An Uncommon Beauty: ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vicki Shuck has worked in fine art and illustration for over thirty years. Born and raised in the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon, she received her BA in Art from Oregon State University in 1975 and went on to exhibit her paintings, drawings and prints from that time to the present throughout the United States.

Though she has explored many styles, subject matter and techniques, she continues to be highly influenced by American painters of the first half of the 20th century--John Sloan, Reginald Marsh and George Luks among them. Depicting people in their "everyday lives" continues to captivate her imagination and work. Her artwork is in numerous private collections throughout the US, Canada and western Europe.

Shuck also illustrates for various book publishers, creating illustrations with religious subject matter for all age groups. Too, she teaches drawing, painting and printmaking to adults and children through Artists in the Schools programs and community education. She resides in Bend, Oregon, with artist/husband, Gary Vincent and their furry four-legged best friend, Tobey.

Janice Macarthy Druian and her husband, Greg, live above the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. From her studio there is an unimpeded view of the Cascade Mountains to the west ad the high desert and Ochoco Mountains t the east.

An undergraduate minor in Fine Art (University of California at San Francisco) was followed by a Masters degree (Cum Laude) in Art Education at the University of Oregon. There she studied with Laverne Krauss, Tom Fawkes and Frank Okada. As a graduate student her work was primarily figurative. Upon moving to central Oregon, the beauty of the high desert was so compelling that she moved to landscape, and particularly plein air painting. Like may other landscape painters she believes that plein iar painting is an essential part of being a serious studio landscape painter.

An important part of this journey has been learning from other painters--members of the Plein Air Painters of Oregon, and fine teachers like Ken Auster, Joshua Been, Jean LeGassick, to name a few. She is also influenced by her art hero, the late Maynard Dixon and current painters, William Wray and Jean LeGassick.

Janice's work is displayed at several galleries in the region. She has also participated in invitational and juried shows in many galleries, colleges and museums.

THE PROJECT IN A NUTSHELL by Vicki Shuck

The seed for this project was planted in 2001 after the water crisis began in earnest in the Klamath Basin. Suddenly seeing how a way of life (rural, agricultural) was on such a precarious ledge, I began thinking that I wanted to somehow document the place I grew up in and valued so much. As an artist, my natural way to do this is through creating images; I particularly love to paint and draw people. Enter an artist/friend, Janice Druian, who is enamored with painting the High Desert Landscape suggesting she paint the land associated with the people. With that, the project has begun to become a reality. We are celebrating our first exhibit of the work coming up in April 2012 and are excited about how it will evolve after that.

Vicki Shuck's Statement about the Project

My goal with this project is to honestly paint life as it is and to be true to the lives of the people who have agreed to let me paint them. I am continually amazed and gratified at the generosity of the people I have talked to for this project and their desire to let their stories and concerns be known by others. Whether the people are working in agriculture of some sort or not, their lives are directly affected by it. And with that, also directly affected is the very existence of the community. Growing up on a farm near Merrill, a small town in southern Oregon, and then living in more "urban" areas during my adult life, I have grown to appreciate how small towns and rural areas embody the meaning of "community". I believe that the health of these areas is integral to the overall health of our state, our nation and our world. It is in that spirit that I celebrate these people, the work they do and the way their lives are interwoven with each other's and the land in which they live.

Janice Druian's Statement about the Project

My goal is to explore and better understand the west, specifically the Oregon farm and ranch lands that are east of the Cascade Mountains--the dry side. I feel incredibly fortunate to live on a cliff overlooking the Deschutes River outside of Terrebonne, Oregon. From most of my windows you have a view of either the Cascades, Mt. Hood, Smith Rock or the Ochoco Mountains to the east. It is this view that nourishes my soul. But I like painting beyond my immediate horizons. Over the years I have developed a passion for the really remote areas of Oregon. It is those locations that inspire me. The opportunity to accompany Vicki as we get to know the people who live and earn their livings on this beautiful and remote land has been extraordinary. I want this project to go on for a long time.

An Uncommon Beauty

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

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