This is Sandy Brown Jensen, and you’re listening to Viz City, KLCC’s arts review program.
We’re deep into autumn now, and we can see all the upcoming holidays from here.
Please consider giving art this year as The Unexpected Gift. And please consider the many charms of seeking out the hidden pocket galleries wherever in Our Fair State that you travel.
The phrase “gift gallery” is always code for art available at all price points; for example, the shop at Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene is overflowing this season.
In Yachats, have you seen the breathtaking surf art at The Wave Gallery?
In Eugene, check out the Karin Clarke Gallery at the Gordon. There are some lovely, affordable little hand-gilded photographs there that are quite delicious.
Also in Eugene, the Don Dexter Gallery is currently showing dreamy, evocative coastal marshland photographs by retired University of Oregon Linguistics professor Russell Tomlin turned Florence photographer.
The Dexter Gallery has been around for decades, showcasing all the area’s finest photographers. Don Dexter has converted the front waiting room of his dental practice into an art gallery at 2233 Willamette Suite B. Don’t be shy--remember, it’s an adventure to seek out these cool little galleries, and Tomlin’s work is worth the effort.
I want to mention that the New Zone Gallery, which is a Eugene artist collective, has moved to 110 E. 11th Ave, a big, colorful venue right on the corner with big windows.
But not every pocket gallery comes with windows. O’Brien Imaging at 2833 Willamette, tucked in behind Harlequin Beads, is the original hole in the wall.
Right now, local photographer Bill Haynes has a collection of water abstracts that are the right gift for just about anyone as they gently quiet the spirit.
The Brownsville Art Center has a couple of big art markets coming up. The Art Gallery in Harrisburg, the Emerald Art Center in Springfield, Beach the Moon in Newport. Okay, you get the idea.
There’s a shipping crisis about to train wreck into Christmas, so why not keep our holiday shopping local. We are standing on an aquifer of art. Let’s reach in, drink deep, and share the wealth.
This is Sandy Brown Jensen for KLCC.