Local art gets the blood pumping
Tillamook County shows its talent at Art for the Heart
By Chelsea Yarnell
For the TODAY
The heart is most often depicted as a symbol. The one we cut from red and pink construction paper in elementary school around Valentine’s Day. The same shape that we now select from our emoji toolkit to send to our loved ones.
Yet “heart” can mean so much more than the one-liners on conversation candies.
The creative call for the Art for Heart art gallery demonstrates just that: create what moves you.
The 12th annual Art for the Heart art gallery will open with a month-long show at Nehalem’s North County Recreation District on Sunday, Feb. 1. The show features a collection of work from Oregon Coast artists of all ages and is co-hosted by Adventist Health in Tillamook.
“Artists have shared everything from landscapes and portraits to works made with pressed wool, tin cans and paint,” said Annette McLain, marketing strategy manager at Adventist Health. “The common thread is joy — art that reflects what you love to create.”
The mission of the gallery is to uplift local artists while reinforcing the role of creativity, movement and expression in overall well-being.
The gallery is expected to showcase nearly 140 submissions from local artists.
An Artist and Community Reception will be held from 1 to 3 pm on Sunday for the gallery opening, where visitors can pursue the gallery, listen to classical guitarist Ivan Danilich, enjoy light refreshments and scope out the most stunning artwork.
Voting for the People’s Choice award is encouraged as cash prizes are on the line.
Last year, Connie Vincent’s “Bosh: U.S. Fancy” won the judge’s blue ribbon with Jack Ryser’s “Shimmer” being named People’s Choice.
“We [were] thrilled to recognize these incredible artists and their contributions to this meaningful event,” said retired Adventist Health executive Gina Seufert. “Art for the Heart is a testament to the power of creativity in fostering health and community spirit.”
And, if an art piece steals your heart or makes it skip a beat, there is an opportunity to take the masterpiece home.
Several pieces of artwork will be available for purchase, with 80 percent of the sales going back to the artist and 20 percent going to support fitness scholarships at the recreation district. Purchased artwork can be picked up on Friday, Feb. 27, at the end of the exhibition.
Art for the Heart began in 2014 when Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell, then communications and marketing manager for Adventist Health Tillamook, was inspired to celebrate February as National Heart Month.
“I envisioned a show…[that] engaged people’s love of art and started conversations about heart-health in our community,” Bell said. “Tillamook County has a thriving artist community, and Art for the Heart is a wonderful opportunity for Adventist Health Tillamook to uplift the power of creativity to nourish and heal.”
“Le Pain Dur,” an original painting depicting a sutured heart by the late, local artist Fred Bixel (1924– 2019), has been used in all marketing for Art for the Heart since the first show.
Bixel served in World War II in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater in the battles of Rome-Arno, North Apennines and Po Valley. He was captured by the Germans while on a mission in Italy and held in a POW camp until the end of the war. Painted in 1993, “Le Pain Dur,” or “Hard Bread” reflects his experience in World War II. The French text circling the heart on three sides translates as:
“And our loves, must I remember them
The joy always came after the pain
Vienna, the night strikes the hour”
Art for the Heart will be on display from February 1 through 27. The North County Recreation District is located at 36155 9th Street in Nehalem and is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. For more information, go to ncrd.org.