First Weekend Art Celebration

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 Every month, the town of Toledo takes a weekend to celebrate their arts community and invite the public to join in during First Weekend, a monthly opportunity to connect with their local artisans. 

The Yaquina River Museum of Art is featuring a brand new selection of giclee prints in the Vicarage House Museum. This month, releases of giclee prints featuring the works of Museum Founder Michael Gibbons will be available for gallery goers to consider bringing home with them. These high resolution, archival quality prints of original art allow for greater accessibility of art in people's homes by allowing for beautiful work at a reasonable price point. The works now available include "Old Railroad Trestle Off South Bay Road," a summer pastoral scene in the Yaquina region, showing the glittering water of a tributary through the marshes as the abandoned tracks of a forgotten railroad slowly give way to nature.

See this work and more at the Vicarage Art Gallery located at 140 NE Alder Street, open Noon-4PM during First Weekend Toledo Art. 

Sharing the Vicarage House, original work by John Solie from the collection of Museum Founders Michael and Judy Gibbons will be on display and available for purchase. John Solie, born in 1937, is an artist who previously lived in Seal Rock, Oregon and now resides in Arizona. Solie is known for his commissioned paintings; included in his body of work are more than 200 movie posters, and commissioned projects for the Saturday Evening Post, TV Guide, and NASA. Locally, his painting of Alice Sillverman (founder of the Performing Arts Center) in Newport is shown in the lobby. The Sylvia Beach Hotel in Nye Beach also sports a large painting depicting characters of each room in its entry by Solie which lends a sense of whimsy to the historic building. and Gibbonand the personal collection of Michael and Judy Gibbons. Here at the Vicarage House, visitors can see two original paintings in acrylic of Solie's; including an untitled work the artist described as an "evolutionary droodle," featuring a sparkling collage of models he had worked with over the years. Solie is currently a member of NASA's art team with his works on display in the Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center. He is now focused on western art out of his studio in Tucson, Arizona. The YRMA Gallery Gift shop will be open Saturday and Sunday from Noon-4PM and light refreshments will be served by the Friends of the Museum. 

Across the street on the corner,  Ivan Kelly's Studio and Gallery will be open just on Sunday June 7 from noon to 4:pm for this 1st Weekend. Kelly will be showing "Seastacks," a coastal scene featuring the rugged rock formations along the beach leading off into the sea. Painted on location, this work displays Ivan's skill at capturing fleeting shadows against the drama of the Oregon Coast. Kelly has been an awarded Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists since 2000. See this work and more during First Weekend June on Sunday the 7th. For more information on the artist, please visit ivankelly.com

On the corner of Alder and Bus. Hwy 20, Posh and Polished will be featuring the work of Guest Artist Deborah Marsh. Displaying her watercolor works, Marsh began her journey as an artist at the age of 66 after having recently become a widow. Starting with watercolor classes at a local community college in 2021, Deborah discovered her joy and skill in a medium new to her. After moving to Newport 2022, Marsh's work was accepted into the Yaquina Art Association and she continues to hone her skills at YAA's Monday watercolor classes. See her work, as well as the candlemaking of Holli McRae with Shining Light Candle Co. and the soapmaking of Jamaica Tull at Posh & Polished during First Weekend, located at 207 E Highway 20.

On Main Street, Bruster's Whimsy Game Cafe is opening its doors to the public, displaying dioramas for visitors to enjoy. See these narrative sculptures and let your imagination roam at Bruster's Whimsy, the cozy tabletop game cafe with stories waiting to be told. Located at 139 S Main Street, the Cafe is open from 1-5PM on Saturday, and 1-7PM on Sunday.