ABOUT
ABOUT THE ARTIST
CREATING ART AND TEACHING HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY PASSION. MY WORK INCLUDES PAINTINGS, FIBER ART, PAPER MACHE AND CHILDREN'S BOOKS, AS WELL AS ART INSTRUCTION BOOKS, TRAVEL BOOKS AND A COOKBOOK. CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN THE MATERIALS I CHOOSE TO USE.
MY PAINTINGS ARE ACRYLIC AND MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS. THE SUBJECT MATTER VARIES FROM ABSTRACT TO STILL LIFE AND FROM LANDSCAPE TO THE PAINTED WORD. CREATING ART IS A JOURNEY FOR ME. I CHANGE SUBJECTS, STYLES ETC TO ILLUSTRATE WHATEVER I IMAGINE. I PREFER WORKING ON LARGE CANVASES AND SCULPTURE CREATED FROM PAPER MACHE. I OFFER CLASSES SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR IN MY STUDIO. THE GOAL IS TO HELP OTHERS ON THEIR PERSONAL CREATIVE JOURNEY.
RESUME ART, TEACHING AND VOLUNTEER
1968 B.S. in Art Education, Western Oregon State College, taught pottery workshop to high school students at the college after graduation
1968-70 Art Instructor at McMinnville High School: wrote the curriculum since I was the first full time art instructor.
1970-33 Art Instructor at Hood River Middle School: First year for this school so I also wrote the curriculum
Late 1970-1980 Involved in the creation of The Hood River Valley Arts and Crafts Society and Columbia Art Gallery. Served on the board of directors for 10 years and President the year we created the gallery. Taught workshops to children and adults during that time.
1980-1990 Substitute teacher in Hood River County Schools for 15 years. I was also a 4H leader for 10 years teaching cooking, sewing and fiberart. I was president of the 4H Leaders association and created a scholarship for high school seniors still involved in 4H.
Sold my paintings through Ryan Gallery in Lincoln City and Columbia Art Gallery in Hood River.
I served on the board of Hood River-Tsuruta Sister City for 20 years and was president for 10 years. My family hosted many times and and I traveled to Tsuruta, Japan 9 different occasions as part of the delegation.
2001-2004 I created Hood River City Market with a friend, established a catering business, takeout food, gourmet market and sold my paintings.
2008 Gorge Artists Open Studios also taught two workshops: Landscapes with acrylics at Mt. Hood Town Hall and Appetizers in Fort Mohave Arizona
Northwest Plein Air at Columbia Art Gallery: Purchase Award and published in The Oregonion and The Hood River News
2009 Gorge Artists Open Studios , Featured artist at The Pines in Hood River, Gorge Artists Create at The Dalles Art Center, also week long painting workshop at a charter school in San Jose, Calif.
2010 Trout Lake Art Festival: one of my paintings chosen for their poster, I was on the Providence Hood River Memoral Hospital Foundation Board and started a changing art show in lobby and am still doing this.
2011 Created 10 commissioned paintings of private homes as a donation for Mt. Hood Town Hall, taught a 2 day painting workshop for fifth graders at Parkdale Elementary School, taught a bookbinding and hand stamping workshop to rural elementary students in Uganda
2012 Black Mountain Fine Art Show in Arizona
2013 Gorge Artists Create at The Dalles Art Center, solo show at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital
2014 Taught three Appetizer workshops in Fort Mohave, Arizona; Month long solo show at Nora's Table in Hood River; Gorge Artists Create at The Dalles Art Center, and Snow Show at Columbia Art Gallery
2015 Yellow Show: Columbia Art Gallery, Solo shows in May and June at The Midcolumbia Medical Center, and The Water's Edge in The Dalles, Solo show at The Nook : Columbia Art Gallery also showing work in sales gallery at The Dalles Art Center
2016 February, Heart Art Mixed Media Workshop , Columbia Art Gallery, April Gorge Artists Open Studios, Solo show June at Good News Gardening, Two workshops; Still Life in June and Painting Parkdale Landscapes in August. solo show at Stoked Roasters in Hood River for September and October and Art of the Feast at Columbia Art Gallery
2017 Curator for Feb Women's Show Columbia Art Gallery, Gorge Artists Open Studios, My painting Tucker Bridge and Hood River Valley was cover of guide and appeared on a billboard in The Dalles. Solo show in May at Windemere Realty in Hood River, also one of my paintings was used for the poster for the 40th anniversary celebration of Hood River Tsuruta Sister City
2018 Gorge Artists Open Studios, Workshops in Parkdale in April and May, Featured author at Klindts Booksellers in November in The Dalles
2019 Gorge Artists Open Studios in April, Paint Mt Hood Workshop in July, Black and White Show and Workshop Columbia Art Gallery in August
2020 Hood River Art Club Workshop in January, Art a Day at Columbia Art Gallery in September
2021 Solo Show at Cathedral Ridge, Gorge Artists Create The Dalles Art Center in June
2022 Donated 15 paintings to The Dalles Art Center January fundraiser, July-August show at Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River
2023 Gorge Artists Open Studios, Four Workshops in Parkdale, Still Life Workshop for the Hood River Art Club, 20 Large Landscapes shown at the Dalles Art Center in July, Large Landscapes at Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River December.
2024 LOCAL COLOR New Large Format Still Life Series at 301 Gallery, Hood River, Oregon February
If you would like to visit my studio and check out available works send me an email! Thanks! charleneriversstudio@gmail.com