolved into a sustainable practice.
While pursuing my artistic education, I gained hands-on experience through jobs that sharpened my technical skills. As a young man, I became a journeyman fabricator, crafting high-end interior fixtures, theater sets, movie props, and large kinetic puppets. These roles honed my ability to build and create with precision.
For the past 23 years, I’ve worked full-time as an artist, drawing heavily on my metalworking roots. This foundation led me to larger-scale projects, naturally expanding into lighting and illuminations. My work with glass emerged as a key element, especially for public art installations now visible in Seaside and Astoria. Each opportunity has fueled my drive to explore and innovate.
From a child disciplined for bold strokes to a professional shaping metal and glass, I’ve learned that art is about embracing possibility. My practice reflects a blend of mischief, skill, and a relentless pursuit of creative expression—forging connections between imagination and the tangible world.
Maude May
I am a collage artist – layering images utilizing hand stitching and photography. I collect discarded snapshots, copyright-free Library of Congress photos, scans of my own photographic art and more. Images are ink jet printed directly onto either linen or cotton and, then along with both re-purposed and new fabrics, are assembled to tell a new visual story. Layers of hand embroidery & machine stitching bind everything together (both literally and figuratively). Creating these artworks allows me to re-discover the mysteries of the people, memories, words, landscapes and possessions from both my past, and the lives of others, that were once deemed precious and have been forgotten or left behind.
I have been making art in one form or another since childhood – stitching samplers, fabricating elaborate collaged constructions and more. With advanced degrees in ceramics, textiles and photography, my passions have led me in many directions and my career has encompassed a wide variety of professions: pastry chef, art director, location scout, miniature golf course designer, photo stylist, and paint-color consultant. For more than two decades I owned a graphic design business, meeting with clients, designing invitations, favors and collateral for corporations, nonprofits and private individuals.
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