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May Exhibit and Reception: Peaceful Garden
May Exhibit and Reception: Peaceful Garden Peaceful Garden, our May members’ spring exhibition, and A Season of Kimono, a guest exhibit of handcrafted kimonos by Diana Rasmussen, open on Friday, May 3 at 11:00 am. The shows are open for viewing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday...
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Class: Basic Drawing for Adults
Join experienced art teacher Anne Brooke to learn basic drawing skills! First Session: March 11th through April 15th, Mondays from 3–4:30pm Second Session: April 29th through June 3rd, Mondays from 3–4:30pm
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Color Historic Jacksonville!
Color Historic Jacksonville, a uniquely local coloring book by Anne Brooke, Art Presence Founder and member artist, is available for purchase at the gallery now! This 8 1/2” by 8 1/2” coloring book can be colored with colored pencil, crayon, marker or oil pastel.
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"Art Enhancing Community"
in Jacksonville, Oregon
Publishing Today
Art Presence invites you to a special FREE event for writers and authors. Join us as Ginna and David Gordon present Publishing Today from 5:00–6:00 pm on Friday, January 4. Take part in a conversation about indie publishing. You can also learn how self-publishing has changed the world of the independent author. Most notably, aspiring authors have a chance to meet the owners of a local publishing house, Lucky Valley Press. The gallery will be open and refreshments on the table, so come and connect with them!
You can add the event to your calendar here.
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November Author Reading: Sharon Mehdi
November Author Reading: Sharon Mehdi
Join us for our next Author Reading on Friday, November 9 at 5 pm as Jacksonville author Sharon Mehdi reads excerpts from her newly published books, “Eleanor Bobbin,” “The Great Spirit Grandmother Gathering,” and “The Curious Quest for Absolute Truth.”
Sharon Mehdi is a writer, teacher, mother and grandmother. She has lived and worked in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Guatemala, France and Canada.
The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering: A Story for Anyone Who Thinks She Can’t Save the World
A Curious Quest for Absolute Truth
I was six the first time I heard the word immortal, and on its heels, eternal and infinite. Thus were the seeds of obsession sown.
Two years earlier my grandfather had mysteriously disappeared. Mysteriously to me anyway. Everyone else knew exactly where he was — the family plot in Sweet Angels of Mercy Cemetery on Iowa Street. “When is he coming back?” I asked every few days.
The answer was always the same. “With grandpa, you never really know.”
When I finally learned the whereabouts of my missing grandfather, I was rife with questions about where people go when they die and how long they have to stay there. The answers were troubling. The idea of being put in a box in the ground without anything to eat or even a flashlight was a fate I was eager to avoid.
Whether out of pity or exasperation, my Grandma Great said there was something I could do so I would never die. “Tell me! Tell me!” I begged.
She cleared her throat and straightened her spectacles. “Write one book,” she said in her most serious voice, “one book so filled with absolute truth it will make you immortal.”
I’d been given a reprieve! No boxes in the ground for me. All I had to do was write a book. That sounded easy enough. “I’ll do it!” I shouted and bounced around the room like a beach ball.
It wasn’t long before I realized that before I could write a book filled with absolute truth, I had to figure out what was absolutely true. And in my family, that was challenging indeed.
Book One: Snippets from the Early Years, is the poignant, irresistible, laugh-out-loud beginning of this best-selling author’s Curious Quest for Absolute Truth. A journey that takes her decades longer and continents farther than she or her Grandma Great ever dreamed possible.
Eleanor Bobbin and the Magical, Merciful, Mighty Art of Kindness
The world is once again in chaos. Rancor and retribution rule the day. Greed, fear and demagoguery have been crowned King of All That Is. For many, there seems to be no hope.
And yet. . .and yet. . .hidden beneath the helplessness and hopelessness there is a glimmer of light. So faint it can be seen only in the darkest of dark nights.
If this tiny flicker had a name, it might be called forgiveness, compassion, kindness or love. Such little words. But the one thing I know for sure is that they can create miracles. They can make the impossible possible. They can heal lives. And sometimes, whole communities. Just ask Eleanor Bobbin.
Come to Art Presence Art Center and enjoy an evening with champagne, snacks and some good stories by a wonderful local writer!
Read MoreHoliday Treasures 2018 * Give Art to Inspire! *
Holiday Treasures 2018
Holiday Treasures 2018, our annual holiday shopping show, returns!
When you head out to buy gifts for the special ones in your life, stop in the gallery first to consider a gift of art. Then come by on your way home to find an inspiring gift for those hard-to-shop-for loved ones. Unlike most shows, you can take your art purchases home with you to wrap and give in time for the holidays.
Artworks in this show are all original pieces, created locally by our artist members. Give art to inspire, shop local and support local artists for the holidays..all at Art Presence!
A bonus to this show is our November guest exhibit, “A Mixed Bag.” Our guest artist is Shan Lollis, whose paintings are striking and very givable.
Holiday Treasures opens Friday, November 2 and continues every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, ending on Sunday, December 30. Join us for a festive reception on Saturday, November 3, from 1–3 pm.
November Guest Artist Shan Lollis
November Guest Artist Shan Lollis
Art Presence Art Center is proud to announce our November guest artist Shan Lollis. Shan’s exhibit, “A Mixed Bag,” takes place from November 2 –25 in conjunction with our Holiday Treasures member show.
A Rogue Valley resident for the past 35 years and a serious painter for most of her adult life, Lollis works primarily in pen and ink and acrylic. She studied art at Olympic College and the University of Washington. In addition, she has further honed her skills by participating in multiple workshops in Varen, Italy.
Shan believes in painting with as much pure color as possible, which imparts a striking graphic quality to her work. Also influenced by her travels in Western Europe and Mexico, her paintings often reflect a panoply of scenes from other lands. Previously she has shown her work in Seattle, Ashland, Medford and Jacksonville galleries.
Meet the artist at a reception on Saturday, November 3, from 1–3 pm. See her paintings and choose one you can’t live without!
Pam Formeller Author Reading
Pam Formeller Author Reading
Art Presence Art Center invites you to come to Pam Formeller’s author reading on Friday, the 12th of October at 5 pm. Refreshments will be served.
Based on true events, the book is a Christmas story about a musically talented little boy who, with God’s support, performs a miracle on Christmas Eve.
Pam has written for several California newspapers and been editor of various trade association magazines.
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