Not-so-watery watercolors will
fill Second Story Gallery in April, as Patti Chilbeck Meuler presents her unique
painting combined with torn-paper collage.
Chilbeck Meuler is a signature
member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and has shown her work in juried
regional and national competitions. She says she was a “watercolor purist” for
many years, sticking with transparent paint and considering the use of opaque
media as admitting “failure.” Then she met gouache--ground pigments that are
still water-based but with a thickened, paste-like appearance. She says she
fell in love with playing the flat, solid areas against the transparent ones.
She found herself combining abstraction with realism in a style that is colorful
and modern.
“My next great love was making
collages from painted tissue paper and then embellishing them with whatever
seemed necessary,” she says. A life-long resident of Ridgefield, she says
living in the woods has led to a new fascination with tree trunks. “In those
paintings, I want the viewer to not just think about going into a painting but
to actually be in the painting,” she explains.
Chilbeck Meuler thinks painting is
a happy experience and wants her viewers to find some joy, a few jokes and some
smiles in her work. Patrons can see for themselves during April at Second Story
Gallery, located upstairs in the Camas Public Library. The gallery is open during regular library hours, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday
through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The reception and show are
free and open to the public.
First Friday
Artist's Reception
with music by
Caryn Jamieson
Friday, April 5
5-8 p.m.
The Second Story Gallery is participating in the Downtown Camas Association's Discover Camas Photo Scavenger Hunt on April 5. Pick up your event passport at one of the following locations:
Camas Antiques, Lizzabeth A, Ballard and Call, Navidi's, Caffe
Piccolo, Bead Paradise and others. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised
at what treasures you will discover!
