February and March ​Creative Spirits Gallery
​Creative Spirits Gallery in West Linn is pleased to welcome two new local artists for the months of February and March! Stephanie Garber and Karla Piatt will display paintings and glass sculptures from February 5th through March 29th. Stephanie's lush and dramatic paintings celebrate her love of the natural world through texture and movement, color and contrast—creating a unique visual conversation with each viewer. Karla uses glass and acrylics together, developing one-of-a-kind designs that beautifully explore negative space, and interrogate both material and technological boundaries. A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday, March 8th, at 9:30am. All are welcome. The gallery, located at West Linn Lutheran Church, is open to the public approximately 9am to 3pm daily. You may call the church office at (503) 656-0110 with questions about opening hours or art sales.
Karla Piatt
​Art is like the air we breathe. By combining warm glass and acrylic painting, each piece tells a in a new and exciting way. The process begins with full sheets of Bulls eye fusible glass. It is then free hand cut into desired shapes and hand ground. These in turn are used to develop unique designs inspired by the glass itself and accompanying painting. Once the design is finalized, the glass is cleaned and covered in a layer of clear ground glass. The edges are cleaned to avoid sharp edges and then placed delicately in the kiln. Once all of pieces have been set in place, additional glass is used to preserve the structural integrity of the art form. My goal is to leave as many open spaces as possible to allow other painted designs to show through. The glass is then melted to over 1400 degrees F.
My goal with warm glass is to find a way to express myself by pushing the boundaries of technology. I wonder why we need two layers of glass? How much open space is feasible? The answers to these and other questions have led me to some amazing creations. I have not yet reached my limit and continue to push to more complex pieces.
My studio resides in the small town of Netarts, Oewfon where I have three kilns that run almost continuously on the weekends. Please enjoy!
Stephanie is an intuitive abstract artist. Her prolific art is an expression of her life's experiences. She uses gestures, texture, color and storytelling to relate to the viewer through common ground. She has worked in watercolor, print making and currently is exploring the freedom of abstract painting. Stephanie is self taught and credits her mother's life as an artist as her earlier influence in art.