Time for art at Hoffman Center
“Fluctuat nec Mergitur” by Hans Miles
Manzanita’s Hoffman Gallery will open a new exhibition featuring painter Heidi Keith and ceramic sculptor Hans Miles on Thursday, July 2, bringing together two artists whose work explores themes of embodiment, vulnerability, transformation and the passage of time.
An opening reception on Friday, July 3, offers visitors an opportunity to meet the artists and experience the work firsthand.
Portland-based artist Keith will present "Obscure and Reveal," a series of large-scale ink paintings examining identity, connection and the complexities of inhabiting a human body. Working primarily in ink on paper, Keith embraces the medium's permanence and immediacy, allowing each mark to remain visible rather than revised or concealed.
"Our bodies obscure and reveal us," Keith said. "They can betray us, empower us and ultimately remind us of our impermanence."
Keith earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Portland State University and currently paints and teaches studio art in Portland.
Miles will exhibit "Fluctuat nec mergitur," a collection of human-scaled ceramic sculptures inspired by the environmental conditions of the Southwest Washington Coast. His work explores the tension between permanence and decay, drawing on observations of how wind, moisture and salt air gradually reshape the built environment.
“Clay feels uniquely suited to this tension,” Miles said. “It moves from soft earth to stone through heat, yet still retains an uncanny vulnerability.”
Miles, who earned a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, serves as lead instructor at Ilwaco Artworks and previously coordinated the Art and Industry residency program at Mission Clay in Phoenix, Arizona.
The exhibition will remain on view through July 25, with gallery hours Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 pm.
Friday's opening reception runs from 3 to 5 pm at the Hoffman Gallery, located at 594 Laneda Avenue in Manzanita. For more information, go to hoffmanarts.org.