301 exhibition honors Scenic Area

HOOD RIVER — Adapted by detailed paint strokes, sculpture, and ceramics, the Columbia River Gorge’s striking landscapes and biodiverse inhabitants adorned the walls of 301 Gallery on June 5.

Curated by member artist Polly Wood and renowned painter Cathleen Rehfield, the brand new exhibition “Inspired III - Trailblazers” pays tribute to the region’s 40th anniversary as the nation’s oldest and largest designated National Scenic Area, available for viewing through July.

In partnership with Friends of the Columbia Gorge (FCG), a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and defending the area for future generations, Wood and Rehfield assembled 22 regional artists to hit the trails for inspiration.

“Trailblazers” is the third installment of the creative duo’s annual “Inspired” series. The environment-oriented theme comes in conjunction with FCG’s Towns to Trails initiative — a long-term endeavor to link towns, transit hubs, and popular trailheads with a 200-mile loop encircling the Gorge.

Longtime culinary artist and pastry-maker Wood, owner of Polly’s Cakes in Hood River for 17 years, was invited to become a member artist at 301 Gallery in 2022. The University of Oregon School of Art + Design alum returned to ceramics around seven years ago and served on the board of FCG from 2009-2017.

Wood’s connection to the Gorge is rooted in botanical love. Though not officially featured in “Trailblazers,” her ceramic mugs, featuring Canna flowers, dot the gallery. Her partnership with FCG has introduced several creative connections, including on-display graphic artist Allie Yacina, who has contributed to the nonprofit’s brand design.

“I hope [visitors] feel a sense of connection and a sense of place,” Wood said. “Conserving place works as a catalyst to inspire artists. They tend to gravitate towards special, beautiful areas, in part due to conservation efforts. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”

Rehfield, known for creating Maryhill Museum’s annual outdoor painting event “Pacific Northwest Plein Air,” has lived in the region since 1992. Initially from Austin, Texas, the landscape specialist has taken classes across the country to master her craft. Her gravitational pull as a local artistic influence helped populate the exhibition with some of the region’s top landscape artists.

Portraying iconic Gorge vistas, including waterfalls and sunbaked, rolling hills, Rehfield’s vibrant work stuns in familiar greens, blues, and beige. “This landscape is a painter’s dream. Everywhere you look is a painting,” she said. “I can’t even express how influential it is.”

Portland-based guest artist Zebith Thalden fully embraced the event’s emphasis on conservation in her creative approach; her acrylic paintings, “Turtle Haven” and “Scute!” portray the relationship between the Northwestern pond turtle and invasive bullfrogs. She recently visited a crop of FGC-purchased land for inspiration, where the organization is working with several conservation groups to protect turtle populations.

Thalden has been a nature illustrator for nearly 20 years and loves getting up close and personal with her earthly subjects. Both paintings on display offer an otherwise inaccessible vantage point — from a small animal’s view, say — that stations the viewer on level with the subject. “Turtle Haven” is an “exploration in reflection,” Thalden explained, overlapping transparent, rippling pond water with mirrored trees, sky, and chem trails. “It’s amazing to get into the issues, the ways that species are thriving or struggling, and to be able to represent that pain and describe it to others.”

She hopes that spectators understand the layers of beauty the Gorge has to offer, where large vistas house finite details and species living independently. “We have an opportunity to assist them so that they can thrive along with us as neighbors,” Thalden said.

“Inspired III - Trailblazers” is on display through June and July. For more information, visit www.301gallery.com.