Astoria Art Walk: Old Town Framing and Studio 11

Published 4:16 am Wednesday, March 10, 2010

OLD TOWN FRAMING TEARS IT UP WITH COLLAGE ART

Old Town Framing will present the artwork of Sue Beeman, a local collage artist, with a reception from 5 to 9-ish p.m. Saturday, March 13, during Astoria’s Second Saturday Art Walk.

Beeman’s art incorporates hand-made, hand-painted paper as well as natural fiber papers with leaves and grass as the basis of her designs. The final touches of gold leaf and acrylic paints lifts these designs to the next step, a unique combination of material, color and design.

Beeman was raised in Astoria and graduated from Clatsop Community College. After a stint in the travel industry, she moved back to Astoria in 1995. She became fascinated with photography during her travels, which eventually contributed to her collage work, a combination of natural beauty and unusual paper.

Snacks by Anna will be served during the reception. Astoria’s Second Saturday Art Walks are sponsored by Astoria FOG and Whole Brain Creative.

Old Town Framing Company is located at 1287 Commercial St. For more information, call (503) 325-5221 or visit www.oldtownframing.com

FIND FOUND ART AT STUDIO 11 DURING MARCH ART WALK

Studio 11 gallery will open an exhibit celebrating the Found Art movement with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 13, as part of Astoria’s Second Saturday Art Walk. The exhibit features pieces created by students in Clatsop Community College’s Basic Design and Painting classes using primarily recycled materials. Studio 11, which was formerly known as the AVA Gallery, is located at 453A 11th St.

It all started with a toilet. In 1917, an artist named Marcel Duchamp entered a piece of art into an open art show that was so shocking that the organizers hid it behind a curtain. As an open exhibit, they couldn’t refuse to show it, but they tried to do everything short of that. The piece was a manufactured urinal, and at that moment the Found Art movement was born. Duchamp believed that it was the statement that a piece made that was important, rather than the technique used to create it.

Over time this movement has been embraced by many artists, including Andy Warhol, who used it to try to take art out of the hands of the elite and give it to the people. Since then, it has evolved to highlight the idea that art can be found anywhere. It is also often used to increase environmental awareness, as most of the materials used are recycled.