By: Shane Boss
On November 7, I attended the Lane Arts First Friday Artwalk in downtown Eugene for my professional practices assignment. First Friday Art Walk happens on the evening of the first Friday of each month, and each time there are a different variety of local galleries on display showcasing a wide range of artwork. There were five galleries participating ranging in paintings, sculptures, jewelry and clothing on display.
The first stop was at Jacobs Gallery at the downtown Hult Center. The Eugene International Film Festival helped present the event for this gallery and on display were nearly a hundred years of work from the southern region of Willamette Valley. There were a lot of old film posters and newspaper clippings on display as well as a window from the house that was used in Animal House from 1978 starring John Belushi.
The next stop was Vistra Framing & Gallery located at 160 E. Broadway. Local cartoonist, Jan Eliot, was on site answering questions and talking about her work and her journey as a cartoonist getting her cartoons printed on the newspaper. Also on display were several paintings, mosaic pieces and jewelry made by local artists such as, Shanna Tumbly, Janet Biles, Diane Lewis and Lynn Patterson from around the city. I did an art review on a mosaic piece called “Exuberance” for my color theory class here at Lane this past summer. It is a very interesting piece that is rich in colors. It is a collaboration of a lot of various different images hidden within all the pieces. I talked to Lynn at the artwalk and she said that the music she listens to while creating her pieces is her motivation and inspiration.
The third stop on the Artwalk was a gallery called Out on a Limb. A guest artists named Mary Oleri had her pencil drawings on display and answering questions for everybody. Other art was also for sale such as wood tables made of naturally shaped tree trunks and branches. Embedded in them were stones and rocks. It was very interesting furniture. There were also several wicker chairs and cutting boards for sale. The gallery was very ‘wood’ oriented.
The fourth stop was the Oregon Art Supply located at 1020 Pearl. On site was local artist Gabriella Soraci (who use to teach art at Lane) and she was painting with acrylic paints. Most of her work as of lately is mainly flowers or cupcakes. She graduated from U of O and mixes all her own colors using primary colors.
The last stop was Harlequin Beads and Jewelry located at 1027 Willamette. Two artists were featured were clothing artist Kristi Holaas and jewelry artist, Thomas Sauve. Each of them had their work on display. Kristi creates all her own designs and patterns knitted with beads. Thomas Sauve is from Maui and has been designing jewelry for over 40 years. Thomas has created jewelry for music and movie artists such as Cary Grant and Carol Lawrence.
Overall it was a fun experience and I recommend the First Friday Artwalk to anyone interested in art, or anyone who wants an interesting event to attend for Professional Practice. A lot of galleries will have free snacks and wine for everyone who attends.
