Lakewood Center Entryway Gallery Features LOCAL 14 Artists

The show beginning Sept. 8, 2014 in the Lakewood Center Entryway Gallery is a medley of seasoned artists that are members of LOCAL 14. This sounds like an obscure union, but in actuality, it  is a group of women  who show their work once a year at the World Forestry Center. This year their show is October 2 through October 5 with a gala opening Thursday, October 2, 6 – 9 PM. The exhibition hours are Friday, October 3, 10 AM – 7 PM, and Saturday & Sunday, October 5 & 6, 10 AM – 5 PM.

The group originated in Lake Oswego in 1968 when artist Janet Almy needed to raise some money to repair a piano. She gathered a few friends and hosted an art sale in her Lake Oswego home. The show was a huge hit and sold out. The success of these first 14 artists became an annual event called the Lake Oswego Crafts and Art League, or LOCAL 14. In a time where few female artists were featured in galleries, LOCAL 14 provided women with a high-quality forum in which to showcase their work. While the presentation has become more sophisticated and is now housed annually in Portland’s World Forestry Center, the premise of LOCAL 14 has stayed the same. LOCAL 14 has become a launching point for the successful careers of professional artists. The artist members and juried invited guests create a varied group of mediums and styles. This year the show includes demonstrations throughout the weekend. You can try your hand at something new and talk to the artists.

The exhibition presented at the Lakewood Center includes LOCAL 14 members Mary Dennis, Bonnie Garlington, Lin Haak, Vicki Hammond and Sue Jensen.

Mary Dennis specializes in oil pastels, layering colors by using toothpicks, sandpaper and pottery tools to create texture. Bonnie Garlington is an award-winning weaver and a member of the Portland Handweavers Guild. Lin Haak, a Pacific Northwest native, paints local plein air landscapes. Vicki Hammond collects eclectic bits of life and creates three dimensional assemblages. Sue Jensen is showing her abstract acrylics. Sue is curator of Art in the Park at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts.
For more information about the artists and the LOCAL 14 show please visit the website at local14.org.

Artwork credits: Top – Northwest Autumn, oil and pastel by Mary Dennis; bottom: Tapestry by Bonnie Garlington.