Category: Artist – 2025

Meet Maricela, an artist with indigenous Guatemalan and Mexican roots. For her, creating art isn’t just about painting- it’s an act of reparation, a way to honor her culture and history with bold colors, popping florals, and a touch of realism inspired by impressionism. Every piece she creates is filled with emotion, and she hopes that when you see her work, you don’t just look at it–you feel it.

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My inspiration comes from the beauty of creation. In fact, the pleasure I have when painting is that, in my humble way, I can imitate the wonder of what God, the Creator of heaven and earth, has made! I love to capture the uniqueness of people who bear the image of God. This is truly an act of worship for me, and I hope that it brings joy to others.

I have lived in a variety of places; from a childhood centered mainly in Ohio, moving to small-town life in Germany as a young adult, and later acclimating to the big city of Tokyo, Japan. But since Portland has been home for almost 2 decades, the PNW has my heart!

When I am not painting, you can find me any day hiking the many trails in Forest Park or in the winter skiing on Mt. Hood, which is, of course, followed by a well-crafted latte!
People are my love— friends and family, but especially my husband and three children.

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Hello! My name is Caden Raleigh (aka archivistzines). I am a 17 year old ceramicist, painter, & multimedia artist. I focus on the surreal in life, beautiful and ugly.

My favorite things to create are those relating to biology, and anatomy – Nature, as I am fond to admit, is one of the most spectacularly nasty and simultaneously gorgeous things out there. Through my artwork, I aim to portray how these contrasting themes go hand in hand to create this wonderfully bizarre world we live in.

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Melissa Gonzales is a ceramic artist whose work reflects the tension between control and surrender. Through clay, she explores how anxiety and the pursuit of perfection shape both the maker and the material. Each vessel becomes a record of intention and release—where the hand’s search for order meets the clay’s quiet resistance. Rooted in geology and observation, her practice embraces imperfection as evidence of process, inviting a more honest dialogue with fragility, persistence, and the limits of control. She lives and works in the Pacific Northwest.

https://melissagonzales.org
Instagram: @melissa.gon
TikTok: @melissagonceramics

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My dog, Frolic, and I have entered the 97116 Art Show in the past few years, displaying Frolic’s fingerpainting skills. This year I am sharing my original photographs of Frolic. She is my 10 year old Jackahuahua, Service Dog for me, and Therapy Dog for elderly members of Forest Grove and surrounding areas.

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I am a painter and mixed media artist. I teach occasionally at places like the Walters Art Center and show at the Cannon Beach Gallery, where I am on the board. I love the 97116 show because it is organized by such a great group of women. It’s a wonderful show!

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Born in Nebraska and raised in Western Colorado, Zoe Stanek has found her place among the trees in Oregon’s Pacific Northwest. She is a writer and artist who takes inspiration from landscapes and everyday magic. She writes whimsical fairy tales about women and girls: slice of life stories of worlds just beyond our own. Her art follows suit, depicting playful scenes teeming with wonder.

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I have enjoyed painting for many years.  I use water based oils  or pastel pencils.  I like to use my own photos if possible, of flowers, forest scenery, and Oregon coast views as subjects for my paintings.   I also have done portraits in both oils and pastels.

 For several years before the pandemic I had a Washington County 4 H club focused on artwork.  I also served as our county’s 4 H Art Superintendent and as an art judge at the county fair.

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Originally from utah, ive lived in oregon now 2 years. Im 32 and live here with my partner and our furbabies. Ive always been an artist at heart, from doing those tracing books in elementary to working on art projects in French class in high school, art has always been my vise.

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I’m a watercolor artist from Cornelius with a love for creating whimsical and unique pieces. My work covers an eclectic range of subjects—from curious cats to the delightfully unusual. I believe art should be accessible to everyone, both in spirit and in price, and I hope my paintings bring a bit of joy and imagination to those who see them.

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My name is Beth Pansino, and I am a self-taught watercolor artist. A lifelong creative, I discovered the peace and joy of watercolor in 2022 after the challenges of the pandemic and postpartum depression. Painting helped me feel like myself again, and I realized how vital it was for me to set aside time each day to create. Three years later, I found myself being laid off from my day job in healthcare, and I decided to take it as an opportunity to pursue work I truly enjoy, and to start taking my art a little more seriously. So I took the plunge and started my own business: Effelyn Art.

I specialize in tranquil landscapes, inspired by my travels throughout the world, and at home here in the Pacific Northwest. I help others reminisce about their own travels and favorite places, offering a daily reminder of their happiest moments, and the beauty they’ve witnessed. My paintings are an invitation to take a moment to stop, take a breath, and notice something small but beautiful.

The paintings displayed today are from my French Windows and Doors series, inspired from pictures I took while traveling in Paris and Lyon France. If you have ever traveled to France, you likely also noticed the charming variety, ornate detail, and abundant flora of the architecture. If you would like a reminder of your time over seas, or know someone who has vacationed in France, or simply aspire to travel there one day, my paintings are for you!

You can find more of my artwork at:
• My website: https://www.effelynart.com
• Etsy: https://www.effelynart.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/effelynart

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Hi, I’m Marilyn Schmidlin, a Pacific Northwest native and fine art artist. I create abstract mixed-media and fine art photography inspired by the landscapes, textures, and light of the PNW. My work explores themes of healing, textures, human connection, and the beauty of nature.

I primarily work in limited-edition prints and original pieces that are designed to resonate with collectors, galleries, and thoughtfully curated spaces. My goal is to create art that invites reflection, connection, and a sense of calm, while complementing the spaces it inhabits. I am passionate about collaborating with venues that value contemporary, nature-inspired art.

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Heather Smith is a nature-inspired paper and mixed media teaching artist based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Blending traditional and contemporary quilling techniques with other media, she creates textured, tactile pieces that capture the beauty of landscapes and natural forms. Her art invites viewers to look more closely, uncovering both realism and a touch of whimsy in the familiar.

Heather is an active member of the North American Quilling Guild, the English Quilling Guild, and the Oregon Botanical Artists. She also shares her love of quilling and mixed media through regular classes at The Walters Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro and the Valley Art Gallery in Forest Grove.

You can find Heather online @Dalliance Creations Art Lab.

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Hello your friendly neighborhood artist! Age 23, he/him

A bit about me, I’m shy and passionate about the art world, I am both an artist and business owner! One of my goals Oneday is to have a physical location! making beautiful one of a kind artworks you won’t find anywhere else! I’m form ForestGrove and I’ve been here for over 16 years! Proud to be a local artist!

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Multidisciplinary artist who love spiders and toys. My art is something cozy, a piece from home, stretching across many mediums. Straight out of my art, transformed into something to hold, to touch, to see. Xoxoxo, Chuck

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April is a pop-conceptual artist and writer preferring to find beauty in the mundane, the grotesque, and the overlooked. She has an interdisciplinary studio fine arts degree and has been making art professionally since 2005, and teaching art since 2016. Children and adults take classes in various mediums through her teaching business, Artingales, in Forest Grove and surrounding towns.

Find April on

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilhoffart/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AprilHoffArtist
Website: https://www.aprilhoff.com

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