Heart of Darkness Martin Conley

Martin's September show reflects a bit of a different approach from his earlier works that involved carving to create his wood sculptures. The last few years, he has begun using more found wood and driftwood for his work. Martin has found that nature is able to create things he can not. By further enhancing what nature started, he has developed his current creations.

Martin became interested in art early in his high school days. His interest continued through college, starting in graphic design and later into painting and sculpture. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he spent the next thirty years working with wood as a finish carpenter. After retiring, he resumed his art full time, concentrating on wood sculpture. Finding and working with wood has become Martin's passion which he hopes to continue as long as possible.

Chung hee Choi retired from the Red Cross Portland Component Laboratory in 2000. Shortly after that she began taking oriental brush painting classes with Sue Gordon at the Asian Health and Services center in Beaverton. Essentially, Chung hee was learning to paint with water color on rice paper. Lately, she has been working with painting master Mr. Lou in Portland to refine her technique.

Chung hee has generally painted landscapes and nature. In the beginning, her work was of traditional Chinese subjects that are required of beginners. Due to her irrepressible spirit and love of Oregon and the Northwest, she began painting Oregon subjects like Mt. Hood, Mt St. Helens and Multnomah Falls in the Chinese manner. This lends originality to her work that is not normally seen in this style of painting. Chung hee has said that mountains make her feel generous, trees stimulate meditation, and waves make her feel soft and graceful.  

She also makes greeting cards of rice paper collage with poppy flowers as the subject. Other cards available at the gallery are made from reproductions of her paintings.

When Bonnie began to down-size in preparation for moving from her home to an apartment, one big job was looking through many boxes of photos taken over many years. She was amazed by how many pictures were taken through windows - in and out - , through doors, under bridges, through fences and through broken down buildings.

Bonnie decided some of these photos might make nice subject matter for watercolor paintings and fit together for her next Sequoia Gallery show. So, that is the theme of this show - "Looking Through-----". Many of the photos were taken on her travels in the US and abroad, including Italy, Holland, and Romania. The others were from Washington, eastern Oregon, New York State, the Oregon coast and the covered bridges in Iowa.