Elizabeth Gerth, Melissa Dow, Nate Luna art show
Elizabeth Gerth is a Vancouver, Washington–based artist working in painting and sculpture. She began her portrait painting career in 2025, creating stylized, character-driven figures that draw from both historical influence and imagined narrative. Her work focuses on women of counterculture and figures from the past, reinterpreting them through a contemporary, often surreal lens. Gerth is interested in capturing personality, attitude, and quiet intensity, using bold visual elements to bring her subjects into a space that feels both familiar and otherworldly. A former chef, she holds three degrees focusing on art, pastry, and nutrition. This multidisciplinary background informs her practice, particularly in her attention to detail, composition, and craftsmanship. Her process balances structure with intuition, resulting in work that feels both deliberate and expressive. Through her portraits, Gerth explores identity, storytelling, and the lasting imprint of women who exist outside traditional narratives.
Melissa Dow
“I was born in the Bay Area, and have lived most of my life in Portland, Oregon. I’ve been obsessed with drawing since I could scrawl a line, and haven’t stopped since. I graduated from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2007 with a BFA in Illustration. I’ve studied various art disciplines in the years since, including: character and prop design for visual development, digital painting and caricature. I began tattooing in 2016, which I continue to do part-time while working for the City of Portland at the Multnomah Arts Center, with a goal of focusing more on selling art locally and taking illustration commissions. My work continues to be largely defined by texture, line and shape, with a focus on stylized portraiture and all things pop culture. I’m continuously interested in exploring the nebulous middle ground between the strange and the real, the grotesque and the beautiful.”
Nate Luna
is a tattoo artist and visual designer whose work bridges the precision of graphic design, the raw energy of graffiti, and the narrative strength of illustration. His pieces draw from the visual language he’s developed on skin – bold lines, intentional composition, and a focus on movement – while expanding those elements into standalone works for the gallery. Luna’s style merges disciplined structure with expressive spontaneity. Influenced by street art’s immediacy and the clarity of design, he builds images that balance contrast, flow, and texture. Whether working in black and gray or color, his artwork carries the same commitment to storytelling and visual impact that defines his tattooing. In the gallery, Luna’s work highlights the shared rhythms between tattooing and contemporary art; mark-making identity, symbolism as language, and imagery that resonates across mediums. His pieces invite viewers to consider the crossover between skin, canvas, and urban space while sharing a love of culture, history, and the present. Nate Luna currently tattoos at The Hive Tattoo in Portland, Or.
Starts on: 06/25/2026
Ends: 07/27/2026