Festival Highlights

Stone Sculpture: From Mantel to Garden

Stone Sculpture: From Mantel to Garden, a juried and invitational contemporary sculpture exhibit and sale featuring the largest display of stone sculpture ever held in the State of Oregon, will be the cornerstone exhibit for the 41st annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts. This special exhibit, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank, will feature over 100 sculptures from the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association (NWSSA); a talented group of artists with a member base of more than 300 professional sculptors from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Canada and Japan.

The Stone Sculpture: From Mantel to Garden exhibit will have on site the following prominent artists to give demonstrations and answer questions: Sabah Al-Dhaher (Seattle), JoAnne Duby (California), Stuart Jacobson (Oregon), Alexandra Morosco (Washington), and Dave Haslett, (Oregon) Watch demonstrations of sculptors as they share their passion and process. Curators for the special exhibit, Dave Haslett and Elaine MacKay, have assembled the following schedule of demonstrations and workshops:

By Arliss Newcomb - Learn about the passion of stone carving. Learn about tools and see how to finish a stone to perfection. Watch as Arliss makes the alabaster glisten, just as stone carvers did in the days of Michelangelo. See if you can hear the stone speak.

Join Stuart Jacobsen, Alexandra Morosco, Joanne Duby and Sabah Al-Dhaher for an in depth look at the art of sculpture! Discover the passion and process these artists bring to their work in a panel discussion moderated by Rich Hestekind.

By Suzanne Gentiluomo - Watch a master carver find the soul of the stone and create a face right before your eyes. Suzanne teaches classes in stone carving at Pratt Fine Arts and Frye Art Museum. Her work displays her highly personal storytelling style. It is a joy to watch her and be taught by her.

2003

The Written Word Remains: Calligraphy & Illuminations

This exhibit consists of three parts: an Invitational Show of works by internationally recognized calligraphers; a Juried Show of top artists working in the field of calligraphy; and a show of works by guest artist, Timothy Botts, a nationally acclaimed book designer and calligrapher.

Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing and has its roots in the earliest records of civilization. Early Western Civilizations developed a rich history of writing and the Romans brought these traditions to Europe. After the invention of the printing press, the skills of the scribe were lost. Fine writing then emerged in the 20th century as an art form that combined the written word with artistic interpretation.

The computer age with its easy type manipulation has further encroached upon the calligrapher's domain, but has not replaced the artist's hand. New tools and materials have only enhanced the options available for the artist to create works that lift the technical elements of the craft into fine art.

The Written Word Remains is representative of the current trends in calligraphic expression, with works ranging from traditional illuminations to cutting-edge gestural and expressive works that only suggest or evoke their roots in calligraphic letter forms. This show is at once exciting for its visual artistry, and inspirational for the meaning (both explicit and implied) in its written content. The spoken word perishes, but the written word remains.

- Horace

2002

The Art of Miniatures

Miniature painting is an art form that is nearly 2000 years old. Its origins can be traced to the Mongol invasion of Persia (present day Iran). Miniature art then spread to Turkey and India and finally it came to the west. In Europe and England the art flourished in manuscripts and other documents. Over time artists created portraits that were carried or worn as lockets. With the advent of the camera in the 19th century, this method of creating a likeness declined.

Nonetheless, in 1895, the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers was founded. In recent years a number of similar miniature art societies have been organized all over the world. The subject matter for miniature painting may now include landscape, still life, floral 

subjects, animals as well as portraiture. The rules with regard to size vary among the world's miniature art societies. In America the one-sixth rule predominates, whereby no object may be rendered larger than one-sixth its actual size.

This contemporary exhibition gives the viewer two advantages. First it offers a opportunity to see the best in international miniature art with the naked eye and through the magnifying lens. And second the public has the wonderful opportunity of purchasing these exquisite collectibles.

Myra Marsh, Sunshine in the Garden, acrylic on ivorine, New Mexic

Today's miniature art has historical roots in ancient Persia nearly two thousand years ago, says Katherine Friday, co-curator of the international miniature art exhibit at the 2002 Festival of the Arts. 

Primarily seen today as book illustrations in museums, Islamic miniatures from Persia, or Iran, are colorful, graceful and highly detailed.

"Persian miniature art is very detailed," said Friday, who paints watercolor miniatures at her Forest Grove studio. "The Persians had documents and books that were illustrated with beautiful miniatures."

Persian artists were probably influenced by the invasion of both Arab and Mongolian conquerors, as the Mongols brought Chinese artisans and the invention of paper to Persia. In turn, Persian artists then influenced the art of Ottoman Turkey and India.

 

James McGrew, Vernal Flood, soft pastel, Lake Oswego, Oregon

When Persian artists were brought to India by Mongol invaders, the Mogul School of Indian Art developed. Unlike traditional, symbolic Indian art, Mogul art included small, detailed depictions of everyday subjects such as birds or animals, similar to today's miniature art.

A striking, contemporary miniature, using the technique and materials of Mogul Indian art, is actually on display at the festival exhibit. Called "The Missing Shoe," the tiny piece was painted by Sabeen Raja from Pakistan. 

During the 16th century, European painters and jewelers began creating portrait miniatures to be carried or worn in the same way a snapshot in a locket would be today. One of the first Europeans to appreciate miniature art was Rembrandt, who included pieces in his own collection.

 

Rosalind Pierson, Summer Light, watercolor, England

Many well-known painters practiced miniature art throughout Europe, but the first great miniature portraitist in England was Nicholas Hilliard, for whom one of England's current day miniature art societies was named.

Miniature art flourished for 400 years in England, but with the invention of photography the popularity of miniature portraits declined. Instead of dying out, however, miniature art expanded its subject matter to include still life, landscape etc. eventually leading to the founding of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers in 1895 by Alwyn Williams.

Williams later came to the U.S., and in the mid-1930s, founded the first miniature art society in Washington D.C. Others soon followed, including the Miniature Art Society of Florida.

While miniature art exhibits are rare in the western United States, the special festival exhibit developed because of local connections. Malcolm Mathes, Lakewood Center for the Arts board president, is related, through marriage to Chick Curtis son of Wally Curtis, who heads up the Miniature Art Society of Florida.

"Chick attended a Florida miniature art show, and told Malcolm how great it was. Then Malcolm got in touch with Wally, who wrote me," said Friday, who is also a member of the Florida Miniature Art Society.

After discovering that award-winning artists Katherine Friday and Jeanette Mullane, two signature members of the prestigious Miniature Artists of America, lived in the Portland area, festival organizers appointed the two experts, who happen to be close friends, as curators of the Pacific Northwest's first miniature art exhibit and sale.

"There has not been a great awareness of this discipline in the west, and the festival exhibit is very exciting for us because we have had such wonderful response," said Friday  

A unique display of "fine art in small scale" makes its first visit to the 39th Annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts. The festival will host the Traveling Exhibit of Miniature Artists of America. The 46-piece juried collection featuring leading miniaturists from all over the world will be on view the June 21st-23rd at the Lakewood Center for the Arts on 368 S. State Street. This exhibit is in addition to the International show and sale of miniature art which features more than 250 pieces from all over the world.

Festival organizers were so impressed by what they heard and saw concerning the MAA Traveling Exhibit that they decided to hold a separate juried miniature art show in conjunction with the Festival, open to all miniaturists. Both exhibits have been funded, in part, by a generous grant from Wells Fargo bank. Two Signature Members living in Oregon, Katherine Friday and Jeanette Mullane, were enlisted to assist and the show is expected to attract several hundred miniaturists for a first show of its kind in that area.

Joyce Rowsell, The Barbecue on the Beach II, oil on silk, England

Miniature Artists of America, founded in Clearwater, Florida in 1985, is the first organization to honor outstanding practitioners of American miniature art. It elects no more than 10 Signature Members each year. Candidates are chosen from award winning participants in competitive shows presented by major non-profit miniature art societies in America. Nominations of other outstanding miniaturists may be proposed to the Jury of Admission by the endorsement of 3 Signature Members and a review of their work.

Miniature art is often described as "fine original art done in small scale, with emphasis on detail which can withstand scrutiny under magnification", says Kay Petryszak, MAA President. "Today's miniaturists generally adhere to the 'one sixth guide', limiting subjects to no more than one sixth actual size. Human heads do not exceed 1 * inches in height and are often much smaller".

"This Traveling Exhibit is one of the best devices for letting the public know what's going on today in the exciting world of contemporary Miniaturism. Since 1989 the show has visited more than 50 locations from coast to coast. During the Japan Winter Olympics in 1998 the exhibit made its first appearance outside the U.S. where it was displayed at the Clearwater (FL) Pavilion in the Sun, visited by over 125,000 guests", says Curtis. In 2000 the Exhibit was on view at the Florida World Pavilion during the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

In the Middle Ages it was common for monks to embellish manuscript pages with delicate illuminations and to border them with a red lead pigment called "minium", from which "miniature" later evolved. Miniature portraits, as we commonly know them, had their beginnings in 16th century England.

A very personalized form of art, the paintings were done in watercolor on vellum, later ivory. Easily carried in pocket or locket, they served much as small photographs today. With the spread of civilization to American's shore, portrait miniatures soon followed and began reflecting the challenge and new-found freedom of life in the New World.

Today's collector is finding he can acquire a variety of fine original pieces of art at an affordable price and not have to be concerned about a gallery-size room for their display. Although the works in the Traveling Exhibit are not for sale, contact may be made with any of the artists represented.

2001

Comics: An Original American Art Form

Comics: An Original American Art Form. This special premier exhibit  will feature the rarely displayed artwork of Comic Book Artists with historic and highly regarded pieces of artwork never before seen by the general public. A majority of the pieces will be from the private collection of Mike Richardson, creator and owner of Dark Horse Comics. Mr. Richardson, noted author, film maker, and publisher, has assembled artwork that will provide a history of the art form, profiles of prominent artists, on-site demonstrations and examples of future trends.

The Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, an arts exhibition division of Lakewood Center for the Arts, has grown to include an open art show of more than 900 regional artists, a special exhibit of regional or national importance, a juried craft faire featuring more than 100 Northwest artists, and a special juried exhibit of Northwest artists. Now attracting more than 18-20,000 people, this three day celebration also showcases a performing art series, music in the park, and a children's art and performance venue.This year's Co-Chairs are Dee Denton and Malcolm Mathes.

Art Perspective on Comics:

Painting, sculpture, music, the novel, and plays all have their roots in the ancient world; arts developed and cherished by civilizations for thousands of years. But comics - the telling of stories through a blend of words and sequentially organized images - is truly an original American art form.

Beginning with the single-panel political cartoons of the 1890s, comics storytelling expanded to multiple panels, then multiple pages, evolving its own techniques and conventions for conveying ideas and information; speech and thought balloons, repeated images, inset panels, and so on. From the late 1930s through the early 1960s, artists like Will Eisner and Jack Kirby created a dynamic "visual language" for comics storytelling upon which present-day comics creators continue to rely.

Working from their homes, their studios, or even from publisher's "bullpens," hundreds of writers and artists around the world combine their talents to tell stories one panel - one frozen moment - at a time. It is not enough for an artist to be able to draw well. They must also understand how to create a sense of movement and drama by juxtaposing two or more images in succession - in a sense, tricking the viewer into visualizing action where only static images exist.

Though sometimes considered the mutant offspring of the prose story and illustration (or film), the comics medium has repeatedly shown itself to be more than the sum of its parts. In offering the reader an interactive experience that combines the best aspects of both of its progenitors (the emotionally immediate impact of pictures, and the stirring, thought-provoking resonance of the printed word), comics have become unique vehicles for popular entertainment as well as for mature, serious works.

This exhibition celebrates the medium itself, and the writers and artists whose efforts have made comics an original American art form.

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Lakewood Center for the Arts

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