Water and Stone
Water and Stone opens Friday, May 5, at the Columbia Art Gallery in Hood River. Featured artists are Mary Rollins, Mark Nilsson, and Elaine MacKay. The public is invited to the artist reception on Friday, May 5 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Click here for more information.

Workshops offered by Columbia Center for the Arts
Click here for information on upcoming artist workshops offered by the Columbia Center for the Arts, please

Poster Competition
Nights in White Salmon

Prize: $250
Deadline: May 15
Size: Minimum 8 ½ x 11” to 3’ x 5’
Medium: Watercolor, oils, acrylic, pastel, pencil

Water and Stone

Water Media and Stone Sculpture Featured

The Columbia Art Gallery in Hood River is pleased to announce a new show, “Water and Stone.”

The show features two painters and a sculptor who will delight viewers’ senses with three distinct types of art: Luminous watercolors that utilize multiple, fine glazes of color; vibrant acrylics that are full of energy; and primitively styled sculptures made from ancient basalt rock collected in the Gorge.

The show opens at the Columbia Center for the Arts, downtown Hood River at 2nd and Cascade, on Friday, May 5, and runs through Tuesday, May 30. The public is invited to learn more about the artists’ processes at the artist reception on Friday, May 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Each artist offers the viewer a distinct and personal perspective on nature and culture in the Gorge.

Mark Nilsson from Hood River, OR is a prolific artist, whose work can be found throughout the Gorge in both public spaces and private collections. Mark's art is highly sought after for his brilliant use of color, style and subject. He paints primarily with acrylics, and creates a diverse range of art that runs the gamut from murals, to painting on canvas, to commercial illustrations, and even furniture. His paintings are highly decorative, full of energy, pattern and light, and are uniquely identifiable by his signature sense of design.

Elaine MacKay is a sculptor who lives on 40 acres in Wasco County. She is surrounded there by the basalt rock she uses to produce her work, and from which she derives her inspiration. MacKay says that whenever she goes out to collect rock, she thinks about the ancient people who once lived in the Gorge, and about what their connection was to this stone. What she ends up creating, is largely primitive in style, and a result of her feelings about these ancient people. Her focus, primarily, is on what they may have thought about such things as healing, power, protection and the mysteries of life.

Show Sponsors
The show is made possible by generous contributions from its sponsors: the Hood River Hotel and Gjino’s Italstone and Masonry.

Gallery Location / Hours
Located at 215, Cascade Avenue in downtown Hood River, hours are Wed. through Sat., 10 to 5, Sun. 1 to 5.

For More Information
For more information about this show please call Bill Sturman at 541-352-0926, or the Columbia Art Gallery at 541-386-4512. For information about other programs or events sponsored by Columbia Center for the Arts, please call Judie Hanel at 541-387-8877.

Transcendence, 48" x 48"
Acrylic by Mark Nilsson

Mythic Raven, 24" high
Native Basalt, by Elaine MacKay

The Art of Art Marketing

Learn how to sell your art and build long-term relationships with clients and galleries. Learn what buyers are looking for in artwork, and what galleries are looking for in artists.

For more information, click here.

Glass Fusion Workshop
Introduction to Fusing Frit Imagery

Internationally acclaimed glass artist Richard La Londe from Freeland, Washington, will be conducting a “glass fusion” workshop.This is a rare opportunity to study and interact with a pioneer in glass fusing.

For more information, click here, or call Mark Dane at 541-387-3586.

Glass & Mixed Media
Create a Glass Rattle

Participants will explore their relationship with symbolic imagery, and by the end of the two days, will have created a ceremonial art object, or more specifically, a personal “rattle,” made from fused glass, metal, wood, beads and other objects.

For more information, click here, or call Mark Dane at 541-387-3586.

Glass: Introduction to Vitri-Fusáille
Stained Glass Windows without Lead Lines

Award winning artist/designer Peter McGrain will introduce participants to his newly developed Vitri-Fusáille process, a hybrid technique that combines the processes of contemporary flat fusing with traditional glass painting.

For more information, click here, or call Mark Dane at 541-387-3586.

Exploring Glass Powders
A Creative Approach

Explore a variety of techniques unique to glass powders, including color blending & shading for “painting,” grafitto, combing & feathering, line work, resists and faux sandblasting. Also experiment with Glass Glow, the new glow-in-the-dark glass.

For more information, click here, or call Mark Dane at 541-387-3586.

Etching Club

See what you can do with copper and ink and paper. For beginners or advanced etchers, the class will explore various techniques including line etch, aquatint, soft ground and chine colle’. There is no set class schedule; you may come on a drop-in basis. Every Monday night from 6 to 9 pm, through June 5th.

Monotype:The Painterly Print

Otherwise known as a transfer painting, monotype is a fun and easy way to pull prints with or without a press. Participants will apply oil-based inks to plexiglass using brushes or rollers, erase, use washes and templates, manipulate the ink to get what you want. For beginners, or seasoned printmakers. Bring stiff-bristled brushes (we can loan you some) and an apron.

Collagraph: Printing from Collage

A collagraph is a print pulled from a collaged plate, a process that creates images using texture and color. Participants will use a number of found elements to glue onto masonite plates, and will then rub or paint ink onto the plates and print them using an etching press. Bring stiff-bristled brushes (we can loan you some), apron and collage elements such as string, lace, paper, feathers, or fabric.

Monotype II: Beyond Ink and Paper

Participants will play with ink on plexiglass and then take it one step further with Chine Colle’, where you can really play with shape and color, using colored and textured rice papers to create unique prints using hand-printing or the etching press. Fine for beginners, or for those who have made monotypes before. Students pay for the paper they use at the end of the class. Bring stiff-bristled brushes (we can loan you some) an apron and lunch.