Best of the Week Archive
2/25/12
Leap Year Launch Party for Makers' Space!
At The Majestic Theatre, Feb. 29th
A FREE all-ages event featuring a wild mix of visual and performing arts. (full description here) What is Maker’s Space? It is a storefront salon located inside the Majestic Theatre, established to host events that provoke thought and creativity, such as next Tuesday's Drink & Draw. Come see!
Launch Party: Wednesday, February 29th, 6:00pm – 10:00pm
On Display: Native American Inspired Art
Ancient Americas Cultural Art Show
Showing now through Mar. 36 at the Giustina Gallery in the La Sells Stewart Center on Oregon State campus, this art show will feature original works by local artists, inspired by the motifs of various Native American tribes. Drawing Board favorite Betty Turbo will be showing some new work there.
Reception: Thursday, March 8, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Art Crush: Jill Bliss
Jill Bliss Art and Etsy shop
Portland-based artist Jill Bliss draws animals with tiny color stippled drawings of other animals and plants, found in the big animals' environments. Her work says we are products of our surroundings. And it is amazing. Her hand-crafted posters have never-ending depth of detail. She uses the finest pens.
2/9/12
Awesome art event at The Majestic Theatre
Drink & Draw, Hosted by Makers' Space
The Drawing Board sponsored a FREE public drawing session. Over 50 art-loving folks were drawing all kinds of crazy stuff. Check out some scans of the work produced that night (Feb. 7, 2012), and for information on the next Drink & Draw.
Local Artist: Beth A. Barnett
Beth Bee Books and Busy Bee Blog
Beth's claim to fame is her hand-crafted vegan cookbooks, complete with block printed covers. Her secret talent is drawing hilarious cartoon characters on the spot, as seen at last week's Drink & Draw. (Pictured: "Nerdy Bigfoot") Beth also has some spectacular abilities with oil paint. Our favorite: a photo-realistic study from a laundromat.
Upcoming Art Show: Native American Inspiration
Ancient Americas Cultural Art Show
Showing Feb. 21 through Mar. 36 at the Giustina Gallery in the La Sells Stewart Center on Oregon State campus, this art show will feature original works by local artists, inspired by the motifs of various Native American tribes. For example, Drawing Board favorite Betty Turbo will be showing some new work that combines pastries with the designs of the Haida tribe of the Pacific Northwest. Intrigued? We are too! Reception: Thursday, March 8, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
2/1/12
TUESDAY 2/7/12: Free Event at The Majestic Theatre
Drink & Draw, Hosted by Makers' Space
The Drawing Board will be sponsoring, as in providing supplies and maybe some what-to-draw ideas, a FREE public drawing session. Hang out and chat with other art-loving folks while drawing whatever you feel like. There will also be cheap drinks served at The Majestic Theatre's bar. (115 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis). When: Tuesday, February 7, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
THURSDAY 2/2/12: Arts Center Exhibition for Everyone
Howland Community OPEN Exhibition 2012
Think of it like an open mic night for visual artists. Artists from all skill levels, from todlers to professionals, submitted to this show, and are now on display at one of Corvallis' most prestigeous galleries. For some, this is their break-out show. (Pictured: A New Take on Space Love by new artist Dena Witthaus)
Reception: Thursday, February 2, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
THURSDAY 2/9/12: Valentines Day Art Show
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang at Corvallis Brewing Supply
The details are still coming together, but the artists lined up for this show are awesome and work in many media. Held at Corvallis Brewing Supply, (119 SW 4th St. Corvallis, OR 97333), right across the street from The Drawing Board.
Reception: Thursday, February 9, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
THURSDAY 2/9/12: Breast Cancer Benefit Art Show
Bene-TIT at Cloud 9
Art Show and silent auction to benefit breast cancer research. Being Cloud 9, there will also be some hot live music. The all-female line-up of artists includes Magdalen O'Reilly, a Drawing Board customer and collaborator.
Reception: Thursday, February 9, 10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
SATURDAY 2/4/12: Collage Art at Interzone
Reception for Naomi Baird's Interzone Show
Local artist Naomi Baird (facebook gallery) will be showing her mysterious and playful mixed media work this month at Interzone (1563 Northwest Monroe Avenu, Corvallis), a coffeeshop near OSU and an important venue for up-and-coming artists.
Reception: Saturday, February 4, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Art Crush: Alex Chiu
alexdoodles.com and Blog
California artist Alex Chiu's work is like our most crazy dreams recorded by R. Crumb and colored by Matt W. Moore. In Alex's words: "The world that I create is a world full of bubbly eyed creatures that dance and play...[and] float around wielding daggers, talk about poop, and vomit a lot". Totally rad.
1/25/12
Free Event: Drink & Draw at The Majestic Theatre
Drink & Draw, Hosted by Makers' Space
The Drawing Board will be sponsoring, as in providing supplies and maybe some what-to-draw ideas, a FREE public drawing session. Hang out and chat with other art-loving folks while drawing whatever you feel like. There will also be cheap drinks served at The Majestic Theatre's bar. (115 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis). When: Tuesday, February 7, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Art Show: Valentines Day & Sweet Hot Violence
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang at Corvallis Brewing Supply
The details are still coming together, but the artists lined up for this show are awesome and work in many media. Held at Corvallis Brewing Supply, (119 SW 4th St. Corvallis, OR 97333), right across the street from The Drawing Board.
Reception: Thursday, February 9, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Local Artist: Kris Mitchell
Kris Mitchell Artist Gallery and Blog
We are taking a colored pencil class with Kris right now at the Benton Center, and she is a proficient teacher. Aside from that, she does magnificent work with colored pencils, powerfully bright abstracts and landscapes, demonstrating the versatility of colored pencils. (We already know Prismacolor pencils are a dream to use, regardless of the results.)
Art Crush: Valentina Ramos
Valentina Design and Society6 Gallery
Miami-based graphic designer and illustrator Valentina Ramos has a style that is both intricate and playful. Like, very very intricate, pushing the limits of a Micron pen. Her animal subjects have quite a bit of expression, and sometimes have mustaches.
1/5/12
Arts Center Exhibition for Anyone and Everyone
Howland Community OPEN Exhibition 2012
Think of it like an open mic night for visual artists. You bring a piece of your art to The Arts Center on Saturday 1/21, 12pm - 4pm, and fill out some paperwork (rules). Then, your art is displayed for the next month in one of Corvallis' most prestigeous galleries. There are no juries or age restrictions. This is your chance! Reception: Thursday, February 2, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Local Artist: Alana Kenagy
Alana's Art Blog
We met Alana at the Corvallis Weekly Independent's launch party, which featured a silent auction of local artists' work. Alana's pieces are industrial and colorful, made from fused glass, melted-down metal and ceramic plates. Most importantly, Alana is one of the many working artists trying to organize an arts scene here in Corvallis. Stay tuned for more developments.
Inspiration: Betty Turbo's Favorite Art Blogs
Local artist Betty Turbo is another local artist trying to bring the Corvallis arts scene to the next level of awesome. She stopped by to share notes, and left a nice list of blogs she goes to for inspiration:
Drawn; Pikaland; Books, Paper, Scissors; Grain Edit; Ricardo Cavolo; Kali Ciesmier; Everyday Posters Every Day; and My Zoetrope
(also check out her own blog, The
New Adventures of Betty Turbo)
12/7/11
Success Story: Paint Party Thanksgiving
This story was submitted by one of our customers. She bought a Paint Party Kit for a family weekend (all grown-ups) to make some "community" art as souvenirs.
"We recently moved to Oregon from the midwest, so our daughter and son and their spouses came to visit for Thanksgiving.
"We had three small canvasses so each couple could have a memento from this family gathering. It was hard to get everyone started until I painted a background of colors on one canvas. Then one person from each couple painted backgrounds for their canvas. This way, the couple selected the palette of colors that would be pleasing for their home decor.
"Then, over the course of 3 days, with the canvasses arranged out in the garage, people added colors and shapes. Not everyone painted on each canvas ... and that was fine! Our little painting continues to make me smile and brings back memories of our special time together." - D.J.S.
Local Artist: Rachel Urista
Rachel's Blog: Artful Journeys
New to Corvallis, Rachel Urista paints in bright, happy colors. Especially awesome are the little canvas series of simple-shape trees, leaves falling as hearts. Her work is on display at Corvallis's newest yarn boutique, Stash (110 SW 3rd Street) where Rachel did a live painting recently.
11/30/11
Drawing Board web design: The Majestic Theatre
www.majestic.org
The Majestic Theatre, a community-based theatre in Downtown Corvallis, hired The Drawing Board to update its website. This project is actually Phase 1 of a much larger re-brand, in advance of the theatre's 100 year anniversary.
Art Crush: Fernando Chamarelli
Chamarelli photo stream and on Google Images
This Brazillian illustrator/designer taps into the sectional aesthetic we love so well. There is such energy, and a developed "visual vocabulary," but the feel is playful and light. There are also plenty of references to Aztec imagery. Read an interview with Chamarelli in Juxtapoz.
11/16/11
TEAL Artist Co-op: Reception this Friday
Website and Facebook Page
Every year, a group of local artists sets up shop somewhere in Downtown Corvallis to sell their hand-crafted wares during the holiday season. This year, TEAL is right down the street from The Drawing Board!
Location: 120 SW 4th St, Corvallis, OR. Reception on Friday, November 18th, 6pm.
Upcoming Awesomeness: Massive Craft Sale in PDX
Crafty Wonderland
Events like this massive arts & crafts sale at the Portland Convention Center provide opportuntieis for the new generation of artists to sell their works. And you might find a gift for that special someone. (And yes those are sasquatches on a tandem bike.) Vendors include Corvallis's own Betty Turbo.
Saturday, Dec. 10 & Sunday, Dec. 11, 11:00am - 6:00pm
Local Artist: Diana Baz
Diana Baz Pottery
When you're going down SW Crystal Lake Drive on your way to the kinectic sculpture launch at next year's DaVinci Days Festival, look to the right to see an amazing mural by Diana Baz, her first. She's also a skilled potter and a Sicktown Derby Dame.
Top Product: Tombow Dual Brush Pens
Tombow Dual Brush pen color chart
One of our all-time favorite products is the Tombow Dual Brush pen. On one side is a nylon brush, on the other is a small rounded (and rigid) tip. In between is a well of water-soluble ink, which you can "open up" with water and paint out with a brush. Our special order price: $2.39 each.
11/02/11
New Publication: Corvallis Weekly Independent
Current Issue and Calendar
When the ground is fertile, even tiny shoots can grow into trees. This may be happening before our eyes with the Corvallis Weekly Independent, a humble single-sheet weekly newspaper connected to an active website with a live entertainment calendar. Its aim: catalog and promote all local businesses and art happenings. (Check out our listing.) Pick up a copy at The Drawing Board.
New Pop-Up Art Gallery: TEAL Artist Co-op
Website and Facebook Page
Every year, a group of local artists sets up shop somewhere in Downtown Corvallis to sell their hand-crafted wares during the holiday season. This year, TEAL is right down the street from The Drawing Board!
Location: 120 SW 4th St, Corvallis, OR. Opens Friday, November 4th!
Upcoming Awesomeness: Moustache Art Party!
Moustache Masquerade at The Arts Center
Most ridiculous, kind sir. It's a fundraiser party with moustaches, held at the prestigious Corvallis Arts Center. Click the link above for all kinds of suggestions of how to furnish a moustache for yourself. No need to grow one, but if you can, why not? There will be drinks (naturally), music, art and prizes. Friday, December 9, 7:30pm - 10:30pm.
10/26/11
Some Sweet Art Blogs
Because it's Halloween and art can be wicked.
El Día de los Muertos
Ghost in the Machine
Supersonic Electronic
Street Anatomy
Gaks Designs
dobdobdob
Art Crush: Young Monster
Portfolio Site and Blog
In speaking of wicked art, this art collective and record label chops up magazines and found imagery to produce haunting-but-humorous imagery. Great inspiration for collage artists and folks who run with scissors.
10/12/11
Majestic Theatre: Sweet Poster
Halloween Show! check out the sweet poster
Friday, Oct. 28: We had a chance to see inside the historic Majestic Theatre in Downtown Corvallis. There are exciting plans in the works to turn that space into a hip venue, starting with a Halloween show with Portland rockers The Builders and the Butchers. The best part: the poster art.
Local Artist: Marianne Post
Gallery Site and Blog
Marianne works in soft pastels, and uses them to their fmost dream-like effect. Her landscapes feel like memories. She also keeps a blog detailing her sketchbook and her methods.
Art Crush: Santiago Uceda
Portfolio Site and Blog
Illustrator Santiago Uceda's work has been all over Corvallis and Eugene, and (in our minds) is a cornerstone of the Oregon aesthetic. His work is playful, with distressed textures to make everything look like woodcut block prints, even though he primarily works in digital.
10/5/11
Graffiti Competition: Amazing Work
Public Wall at Under the Overpass Celebration
Saturday, Oct. 1: The best street artists of Corvallis were "pieceing" for prizes, on two big temporary walls put up by the Corvallis Graffiti Coalition, an organization out to erect a permanent community wall. The Drawing Board donated MTN 94 cans for primo prizes, as well as packs of caps. The work was outstanding. Photos on Facebook.
Local Artist: Mark Allison
Mark Allison on Wordpress
Mark started out as a medical illustrator and graphic designer, and is now one of the most prolific art teachers in Corvallis. He is teaching four sessions at the Benton Center (part of Linn-Benton Community College), which have just started and space is still available. His methods are ideally suited for beginners, and people who need to get in touch with their creative brains.
9/28/11
This Friday: The Drawing Board Rocks OSU
Oregon State's Beaver Community Fair
Friday, Sept. 30: The Drawing Board (and neighbors Fix My Gadget, A Wild Hair Salon, and La Diva) will be participating in a huge event on the main quad at OSU. We'll be doing some live painting on a huge canvas, passing out coupons, chatting it up. Note: The Drawing Board will close at 10:30.
This Saturday: Graffiti Art Competition!
Public Wall at Under the Overpass Celebration
Saturday, Oct. 1, 3:30pm - 8:00pm: To celebrate its 10 year anniversary, the Jackson Street Youth Center is hosting a party at the Corvallis Skate Park. At the celebration, the Corvallis Graffiti Coalition will erect a public spraypaint wall, and give cash prizes to the artists with the freshest styles.
Local Artist: Jennifer Lommers
Blog & Portfolio Site
You know Jennifer Lommers's bright, bubbly style from the Corvallis Fall Festival's 2011 poster. It was all over town, setting the tone for Fall (yes, it's here) with deep reds and warm yellows. Jennifer shows at 20 or so art festivals each year. You can also find her work on Etsy, especially greeting cards!
9/22/11
Pure Awesome: Slice of Downtown Corvallis
Oregon State Students Drawing Beavers
The Downtown Corvallis Association sponsored a downtown scavenger hunt for incoming OSU freshman. Using a smartphone app, groups had to complete a series of challenges to enter a prize drawing. The Drawing Board's challenge: Draw a Beaver (OSU's mascot). Ten teams of 4-8 students crowded in this micro-store over two hours. It was wild. Photos on Facebook.
This Weekend: Fall Festival!
Corvallis Fall Festival
Friday Sept. 24 & Saturday Sept. 25: Radiating from Central Park in Downtown Corvallis, this annual festival will bring together 163 artists (list of artists). And there will be a workshop devoted to digital art and illustration, with talks by Drawing Board crushes Lee Moyer and Betty Turbo.
Local Artist: Magdalen O’Reilly
Blog & Etsy Shop
Local illustrator Magdalen O'Reilly loves Copic Sketch Markers, and what's not to love? Magdalen's characters are strong women, and her style is influenced by Japanese Manga comics and propaganda posters.
Art Crush: Audrey Kawasaki
Portfolio & Blog
Audrey Kawasaki paints in transparent layers on bare wood grain. It's a popular effect and she's mastered it. She draws from Manga and Art Nouveau influences, and her subjects are dreamily erotic, even spooky.
9/14/11
Pure Awesome: Art Night!
TRY THIS AT HOME. No painting skills necessary.
Gather some friends, beverages, several years' worth of half-used acrylic paint tubes and salvaged canvases. The project: splatter painting. First, you lay down a layer of color, let it dry. Then, you take the canvas outside and throw paint at it. Next, you build up layers into an abstract composition. It's an accessbile and liberating way to make art. Photos on Facebook.
Next Weekend: THE Marquee Local Art Event
Corvallis Fall Festival
Friday Sept. 24 & Saturday Sept. 25: Radiating from Central Park in Downtown Corvallis, this annual festival will bring together 163 artists (list of artists). And there will be a workshop devoted to digital art and illustration, with talks by Drawing Board crushes Lee Moyer and Betty Turbo.
Local Artist: Kat Sloma
The Kat Eye View of the World
Local photographer and painter Kat Sloma travels around the world making art, and keeps a stellar record on her blog. Using GOLDEN Acrylic Colors and experimenting with mediums, Kat works up abstract layers to merely suggest forms. She shows her step-by-step method in this blog post.
Art Crush: El Mac
El Mac Portfolio & Blog
Living the dream, El Mac travels the world creating huge murals of human faces, with exceptional realism and dignity. He uses spraypaint and a topographical layering technique. He is a key part of the L.A. aerosol vangaurd and proudly continues the Mexican Mural Tradition.
9/7/11
This Week: Plein Air Painting in Corvallis Parks
ARTists in the Parks - Saturday, Sept. 10, all day
Corvallis Parks & Recreation is hosting live art-making in its gorgeous city parks this Saturday. You can peer over their shoulders, ask them questions, see how it's done. There will be a reception at Chintimini Senior Center at 6:30 to show the freshly-made pieces. (Pictured, landscape by cover artist Donna Beverly)
Coming soon: Graffiti Art Competition!
Public Wall at Under the Overpass Celebration
Saturday, Oct. 1, 3:30pm - 8:00pm: To celebrate its 10 year anniversary, the Jackson Street Youth Center is hosting a party at the Corvallis Skate Park. At the celebration, the Corvallis Graffiti Coalition will erect a public spraypaint wall, and give cash prizes to the artists with the freshest styles.
Local Artist - Betty Turbo
New Adventures of Betty Turbo and Etsy page
Illustrator and Etsy phenom Betty Turbo, a.k.a. Agnes Barton, goes with what she knows: cupcakes, WWF wrestlers, and hand-drawn typography. Her specialty is greeting cards, for when you want to let that special someone know, "You are face-meltingly awesome!"
Art Crush - Lee Moyer
Lee Moyer Design & Illustration
Portland-based illustrator Lee Moyer captures the dream state, and the deep light. He also hosts a free monthly open house for illustrators, in cooperation with the Art Institute of Portland.
8/31/11
This Week: Exhibition at the Arts Center
Calculated Result: Mathematical Art
Building on the local Quilt County Celebration (link), The Arts Center of Corvallis asked both artists interested in math, and artistic mathematicians to send work. The approaches varied, and awesome art was born. Exhibition runs through Sept. 27. The Arts Center · 700 SW Madison Ave. Corvallis, OR 97333 · 541-754-1551 · Hours: Gallery & ArtShop, 12-5pm Tue-Sat.
This Month: Workshop in Sisters, Oregon
With Bill Shumway and Mark Allison
September 15-17: For the last 14 years, two of the most renowned Corvallis painters have led an expedition of artists to Sisters, and nearby Camp Sherman, to be immersed in nature. The group camps together in a cabin in the woods, makes art outside, holds formal critiques, and hones its craft. One focus is on portraying water, live and on location.
(pictured: Canyon Creek by Mark Allison)
SPACE IS AVAILABLE! Contact Bill Shumway at 541-757-0042 or Mark Allison at 541-752-0641
Local Artist - Patricia Smith
Creative Smugbug
Patricia Smith is an illustrator working on both sides of the paint and digital border. Her characters are captivating; sometimes they're zombies. Her work appears in Corvallis hotspots including Block15 and SubZero.
Art Crush - Andy Gilmore
Andy Gilmore Blog
Working mostly in digital, this California artist is all over the futuristic magazines, including Wired and Fast Company. This is mathematical art at its zenith, with deep mood and color, and melodic-kaleidoscopic effects.
8/24/11
Local Artist - Maureen Frank
The Mandala Lady & Mandala of the Month
Maureen Frank creates intricate, blooming circle designs known as mandalas, an ancient form described as "a cluster of blessings." She also publishes ready-to-color designs in books, available on her website. Best of all, she documents her process on her blog, Art Progressions.
BONUS: Maureen Frank will be speaking at the Corvallis Arts Center's brown bag talk for the upcoming exhibition "Calculated Result - Mathematical Art":
Wednesday, September 7, Noon to 1pm.
Art Crush - Matt W. Moore
MWM Graphics (mind-blowing) & Blog
Increadible fusion of geometry, graffiti roots and eye-blasting color. This Maine-based artist & designer started with tagging and moved into graphic design, developing his signature "vector-funk" style, and then back to spray-painted murals all over the world. Uses MTN 94!
Website for Inspiring Art-Making
Daily Paint Works
A great idea come true, Daily Paint Works challenges artists to produce a small, original painting every day. Artists sign up as members, and then sell those paintings through the site's online store. (Pictured: Fertile Valley by Philomath-based artist and Daily Paint Works member Carolee Clark)
Art Materials - Spray cap options explained
Fat Caps - MTN Cap Demo
One great thing about artist-quality aerosol paint is that you can switch out caps to get different widths and effects, tantamount to a selection of brushes. This video is one of several on the MTN Colors Vimeo Channel that explains how to use these various caps. (See also: MTN Color's website)