We Keep Improving!

Welcome to our brand new e-newsletter! We want to keep our members more informed about what is going on here at the Brownsville Art Association!

As you can see in the photo above, the Art Center has a new hanging system on some freshly painted walls! This was done in early January by Chris Kostel, Chris Seale, and Don Seale. Big thanks to them, it is now much easier to mount a show, and it looks great too! The lights were put up this last month by Charlie Stoakes, and thanks to him, the main walls of the gallery are even more visible!

Beautification Project

Another new improvement is the beautification in the front! The City of Brownsville is helping us change our driveway into something more beautiful! Changes have begun, as you can see in the photo below with the change in cement work. Grass is scheduled to come in next, to create a welcoming lawn up front!

Eventually, there will be two new curbside parking places in front of the Art Center, with artists able to back up to unload and load up front.

Be a Part of our Online Gallery

Have you seen our new website? Visit brownsvilleart.org to see it! This is a great new way to stay up-to-date with everything involved with the Brownsville Art Center. There is a calendar of events, a list of upcoming workshops, and even a way to sign up for volunteering! We are always in need of volunteers to come and host, so please check the schedule and see if there is a time that you can come in. Check it out here.

Want to put up some pieces for sale on our website? Each member can have an individual page with 20 pieces of their work, for an entire year for only $15! You will have opportunities to change pieces each season, and can have a link to your own website if you have one! Any sales online still charge BAA’s 20% commission, but what a great new way to display your artwork! If you are interested or have questions, reply to this email for more information.

Give Us Feedback

We want you to let us know how we are doing as your Art Center. Please fill out the survey below to give us some feedback!

I have lived in Oregon for 44 years–the last 40 years in Albany. Prior to that I lived in Texas and Wisconsin. I worked at Wah Chang in a variety of positions, retiring several years ago. I received my massage license my last year of working and started my own massage business after retiring. As I get older, I do less and less massage but that allows more time for other activities. I love to hike, do pottery, watercolor and drawing. I have 2 daughters, one in Brownsville and one in New Mexico. I also have 5 grandchildren who are occasionally inspired to do pottery when they come to my house.

I have taken pottery classes through OSU-Craft Center and LBCC, and just finished a class at Clay Space in Eugene. About 20 years ago I started taking occasional drawing classes at LBCC. For the last year, I have been taking watercolor classes from LBCC. I try to incorporate different drawing and watercolor ideas into my pottery. I do both hand-built pieces as well as thrown pieces. Most of my pottery is stone-ware, high-fired to cone 10. I work in my “garage” studio but in winter I go to Clay Space to work which is where I fire my pieces.

1. Full Name: Cecelia Peters

2. What is your favorite art medium? Pottery

3. How long have you been working with that medium? 40 plus years…off and on

4. Do you expand outside of your primary medium? Why or why not? I have taken lots of drawing classes and have been taking watercolor classes for the last year. I also weave but it tends to be a more repetitive hobby. I like switching between the different arts, it seems to improve my work.

5. Where do you find inspiration for your art? Inspiration is everywhere! on a hike, on a drive, pulling weeds in the backyard…

6. What is the best part of being an artist? Getting lost in my work.

7. What is the hardest part of being an artist? Doing pottery in my garage during the winter. Too Cold! One of the reasons I do watercolor and weaving is so I can be inside. I also try to take at least one class at Clay Space in the winter months.

8. How and where do you sell/present your art? Besides BAA, I do a number of local craft sales throughout the year. I enjoy talking with customers and browsers–I always tell them looking is free! It is great opportunity to educate people about my pottery and to encourage those who are interested, to give pottery a try. I have also done displays at Albany City Hall and Public Libraries.

9. Who supported you during the time you decided to become an artist? Myself. But there are always plenty of supportive potters at the OSU Craft Center and Clay Space.

10. What advice do you have for beginning artists? Hmm…Financially, it will probably be a rough ride at first. Figure out how much money you need to live on and then get a job to meet your basic needs. Set goals…where do you want to sell? galleries? if so, what locations? what type of sales (craft shows, Christmas sales, etc) do you want to do? what items do you think will sell? how many hours a week should you set aside to work on your art?

Develop a timeline; keep track of your expenses and sales; don’t be afraid to change your plans or product line. People buy what they like and what they can afford. Your customers are important so treat them with respect. Even if someone doesn’t buy something today, they may buy the next time.

I am retired so I really do not need to rely on income from my art. However, I do treat my art like a business.

In coordination with the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the release of the movie “Stand By Me” the Art Association will be hosting our 2nd Art Market on July 23rd. This is an opportunity for local artists to sell work in a market atmosphere on a day filled with tourists. If you are an artist, or know of an artist, who has more wares to sell than we can fit in the Art Gallery, then this is a great opportunity for you. This market will be open to artist members of the Art Association as well as artists who are not members. We will have space in front of the center for 4 booths, tables inside the gallery and also tables upstairs in the Community Room. Please put this on your calendar and let other artists know about the opportunity. This is for artists only, there will be no Direct Sales allowed.

We are also in need of the following volunteers for planning this event: Marketing Chair, Entertainment& Refreshments Chair, Set up Chair, Clean up Chair. Please contact Market Chair Barbara Andersen if you would like to help make this a great event…bjandersenpdx@aol.com, or 503-709-8347. Applications and more details will be available as we get closer.