Scale artistic heights at First Weekend
As spring spreads along the coast, Toledo blooms with color — from the town’s recognizable cherry trees to the vivid murals and galleries that line the streets.
Color will be all around this Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, as the town’s galleries and studios throw open their doors to celebrate First Weekend.
At the Yaquina River Museum of Art, guests can view paintings from the museum’s Permanent Collection, on display in the Schoolhouse Exhibit Space. This month, Jack Wenstrom’s watercolor “The Gilmore Façade” takes the spotlight. Nearly four feet in length, this staggering watercolor makes the viewer feel as though they have stepped back in time to stand before Newport’s iconic Gilmore By The Sea — now known as the Sylvia Beach Hotel. Wenstrom, along with a number of artists and Bohemian types, lived for several years in this storied landmark, paying around $60 per month. The Yaquina River Museum of Art, located at 151 NE Alder Street, will be open from noon to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, go to www.yaquinarivermuseumofart.org or call 541-336-1907.
Across the street, Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery will be featuring “Prelude to Spring,” one of many striking pieces painted by Gibbons, who lived and worked in Toledo from 1980 until his death in 2020. Painted in 2010, “Prelude to Spring” is a scene of the entry road to Toledo’s Georgia Pacific Paper Mill showing pink flowering trees, the waterfront and industrial buildings. Gibbons derived much pleasure in depicting this industry and related subjects and the beauty he saw in their coexistence. Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is located at 140 NE Alder Street, open from noon to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, go to michaelgibbons.net or call 541-336-2797.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio will feature the works of more than 20 artists. This vibrant gallery-space, run by assemblage artist Janet Runger always features new and exciting works for viewers to see. Guests can view Runger’s whimsical pieces throughout the gallery and might even catch a glimpse of her in the workshop, assembling another dream into reality. Alongside Runger’s work Veta Bakhtina features her folkloric oil paintings; Alice Haga, fused glass; Val Bolen, ceramics and glass mosaics; Sylvia Hosie, award winning photography; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Tish Epperson, watercolors; and Susan Jones, woven fiber jellyfish. Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street and open from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.