Mabrie Ormes, Matt Witt, and Darlene Southworth at Ashland Art Center, 2017. WWC Photo
“I will walk an easel and supplies up the trail each day and make a juicy oil painting…”
--Mabrie Ormes, painter, 2017 Artist-in-Residence at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Three Visions of the Cascade-Siskiyou is on exhibit at the Ashland Art Center through Saturday, September 30, 2017.
Mabrie Ormes, Darlene Southworth and Matt Witt are each an Artist-in-Residence 2017 at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Their artworks on exhibit bring attention to the monument, established for its biodiversity, and yet still under threat from the president-ordered review.
Matt Witt, photographer, was named Artist in Residence at Crater Lake National Park, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon. He says, "Much has been said in recent months about the monument in terms of biodiversity, climate change, at-risk species and reconnecting habitat for wildlife mobility, but perhaps not enough about its beauty." See Matt's monumental art (Mail Tribune) story and photos.
Watercolor by Darlene Southworth
Ashland Art Center artist member Darlene Southworth is professor emeritus at Southern Oregon University and mycologist. At the monument she recently led citizen scientists at the 2016 BioBlitz: Fungi. She was watercolor painting, when Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke stopped to see her work during his site review.
Grizzly Peak Trail by Mabrie Ormes
Mabrie Ormes, painter, hiked and carried her art materials up the trail. Despite injuring her back during her residency, she is still committed to completing a multi-panel painting, scheduled for an exhibition in 2018.
Artists have been instrumental in the creation of national parks such as painter Thomas Moran and his majestic paintings of landscapes in Yellowstone National Park. Ansel Adams signature images of Yosemite and Denali are now recognized worldwide. Mabrie, Darlene and Matt are the inaugural group in this monument's first year Artist-in-Residence program.
If you go: The Ashland Art Center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
In memoriam
Harriet in her studio, 2014. WWC photo
Artist Harriet Rex Smith (May 3, 1921 – July 20, 2017) encouraged care for the environment and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. From her studio located next to the Greensprings Inn, she painted many landscape scenes.