Damascus Open Studios
Brett is a Guest Artist at Studio #1
“I am a woodturner. I make bowls, boxes, utensils and various other items on my lathe.
Dale Larson sparked my interest in Woodturning in 2004 when I watched him turn a bowl in his shop. I didn’t start turning until 2022. My inspiration is the beautiful timber that we are surrounded by here in the Pacific Northwest. I love making utilitarian items that people can use in their daily lives.”
Website: http://
Instagram: http://
Facebook: http://
Chris is the studio host at Studio #3
Chris is one half of Clayhouse Potters, a husband and wife team that also does individual works to create some unique and delightful pieces. Chris has been involved in art professionally throughout her career. Right now she is doing mostly Craftsman style pieces. The clay I use for my pottery is a versatile stoneware. I like it because I want my functional ware to be microwave and dishwasher safe. I create functional kitchen and dining ware as well as sculptural work. All are decorated in our unique style for a fabulous look.
Website: http://www.theclayhousepotters.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/theclayhousepotters
We are excited to have Ariana participating in our inagural Student Artist Program! Ariana is a student at Sam Barlow High School and will be a guest artist at Studio #13
“I enjoy using a variety of different mediums to make my visions come to light. When I’m making portraits, my medium of choice is pencil, where I’m able to be as precise as possible. Although I’m new to sculpture, I have fun building each piece up out of just a lump of clay. Watching each piece take form after countless rolling, smoothing, and adding is incredibly satisfying.
I’ve been making art since I was young, exploring painting styles, charcoal, pen, pencil–really anything I could get my hands on! I’ve taken most of the art classes offered at my school, and I hope to continue my learning through college!”
Susan Olson is a Guest Artist at Studio #8
“From experiences over 50 years as an artist and graphic designer, I create 3D mixed media art, primarily on up-cycled vintage boxes, wood “wall sticks”, cube puzzles and other interactive art, incorporating my love for nature and vibrant color combinations. I also offer small prints/cards. I live near Sandy, Oregon, on five acres surrounded by old-growth trees and nature’s beauty.”
Website: https://www.studioburlwood.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiobwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/createbwood
Gretchen is the host of Studio #12
Gretchen has been growing and sculpting bonsai for 25 years at this location. This is influenced by her lifelong interest in growing plants, starting when she was in high school. Gretchen sold her sculpted bonsai for 5 years starting in the second year that the Portland Farmers’ Market was originally under the Burnside Bridge. She eventually took some time out to raise a family of 6 children but never stopped growing plants during this period.
Website: http://www.riverrocknursery.com
Ian is a studio host at Studio #5
I studied ceramics at MHCC for a number of years, working closely with the studio tech, learning glaze chemistry and firing schedules for several kilns then later studied at OCAC. I now work with clay on my own in Damascus.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bergeronian
Jennifer is a Guest Artist at Studio #5
I am a fairly new artist, which came to light during Covid, after losing my job and moving to Colorado, where my roommate was an artist. I started painting in his studio- I wanted to bring color to people during a difficult time and help people who can’t afford the high-dollar pieces but still bring beauty to their home.
Most of my work is Acrylic Fluid Art on canvas with a few pieces on tiles and some Contemporary Geometric Art as well.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jennrainwater
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caljentaystudios
Daniel is the host of Studio #9
Living and moving a great deal around the Pacific Northwest of America for the majority of my youth, I developed a keen sense of both outer and inner relationship between myself and nature. I am drawn at once to both the natural world and to my own inner psyche.
I set about from an early age to try and capture the essences, layers and duality of living in both these worlds simultaneously. As I progressed through school and graduated from Linfield University with an Art and Creative writing double major, I was constantly seeking to capture these energies and layers and present them through various mediums, graphite, pen and ink, intaglio etchings, poetry, paintings in acrylic and oil and my deepest love, carving wood.
My art tends to be auto-biographical and mostly symbolic, with a mixture of natural references and metaphoric or even existential imagery. It encompasses my time passing and all that implies, birth, death, marriage, divorce, success, failure… the changing of the seasons.
I like to think that my art delivers meaning on various levels at once, and I enjoy creating images that have subtle, almost hidden symbology and story– so that the viewer will be drawn in and hopefully receive a personal connection by interpreting in their own way the images they find.
Website: https://www.dclydestudios.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.clydestudios/
Dale is the host of Studio #1
I have been turning wood for 47 years. I turn mostly woods from trees here in the northwest. Some are native like Big Leaf Maple and Pacific Madrone, and some are planted here like Walnut and Apple. Turning bowls and other things out of wood from trees that grew in this area directly connects me to the land around me. Most of my wood comes from trees that have died or been taken down for some reason. I get many calls from people who are sad they’ve had to take down a tree that died or had to be removed for another reason. They just don’t want to burn their tree and want to know if something can be made from it.
Turning wood brings balance to my life. I get to deal with nice people and pretty wood. And I know the bowls I turn will be around in someone’s home for many years, hopefully being used every day. Coming from the farm, most of my woodturnings need to be functional. I simply appreciate that something I made with my hands is being used and enjoyed by someone.
And I believe that an artist has a duty to teach his/her craft to the next generation. Woodturning has been around for 5-7000 years. I am just a short continuation of a long history of woodturning.
Cheri is the studio host at Studio #10
I am an accidental artist! Although I do not have any formal training in the arts, I am currently enrolled in the Milan Art Institute. I was a RN for 25 years. In 2019, I suffered brain injuries and my nursing career came to an unexpected end. Painting became the most powerful therapeutic tool to help me recover physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Through art, I am able to communicate to the world the vast and complex feelings I have in trying to navigate and accept who I am today, especially with the limitations the brain injury has left with me. I am incredibly grateful for this gift life has given to me. I love that out of the trauma and grief of injury, something so beautiful and connecting can be born!
www.carandanisfineart.com
Facebook: carandanisfineart
Instagram: carandanisfineart
Yelena is a Guest Artist at Studio #7
My drawings express personal feelings in response to subjects that fascinate me: horses, the world of nature, and everyday items. I leave it to the viewer to interpret my creations as they see them and am always interested to hear their stories.
I work primarily in colored pencil, pen and ink, and mixed media. Other possibilities also fascinate me.
Instagram: yelenaart
Facebook: yelenashabrovaart
Phyllis is the host of Studio #4.
Using Bullseye glass, I create both functional and creative pieces of art by the use of a kiln.
http://www.outsideinstyleglass.com
Instagram: pfluryglass
Facebook: outsideinstyleglass
Doug is a host of Studio #2
I developed my welding skills and knowledge of metal work while working construction and heavy equipment repair. It started with yard art for my wife, than her friends, than just got bigger. I enjoy creating unique pieces and sharing them with others.
I use new and recycled metal to create yard art and other metal art. I use heat to color the metal. Everything I do is cut out, welded, and crafted by hand.
Erin is a Guest Artist at Studio #2
Erin Patricia Redding was born in Manhattan New York and lived on Long Island and at the age of twenty-seven moved to the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Her love of gardening led her to become an organic farmer and move west to Oregon. While working on a Transfer Degree at Clackamas Community College she found her love of ceramics while
studying with artists Katy McFadden and Nora Brodnicki. Through her formal education in clay, Redding found a deep spiritual connection to clay that led her to making hand built intuitive pieces and forms thrown on the wheel. She now owns “Herbal Earth Pottery” and has loved playing in the mud for decades
Erin creates unique hand-built and thrown ceramic forms inspired by her life experiences and connection to nature. Using clay to hand-build forms allows her to combine formal and exploratory techniques using plants and natural textures to create organic functional and decorative works imprinted with fine detail. Throwing pots on the wheel is more of a
spiritual process for Erin. “Centering the clay allows me to center myself. My “Boss Lady” wheel allows me the opportunity to reflect on daily challenges and changes in life that have come my way. The process of throwing has a way of softening the hard parts of my life. My left hand stays firm in my choices and my right hand symbolizes the outer pressures of life’s influence. Through this process I feel a connection to the universe that mingles control and collapse.”
Instagram: herbal_earth_pottery
Ammi is a Guest Artist at Studio #13
I started making egg ornaments 50 years ago. They are little dioramas inside a real eggshell. They are covered with cotton fabric and hardened with layers of glue and clear glitter. Inside, I create scenes from children’s books, nature, or whatever strikes my fancy. I love the whimsy! I love the nostalgia people feel when they see a diorama from a book they read as a child and knowing that my Ammi Eggs have adorned Christmas trees for over 50 years.
My felting adventures started 11 years ago when my daughter, Ellie, suggested I try my hand at something called felting. I took a class and was hooked! Taking raw wool and turning it into solid fabric is like magic! I love color. Once I started working with wool, I began making felted soaps and cat toys. Since I love color, dying silk scarves was a natural. So many ways to dye silk!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AmmisArt
Instagram: ammibrooks
Facebook: Ammi’s Art
Claudia is the host of Studio #6
Claudia was born and raised in Germany. Traveling solo for one year in Asia/India fueled her passion for color, rekindled her spiritual connection, and brought vibrant imagery and meaning to her paintings.
Living and working in Australia as a mosaic artist for 5 years, she deepened her study of the oral tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, which she had been introduced to while traveling to Kashmir and during many subsequent longer stays in Kashmir.
Her spiritual practice and ongoing study infuse her art with a mystical quality that invites the viewer to look inside and discover their spiritual connection in its many different forms.
Her early creative interests and talents brought her to study Art and Design at the Universities of Applied Science in Hamburg and Hannover successively, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Design. It was in those years, being taught in the Bauhaus style, that she developed a fascination with the works of Klee and the way he uses art to explore the principles of life and his inner world. Intuitive painting is her favorite way to work. She also includes portraits and figurative elements in her body of work.
She has been living in California since 2000 and moved to Oregon in 2023, painting, and working (for a non-profit organization).
“I like to work intuitively, starting with lose movements of brushes or just “messing up” the white paper or canvas and then sensing what emerges. Then further devoping the piece with paint or oil pastel or collage or any other material that seems fitting.” -Claudia Dose
Facebook: claudiadose
Instagram: claudiadose
Georgine is a Guest Artist at Studio #8
Clay has been a part of my life since my Dad found clay in our backyard in Eugene when I was 5 years old. In college, I majored in Art. My husband and I built a propane-fired kiln in our backyard during the child-rearing years. Now that the kids are grown, I have time in the studio! Nature, especially the beach, inspires my work.
I create wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramics for functional use in the kitchen or for dining and also art for the garden. I have a clay studio at my home in Oregon City. I mix my own glazes and fire my work in electric kilns, using a white stoneware clay. I like to pour, dip or spray my glazes, sometimes adding brushwork.
https://www.longfellowpottery.com
Instagram: longfellowpottery
Facebook: georginelongfellow
Diana is a Guest Artist at Studio #6.
As a self-taught contemporary realistic painter, Diana began her artistic journey in my youth. Her primary inspiration comes from her home, the Pacific Northwest, which encompasses a tremendous variety of beauty. Diana intends to share what she sees and feels at a given moment. Through her artwork, she brings the outside indoors to spark the viewers’ feelings and memories and encapsulate the captivating beauty that ignited her imagination.
Diana uses gallery-wrap canvas or cradled wood panels. She obtains richness and realistic effects by applying multiple acrylic and oil color layers, detailed brush strokes, and texture with pallet knives. She often pushes the boundaries of color and texture to relate her feelings about the subject. The framed artwork is mounted in a black Ambiance Gallery 1.5″ Deep Wood Frame.
Instagram: dianastromart
Facebook: dianastromart
Jeanne is a Guest Artist at Studio #4.
I have a Bachelors in Biological/Wildlife Illustration and much of my earlier illustration career was centered in the medical and scientific realms. I worked as a private contractor illustrating for the USDA, national magazines (Mother Earth News, Fins and Feathers, National Wildlife), and for various scientific, medical, university, and commercial communities.
My training as a biological/medical illustrator, attention to detail, strong connection with the natural world, and love of and lifetime experience with horses translate into my work as an artist. My mediums of choice are colored and graphite pencils, which allow for the detailed work of my pieces. I strives to capture the essence and personality of the animals (and human subjects) and to portray and to ‘tell their story’ visually. Horses are likely, my most favored animal subject. I focus on getting correct, the details, anatomy, and movements of my animal subjects. Once I have my subject(s) in mind, the composition and storytelling come together in a way that support the piece’s harmony I wish to capture. Recently I have explored the world of Needle Felting and have created several realistic, original animal creations using sheep wool and alpaca fibers.
Facebook: jeannecardanafineart
Gary is a Guest Artist at Studio #4.
I create original design food safe cutting boards, ribbon and jewelry boxes, trivets and coaster sets made from local and exotic woods.
My lifetime experience as a woodworker and carpenter reflects in the pieces I create out of local and exotic woods. I focus on detail and fine finish of my wood pieces that not only can be displayed, but also are very serviceable. My cutting boards, coaster sets, and trivets are of original design and highly functional. No stains are applied to the cutting boards; the boards are food safe and feature the natural beauty of the woods and unique designs. I also make heirloom quality items like jewelry boxes and ribbon boxes.
Nancy is the host of Studio #9
After retiring from teaching elementary school, I have taken water classes, both in person and online, from Melissa Gannon, Lian Quan Zhen, Harold Walkup, and many watercolor artists on YouTube.
Facebook: Naw-watercolor
Brenda is the host at Studio #6
Wheel-thrown and hand-built functional and sculptural work.
Instagram: thelazypotter
Facebook: muddyfishstudio
Bonnie is a host of Studio #2
I was raised in a rural logging and ranching community in Eastern Oregon. I developed a love and appreciation for the incredible gifts creation has to offer. I like to capture and share what I discover in nature that excites me, be it the colors, texture or subject matter.
I enjoy the transparency of watercolors. I like the challenges it presents along with the different papers, and mediums to create texture and special effects. My way of using line and color are to evoke a sense of mood and movement in my work.
I primarily use Watercolor paint on watercolor paper. I also paint on Yupo paper, Ceramic Boards and other materials. Salt, coffee grounds, and other materials are used for effect. Different shades of paint are used to draw a person into the image.
I also do commission work.
Instagram: bonniemoorewatercolors
Ron is the host of Studio #11
Experience leaves marks.
There are pressures we face in life, both externally and from that little voice in our head. My work reflects the impact of those stressors, producing texture and patina on ourselves while we strive to find balance and preserve our essence. My work represents the pursuit of contentment, knowing that these tensions are a permanent part of our journey.
I’ve been working with wood across many different forms for 35 years. I first turn wood on a lathe and carve it into shape with chisels. I turn the wood to 1/8 of an inch thick. Voids are created by hand using a high-speed carver. Black texture is added through stippling using a wire-tipped wood burner. In specific cases, I’ll add paint or metal leaf for additional color and character. Depending on the size and complexity, the time to complete a piece varies between 15 – 80 hours.
Instagram: ronpurvisart
Facebook: ronpurvisart
Gretchen is the host of Studio #7
I create wheel-thrown and hand-built functional and decorative pottery for indoor and outdoor use. I am largely self-taught after taking a series of lessons at a local studio. I like to see how things turn out.
https://www.homespunceramics.com
Instragram: pottery_by_gretchen
Sue is a Guest Artist at Studio #1
I have been creating wearable art for over 65 years now and still get joy out of the process. My degree is in Occupational Therapy, so it included many art classes, but most of my art learning has come from creating and learning from other artists who are highly skilled. I am indebted to those artists and try to pass on the skills to others. I am inspired mostly by the nature that I am so blessed to be surrounded by daily.
My jewelry evolves every year as I explore new art forms. This year cloisonné jewelry is new for me. Many years experience in metalwork and enamels have led me to a level of skill where I can successfully combine them to create jewelry with this ancient and complex art form. Once the metal form of the jewelry is created and basic layers of enamel are added, a picture is drawn and interpreted with fine silver wire. The cells created on the piece are then carefully filled with enamel to add color to the piece. About ten firings in the kiln are required to finish. Then the finishing process begins ending with beautiful jewelry that you can wear for years.
The enamel fern and leaf jewelry start in the spring when I gather tiny leaves and ferns which are pressed and dried. Later they are used to make impressions of their shapes for a very earthy look of colorful leaves and ferns. These are some of my favorite enamel earrings and necklaces.
All of my jewelry is made from scratch, beginning with silver and copper sheet metal.
My purses made from Pendleton fabric are labors of love. I am entranced with Pendleton fabrics and love enhancing them with copper medallions and large beads and stones to create small but visually impactful cross body purses.
Webste: https://www.lmca-artisans.com