We open 2024 with an exciting show presented by guest curator, Matthew Palmgren, who has brought together an extraordinary group of mixed media artists, all highly regarded figures in the Pacific Northwest arts scene.

The iconic Oregon artist Rex Amos has spent many years living quietly in Cannon Beach. His decades-long career stretches back to the avant garde scene in 1960s Portland where he became known as the first assemblage artist in the Pacific Northwest.

James Allen, a nationally acclaimed artist represented by Russo Lee Gallery in Portland, turns to illustrated books as his inspiration and his art medium. He excavates his chosen volumes, artfully exposing select images at multiple layers within the book to create a delightfully complex, cohesive work of art.

Judy Vogland, represented by RiverSea Gallery, is a renowned artist from Portland, a compelling visual storyteller whose exhibition history and teaching practice span more than four decades. Her collage and assemblage artworks burst with a heady mix of rollicking tales, both real and imagined, packed with layers of intriguing history, striking characters, and improvised situations.

John Stahl (1937–2017) was an eminent artist working in many different styles and mediums, an influential figure whose exhibition history in the Pacific Northwest covered more than 45 years. From his home in Netarts Bay, he demonstrated his profound love of the Oregon Coast in a prolific variety of work.

Curator of the show, Matthew Palmgren, is a visual artist living in Astoria, represented by RiverSea Gallery. He holds a BFA in Fine/Studio Arts, Sculpture, and Industrial Design from Western Washington University. For the past five years he has been assistant curator for the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, a position that connects him to the maritime and fine arts worlds.