Vicki Baker, painter and printmaker, was born in Vermont and raised in California. She has lived in Oregon for over 40 years and winters on a houseboat in Ft. Myers, FL. In the summers, she spends time in Astoria, OR, where she works out of the printmaking studio at the local community college.

Vicki is an Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers member and paints in the Art studios.
Vicki has taken numerous painting and printmaking classes and workshops in Oregon and Florida, as well as a printmaking workshop in Guanajuato, Mexico.

She keeps motivated as an artist by printing and painting with other artists. There is a wonderful energy when artists get together to create art, and she finds this environment both nurturing and supportive.

Vicki Baker’s artworks are in various private collections across the U.S. and Europe. They can also be viewed locally at the Fairweather Gallery in Seaside, OR.

Nick Brakel
Expressionist Landscapes

In all of my art, and perhaps particularly in my landscapes, I want to express nature’s vibrancy and spirit. I am interested in capturing the spirit, energy, and vibrant colors of nature. To this end, sometimes things need to be exaggerated, enhanced, or heightened.

I am very inspired by many post-impressionist and expressionist artists. Such as Edward Munch, Egon Schiele, Gustave Klimt, Pierre Bonnard, Oskar Kokoschka, Vincent Van Gogh, Odilon Redon, and many others. In particular, the approaches of Schiele and Klimt have been of interest to me lately. They both pushed the bounds of expressionist painting within a prescribed and well-defined form. This creates this inherent tension between mark-making to the point of almost abstraction versus the accurately portrayed landscape/portrait/ still life, etc. This has always been of great interest to me.

I am creating a tension between abstraction and form. How far can you push one without losing the other? I am also very much a colorist when it comes to art. Vibrant colors are essential to me and are a massive part of the work of all the artists I referenced. The works created for the STEP OUTSIDE  show are all oil paintings with a slight amount of mixed media.

I started my BFA at The College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN. I left after my foundational studies to
focus on landscape painting on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I found my way into Nursing (my career for many years) and eventually finished my BFA at The University of Wisconsin Superior, where I focused on Painting and Printmaking. Upon moving to Portland, I participated in The Print Arts Northwest Emerging Printmakers Residency. I also interned at Atelier Meridian Printmaking Studio for several years. I recently pursued a Business Certificate at PCC and am enrolled in the 3rd year of Reiki Next Step training while continuing to pursue my art.

For the Fairweather Gallery’s STEP OUTSIDE June 2024 show, an exploration of the great outdoors.

Dive headfirst into the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest, where you are beckoned to meander through vibrant lavender fields pulsating with both color and fragrance. Surrender yourself to the serene cadence of the ocean while sauntering along sandy beaches, where the sky harmonizes with the sea in a truly awe-inspiring panorama of shades. Embracing the ever-shifting interplay of light and darkness, each artwork by Melissa Jander encapsulates the very soul of the landscape in daring, emotive brushstrokes. Whether it’s the gentle dance of blossoms in the breeze or the striking sweep of cliffs against the horizon, each scene urges you to venture outside and deeply connect with nature’s warm embrace. Indulge in the delight of discovery as you journey through these natural wonders, where each and every brushstroke pays homage to life and motion.

“Usually when sitting down to imagine a work of art for the gallery, I start with making a singular figure. Then melding in whatever the theme is around the figure. However, for the theme of ‘Step Outside’, I tried making an outdoor scene first. Then I added the characters in. I tried to reference experiences I’ve had in nature and photos I’ve taken. For the characters, I was at one point in time asked to draw a representation of myself that I could attribute qualities to. I ended up making the character you see on the right, composed of layers of colored pencil and ink. For the character on the left, I was inspired by aquatic Sea Angel’s and flowers. The idea is that even though the design is nebulous in nature, it is still full of light and fire.”  Vanessa K. Stokes

Hui-Yong Kim’s functional pottery features the more playful look of line drawings and glazes on art. Through surface decoration techniques, she allows her work to reflect the colors and textures of nature. Her illustrations, glaze choices, and manipulation of glaze movements reveal the brightness of STEP OUTSIDE in these vessels for the June Fairweather show.

Hui-Yong is a native of South Korea and immigrated to America in her adult years. She has lived and studied in Singapore under Master Chuan Siang Boon and took tutelage in Korea in 2021 from Master. 

Sung Yoo. She furthered her education at the Portland Community College Ceramic Studio and owns and manages her Galaxy Clay studio. 

She is a member of the Oregon Potters Association and participates in shows in Oregon and Washington states. Her work is currently featured in Australia’s Clayful magazine by Sophia Cai. 

I aim to capture an immersive experience in each painting that envelops the viewer in my work, my vision of the blooms, the secrets they have to share. So real, they’re unreal, the work compels you to reach for a touch, or lean in for the scent of the bloom.

I work in watercolors to gain the transparency of oils, the vibrancy of acrylics, and the beguiling nature of water, an attempt to control the uncontrollable. The combination is a viewing intimacy; my pieces are luscious, inviting, and vibrant.”  Mary Lyn Gough

STEP OUTSIDE is a collection of artwork that explores the great outdoors.

June 1st through June 25th

Fairweather House and Gallery

612 Broadway Street

In the Historical Gilbert District of downtown Seaside

“From the gentle breeze to the dramatic sweep of cliffs against the horizon, every brushstroke is a scene of movement,” writes Melissa Jander, a San Juan Island, Washington, artist featured in the show.

Jo Pomeroy-Crockett, Christine Trexel, Nick Brakel, Galaxy Clay, and Mary Lyn Gough will join Melissa Jander in the exhibit.

The gallery welcomes abstract painter Vicki Baker, who is a new artist.

https://fairweatherhouseandgallery.com