Amelia Opie, Jillian Moody, Kathleen Powers, Maria Housley art show
Amelia Opie
paints people, except they are all portrayed as animals: Cats, and dogs are her preferred choices. She typically paints things that are goofy and upbeat. Occasionally even throwing in a visual joke or 2 into an artwork. This silliness and her vibrant color usage makes for pop paintings intended to bring a level of joy. Living in a post-pandemic world, she whole-heartedly believes in not making dreary or sad artwork. Amelia lives with a husband, an autistic adult son, and one cat named Oreo. In her lifetime she has primarily resided in Pennsylvania and Oregon. However, the majority of her life has been spent in Portland, Oregon. She hopes to live in Portland and make paintings forever, and ever, or at least until she has one foot in a coffin. That is how deeply she loves both.
Jillian Moody
started wood burning when she spent a year on a Kentucky farm with no money for oil paint or canvas. Although those were crude burnings on upcycled fence beams, they were the beginning of an obsession. The A Modest Little Mouse show is meant to show our connection, from the smallest critter to the tallest tree, from humans to stars. She sketches them by hand, then woodburns over the drawings and uses stain and polycrylic finish to complete them. They each take several weeks to months, depending on the piece. This show is also a tribute to the band, Modest Mouse, as their music has always felt like a portrait of humanity reaching for a connection and seeking their place in the universe. Jillian is also a teacher and an author.
Kathleen Powers
I am inspired to paint and write fables about animals like common opossums, birds, and rodents
because they are usually thought of as pests – or often, not even thought of at all. Yet, they live with us as vital parts of our shared ecosystem – as intelligent, highly adaptable survivors and protective parents to their young. I do not think they get the credit or spotlight they deserve.
Maria Housley
I love the marks a large brush can make for a small detail. There has to be some level of surprise in how the painting develops, even with the composition so planned out. I primarily paint people, or situations that are obviously influenced by people. It is normally a solitary figure going through some internal shift or realization. I use the palette knife for building up the textures and background, but I do paint the figure with paintbrushes. Finding the balance of what needs to be abstracted or more rendered is a constant dance.
Starts on: 05/28/2026
Ends: 06/22/2026