Gallery Blog

Art Elements Gallery is excited to announce the opening of our latest show "Chasing the Light" which will feature the oil paintings of Oregon artist Romona Youngquist.

Romona Youngquist "Sunflower Sunset"

The spring and summer leading up to the show brought dramatic light that quickly became inspiration for her newest collection at ART Elements Gallery. Romona worked on capturing an abstract design of this incredible light in nearby coastal inland and of course, Oregon's Willamette Valley, the catalyst for so many of her paintings.

Romona Youngquist was born in 1960 in Yuba City, California, but grew up in Eastern Oklahoma. Romona essentially started out in life as a child of nature, spending her time exploring the woods with her dog and collecting critters. While exploring, she also studied the design and color of nature. Romona recalls many times standing in a field just staring in fascination at the values of the deciduous trees against a dark Oklahoma sky before a storm, and then rushing home to draw what she had seen. Technically self-taught, Romona thinks of nature as her real teacher. In 1994 she was awarded a grant from the Alaska State Council for the Arts to study with Oregon landscape painter Michael Gibbons and in the late 1990’s she studied with Michael Workman, a leading landscape painter from Utah. Romona has taken their valuable lessons and strengthened her own individual style. She also admires the work of Russell Chatham, Emil Carlson, and Wolfe Kahn, especially for their commitment to the beauty of simplicity and atmosphere. Her admiration of these painters has translated to numerous exhibitions and honors, awards and merits throughout the United States. 

"My lifestyle hasn’t changed much since early childhood. I live on a little farm with my family in the middle of Oregon wine country; I still hang out in the woods with the dogs and my own kids; and I still collect a wide range of critters. When I’m not painting outside, I paint in my studio in order to keep an eye on my kids and pets, while listening to my favorite Bach, Handel, and Mozart."

"Chasing the Light" opened this past week and will run through September 30th.

Romona Youngquist "Rosey Summer Glow"

Art Elements Gallery is excited to announce the opening of our latest show "Clarity of Color" which will feature the painting and pastel work of Oregon artist Marla Bagetta.

Marla Bagetta, "A Simple Surrender" 

"Clarity of Color" opens June 23rd and will run through August 20th with an artist's reception June 23rd from 5-7

Marla Baggetta's approach to painting reflects the formal art education she received at Art Center College of Design and her experience as a landscape painter. A self-employed, professional artist since 1983, Marla had a distinguished career as a commercial illustrator before turning to landscape painting, working for clients such as Walt Disney, Nissan Motors, Houghton Mifflin Publishing, to name just a few.  After moving to Oregon in 1993, she began painting the landscape and quickly established herself as one of the West's leading representational painters with her compelling and sophisticated imagery. She is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Pastel Society of Oregon. Marla has won numerous awards for her paintings and has been featured in the premiere publication for pastel painters, Pastel Journal. Marla is also the author of Step by Step Pastel published by Walter Foster Publishing.

Marla say's of her work that...

I am a great believer in the fundamentals of painting; drawing, composition, color theory and the thought that paintings communicate an idea through this vocabulary. The process of bringing a concept to a complete image is deeply compelling and satisfying. My painting process is a very active one where my first marks and impressions are usually bold and gestural. Then I settle in and make assessments and refinements. The last marks are usually slow, quiet ones, as I am making small moves to find my way towards the finished piece. I'm hoping to capture the "aha!" that originally attracted me to my subject. Each one of my original pastels is done on museum grade sanded pastel paper. I use a variety of brands of soft pastel, each with different characteristics that I use to accomplish a variety of strokes and washes within a piece.

Marla working in her studio 

We are thrilled to share this new body of work with you, and hope you will stop by the gallery this summer to see it in person!