Surrounded by Beauty

As I sit here staffing the gallery today, I am in awe of the beauty around me. The entire gallery is such a source of pride for me because I know each and every artist who created these works. What talented and supportive friends I have!

I'm facing the paintings and glass pieces that are featured this month in "Conversations in Glass & Paint." Nikki Dilbeck's latest acrylic pieces explode with color and texture; each piece is uniquely different from the next, but the paintings flow together cohesively as my eyes read the paintings on the wall left to right. Many of the swirls and chunks of color in the paintings are repeated in the blown glass vessels by Susette Wilson that rest on a series of pedestals beneath Nikki's paintings. It's as if the two artists sat side by side through every step of their creative journeys.



"Quarto" Acrylic, 24x18 by Nikki Dilbeck



 Blown Glass Bowl by Susette Wilson





The gallery will honor Nikki and Susette at an Artists Reception on Saturday, May 4, 6-9 p.m.

Come join us in an evening of fun, refreshments and good company.

"Interiors" - New Guest Show for May/June

"Meet You At The Teapot," Oil Painting by Anna Lancaster

From now through June 29, our West Wing Guest Wall will feature original artwork by fourteen local guest artists. Works in mosaic, clay, watercolor, oil, pastel, acrylic, and photography are included in this exhibit.

Congratulations to the following artists: Bonnie Burlew, Bill Burlew, Susan Coburn, Christine Dentel, Aditi Dongre, Linda Evans-Rigney, Jeanne Henry, Molly Johnstone, Anna Lancaster, Diane Marks-Bestor, Anita Reuther, Eunice Sause, Cherilyn Sunridge, and Marilyn Woods. An artists reception will take place on Saturday, May 4. Come out and meet these talented individuals.

First Friday Returns to Beaverton and the Silent Auction Returns to Art On Broadway

First Friday returns to downtown Beaverton on May 3 and that means that our gallery artists will once again offer opportunities to purchase original artwork at reduced prices through our popular Silent Auction event. Bidding starts at 5 p.m. with opening bid amounts placed by the artists and continues during the evening. It's a fun way to purchase beautiful artwork and perhaps get a great bargain at the same time. The gallery is open until 9 p.m. on First Fridays, but we stop taking bids at 8:30 p.m.

One of the pieces being offered at the auction is the coldwax painting shown above by Pam Nichols.

There are 37 businesses participating this year, with most offering special promotions like raffles, discounts, demonstrations, wine tasting, and special coupons. Start at Pacific Continental Bank on Tucker and 1st Streets and enjoy refreshments and original art by three local artists. Then stroll thru the downtown core stopping at each business that displays a First Friday garden sign. Stop and listen to the official First Friday band "Riverside Northwest" which will entertain visitors at the intersection of West and Broadway. Shop local and enjoy a delightful evening in Beaverton's downtown!

"Duality - Inner and Outer Worlds in Glass," Featuring Carli Kruse

The glass beads Carli Kruse creates contain small worlds of color and shape on the inside, and layer drapes of metal on the outside. Her earrings, bracelets, and pendants are stunning to look at and feel elegant to wear.

Carli's latest designs are featured at the gallery in April, and will be honored at an Artist Reception on Saturday, April 6, from 6 to 9 p.m.

"Glass can be made by nature or made by humans, and is one of the most enduring materials a human can create with. Sharing the joy of a glass creation and seeing someone else light up when they look into my small worlds is one of the best gifts of my art. Something about glass is inviting to everyone, at almost every age," Carli explains.

"Blending glass with metals, copper and silver, has been my recent path to stretch the medium further. Working with organic shapes and patterns frees me from striving to be perfect in my symmetry, while allowing for happy accidents and wondrous challenges. Creating in fire feels primal and wild, yet disciplined and requiring commitment to learn to talk to glass in its own language. Working bigger expands my physical pieces as it expands and challenges my brain, and I am beginning to take my work bigger than my usual studio space allows. By working in a medium so old, and a discipline so ancient, I reach to the future with one hand, while standing in the footsteps of so many glass artists behind me, stretching back into time for thousands of years."

When not in her studio, Carli is a professional website designer.

Portland Youth Philharmonic Project Comes to Art On Broadway

"This is a Violin" by Jennifer Kenworth


"Five Leaves Left" by Alison O'Donoghue


"Universal Language" by Ellie Phillips


"Stars and stripes" by Kristin Qian


"The Bookbinder's Fiddle" by Doug Shafer



"Caprice No. 24" by Sophie Zhang


Art On Broadway is pleased to be one of several select venues to exhibit six works of art from the Painted Violins Project to benefit the Portland Youth Philharmonic. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go to PYP musicians. The six violins shown above will be on exhibit at the gallery from April 4 through April 15, and will be celebrated at our Artists Reception on Saturday, April 6, from 6-9 p.m. Our receptions are always free and open to the public.

The Board for PYP invited eighteen renowned West Coast artists and three PYP musicians to transform violins into works of art. While several of these unique works of violin art will be live auctioned at the Painted Violin Gala, most are available for purchase in advance. At the conclusion of the scheduled public viewings, the Project will culminate with a live auction on April 19, 2013 at the Painted Violin Gala at the Governor Hotel in downtown Portland. The gala will feature an auction, dinner, and a performance by Camerata PYP. Please contact the PYP office at 503.223.5939 for details and pricing, and be sure you schedule a visit to the gallery to see these violins in person.

Out & About With Our Artists

Robert Babcock at work in her bronze casting class


"Tranquility," Pastel Painting by Gretha Lindwood


"Tango," Encaustic Painting by Pam Nichols


"Apples In A Purple Bowl," collage by Susan Schenk


"Amber Clouds," necklace by Elaine Tan


Soda Fired Bowls by Kris Paul


Steve Kekule In His Studio

Roberta Babcock has just completed a 3 week Bronze casting class offered by acclaimed sculptor Rip Caswell. The class was offered both at Rip’s studio/gallery in Troutdale and at the Firebird Bronze Foundry in Boring. Students created a sculpture utilizing the ancient “lost wax process” of casting. Students were able to be involved with every step of the process including creating patinas. Roberta’s finished bronze will be on display at the Rip Caswell Gallery for First Friday Art Walk on April 5, 5pm – 9pm. 253 & 255 E. Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale. 503-492-2473


As a member of the Westside Art Guild, Gretha Lindwood has paintings on display at Beaverton City Hall for the month of April. City Hall is located at 4755 SW Griffith Drive, Beaverton and the art exhibits are open to the public during regular city office hours. From one suburb of Portland to another, paintings by Gretha can also be seen in Lake Oswego at the Lake Area Artists Annual Show & Sale "Art Affair," April 26-28. The show is located at the Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State Street. AOB artist, Linda Baker, will display her oil paintings at this event as well.

Pam Nichols is new to Art On Broadway starting this month, but she is not new to the Portland Art Scene. A native Oregonian and a member of a family of artists, Pam also exhibits at Art Elements Gallery in Newberg and Three Rivers Artists Guild Gallery in Oregon City (along with another AOB artist, Susan Schenk). Both Pam and Susan will participate in "Artist For A Day" in the window of Muse Art & Design in Portland. The Muse event is a School Supply Warehouse fundraiser. Call Muse for details of Pam's demonstration. Susan Schenk will demo on Tuesday, April 2, from noon to 5 p.m.


Lots of things are happening in April for collage artist, Susan Schenk. As a docent at Portland Art Museum, Susan's work will be part of the Docent Art Show at the First Congregational Church Art Reach Gallery across from the museum. The show runs through April with a public reception on Sunday, April 7 from 3:30-5:30. Susan will also be one of the artists at the Architectural Heritage Center Exhibit, 701 SE Grand, Portland. The reception for this event takes place on Friday, April 5. As part of the exhibit, she will give a hands-on workshop on travel journals and looks forward to having her travel journal article published in the June issue of "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" magazine.


Jewelry designer Elaine Tan will be featured along with Linda Jacobson at Lunaria Gallery in Silverton, Oregon from April 5 - 29th. Elaine's use of natural semi-precious stones and other organic materials make her jewelry designs stunning and unique. The reception for Elaine is Friday, April 5, from 7-9 p.m.


Not only will Kris Paul participate in Ceramic Showcase 2013 on April 26, 27, and 28 at the Portland Convention Center, she is the Chair! You can find this busy lady in Booth 13 with her lovely functional and uniquely decorative ceramic art pieces. As if this is not enough to have on her plate, Kris is also working with Scott Dolich, Chef/Owner of Park Kitchen. She is designing a piece of dinnerware for a dish that he is creating just for the piece. It will be in use at Park Kitchen sometime this summer and then it will be sent to the Museum of Contemporary Craft. The project is in conjunction with the Museum.


Steve Kekule has a painting accepted into the 2013 Gresham Art Committee Juried Show which opens on April 9 and continues through June 6. The exhibit is located at the City of Gresham Visual Arts Gallery and the title of Steve's acrylic painting is "Watching, Waiting."


Congratulations to all of our talented - and very busy - artists. We are so proud of each of you!

Four New Artists at Art On Broadway

Peggy Harkins, Wooden Treasure Sculpture


Jim Johnson, Ceramic Vessel


Pam Harkins, Encaustic Painting


Don Schwartz, Black/White Photograph

Starting April 1, there will be changes within our family of artists.

We are excited to welcome four new artists to our group. The following gifted individuals will begin to exhibit their work with us starting April 2. Be sure to stop by the gallery and see what new creations they bring to our exhibits.

Peggy Harkins - Peggy is a Pharmacist turned Professional Artist. She is the current Director of Local 14, and holds a BFA from Oregon College of Art & Craft. Peggy's art began by making sculptural wooden boxes and she has since expanded her creations to include mirrors, purses, wooden carpets and wooden blankets. Once carved, her wooden sculptures are painted with several thin washes of paint which create a wonderful texture that is unique to her work.

Jim Johnstone - Jim is a former ceramic instructor at Rock Creek Community College, Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro, the Valley Art Association in Forest Grove, and the Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Ceramics from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech and Communication from Western Illinois University. Jim is happy working "with the refined smoothness of porcelain and the gravelly texture of clay known as River Dog."

Pam Nichols - Pam is a native Oregonian who grew up surrounded by artists. She attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art and has shown her encaustic paintings throughout the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, Utah, and Australia. Pam has served as President of Portland Open Studios and is a member of the Three Rivers Artist Guild in Oregon City. She began encaustic painting in 2006 and says, "The medium fits my personality perfectly - impatient and goofy."

Don Schwartz - Don moved to Portland from Colorado in August of 2012. He is an avid runner and all-round athlete, and he's passionate about the great outdoors. His black and white photographs are strong and dramatic, and he has shown continually as a guest artist at AOB since last fall.


At the same time we welcome new artists, we are sorry to say goodby to Willy Paul, Mila Raphael, and Annie Salness. Their busy lives and artistic commitments have called them in different directions. We feel honored to have had the opportunity to exhibit artwork from these talented artists.

"Temperature Changes" - Guest Show for March/April

Sam Hingston, "Spotted Carapace," Poplar


Diane Marks-Bestor, "Yakima Land, 12x12 Oil


Art On Broadway is proud to present works by 14 local artists in our guest show for March and April, "Temperature Changes."

Congratulations to Bill Burlew, Dan Christopher, Melody Cleary, Clint Deadmond, Christine Dentel, Sam Hingston, Diane Holland, Terry Labrousse, Diane Marks-Bestor, Lisa Marshall, Denise McDonald, Janel Ronacher, Eunice Sause, and Don Schwartz. All are local artists who reside in Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Portland, or Tigard; and the exhibit includes work in acrylic, basketry, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography and wooden sculpture.

The show opened earlier this week and will continue through April 27. A reception in honor of the artists will be held on Saturday, March 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. Please join us and share an evening with the artists.

March will feature Rae Campbell & "Explorations In Glass"

The above image is a detail from a new glass piece by Rae Campbell. Her latest work will be featured during the month of March at Art On Broadway Gallery. The show opens on March 7 and continues through March 30. A public reception in Rae's honor will be held on Saturday, March 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

High fired and fused glass will be the focus of these latest creations. We hope you will join us for a glass of wine and lively conversation with our artists.

Our Artists Are Always Out & About

Diana Unterspan, who designs the custom wool, silk, and straw hats available at Art On Broadway, has a framed fiber art piece juried into "Freedom Imagined, Freedom Lived, An Artistic Review of the Passover Promise," at The Museum of Imajewnation in St. Louis, Mo. Her piece is titled "Haggadah" and was made from wool, silk, and silver nuggets.



Congratulations to Roberta Babcock and Gretha Lindwood, two of our talented local artists, whose work will be well represented at the Southminster Presbyterian Church's annual Celebration of Creativity. The church is located at the corner of Hall and Denney in Beaverton. For more information on dates and times, go to http://www.celebrationofcreativity.com/

Roberta is known for her elongated ceramic sculptures of horses and dogs, and Gretha is an accomplished plein air painter of oil and pastel landscapes. Both artists always have artwork in our gallery, so be sure to visit both venues to see their creations.

Gretha is very busy this month. She is also one of 13 artists represented in the 2nd Annual Plein Air Painting Show at Golden West College Community Gallery in Huntington Beach, CA. Gretha has six pastel paintings in this exhibit, which runs through April 4. http://goldenwestcollege.edu/finearts/gallery.html

Art On Broadway is proud of our gallery artists and their individual accomplishments.

Cohen & Unterspan, "Feminine Finery"

Bert Cohen and Diana Unterspan team up for the month of February at Art On Broadway to present our featured show, "Feminine Finery." Bert creates fine art jewelry and Diana builds women's hats from raw materials - mostly silk, wool, and straw. The gallery will host an Artists Reception on Saturday, February 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. to celebrate the latest work by these two talented artists.

Bert has always enjoyed wearing beautiful jewelry; several years ago she discovered she enjoyed creating it even more. For this upcoming show, she will present a number of heart shaped copper pendants, worked with a torch to create fascinating patinas or embellished with enamel for added texture, color, and finish. Visit the gallery between February 5 and March 2 to see how the heart shown below is transformed into a finished piece of jewelry, perfect for Valentine's Day gifting.

As much as Bert loves jewelry, Diana loves hats! She loves working with the materials, creating the designs, adding the finishing touches, and fitting her customers with the perfect hat for their style and individual features. "My hats have become unique pieces of wearable art," says Unterspan. "No glue goes into the process. Every part of the hat is sewn by me and each hat is a one-of-a-kind creation."

Be sure to mark your calendars for a free demonstration offered by Diana on the art of working with felted wool. The demo is scheduled for Sunday, February 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Art On Broadway. There will be a hands-on opportunity for those attendees who are interested in Diana's process. One of her felted wool hats is pictured below.

Our Artists are Out & About

Gretha Lindwood's People's Choice Award-winning pastel painting from 2012 is featured on the 2013 Carmel Art Festival promotional poster. Not only did this piece win the People's Choice Award last year, but it also took 1st Place in Pastel. The Carmel Art Festival is one of the top plein air events in the country and we salute Gretha for achieving this recognition. Posters are availale for sale through the Carmel Art Association.



Kris Paul is enrolled in a Sodafire Ceramic Workshop offered by Lorna Meaden of Durango, Colorado. The workshop will be held at Mt. Hood Community College the first part of February. The sodafire process actually injects soda bicarbonate into the kiln during the firing process to brighten glazing and add texture to the piece at the same time. Look for evidence of this process in Kris' ceramic offerings in the near future.

Steve Kekule is the newest member of the "Waterworks" critique group which meets monthly to discuss each others' latest works in progress. Steve joins Art On Broadway members Sue Jensen and Donna Sanson, along with 10 other local watermedia artists who make up the Waterworks group.

Steve brought his painting "Into Air" to the critique to get feedback on the addition of the moon to the composition. He added the moon recently after letting the painting sit for a period of time. Below are the before and after versions of this striking painting.

"Beginnings" - Guest Show at Art On Broadway

Art On Broadway is proud to present the works of thirteen local guest artists whose pieces were juried into our "Beginnings" guest show for January and February. Congratulations to Sandy Arbogast, Rose Caffarelli, Jane Levy Campbell, Marilyn Davis, Chris Helton, Sam Hingston, Diane Holland, Patti Isaacs, Denise McDonald, Mac MacDonald, Shelley Radovich, George Schweser, and Don Schwartz.

In addition to works in pastel, acrylic, photography, ceramic, silk painting, and watercolor media, we have a mosaic piece in the show for the first time since we began the guest wall program. Sandy Arbogast's mosaic entry combines real stone along with porcelain and glass tile in her depiction of conestoga wagons along the Oregon Trail. Of special note is Sam Hingston's mixed media sculpture which is a marvel of craftsmanship featuring a rich mixture of alabaster, glass, and wood.

"Beginnings" runs from January 4 through March 2, with an reception on Saturday, January 5, from 6-9 p.m. to meet the artists and celebrate the exhibit.

"Dare To Be Square" - January @ Art On Broadway

"Windswept Coastal Hillside," Collage on Canvas by Donna Sanson


It can define a deal, a mile, a root, a dance, a city block - to name a few things - but for Art On Broadway's member artists, "square" is the format of choice for the month of January.

This group show features 12x12 square formatted pieces of original artwork in ceramic, glass, encaustic, collage, acrylic, oil, and pastel. It even has a square handmade wool hat! In addition, there are various other sizes of squares on exhibit throughout the gallery. It was a fun show to install; come and see how various styles and palletes work together as a whole.

Please stop by in January during regular gallery hours (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and select a new piece of "square" artwork for your home or office.

Be sure to join us on Saturday, January 5, from 6-9 p.m. at our monthly Artists Reception - enjoy a glass of wine and a visit with our talented local artists.

AOB Artists - Out & About

Congratulations to Gretha Lindwood, plein air artist, who was one of three new artists recently juried into the Lake Area Artists group. Gretha joins Linda Baker, another of our gallery artists, as a member of this elite group. http://lakeareaartists.com/

"Field of Golden Dreams," a pastel painting by Gretha is depicted above.

On February 1 and 2, 2013, Gretha will participate in the 23rd Annual Buckman Art Show and Sale, which features the artwork of 140 artists and craftpersons, and benefits the Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School in Southeast Portland.

Best Window Display

Art On Broadway won the prize (a gift basket with donated items from downtown businesses) for having the best holiday window display for "The Taste Of Vintage Holidays" event. Visitors from the community voted on their favorite Christmas windows following the tree lighting ceremony last Saturday night, and we received the most votes! Fellow gallery artists Carli Kruse and Diana Unterspan joined me for a photo with the basket of goodies.

Diana and I are wearing two of the hats that Diana creates from raw wool. Her work will be featured in February along with contemporary jewelry by Bert Cohen.

December Events

Linda Baker's oil painting of "Silver With Nectarines" is on the cover of her newly published 2013 calendar, available at our Holiday Boutique this month. It's one of many items by member and guest artists offered as unique gifts for family, friends, neighbors, teachers, etc.

The gallery will be open late on Friday, December 7, as part of the Beaverton Downtown Association's open house event, "A Taste of Vintage Holidays." Following the tree lighting ceremony at Beaverton's City Park, be sure to stop by for hot mulled cider and cookies at the gallery as you enjoy our latest exhibit of fine artwork by our 19 local artists. At the same time, shop for great gifts of ceramic/glass/porcelain ornaments, holiday greeting cards, fused glass jewelry, handmade purses, small/tiny paintings and assemblages, tabletop trees, etc.

The following night, December 8, we host our monthly Artists Reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Sparkling wine and refreshments are offered, as well as lively conversation with our talented artists! Hope to have you visit on one or both evenings!

AOB Artists - Out & About

Susan Schenk -
Susan Schenk reports that she has been selected by the Clackamas County Arts Alliance to be a featured artist in one of their public space exhibits in 2013. Congratulations Susan!

In addition, she is teaching a series of collage classes at Collage PDX on NE Alberta in Portland. Her next class is "Collage Your Pet," on December 30. For more information, check out www.CollagePDX.com.

Diana Unterspan

Congratulations also go out to Diana Unterspan for taking an Honorable Mention Award for her fiber art piece, "Pupu Lips," at The Art Place Wynnewood in Miami, Florida.

The American Craft Festival in New York City has invited Diana to participate in their prestigious show at the Jacob Javits Center on October 25, 26, and 27, 2013. Kudos to Diana.

Still Time To See November's Featured Shows

Members Featured Show: "Nature's Impressions, Abstract & Ikebana"

Abstract color photography printed on metal or traditionally framed, and porcelain vessels for ikebana floral arrangements continue to grace the main gallery at Art On Broadway. These exceptionally beautiful creations are the work of Lake Oswego artists, Willy and Kris Paul. If you haven't had an opportunity to stop by to see this month's show, be sure to schedule a visit before the end of November. The gallery is closed on Thanksgiving but will offer extended hours on November 23 and 24. Join us between 11 and 8 p.m. on those dates and enjoy light refreshments and leisurely shopping.

Guest Featured Show: "Beaverton Arts Commission Retrospective of Past Showcase Winners"

Seventeen area artists are represented in our November Guest Show, each one a past winner of an award presented by the Beaverton Arts Commission at one of its thirty annual Visual Arts Showcase events. This guest show also continues through November 30.

Two great shows at one location - Art On Broadway!

Face To Face With Our Artists

With three new artists joining us in October, it was time to update the group photo. We are a happy smiling bunch of local artists.

(Columns left to right and top to bottom)-
Linda J. Baker, Stephen Kekule, Rae Campbell, Susan Schenk
Bert Cohen, Mila Raphael, Carli Schulz Kruse, Willy Paul
Gretha Lindwood, Kris Paul, Diana Unterspan
Nikki Dilbeck, Elaine Tan, Annie Salness, Roberta Babcock
Sue Jensen, Donna Sanson, Myla Keller, Susette Wilson

Shop Local For The Holidays

We are excited to offer our annual Holiday Boutique once again at Art On Broadway. Our talented artists have come up with beautiful hand crafted ornaments and holiday decor, small original paintings and assemblages, gift sets of artist illustrated greeting cards, fused glass cheese plates and photo frames, and many other creative gifts for those special people on your list. If you love cats, you'll have to see the felted wool mice cat toys made by Diana Unterspan; and if you're a fan of pigs, Donna Sanson's "Pigs On The Runway" series is a must see.

Our gallery will soon be decorated for the holidays and the boutique items by our members will be available starting Tuesday, November 20. Below are images of some of the wonderful items you can purchase at Art On Broadway!