Art for All: Camas galleries showcase art show openings, artist talks, fundraisers in June

From art quilts that tell a story inside the Camas library’s Second Story Gallery to an artist-led fundraiser for the Cascade AIDS Project and a one-year anniversary celebration at Gallery 408, downtown Camas art galleries seem to offer something for everyone this month.

Hundreds of visitors gathered inside Camas’ four downtown art galleries for art show openings and artist receptions on Friday, during the Downtown Camas Association’s monthly First Friday. The June art shows include:

‘A narrative journey’ at Attic Gallery

The Attic Gallery, which reopened in April inside a new space at 419 N.E. Cedar St., celebrated its June show featuring Pacific Northwest native Michael Ferguson, who describes his work as “a narrative journey illuminating everyday scenes in a free, dreamier painting approach.”

In his artist biography on the Attic Gallery’s website, Ferguson explains that “telling a human story, however common and simple, is what is drawing (him) into this new direction.”

Storyteller Quilters at Second Story

Down the street, another established gallery — the Second Story Gallery located on the second floor of the Camas Public Library — also kicked off its June show, featuring the Storyteller Quilters group, during the June 6 First Friday festivities.

“Storytelling is a tradition in all cultures, first as oral and then as pictorial, such as cave paintings,” Second Story organizers said in a statement introducing the Storyteller Quilters art show. “The group was formed because they wanted to continue that tradition by using quilts to present visual stories.”

The group’s most recent challenge, according to the Second Story Gallery, was to create 30-by-30-inch monochromatic art quilts, each using a different color, as well as a contrasting, achromatic quilt in black, white and gray.

For those interested in learning more about the art quilts on display inside the Camas library art gallery through the month of June, members of the Storyteller Quilters group will lead an artist talk from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, at the Second Story Gallery, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas.

Impressionist landscapes at RedDoor Gallery

One of two downtown Camas galleries celebrating a one-year anniversary this spring, the RedDoor Gallery, at 411 N.E. Dallas St., held an artist reception for impressionist landscape painter Oleg Ulitskiy on June 6.

“It’s an honor to represent the work of such an acclaimed oil impressionist,” artist and RedDoor Gallery co-owner Liz Pike said in a news release announcing the art reception. “His work is unique, bold and beautiful.”

According to the gallery, Ulitskiy is an award-winning artist who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in 2000. His work has been shown in galleries throughout the Portland metro area and showcased at the Vancouver Saturday Market.

“As a dedicated plein air artist, Oleg prefers to work outside in the elements, often painting for hours to capture the light and atmosphere of his subjects,” Pike said in the news release. “Many of his plein air pieces serve as studies for larger works he creates in his studio. His work continues to captivate audiences, blending rich cultural heritage with a dynamic artistic vision.”

Fundraiser, 1-year anniversary at Gallery 408

Gallery 408 also celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. The three gallery owners — Brush Prairie artist Joanne Cavallaro and Portland artists Kim Nickens and Michelle Purvis — celebrated their milestone with a group art show featuring around two dozen artists on June 6.

The gallery owners and around 15 different artists also are hosting a fundraiser for Cascade AIDS Project, the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Southwest Washington and Oregon.

Gallery 408 artists have donated specific pieces for the fundraiser, with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward Cascade AIDS Project.

On June 21, the gallery will host a booth for the third annual Camas PRIDE Block Party, celebrating the LGBTQ community and will donate 10 percent of its profits that day to Cascade AIDS Project, a nonprofit group with a mission of “providing inclusive health and wellness services for LGBTQ+ people, people affected by HIV, and all those seeking compassionate care,” according to its website.

Cavallaro said that the fundraiser is timely, as many AIDS- and HIV-prevention and care groups are worried about the Trump administration’s recent cuts to federal grants for HIV and AIDS prevention and research programs.

For more information about the fundraiser at Gallery 408, located at 408 N.E. Fourth Ave., in downtown Camas visit gallery-408.com.

Kelly Moyer: 360-735-4674; [email protected]