Evolution of Practice

Main Gallery: April 6, 2023 – May 13, 2023

Corvallis Footwise: April 28, 2023 – May 30, 2023

Reception for All Artists: The Arts Center, Friday, May 12, 5:30 – 7:00 PM

The Arts Center recognizes the evolving nature of artistic practice by celebrating 5 Years of Artist Accelerator residencies. The Artist Accelerator Program provides professional development for creatives seeking to build community, a strong foundation in small business and their arts practice. This spring, former AAP residents return in this two-location exhibit to share their evolving work in fiber, painting, design and ceramics.

Explore your own definitions and understandings of artistic practice. Visit both the Corvallis Footwise window and TAC to enjoy the full breadth of work on display.

Above image: My לאַנד Travels With Me, Jessica Rehfield

Meet the Artists

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Sabra Comins grew up at the end of a dirt road in Anchorage, Alaska. She spent much of her time immersed in nature, where she felt most at home. When her family moved to town and her longing to connect with people intensified, she discovered the safety of self-expression in art and writing. These early years have shaped Comins’ drive to find what connects people with each other and with the landscape. Comins is passionate about maintaining a sustainable studio practice, being in nature, and writing letters. She was in the Artist Accelerator Program at The Arts Center from 2019-2020.

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Jess Felix is a clay artist living in the Pacific Northwest. She grew up in Australia and received her BFA in Sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia in 2004.  Felix works primarily with slabs of clay, building forms to make both sculptural and functional works. Common subject matter in her work includes women, ecology, and communication. She has exhibited in urban galleries in and around Melbourne and in various group shows in the United States. She is a teaching artist in Benton County and sells her functional wares as Hedra Ceramics. Her work can be found on Instagram.

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Caroline Feyling is a textile artist living in Oregon. She received her BFA in Fiber and Material Studies from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020. Following her graduation she completed 8 weeks of intensive study at Vävstuga Swedish Weaving School in Shelburne Falls, MA. Feyling creates functional Scandinavian style weavings that serve to bridge the gap between the contemporary and tradition, as well as the distance between heritage and daily life. When not in the studio, she enjoys researching Norwegian folk culture and rollerskating.

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Justin Lodge is an artist and educator living in West Linn, Oregon. He was a resident in the first year of AAP. Lodge loves creating images that explore with color, landscape, and geometry. He is interested in creating visual moods that investigate consciousness and present nature through a symbolic lens. While traditionally a painter, currently Lodge has been testing the possibilities of digital image making. Lodge holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design (2005) and a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art (2000).

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Enchanted by life near a medley of mountains in Colorado, Utah, and Oregon, Kimberly Long finds inspiration for her sculptures in the natural world around her. Whether spending time in her garden or with her family on adventures, her imagination runs wild with all the creatures and wanderers of the forests, rivers, and hillsides. On occasion when all is quiet she will place a Gnook to welcome imagination to be in working order. Kimberly seeks out opportunities to learn from independent artists nationwide, to support local businesses and small vendors, and to promote the importance of and access to the arts. Though self-taught in much of her technique, the heart of her work is community enhanced.

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Shagufta Mulla is an artist, a poet, the art editor of Peatsmoke Journal, and a veterinary content writer. Her art has appeared in ARC Journal of Art & Literature, Opia, and Minnow Literary. She has been in the Artists In Action juried Spring Reign show in Salem OR, Salem Art Association’s Salem Salon show, The Art Center’s 8 x 8 show in Corvallis, and in various shows with Keizer Art Association. Shagufta holds a DVM from Colorado State University and a BS from the University of Arizona. She can be found on Instagram.

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Jill Myer has lived on the Oregon coast since 2019, and when she isn’t in her garage/studio making art, she spends as much time as possible walking in the woods and on the beach. Myer works in many mediums, but her current focus is on encaustic wax and watercolor. Myer draws inspiration from the ever-changing weather on the coast and the natural landscape. You can often find her taking inspirational photos during a rainstorm on the beach or post-rain in the forest, attempting to capture the freshness in the air. She repeatedly paints the ocean and sky, trying to capture the dramatic movement and power. Myer’s current work can be found in the For Artsake Gallery in Historic Nye Beach in Newport.

Portrait of Sabra Comins

Jessica Rehfield is a non-binary visual artist and educator whose practice includes painting and installation, education and social practice. They live in the unceded homelands of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Rehfield grew up in Southeast Alaska and holds a BLA in Art from University of Alaska Southeast and MFA in Drawing and Painting from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2019. Rehfield is a working Artist-in-Schools Artist, Artist in Residence with Salem Art Association, and actively seeks residencies and opportunities to work with the public on issues of inequality and oppression experienced by Queer and Jewish communities. They enjoy hiking and singing with their queer community, pickles, and living and loving with their friends, cat and wife.

Evolution of Practice is supported by Sharon Rackham King & Andrew King and The Literary Arts Fund.