American born and Chile-based Deborah Donelson has been a working artist since 1990. Her work centers around the relationship between wildlife (especially birds) and humans. Throughout her career, she had numerous solo shows throughout the US as well as internationally - from France to Japan, Canada, the UK, Santo Domingo, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and India.

Diane is a mixed media artist who lives and works on Cooper Mountain, just outside of Portland, Oregon. She was born and spent her early life in Ohio, where she received a BFA from The University of Akron, and an MFA from Kent State University. In 1999, a residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, on the Oregon Coast, brought her west. She fell in love with the wild nature of the Pacific Northwest’s mountains, rivers, forests and ocean beaches and decided to make Oregon her home. Influenced by Deep Ecology, Bioregionalism and the practice of finding the Sacred in everyday life, Diane explores emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of place. She is an avid collector of natural and found objects and combines them with paper maps, image transfers, drawings and quotes in her recent mixed media work. All of her work is meant to acknowledge and celebrate our connections to the world around us and the world within us. In 2007, Diane was interviewed for the PBS show, Oregon Art Beat. She was honored in 2023 to have her work included in the Harvard Map Library Collections.

Ellie Davies (b. 2002, North England) is a visual artist based in Cumbria, in the Lake District. Working predominantly in oil paint, she creates imaginative, figurative scenes that draw on folklore, superstition, and museum collections, blending ‘fact’ and ‘fable’ with her own personal iconography. Her work often features hybrid figures that blur the boundaries between human and creature, where observation and storytelling intertwine. Davies frequently incorporates natural elements such as seawater or river water into her process, embedding each piece with a subtle connection to place. She earned her BA in Fine Art Painting from the University of Brighton in 2024 and has since exhibited with institutions including Delphian Gallery, Saatchi Gallery and Mall Galleries. That same year, she was awarded the Mawddach Graduate Residency and nominated for both the Freelands Painting Prize and the University of Brighton Graduate Award. Her work has been featured in Tate Etc. (Issue 64, Winter 2024) and Frieze (Issue 247), and she has collaborated with publishers such as Page Street Publishing Co.

Erin Robinson Grant is a multimedia artist currently residing in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Indiana, Grant earned her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and MFA from Indiana University. She has also attended the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia and The Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland. Her work deals with birth, death, and our abject responses to it. She explores these themes through an amalgamation of video, animation, drawing, installation, and performance. Grant has exhibited nationally at The Kinsey Institute, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), SPACES Gallery, and at the Yellowstone Art Museum. Additionally, she has participated in several international residency programs such as Spark Box Studio in Canada and Arts Itoya in Japan. Grant has exhibited at a variety of venues throughout the West Coast including Gallery 114, University of Portland, the Umpqua Valley Arts Center, Blackfish Gallery, PUNCH Projects, The Arts Center, Verum Ultimum, Lower Columbia College, Central Washington University, and the Sanchez Art Center.

My work is characterized by mixed anatomies and forms. Human faces and bodies are combined with different textures, skins and elements, giving rise to hybrid beings Through my aesthetics, in balance between the classic and the surreal, I study the themes of transformation, sense of belonging and self-perception, the ability to adapt, stereotypes and categorization. I look for the fine line that separates personal identity from social conventions, sanity from madness, studying the differences between perception and reality. My figures are a look towards the interior and the lack of control, they are a way of containing the uncontainable. The stories of each character, isolated in an intimate and unreal dimension, are reflections on the identity of misfits and the many facets of being. As an artist, my most important task is to communicate and stimulate a different way of feeling and thinking. I mainly resort to sculpture because it is an affirmation of solidity in contrast to the volatility of thoughts and emotions: it consolidates and crystallizes them into a permanent and lasting image, it is a perfect tool to stop doubting reality and oneself.

I am a mixed media artist with textiles as my main focus. My contemporary fiber art blends portraiture, abstract, and storytelling in a college style. Recurring themes are self reflection, searching for meaning, transformation, and transitions. The focal point images come from my original oil / acrylic paintings, original silkscreens, and drawings that have been printed on fabric. I use reclaimed fabrics of all kinds, text, hand stitching, machine stitching, crochet, embroidery, and 3-d elements. My background in theater ; props, costume design and scene painter, allow me to create without boundaries. My work ranges from textile wall hangings/ quilts, fiber vessels, textile mixed media sculptures, art dolls, wearable art , and installations.

Working primarily in mixed media, Jacquline's sculptural process begins long before the studio—it starts with the thrill of seeking out forgotten, found objects that spark a narrative. She recombines these elements into expressive, story-driven figures that serve as tangible mirrors for our internal lives. Through a unique blend of humor, vulnerability, and psychological inquiry, her sculptures invite viewers to pause, reflect, and recognize their own stories within the art.

Katharine Eksuzian is a ceramicist inspired by natural motifs. She strives to understand and depict the symbiotic relationships of our environment and the importance of its protection. As a self-taught artist, intense research and a literal hands-on approach to the clay medium has been essential. Her work is driven by a respect for nature and attention to intricate detail. With a focus on ecological themes, she creates scientifically accurate to-scale sculptures that are consciously crafted and completed in a high-fire soda kiln. Eksuzian holds strong beliefs in hand crafting each sculpture entirely out of clay to fully reflect the fragile nature concepts. Being an artist, there is always a need to create. Being able to do it in a way that has a positive impact is the true challenge and is the foundation of her work.

Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Kelli has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and is currently residing in Albuquerque. Her mixed media artwork has always been process oriented and experimental. Kelli’s work typically could be categorized as Figurative Expressionism and has been described as unselfconscious, relatable, and delightfully dark and twisted. Kelli’s art has a whimsical style and poignant voice; she brings the viewer in by connecting through relatable characters and shared emotional experience. Kelli has participated in many gallery shows and is a member of the Albuquerque Art Business Association, a member of Ghostwolf Gallery in Albuquerque, and is represented exclusively in Denver by Pop Gallery. She has numerous collectors all over the United States and abroad.

An artist, curator, program developer and producer, Kendra Roberts has demonstrated her creative, analytical, and strategic acumen throughout her career. As the founding creator of Kendra Studio Jewellery (KSJ), she is an award-winning artist and published writer, has exhibited her work throughout the U.S. and internationally, and even made an appearance on a major American television network. Kendra is founder of Common Ground Arts (CGA), an arts consultancy. Through her vast experience as a committed arts advocate and collaborator, she brings the perspective of a self- produced working artist, curator, and arts administrator to her work as director of Blackfish Gallery, Portland’s longest running artist owned/operated gallery. She currently serves as president of the Portland Art Dealers’ Association, and is a member of the Arts Council of Lake Oswego’s Public Art Committee. Kendra received her BA in fine art at DePauw University and her Master of Design in silversmithing and jewelry design from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. A former Midwesterner and NYC-ex pat, she lives in the PNW with her husband and their dog, enjoying all the magic this state and region have to offer.

“I take inspiration from the natural world, layering textiles to mimic the colors and textures in the landscape; Velvets become moss, wools become tree bark, and crisp satins become ice. I see complex in the ordinary and riches in the overlooked.” Kim Tepe’s work looks to recreate textures and shapes found in nature. She creates microcosms with fabric and thread, recreating trees with life like tree bark, leaves, needles, lichen, moss, and individual mushroom gardens that stand alone to remind us of what is outside our door. Tepe uses a slew of traditional and nontraditional techniques such as quilting, embroidery and felting manipulating the media into shapes. She uses scrap fabric, upholstery samples, thrifted yarn, embroidery supplies, dying what she needs to get the desired results. Kim started in theatre costuming, learning how to use and manipulate fabrics. While in Seattle she met a group of artists creating work that resonated with her and started exploring the diversity of fiber art. In 2017 she moved to Portland where she continues to thrive.

Washington-based Leslie McMillan trained with Master Momoko Okada in the ancient art of Japanese silver leaf, which dates back to the 15th century. Along with silver leaf, she uses traditional silversmithing techniques - including soldering, forging and casting - to create sculptural wearable art.

Marc Sirinsky graduated with honors from the University of Michigan School of Art and Design in 1997. Since then, his work has been included in over 80 juried, solo and group exhibitions, and has appeared in publications like F-Stop Magazine, The Hand Magazine, and Photographer’s Forum. He has numerous museum shows to his credit, and his work can be found in the permanent collections of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA and the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago, IL. Throughout his career, Marc has focused on alternative process photographic art; incorporating a combination of both traditional and contemporary methods to address issues of beauty, memory, childhood, and mental health. These concepts are often communicated through self-portrait narratives, or unconventional approaches to landscape imagery which result in a unique perspective on the natural world. Originally from the Chicago area, Marc currently resides in Leesburg, Virginia – just north of Washington, DC.

The late Melissa Stiles received her degree in Architecture and worked in the field for ten years before founding her jewelry company. She made modern jewelry that combines the discipline of her architectural training with the exploration of industrial materials and processes. Her work expresses modern simplicity and flawless execution with the illusion of effortless design. She strived to expose only the intentional form without gratuitous details. The result is design that celebrates the simple and pure form in beautifully wearable color combinations. Stiles worked in various materials including hand-pigmented resin, laser cut stainless steel, brushed aluminum, powder-coated enamel, and silver. These materials lend themselves to blending different means of fabrication resulting in a collection of minimal, durable jewelry in cheerful colors with bold graphic designs. Melissa worked from her home on Portland, Oregon. In partnership with her husband, Dan Stiles they produced a number of products ranging from art objects, personal accessories, to housewares.

My name is Gioconda, I live in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park. I love theatre, literature and I can't do without nature which inspires me and makes me feel in harmony. I am a solitary and thoughtful person. I love to travel even if it's something I haven't been able to do very often lately.This art of dollmaking was born from the need to give shape to all the images and stories that I have inside me, also inspired by the puppet scene in the film "the double life of Veronica" which I adore. For me, art and creation are the possibility of entering a "fluid zone" where one can draw and give back to the outside.

Sandra Alderman is an award winning encaustic and mixed media artist living on the outskirts of Portland since 2020. Embracing the Pacific Northwest and its incredible beauty, Sandra and her husband live with 3 cats, 4 crows, and multiple squirrels and birds which have all become part of their family. Her natural surroundings have a deep influence on her creative spirit, as did her experiences living in diverse states and countries -- experience that deepened her love for new places and diverse people. Sandra's main artistic focus is in the ancient art of encaustic, which dates back to 5th century BC. Her handmade medium (or paint) consists of beeswax, damar resin (tree sap) and pigment which she fuses with a blow torch on a hard wood surface. As Sandra shares: "It is a fascinating process with an intoxicating smell as the beeswax melts on my pallet. I am drawn to texture and the use of discarded bits of metal and paper to express my creative vision."

I make clay animal figures with a psychological stance. My hand-built sculptural work imparts ideas through fragments of narrative, often with a humorous edge. I use collage to gather inspiration, developing ideas through sketching. one idea leads to another in an endless progression of personal narrative that reflects and feeds my inner life. I use a gritty sculpture clay, incise into the clay, bisque fire, finish with oxides, underglazes and glazes, then fire to cone 5/6. My love of clay began at an early age with the encouragement of a neighbor who was a potter. In high school, I learned throwing and hand-building. Twenty years later I resumed classes, including a workshop with a teacher whose methodology fuses artmaking with the psychology of the creative individual, and whose approach I teach. I also pursued an academic art education at Bay Area schools through the first year of graduate study in ceramics. I taught at California venues and in my own studio, while participating in regional shows. In 2006, I moved to the Portland area, where I established Clay Circle Studio, and continue to show nationally and teach locally. In 2013, I was featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Oregon Art Beat.”

Serafine is a local Portland Artist. She works in clay to create whimsical, yet realistic/stylistic sculptures of dogs, cats and other animals. Her art background is classic from studying and sculpting the figure at the National Academy of Design in NY and Artida Arts Inc. in Italy. She has an undergraduate degree in Medical Illustration, hence her realism style. Serafine has been creating art since she was in the 6th grade!

Sydni Indman is a conceptual photographer and digital artist based in Portland, Oregon. Inspired mostly by music and philosophy, her work tends to resist narrative explanation, instead embracing ambiguity and forces at work through a darkly surreal, cinematic visual language. Exploring themes such as death, gender and cybernetics, alongside archetypal imagery, she is passionate about creating art that thinks back rather than suggesting answers. After studying drawing and painting in high school she taught herself photography and digital post-production.

Victoria was born & raised in MI, She attended college in NY. She lived in NYC 20 for years and PDX for 12. Jewelry training: 92nd Street Y, Penland, Mendocino, and countless other classes. She has been making jewelry for 22 years & has been a professional stage manager for dance & theatre for 30 years.