Oregon Art Beat
A very small section of a large painting done by Van Le's late father, Le Quang Vinh, taken on March 27, 2025. Le and her uncle Allen Luong are coordinating a series of exhibits that will showcase her father's paintings. The first event will be on April 5, 2025.
New art exhibits commemorate 50 years of Vietnamese culture in Oregon
April 30, 2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, and for Van Le and Allen Luong, it’s the perfect time to acknowledge an important moment for the Vietnamese community, and also looking forward to a brighter future.
Latest Stories
Portland-based photographer Esther Godoy wants you to know ‘Butch is Not a Dirty Word’
Esther Godoy’s project “Butch is Not a Dirty Word” is the “world’s largest media resource dedicated to Butch identity, visibility and voice.”
Ralph Pugay’s paintings make us laugh in a good way
Ralph Pugay says his paintings reveal “something catastrophic happening, but I see them as allegories for general questions about consciousness and life."
Reflecting on a year of art in Oregon
As the year comes to a close, all of us on Art Beat take a moment to look back on time spent with artists we met in 2024.
Finding hygge in Hood River with artist Nancy Houfek Brown
Hygge, a Danish concept that captures warmth and coziness, reflects the natural beauty of seasonal change in Hood River. During this holiday season, a monthlong series of art showings are being offered in Hood River, serving up hygge atmospheres.
The pen and the pony: How this Oregon cartoonist shaped US politics and introduced Arabian horses to America
Each summer in Silverton, Oregon, the local community packs Main Street for a festival to celebrate their favorite son: renowned political cartoonist Homer Davenport.
Eugene muralist Liza Mana Burns paints Oregon’s stories to make people feel at home
Eugene artist Liza Mana Burns combines abstract representations of Oregon’s natural landscapes with intricate icons of Oregon’s history. The result is a colorful tapestry that serves as a love letter to the state.
Molalla photographer Brendon Burton finds beauty in abandoned spaces
Brendon Burton’s haunting photography celebrates the decay and deterioration of the west. He travels backroads, discovering abandoned farmhouses and desolate scenes, beautifully showcasing the American landscape. And though he’s traveled extensively for his work, most of his images are shot right here in Oregon.
Warm Springs artist Charlene Moody paints her vision of Sasquatch
Charlene Moody is one of five artists creating work for the High Desert Museum’s exhibit “Sensing Sasquatch,” looking at Sasquatch through an Indigenous lens. Moody is working with a 9-foot-tall buffalo hide, drawing from her Warm Springs, Paiute, Miwok, Modoc and Yakama heritage.
The Cuban countryside comes alive in the work of Orlando Almanza
Portland painter Orlando Almanza was born in the Cuban countryside and spent his childhood listening to his grandfather’s stories of the spirits that lived in the forests and river near their home. When he moved to Havana to attend the college of fine arts, he buried his past, attempting to fit into the city’s urban culture. But eventually he discovered these childhood stories carry great power. Today his large, lush canvases are filled with images from his past and the myths and stories he heard from his family.
Blue Mountain Fine Art in Baker City uses age-old technique to create contemporary art
The age-old process of lost-wax casting combines with the fine art of contemporary bronze sculpture in Baker City.
