From top: "Skin Deep" by Jason Sheldon; "The Salmon reCycle" by Brian Mock; and "A Delicate Balance" by Wayne Chabre.

CANNON BEACH – The city of Cannon Beach is one step closer to becoming an even more artistic place with the announcement of the six finalists in its new “Sculpture Without Walls” exhibition.

In early February, five jurors agreed on 10 top entries, and out of those 10, chose the following six winning sculptures:

“Passage” by Linley Schetky; “A Foot in the Door” by Jason Warner; “Expose Time” by Jesse Swickard; “Skin Deep” by Jason Sheldon; “The Salmon reCycle” by Brian Mock; and “A Delicate Balance” by Wayne Chabre.

The jurors for this first year of the program were Eloise Damrosch, executive director of the Regional Arts & Culture Council in Portland, Jacqueline Kosak, manager of Safeco Insurance Corporate Art Collection in Seattle, Laura Matzer, art collection curator and program manager for the Microsoft Collection in Redmond, Wash., Lee Musgrave, curator of exhibits at the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Wash., and Deborah Tibbel, manager of the Museum of Anthropology of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.

The winning Sculpture Without Walls artworks will be on display in prominent locations throughout the city of Cannon Beach. Six sculptures were selected for temporary year-long outdoor exhibition, opening the Spring Unveiling weekend of May 4 and staying on display until April 2008. The public will vote by ballot May 4 through 6 and May 11 through 13 to determine the winner of the “People’s Choice Award,” which will then be purchased by the city of Cannon Beach. This year, the amount to be awarded is up to $15,000. All of the sculptures will be for sale, through the artists, to the public.

Longtime Portland area artist Schetky is a graphic designer, illustrator, watercolorist and metal artist/sculptor. Her sculptural style runs to unique metal creations fabricated from milled steel in combination with other materials, as well as some found-object creations.

Warner’s sculptural style consists of found-object assemblages, mixed media and metal fabrication, in large scale and pedestal sizes.

Swickard is a sculptor/welder who has created many private and public art pieces throughout Oregon and Washington, and is also a popular visiting artist and lecturer.

Sheldon sculpts fabrications in wood, and recently copper and sheet steel.

Rich metals combined with materials collected from scrap yards, industrial recycle bins and secondhand stores form Mock’s sculptural style.

Chabre creates copper, bronze and glass interior and exterior functional sculptures depicting realistic subjects in a minimalist way.

“The Public Art Committee was established to enhance the rich arts heritage of our community by placing outdoor art within our city limits, and the first Sculpture Without Walls exhibition will tie in with the City of Cannon Beach’s 50th Anniversary Celebration,” said Richard Mays, city manager of Cannon Beach and chairman of the PAC. “The Public Art Committee’s ongoing mission is to provide opportunities for residents and visitors to experience quality artwork in an outdoor setting, to encourage interplay between outdoor artwork and the spaces that surround it – natural or otherwise – and to promote art walks and nature walks.”

Public Art Committee members this year include Mays, Leslie Wood Garvin, Michael Tieman, Jim Kingwell, Kim Bosse, Mari Rockett, Robin Risley and Phyllis Knutson.

“The commitment to high quality sculpture exhibitions is clearly present in Cannon Beach from the mayor to passionate involved citizens. It was an honor to work with this community,” commented Damrosch.