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Five works for Tohono Chul's "10 x 10 | A Fundraiser" March 9 thru May 26, 2024

10 x 10 | A Fundraiser opens Saturday, March 9 at Tohono Chul’s Exhibit House Entry Gallery. 
It's an invitational exhibit with top local artists offering a wide range of works no larger than 10 inches in any dimension. Each is priced at $100 and can be taken home immediately upon purchase. Displayed artwork will change over the course of the exhibition, with new works constantly being revealed. My five works are shown below.

FACE TO FACE ... an exhibition of Self Portraits

The Drawing Studio (where I monitor life drawing sessions on Mondays) has collaborated with Mariana de la Vega Art Gallery & Studio to exhibit a juried show of portraits and self portraits by The Drawing Studio community. I created a self portrait that reflects my current body of work, painting succulents on previously poured abstracts. “Self portrait with astrophytum,” watercolor on Fabriano Artistico cold press, 12 x 9 inches.

FACE TO FACE opening night: 4 to 7 pm, Friday, January 19, 2024, at Mariana de la Vega Art Gallery & Studio, 1918 E. Prince Rd. The show will be on display until Saturday, January 27, 2024. Visitors are welcome Monday thru Saturday 10 AM - 3 PM.

Self portrait with astrophytum

Four works to wrap up 2023 and welcome 2024!

  • "Ferocactus covillei unearthed" at Untitled Gallery’s “Small Works exhibition,” Dec.–Feb. 17, 2024.

  • “Agave parryi unearthed” sold at the 2023 Southern AZ Ronald McDonald House Party silent auction.

  • “Agave franzosinii at Tohono Chul” at the Steinfeld Gallery’s “Glitz & Glam” exhibition in October.

  • “Embedded.” at Artemiss Art Gallery & Event Venue’s premier exhibition “The Empowered Woman.”

A solo exhibition at Tohono Chul – 9/16 thru 10/22/2023

My exhibition, “Survival in the Sonoran Desert,” at Entry Gallery Project Space features 11 watercolors of succulents over pre-poured abstract elements, and eight assemblage works with grapevines and organics on cardboard.

I start each botanical watercolor as an abstract pouring that expresses the environmental conditions. Then I integrate the succulent into the pouring, allowing the botanical subject and abstract element to coexist – celebrating the symbiotic relationship between these unique plants and the harsh Sonoran Desert. The assemblage grapevine creations reference concepts in the cycle of life – rainfall, rebirth, and growth.

To visit the show, go to: www.tohonochul.org. 7366 N Paseo Del Norte, Tucson, AZ, (520) 742-6455.

POST SHOW UPDATE: Four collectors purchased six works of art from the exhibition. Special thanks to those patrons, and to Tohono Chul Gallery Curator James Schaub, Assistant Curator Karen Hayes, and the gallery staff and volunteers who helped!

DAYDREAMIN' – a show AND a sale!!!

In May, Steinfeld Gallery held a juried exhibition titled DAYDREAMIN’. And I had a work of art titled “She fed her daydream like the Ferruginous Hawk”. So submitting was a no-brainer. And now “She fed her daydream …” has a new home. Thanks Steinfeld Gallery for connecting my work with a savvy art collector!

“She fed her daydream like the Ferruginous Hawk” Graphite and ink on paper. 31.75” x 26”

The Drawing Studio, Community Foundation, and two botanicals.

The Drawing Studio held the debut exhibition of “Sixteen Summers” as a part of their January 2023 juried exhibition Celebration of Life. Then, in late February, it was accepted into the year-long campus-wide exhibition at Community Foundation for So AZ along with “Surviving drought’,” shown below. See both of these works in person in the large downstairs conference room on the CF campus through February 2024: 5049 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 201, Tucson, AZ 85711. Contact info@cfcampus.org to schedule a time to visit the CF campus to view these botanical works for sale.

“Surviving drought 1” Limited palette watercolor on pre-poured abstract. 30” x 22”

“Sixteen summers” Limited palette watercolor on pre-poured abstract. 30” x 22”

Steinfeld & Untitled Galleries – April & September 2022

In April 2022, I juried into the Steinfeld Gallery’s Celebration of Solitude exhibition with this figurative piece of @lifedrawingbarcelona model and contemporary dancer, Georgina, AKA: @gatxpsicodelicx. The painting now lives happily with a collector in Vancouver, WA.

“Absorbed.” Limited palette watercolor on pre-poured abstract. 15” x 22”

And in September of 2022, after I branched (pun intended) into painting botanicals over pre-poured abstracts, Untitled Gallery selected one of my works for their show STILL. This botanical was an Aloe vera gifted to me by a good friend. But several months after I planted it (in full sun, poor aloe), I uprooted it and gave it new life as a work of art.

“Aloe vera unearthed 1” Limited palette watercolor on pre-poured abstract. 15” x 15”

MAC Instructor Showcase – Fall 2021

The Multnomah Arts Center Instructor Showcase is November 5 – 29, 2021. Pop in and see what MAC instructors have created. See poster below for dates and times, then scroll down to preview one of my works in the show.

Even though I moved to Tucson this year, I was invited to join the show as a past MAC instructor. I have two figurative works of a life drawing model from Barcelona. One of the works, “Maria in lotus,” is featured here …

MAC Instructors Showcase – Fall 2019

My first Instructors Showcase In the Multnomah Arts Center Gallery is up now through December 2, 2019. Pop in and see what our talented instructors are creating.

Vantages - a collaborative work with Jodi Lightner, watercolor, ink on Yupo.

Vantages - a collaborative work with Jodi Lightner, watercolor, ink on Yupo.

Left: Austin. Liminal state. Right: Otter, Kaitlyn. Listening. Both works are from Hipbone Studio models, in walnut ink and watercolor on gessoed paper.

Left: Austin. Liminal state. Right: Otter, Kaitlyn. Listening. Both works are from Hipbone Studio models, in walnut ink and watercolor on gessoed paper.

Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts - a juried exhibition

Artist's Vision: Landscapes of the Imagination

Come see select works – created in collaboration with Jodi Lightner – in Landscapes of the Imagination @ Lakewood Center for the Arts Upper Hallway Gallery. This exhibit features scenes from the imagination, and the improbable.

Show Dates: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, June 21 – 23, 2019
Times: 10 AM – 9 PM, Friday & Saturday, June 21 & 22
Times: 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday, June 23
Where: Lakewood Center for the Arts, in downtown Lake Oswego
Address: 386 S. State Street, Lake Oswego, OR
Website:  Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts

Be sure to also see the Open Show @ Lakewood Center Pavilion Tent. Then cross the street to Art in the Park @ George Rogers Park for food, music, and over 100 artist booths. See web for easy shuttle parking.

“Cantilever” by Amber Vanhatala Stene and Jodi Lightner  To learn more about how we collaborated, scroll down to read the post: The Collaboration Process.

“Cantilever” by Amber Vanhatala Stene and Jodi Lightner
To learn more about how we collaborated, scroll down to read the post: The Collaboration Process.

Multnomah Arts Center Callery

The notion of self-similarity.” A two-person collaboration with artist Jodi Lightner, Multnomah Arts Center Gallery, Portland, OR, October 5-23, 2018

Artist's Reception: Friday, October 5, 2018 @ 7 – 9:00 PM
Show Dates: October 5 – 23, 2018
Where: Multnomah Arts Center Gallery in Multnomah Village
Address: 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR
Phone: 503-823-2787
Guest Juror: Nim Xuto
Website: Multnomah Arts Center Gallery

"The notion of self-similarity." by Amber Vanhatala Stene and Jodi Lightner

"The notion of self-similarity." by Amber Vanhatala Stene and Jodi Lightner

Au Naturel – The Nude in the 21st Century

I've been selected to show three of my figure works in the 12th annual international show, Au Naturel – The Nude in the 21st Century. Below is one work from the show. Collectors of the nude, come see all 61 works from 41 artists.

Artist's Reception: Thursday, February 22nd, 2018 @ 6:00 PM
Show Dates: January 25 – March 15, 2018
Where: Royal Nebeker Gallery, Clatsop Community College
Address: 1651 Lexington Ave., Astoria, OR 97103
Phone: 503-338-2472
Juror: Arvie Smith
www.aunaturelart.com

Chrystal. Anticipation. Walnut ink on paper. Model from Hipbone Studio. 2017

Chrystal. Anticipation. Walnut ink on paper. Model from Hipbone Studio. 2017

UMKC Gallery of Art Presents: Body-Mind Entente

If you're in KC now through February 26, 2016, stop in at UMKC's Gallery of Art to see how works from Reinventing Self add to the conversation on body-mind connections. It's all part of an interdisciplinary approach on building identity curated by UMKC'S Graduate Art History Association. 

Getting back to life drawing.

Kayleigh reclining. Short pose at Hipbone Studio. June 2015

I've been drawing the figure at a variety of open studio venues here in Portland. This sepia-colored work is walnut ink on paper. See figure studies for more works from live models.

It's show time in Kansas City!

The collaboration work I did with Jodi Lightner, Reinventing Self, will be on display at Weinberger Fine Art from December 5 through January 5, 2015.  Come see it! To learn more, read the post: The Collaboration Process.

The Collaboration Process

In my work, I often combine rendering modes. And so naturally I began to wonder how it would be to combine rendering modes between two artists in the same work.

I asked grad school colleague, Jodi Lightner, if she'd consider working in collaboration with me. I sensed that our different styles and preferred subject matters could complement each other with contemporary results. She took me up on the idea instantly, even though we were separated by 900 miles

Here's a quick look at our collaborative process. (Click left image to toggle through to a larger view of each stage.)

First, we decided on the theme Reinventing Self, based on the common experience of reshaping our lives after grad school. Then, we agreed on the rules: flexibility, autonomy, and trust. We responded creatively to the other's work over the distance of three states. We'd each start a work solo, ship it off with a brief explanation of our intention, then allow the other person to contribute without further discussion, unless requested. 

We played to our individual strengths: Jodi created the environments, I painted the figures. We each started six of the twelve works. Starting a work gave the lead artist opportunity to concept the direction and title the work. Continuing a piece challenged the second artist to further that concept, which often resulted in expanding the intended meaning in new ways. 

Reinventing Self, a collaboration of 12 works by Amber Stene and Jodi Lightner will be showing at Weinberger Fine Art in Kansas City, Missouri, from December 5, 2014 through January 15, 2015.