Nestled along the breathtaking coastline of Oregon, Manzanita is a charming town that beckons visitors with its unique blend of coastal beauty and a laid-back, artistic atmosphere. With its pristine sandy beaches, bordered by the Pacific Ocean on one side and towering forests on the other, Manzanita provides a serene escape for those seeking tranquility amid nature’s wonders. The town’s main thoroughfare, Laneda Avenue, features an array of eclectic shops, galleries, and local eateries, creating a warm and inviting ambiance for residents and visitors alike.
Manzanita’s community is tightly knit, embodying the quintessential spirit of a small coastal town. Residents often engage in various outdoor activities, from hiking the nearby Neahkahnie Mountain trails to enjoying the surf along the scenic coastline. This towering mountain that runs right down into the ocean is part of the protected 2500 acres of Oswald West State Park, and it provides a spectacular view as one looks toward the north along the coastline.
Manzanita has become a haven for artists and writers seeking inspiration from its stunning natural surroundings. The town’s charm lies not only in its scenic beauty but also in its vibrant artistic community that has flourished over the years. Writers are often drawn to the community where they find solace and inspiration in the rhythmic crash of waves along the shoreline and the whispering winds through the tall evergreens.
In the spirit of its commitment to the arts, Manzanita has become a thriving community and serves as a focal point for creative expression. The synthesis of natural beauty and artistic inspiration in Manzanita paints a compelling portrait of a town where the arts are not just appreciated but embraced as an integral part of its identity.
Introduction and photographs by NWAA board member and part-time Manzanita resident, Gregg Goolsby. See more of Gregg’s artwork HERE
“For over forty years I’ve been a working artist and have developed a very personal vision, through the practice of several mediums: photography, pastel, oil and the written word. Representational in style my work depicts many different subjects from figures to interiors, landscapes to still life, but my focus in these is on the metaphorical and symbolic ideas that are present in daily life, in nature and also in the relationship between the two. The place between inner and outer experiences often forms a starting point for me and painting offers a way to explore this ever-shifting reality.
My work is shown in galleries and group exhibitions, has been used on book covers, calendars and cards and can be found in numerous private and public collections. I’ve written two books: Traveling Light: Chasing an Illuminated Life and Painting Cats, both include my artwork, and my paintings and pastels about books and reading are collected in the volume In the Presence of Books with an introduction by Kim Stafford. I live and work in the Manzanita area with my filmmaker husband Carl Vandervoort and our cat Birdie.
I’m currently working on new oil paintings for a show in March/April 2024 at White Bird Gallery in Cannon Beach, OR where I’m regularly represented.”
See more of Deborah’s work HERE
“I’m an Otomí artist, native to Boyle Heights, Los Angeles now living in Nehalem, OR. I first studied ceramics in high school and most recently at the Escuela Nacional de Cerámica in Jalisco, Mexico, but am mostly a self-taught artist. I work with clay as a way of connecting to my ancestral memories and to the elements of life – earth, water, fire, and air. My process involves making vessels through both wheel-throwing and hand-building and often adding sculptural elements. Finished surfaces seek to reflect the inherent beauty of clay.
My sculptural work is an exploration of the reciprocal relationship between land and people. Invoking a time when people did not just seek to spend time in nature but lived with the deeper realization that people and nature are one. The river, the person, and the vessel each an interconnected body. My studio is based in Nehalem, on the North Oregon Coast within the immense beauty of the Pacific Northwest rainforests. You may find my pottery for sale at Nehalem Bay Pottery, where my studio is based, or on my Etsy shop.” Also visit her website or Instagram - @kantaropottery
“Before I ever touched a camera, my interest in nature, and specifically gardening, started at a very young age. Years later, while attending art school, photographing flowers began as a mere exercise. It allowed me to learn the ins and outs of working with a large format camera, while my subject matter waited patiently in the studio. Little did I know that I would be photographing plants for a living for the next 25 years. It turned out to be a perfect marriage.
Now I was able to grow and then document my own subject matter. I’d never photographed outside the studio until I moved full time to Manzanita, with its beautiful shoreline and exquisite surrounding forests. I decided to take my camera and photograph the ever changing colors and light of Neahkahnie beach. And, during the many forest hikes, I have been learning about the magnificent world of fungi. Many of them amazingly photogenic and some of them so very delicious to eat.” Visit Ron’s website HERE
“I work in collaboration with stone, with marble, with the elements of the planet. Marble is a material that once was alive. Ancient coral reefs and bones from sea creatures were layered in flowing forms of water currents, accumulated over millennia on the bottom of changing seas. With planetary shifts and the weight of time, these deposits were highly compressed under extreme heat and thrust into mountains. The quarrying process cuts open these mountains to expose the history of our planet. It is a terrible beauty. This is Carrara, Italy – where I have worked for 36 years, bringing sculptures to fruition in my studios both in Carrara and on the Oregon Coast in Nehalem.
I carve in response to the unique qualities of each stone I touch. It is an intimate and reverent dialogue of lasting consequence. And being a woman sculptor, I attempt to convey the essence of what it feels like to be human, to be woman. Whether working abstractly or in the figurative vein, I approach the form as if it has always existed. The process of direct carving keeps me active in the present tense as I respond to the form with each hammer blow. I am increasingly delighted by the endless possibilities that the human form and spirit provide as vehicle for expression. Often presenting a full-on facing forward figure without the contortions of vanity, I want to express the essence of our human-ness rather than the image of a person. Although stone carving is the most ancient and durable of art forms, working within the moments of my own time and evolution imparts a contemporary insight into that which is both ancient and immediate in all of us. (Art lingo aside, I make a fair bit of noise and dust with both old style hammer and chisel as well as grinders, air hammers, and lots of sandpaper!)”
Visit her website HERE
“Early in my college art education, I was lightning-struck by a retrospective in San Francisco of Georgia O’Keeffe paintings. Her huge, boldly beautiful still-life images inspired my belief in a life as a successful woman painter. Around then, historians began revealing many women artists that had been overlooked throughout history. Successful careers of artists such as Rosa Bonheur, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun provided needed role models for me.
I paint in oil on canvas, and emphasize still-life objects interacting with references to historic art. Lately (since 2012 and through the decade) I have made large scale self-portraits to see myself as a “woman in histosty.
Women persist to defy the boundaries set by family obligations and bias in exclusionary environments where male artists have historically achieved more success and exposure. Artistic expressions viewed as “feminine” or un-masculine sometime elicit disrespect. Beyond gender identity, I look to all my artistic predecessors for the fluidity of creativity which knows no sex or gender; and I have been finding other prejudicial boundaries such as race and class to probe, perhaps somewhat subliminally while distracting the viewer with emphasis on unapologetic lushness.” See more about Sherrie HERE
“My aim is to create elegant, modern, and functional ceramics: round, oval, angular, often brought to conclusion by exaggeration: a diminutive or elongated neck, each piece energetically lifting off the base; assertive, patterned, and fresh. All pieces are wheel-thrown stoneware and often finished with matte glazes and wax-resist patterns.
I create patterns on the surface – inspired by a field of wildflowers, ridged driftwood, veined rock or perhaps heavily tweeded wool or the printed pattern in a kimono. Each pattern has reassuring repetition that feels orderly while also embracing organic variation. I sometimes carve patterns following the same tension between order and organic, striving to show my hand while avoiding the sense of mechanic perfection.”
See Mary’s ceramics at Riversea Gallery in Astoria Oregon
“Just as basket weaving took hold of me so many years ago, to this day I still find great pleasure with the process and rhythm of creating contemporary and organic vessels from natural fibers. The process is a dynamic, tactile transformation of forms. Much of what I know about weaving developed from experimenting with plants and grasses combined with rattan reed. My early baskets were more utilitarian, but as I discovered the unique qualities of different fibers my baskets took on an organic aesthetic.
Eventually, the years of weaving led me to explore both stained-glass processes and hand-built pottery methods. Currently I’m integrating woven fibers onto fired clay forms that has reignited my explorative nature and creative spirit. These pieces especially, representing two earliest technologies, hold the most significance to me.” See more of Kathleen’s artwork HERE
The Hoffman Center for the Arts in Manzanita, Oregon, is a vibrant cultural hub nestled in the heart of this coastal community. Boasting a rich history and commitment to fostering creativity, the center serves as a focal point for artists and art enthusiasts alike. With its diverse array of programs and events, the Hoffman Center plays a crucial role in promoting the arts and cultural expression within the region.
The center hosts a variety of activities, including art exhibitions, workshops, performances, and lectures. Many are drawn to the center for its outstanding clay program. In addition to visual arts programs the center offers a writing program with contests and publishes the highly acclaimed Squid magazine. It provides resources and support for local artists, contributing to the dynamic cultural tapestry of Manzanita. There is even a horticultural program with a garden on the property of the center that is under care of volunteers.
Whether you're a seasoned artist looking for inspiration or a community member seeking to engage with the arts, the Hoffman Center offers a welcoming space that celebrates creativity in all its various forms.
Learn more about the Hoffman Center for the Arts HERE
This highly successful gallery is owned by J. Scott Wilson who is a full-time painter. Scott has shown his art in more than three dozen successful exhibitions since 1998. He established Polaris Gallery in 2011 in the heart of Manzanita and currently displays exclusively his own paintings.
Scott’s works are in high demand as they offer a unique and evocative visual experience with a “Zen-like” quality. His fluid brushstrokes using oil convey a sense of movement and fluidity in the scene. His seascapes and skyscapes evoke the dynamic and ever-changing nature of the ocean, capturing the essence of waves crashing and the constant motion of water, clouds and light.
This approach invites the observer to engage with the artwork on a more visceral and emotional level and encourages them to immerse themselves in the mood and energy of the ever-shifting beauty of the mighty Pacific Ocean. See more about the Polaris Gallery and Scott’s artwork HERE
In the adjoining town of Nehalem OR is the NCRD. This major facility and non-profit organization offer numerous art-related programs with a special focus on the performing arts. It features a beautiful theatre which puts on first rate stage performances featuring the Riverbend Players as well as other theatrical groups. The NCRD Performing Arts Center has become an important community asset to the North Oregon Coast. Performances that were not possible in a small community are now staged throughout the year in a building dating back to the 1930s. It has become the main gathering place of the North Tillamook County community and hosts a wide variety of events from community theater to variety shows and from solo performers to symphony orchestras.
Visual arts programs are focused on children with “Arts and Crafts Wednesday” becoming a very popular program offering. “The NCRD staff enjoy being creative with our kids, and work alongside them to inspire and encourage them. We provide a variety of mediums to work with, and an array of tools to express themselves. We like to relate our art to the season or holidays we are near. If it’s the beginning of a new school trimester we may be making collage vision boards, or we may be painting flowers in the spring.”
The facility includes a spacious art gallery where local artists can showcase and sell their work. The gallery space is available for rent at a very attractive price, allowing artists to exhibit their work for a month. The NCRD will handle the art sales, charging only a small commission to handle the transaction.
In September 2023, NWAA board member Gregg Goolsby (a part-time resident of Manzanita) showcased an exhibition of 60 pieces of his photography and art. 100% of the sales proceeds were donated in support of the amazing Mudd-Nick Foundation—a local non-profit offering various programs to positively impact children’s lives. Goolsby has a passion for using his art to raise funds for great causes and praised the NCRD for providing accessible gallery space for local artists. He believes NCRD sets a commendable example for other communities seeking ways to connect citizens with the arts and those who create by making displays more accessible to them. See all NCRD programs HERE