Artists

Dayna Collins is an energetic and enthusiastic abstract painter. She loves experimenting with texture, layers, and color, likening her paintings to going on an archaeological dig. Dayna is also a mixed media artist and an avid collector/junker, energized by hunting for materials to use in her found object assemblage art or in her Salvage Collages. She hyperventilates when she discovers a rusty piece of metal or a tattered, disintegrating book. Dayna uses these tired, worn out objects to create vignettes that tell a new story. 

Aron Michael Johnston is an oil painter working in the traditional style of realism. When creating an oil painting Aron’s ultimate goal is to reveal the beauty in his chosen subject, be it a seemingly mundane still life, a fiery sunset, or the visage of a portrait subject. With an eye for detail and a dedication to fine craftsmanship Aron creates memorable pieces that speak to the beauty of the everyday as well as the challenges facing contemporary society. 

Michael Orwick was born in Astoria, Oregon. He received a BFA in illustration at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR in 2000. He cannot separate his art from his love of the Pacific Northwest. The coast, mountains, and meadows, each infused with mysterious light and atmosphere, weave narratives into their settings. “As a painter, the effects of light and atmosphere are what I remember about a location and what inspires me most. Light transforms the ordinary or even beautiful into the exceptional. My quest is to capture these fleeting moments and help people see things again through new eyes.”

Daemion Lee grew up in a small town on the southern Oregon coast, where he developed an early appreciation for landscapes. Long interested in drawing, he found renewed inspiration on a sketching trip through the spare landscapes of the Southwest. A watercolor course he took in 2015 introduced him to landscape watercolor painting, which he views as both close observation of the natural world and an expression of inner feelings. He particularly enjoys the spontaneity and simplicity of the watercolor medium. His paintings explore his own movements through the local landscape as well as his place in the

universe. 

 Amy Stoner has a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and Theater Arts from the University of Oregon. “I often think of my art making as creating tangible, visual joy. I make things with wood + wax + paper. From carving a relief woodblock, creating hand-painted paper, and pulling a print on the etching press to applying layers of vibrant molten beeswax, I find my own joy in bringing disparate elements together to create unique, colorful compositions to brighten people's days and environments. They are the best ‘language’ I have with which to speak to the world.”  

 Zachary McRae was born in Plant City, Florida. He is self-taught and uses intuitive, automatic processes to generate large-scale abstract oil and acrylic paintings. Compelled to make art from an early age, it wasn’t until after suffering through a minor traumatic brain injury in 2014 that he began to take his creative passion more seriously. “I consider the act of painting sacred, and give my work ample time to develop, layering and scrutinizing each aspect as it arises. My paintings are containers for the experiences that I have in the studio. They represent the fused workings of my mind and body during the weeks, months and years that I spend producing them.” 

Rebecca Mannheimer graduated from PNCA with a BFA degree in painting and drawing. She now lives in Eugene where she paints in her home studio with a view of the Coburg Hills. The content of her work is about a narrative. A narrative that comes from a personal history that she explores and redefines as she moves onto the next body of work. Some of her most recent work focuses on rich abstractions in acrylic on canvas, with a subtle reference to the Willamette Valley and the hills of Portland. Rebecca defines her work as an internal landscape, with the  belief that all of our experiences are somehow embedded inside us. Some come to the surface while others are obscure and remain underground or below the surface. She uses symbols and metaphors to convey the ideas behind her pieces, taking from a collection of objects and shapes that come from a personal reference or experience. 

Shoki Tanabe was born in Tokyo and, at four months old, was brought to Salem by his parents, and in Salem he grew and learned and ran in the rain and the sun. He received his undergraduate degree in painting and writing from Willamette University in 2008. His interest in art developed at a young age when he began flipping through various art books of his mother’s, who majored in Art History at the same university. His work tends towards the allegorical in content, while experimenting with color, layering, and texture to convey form.

 Katia was born and raised in Russia, came to the United States in 2008 and lives in Lincoln City, Oregon. She showed a keen interest in visual arts and started drawing and painting at an early age. Though primarily self-taught, she has participated in various workshops led by prominent painters. She takes a direct approach to painting and leans toward the abstract. Katia pursues her painting with zest, boldness, passion and sincerity. Her paintings are full of color, shape, light and energy. Katia believes that saying less is more powerful. 

Seth is a painter, actor, writer and director. Originally from California, he has made Salem his home for the past 14 years and is truly immersed in local arts! When you view his large-scale abstract paintings they may seem simplistic, but you fall into the colors and find imagery that you may not have seen at first glance. “The last few years have been a kaleidoscope of feelings, stories, emotions, victories and defeats. I wanted to explore the tension between these with colors and shapes on canvas. I’ve tried to capture the depth of these stories and tensions with layering and scraping of paint and lines that we want to be straight and solid, but are not. Sometimes we find that the foundation is cracked.” 

 Robin is a New Zealander now living in Portland. She is a self taught abstract artist working in a variety of mediums. Her work is a reflection of everyday experiences including the fact that she is an immigrant. “Being an immigrant means, no matter which home you are in, you are slightly apart, always observing, and I think my art reflects that”.

Monte was born and raised in Salem. She received her B.S. at Western Oregon State University, Monmouth, Oregon and her M.F.A. at Washington State University, Pullman, WA. “My painting represents a paradox in light and shadow, fire and water, cold and hot, life and death. I am concerned with energies that illuminate and emanate in the natural world. My imagery is a fusion of observation and imagination. The light in the paintings represents energy that emanates out from the center of the canvas. Light and energy are the ground in my painting. 

Sarah was born and raised in Maryland and Pennsylvania. She has been a resident of Eugene, Oregon, for over 20 years. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Fine Art. Sarah is primarily an oil painter working in a highly detailed, classical realist style, with a focus on still life painting. The interaction and relationship between humankind and the natural world is an ongoing theme in her works and she often chooses non-traditional, curious, and unexpected subjects for her paintings.

Heather moved to Eugene, Oregon 6 years ago from Washington DC. She is a contemporary painter, and painting is a expressive and cathartic process for her. 

“I paint from memory, starting with no preconceived notion of what the work will become. I listen to my intuition and let the surfaces emerge. My thoughts are often of the patinas that arise with age, the gradual change in the color and texture and structure of all things over time. The Oregon landscapes, seascapes, and cloudscapes have been an immense inspiration.”

Zue was born in NYC. She attended Oregon State University, where she received a degree in Nutrition. Part of her childhood was spent overseas, where she saw the art and cultures of many different countries. She is self-taught and credits many wonderful teachers in Portland and Seattle for helping her develop her skills. She works with still life and the figure, where she can explore color and emotion. “I believe we all create a visual history for ourselves by what we look at and live with every day. Living with art is as enriching and meaningful as making it. I love when a painting finds a home and becomes part of someone else's visual history.” 

 Ron Conrad is a self-taught sculptor and painter living in Salem, Oregon. He creates kinetic sculptures that contemplate the relationships between people, movement, and time, and his paintings explore the connections and disconnections people have with themselves and their dreams. Ron says of his creative process: “I try to visualize how people view the world and themselves from their unique perspective with a sense of irony and humor. I am guided by my conscious thoughts and allow myself to be influenced by subconscious thoughts. I only consider a work finished when it speaks to me and brings me pleasure.”

Aimee O’Will was born in Hillsboro, OR, and never imagined being anything other than an artist. From her early days of crayon on drywall into her early adulthood of studying Graphic Arts at Portland State University and now as a professional designer, she is constantly driven to develop her artistic skill. Aimee’s work is a blend of formal graphic design training and a lifetime of experimentation with materials, mediums and subject matter. She enjoys incorporating references to mythology and symbolism within her work and finds tremendous joy in compelling people to take another look. 

Patrice Cameron was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. A self-taught artist, Patrice worked in watercolor for years, but in 2021 she wanted a new artistic challenge and began painting with acrylics on canvas. She is a painter of rivers, “the higher the elevation, the more exciting the river flows. I enjoy strong rocky compositions combined with soft, swirling, watery shapes. This inspires me to study and capture the moment, then paint its essence.” 

 Bryan Hobein was born in West Alton, Missouri. He received a BFA in illustration from the Memphis College of Art in 2019. Upon taking a watercolor class in 2018 he shifted from a focus on mostly digital illustration towards more traditional watercolors. The change in medium and style allowed him to explore concepts new to his work. His paintings center around the ideas of sexuality, comfort, stillness and how they’re contained and expressed in the male form. “I find the gentle, muted tones and delicateness of watercolor lends itself to capturing these moments of male sexuality, comfort and quietness in the body."