Hillsboro, OR. -Sequoia Gallery and Studios is holding it's first Holiday Gift Sale Nov. 22 and 23 from 10AM to 4PM each day. The public can visit with artists and purchase original art at affordable prices at this special show. Additionally, the main Gallery will be open both days. Further information at 503-693-0401 or visit our website at www.sequoiagallerystudios.org . Sequoia Gallery + Studios, 136 SE Third Ave., Hillsboro, OR 97123

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association, DBA Sequoia Gallery and Studios, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting fine art in the community. The goals of the association are to offer a variety of programs and events that teach and display art; to provide an environment for interaction among artists and the development of creative ideas; to provide opportunity for artists to exhibit their work; to enrich the community through innovative outreach and in-house programs.

Sequoia is an innovative gallery that strives to put the power of selling art in the artist's hands. Currently there are 33 member gallery artists, 13 of which occupy studios in the same building. Work from all association members is on display in the gallery.

The new Sequoia Gallery and Studios in downtown Hillsboro is accepting applications for studio space and gallery membership.

Applications and digital or slide images of artwork will be accepted through Nov. 11. To receive an application packet, call 503-693-0401 or stop by the gallery at 136 SE Third Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97123.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association, DBA Sequoia Gallery and Studios, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting fine art in the community.

The goals of the association are to offer a variety of programs and events that teach and display art; to provide an environment for interaction among artists and the development of creative ideas; to provide opportunity for artists to exhibit their work; to enrich the community through innovative outreach and in-house programs.

Sequoia strives to put the power of selling art into the artists' hands. There are 33 member artists, 13 of whom occupy studios. Work from all association members is on display in the gallery.

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The art of Tim Gault, Vergie Ries and JoAnn Wellner will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery & Studios' November featured artists show...

Because this is election night, the gallery will close promptly at 8 p.m., and the artists will also be asking people to cast one more vote - for their favorite piece or artwork. A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, Nov.6, from noon -1 p.m. The show continues through Nov. 29.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, located in the gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Tim Gault's current Spiritual Warfare Series in oil on canvas interprets events and biblical promises as if seen from the spiritual realm peering into the physical world. Also showing are works from his Abstract Watermedia Series - watercolor and acrylic inks on paper.

Vergie Ries is presenting "Sonoma Color," a series of eight watercolor paintings that highlight the area's historic plaza and its surroundings, in the heart of the California wine country.

JoAnn Wellner's fused glass creations reflect the floral images she remembers from her grandmother's garden, combined with landscapes painted with glass.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 34 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Work from all association members is on display in the gallery.

Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Studio artists are in their studios every Tuesday from noon to 4 p.m., and First Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work when they are in. Classes offered at Sequoia, include life drawing, acrylic painting, watercolor, drawing heads and hands, weaving, ceramic boxes, felted hats, mosaic and painted gourds.

A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

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The art of Carl Annala, Kathleen Chamberlin and Sylvia C. Tucker will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery & Studios' October show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on Oct. 7 from 6-8 p.m.

A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, Oct. 9, from noon -1 p.m. The show continues through Nov. 1.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, located in the gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue. Carl Annala will show paintings that, as he says, "embody the joy, pain and curious uncertainty of childhood."

Meant to be bitter and playful, Annala's new work combines portraiture with something else to create a surreal effect, focusing on a balance between playful and perfected.

Kathleen Chamberlin sees all things as texture and color.

Chamberlin's love and enthusiasm for repurposing recycled objects and materials is apparent in all of her work. She is known most for her tin can necklaces, but for this show she has expanded her unique collages to include wall art.

Sylvia C. Tucker's work is typically characterized by atmospheric landscapes that focus on ways that people have made a mark - buildings, fences and paths. For this show she is presenting a new series of seasonal still lifes that include both natural and manmade objects.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 34 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Work from all association members is on display in the gallery. Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Studio artists are in their studios every Tuesday from noon to 4 p.m., and First Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work when they are in.

Classes offered at Sequoia include life drawing, acrylic painting, watercolor, drawing heads and hands, weaving, ceramic boxes, felted hats, mosaic and painted gourds. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

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The art of Bonnie Burbidge, Ellen Jackson and Eileen Kane will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery + Studios' September featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on Sept. 2 from 6-8 p.m.

A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, Sept. 4, from noon -1 p.m. The show continues through Sept. 30. All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, located in the gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Bonnie Burbidge is a plein air colorist who often returns to the same location at different times of day and in different seasons, looking for newness, as well as the familiar. She will show a series of oil paintings focused on ordinary moments, local landscapes and urban setting.

Growing up in The Philippines, Ellen Jackson often witnessed the fury of the volcano Mayon, with its streaming scarlet flows of lava. The elasticity and malleability of molten lava led, in part, to her fascination with the medium of fused glass. Featured in the show will be different and varied forms of art in glass, all awash with the colors that she remembers from her childhood.

In Eileen Kane's previous career she was a research scientist in microscopy, so it isn't a surprise that she is always experimenting with new materials and approaches to her work. But through it all, the human figure is her predominant subject and line is the dominant element. This show will include new work in ink, or ink and watercolor.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 34 artists, 14 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery. Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues. The gallery and studios are open Tuesday from noon to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours. Classes are also being offered at Sequoia, including life drawing, acrylic painting, watercolor, drawing heads and hands, weaving, ceramic boxes, felted hats, mosaic and painted gourds. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

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The art of Rebecca Buchanan, Claire Duren and Beth O'Mahony will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery & Studios' August featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on Aug. 5 from 6-8:30 p.m.

A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, Aug. 7, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The show continues through Aug. 30.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, located in the gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Although she can paint portraits, landscapes and figures, Rebecca L.S. Buchanan doesn't want to paint the "pretty" things in life. Instead, she is drawn to mystery. Her abstract paintings in oil for this show are based on the body, mindful of exterior forces and rebellion to things unchangeable.

Claire Duren's focus is her paintings of places that she has visited that have captured her imagination and motivated her to paint. An example is a skating scene in Budapest, she said. On a cold, winter day she came upon the skaters in a magical scene that included a castle and bathhouse as a backdrop. She said she couldn't wait to translate what she saw to canvas.

Beth O'Mahony's pottery forms are inspired by ancient designs and are made using both primitive and modern building and firing techniques, accompanies by handwoven rugs of various sizes that are made using natural materials.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 34 artists, 14 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery.

Sequoia is part of the City of Hillsboro's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery and studios are open Tuesday from noon to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours. Classes are also being offered at Sequoia, including life drawing, collage, pastels, wire sculpture, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available on the website and at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

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The art of Katherine Friday, Christy Perrine and Darlene Schaper will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery & Studios' July featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on July 1 from 6-8 p.m.

A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, June 3, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The show continues through Aug. 2.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, located in the new gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue. When she retired from a career in advertising, where she had worked as a layout artist, illustrator, designer and art director,

Katherine Friday turned her talents exclusively to the Fine Arts. Much of her work has focused on miniatures, and she had two paintings in the first World Federation Exhibit held at the Westminster Gallery in London, in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Miniature Society.

Christy Perrine says she was born with a drive to create. Today, she paints, not to relax, but because she has to. She was a mental health therapist whofinds inspiration in nature. Her "Reflection" series depicts body, soul and spirit in vibrant pastels.

Many of the references for Darlene Schaper's work come from her childhood memories mixed with present nighttime dreams and cultural myth. As a mixed-media artist, she has been influenced by children's stories, especially those that revolve around female characters. Her work has been featured in Ceramics Monthly and Art Doll Quarterly.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 35 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery. Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery and studios are open Tuesday from noon to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours. Classes offered include life drawing, collage, pastels, wire sculpture, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

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The art of Lauren Black, Grace Henson and Jos?molensky will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery & Studios' June featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on June 3 from 6-8 p.m. Music will be provided by singer/songwriter Lee Clingman. A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, June 5, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, located in the new gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Lauren Black started painting after a career as a classical dancer. She is drawn to abstract work, mixed media, using paper and other mediums. Her work is painted on wood panels, which are coated with a layer of dress pattern paper, along with another coating of a rust medium. Some of her pieces also include patina copper, giving them a weathered look. Her work carries a central theme based on capturing the movement of time.

Art has always been the connecting thread throughout Grace Henson's life and career, whether as an educator, commercial and graphic artist or scientific illustrator. When she retired, she found herself free to enjoy her art in any medium she chose. Currently she is working with acrylics, using large brushes, working in a larger format and achieving colors that "you can almost taste or smell" and always with a sense of humor.

Jose Smolensky is a wood sculptor and musician who was born, raised and educated in New York City. She spent the "first 50 years of her life" teaching, playing with big bands, such as Judy Garland, Liberace and symphonies in many states. Now, she concentrates on her artwork in her favorite medium, woodcarving.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 35 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue. Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery. Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues. The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and until 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours.

Classes are also being offered at Sequoia, including life drawing, collage, pastels, wire sculpture, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

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On May 6, the Hillsboro Downtown Business Association celebrated the one-year anniversary of its First Tuesday ArtWalk by featuring the artwork of Hillsboro's youth. Good weather and inviting stores brought out crowds for the event.

At Sequoia Gallery, a new show opened featuring the works of Bonnie Beall, Suzanne Ebert and Rosemary Reed. Visit the gallery at 136 S.E. Third Ave.

The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The current exhibit will run until May 31.

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Music, wine and fine art will be featured at the May 6 First Tuesday opening at Sequoia Gallery & Studios.

The May gallery show features works by Bonnie Beall, Suzanne Ebert and Rosemary Reed.

The Hillsboro-based group, Amadeus Jones, which plays Celtic, jazz, folk and classical music, will perform.

The artists' reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sequoia Gallery & Studios, 136 SE Third Ave., Hillsboro.

After a long career as a professional musician and many years of traveling throughout the world, Bonnie Beall began to study drawing and painting with a number of well-known local artists before turning what she had captured with her camera into paintings. She is especially fond of the landscapes and flowers.

Suzanne Ebert has been painting for many years, showing her work in solo shows and group exhibitions in Oregon and California. Acknowledging that her work tends to change every few years, she has most recently begun to explore the world of collage. Her work combines rich, deeply saturated colored papers with watercolor and acrylic, creating works with contrasting surfaces and richness of texture.

Self-taught, Rosemary Reed has a passion for creating fine art on gourds, and has been exhibiting and selling her work at juried art shows and festivals throughout Oregon and Idaho. Among the collectors of her work are the Idaho Elk Foundation and Sawtooth Lodge in Stanley, Idaho.

All three are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association. The group includes 35 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building in downtown Hillsboro.

Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery.

Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and until 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours.

Classes are also being offered at Sequoia, including life drawing, collage, pastels, wire sculpture, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, May 8, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

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Hillsboro, OR.--The art of Bonnie Beall, Suzanne Ebert and Rosemary Reed will be the focus of the Sequoia Gallery & Studios' May featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on May 6 from 6-8 p.m. A Brown Bag Artists' Talk will be held on Thursday, May 8, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, which recently moved into the new gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

After a long career as a professional musician and many years of traveling throughout the world, Bonnie Beall began to study drawing and painting with a number of well known local artists before turning what she had captured with her camera into paintings. She is especially fond of the landscapes and flowers.

Suzanne Ebert has been painting for many years, showing her work in solo shows and group exhibitions in Oregon and California. Acknowledging that her work tends to change every few years, she has most recently begun to explore the world of collage. Her work combines rich, deeply saturated colored papers with watercolor and acrylic, creating works with contrasting surfaces and richness of texture.

Self-taught, Rosemary Reed has a passion for creating fine art on gourds, and has been exhibiting and selling her work at juried art shows and festivals throughout Oregon and Idaho. Among the collectors of her work are the Idaho Elk Foundation and Sawtooth Lodge in Stanley, Idaho.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 35 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue. Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery. Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues. The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and till 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours. Classes are also being offered at Sequoia, including Life Drawing, Collage, Pastels, Wire Sculpture, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

The art of Sue Hacker, Linda Jerome and Gene Small will be the focus of the new Sequoia Gallery & Studios' April featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists on during First Tuesday on April 1 from 6-8 p.m.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, which recently moved into the new gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Sue Hacker is a photographer whose recent work has taken her into the garden to peer into the secret lives of insects. She has found them to be as curious about her as she is about them, and finds joy in being accepted into their world.

Linda Jerome paints with acrylics, using her children and grandchildren as her subjects and placing them in imaginary settings. She has also been working on botanical subject matter with colored pencil.

Gene Small's handmade furniture is created from wood rescued from Oregon's forests, clear-cuts, and riverbanks. Every piece is designed to create an interaction between the piece and its viewer, either by holding, rubbing, shaking or even talking to some of the figures that are integral parts of his work.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 35 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building at 136 SE Third Avenue. Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery. Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and until 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours.Classes are also being offered at Sequoia, including life drawing, collage, pastels, wire cculpture, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available at the gallery. For more information, call 503-693-0401.

The monthly Brown Bag art talk will be Thursday, April 3, in the Sequoia classroom.

Doors are open at 11:30 a.m. and the talks start at noon. Featured artists of the gallery will speak about their work and inspiration. The public is welcome to bring a lunch or just relax and meet the artists. Hacker, Jerome and Small will be featured on April 3.

The art talks are sponsored by the Human Bean Coffee Shop.

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Sequoia Gallery will hold Brown Bag art talks the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Sequoia classroom.

Featured artists of the gallery will speak about their work and inspiration. Those who attend are welcome to come bring a lunch, or just relax, meet our artists and then check out their work in the gallery.

On March 7, speakers will be Dick Wisshack, whose close encounters with whales lead to graceful bronze sculptures; and artists Carolyn Pettitt and Fran Richards.

The event is free and open to the public. Sequoia Gallery and Studios is at 136 SE Third Ave., in downtown Hillsboro.

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The art of Fran Richards, Carolyn Pettitt and Dick Wisshack will be the focus of the new Sequoia Gallery & Studios' first featured artists show, which opens with a reception for the artists during First Tuesday on March 4 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Beran Vineyards will offer a wine tasting during the event and music will be provided by Michael Shihjah. Johnny Fang and Mendy Smith of the Dartos Tali String Trio.

All three featured artists are members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, which recently moved into the new gallery and studio space at 136 SE Third Avenue.

Dick Wisshack is a marine life sculptor and artist whose work in bronze and clay reflects his eye-to-eye encounters with humpback whales in the Silver Bank Whale Sanctuary in the Dominican Republic.

Fran Richards paints with oil, acrylics and watercolor and her work often reflects her travels to Africa, France, Italy and Japan. For this show, however, she has focused on "The Oregon Outback," with scenes from the remote areas of Plush, French Glen, Steens Mountain and the Wallowas.

Carolyn Pettitt creates contemporary mixed media pieces that draw their themes from nature, working with silkscreen, block print, collograph, stencil, torn paper collage and acrylics.

The Hillsboro Visual Art Association includes 35 artists, 13 of whom occupy studios, in the renovated Terrace Plaza Building.

Work from other association members is also on display in the gallery.

Sequoia is part of the city's strategy to revitalize downtown with arts venues.

The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and visitors are welcome to watch the artists at work during operating hours.

Beginning in March, a variety of classes will also be offered, including life drawing, collage, pastels, wire sculpture, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic painting, among others. A complete schedule is available at the gallery.

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Have you visited downtown's new Sequoia Gallery yet? It offers a spacious setting for fine art, including ceramics and art-to-wear. You may visit working artists in their studios above the gallery.

In addition to the 13 artists who rent studio space in the building, there is an active association of more than 20 other artists who are responsible for staffing the gallery. Each of the gallery-only artists pays an annual fee to belong to the association, to be able to show work there, and to be featured in one show a year.

Click here to see samples of the artists' work. Or visit the gallery at 136 S.E. Third Avenue.

The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturdays. When you stop in to visit, you will also be able to meet one or more of these artists: Lynn Adamo, Carl Annala, Bonnie Beall, Bonnie Burbidge, Gordon Campbell, Kathleen Chamberlin, Darris Dietz, Claire Duren, Suzanne Ebert, Katherine Friday, Sharon Haywood-Hoff, Ellen Jackson, Carolyn Pettitt, Rosemary Reed, Victoria Shepard, Valerie Sjodin, Gene Small, Paula Smith-Danell, Jose Smolensky, Jeanette Stewart, Kimberlee Weisker, JoAnn Wellner, Dick Wisshack.

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The new Sequoia Gallery is open at 136 S.E. Third Ave. Sensitive design has adapted the old Terrace Plaza Building to its new use. It retains its central staircase, wood floors on the second story and the historic skylight. JoAnn Le and David Horsley of DAO Architecture made several changes -- including opening up the low mezzanine ceilings, adding textured glass doors to the studio spaces and sealing the original concrete floor -- to create a welcoming space for the public and participating artists. Improved ventilation, full-spectrum lighting, a kitchen area and the hum of activity ensure a healthy, productive working environment.

On the first floor, Class Cuts and Arcade Books will remain as tenants, sharing the building with the new art gallery. Upstairs, at the mezzanine level, individual art studio spaces provide light, space and companionship for 13 artists: Eileen Kane, Beth O'Mahony, Vergie Ries, Fran Richards, Sylvia Tucker, Rebecca Buchanan, Darlene Schaper, Lauren Black, Grace Henson, Christy Perrine, Tim Gault, Sue Hacker and Linda Jerome.

Gallery visitors may watch the artists at work in their studios during operating hours. The gallery and studios are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (winter hours).

Originally trained as a scientist with a Ph.D. in anatomy, Kane changed careers when her children were young and earned a degree in Fine Arts from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1987. Early in her career, she belonged to the Blackfish Gallery artists cooperative in Portland, where she learned how a cooperative functions. She has coordinated the efforts of the new Hillsboro Visual Art Association and its 35 members as they prepared to open and will continue to guide the group in future exhibits at Sequoia Gallery.

In its opening phase, the gallery features work by all the artists. Future shows will focus on three association members each month.

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"Coming soon" will become "come on in" Monday as the Sequoia Gallery and Studios opens its doors to the public.

Members of the Hillsboro Visual Art Association, the 35 artists who have joined this cooperative venture, were hard at work beginning Thursday arranging displays and selecting pieces for the initial show in the newly completed gallery space fronting at 136 SE Third Ave. Works from each of the artists in the cooperative will be displayed in this initial group show, said Claire Duren, a member of the association's Exhibit Committee, who herself creates with oils.

This all-member show will continue through February, and the gallery will be open during the Feb. 5 First Tuesday downtown art walk. An official grand opening and featured show is slated for March 4.

In the meantime, artists will settle their equipment and supplies into the 13 rental spaces located mainly upstairs in the newly renovated mezzanine level.

Once these spaces transform into functioning studios, each participating artist is required to allow the public to wander through and observe them at work at least one day each week during gallery hours, said Rene Heade, of the Hillsboro Economic Development Department.

For Heade, The Sequoia's opening is the culmination of a project on which she has focused since August. Before plans crystallized around Third Avenue's Terrace Plaza as the available downtown site best suited for the project, the empty former Wells Fargo Bank building at the corner of Southeast Fourth Avenue and Main Street had been proposed as a potential "Art Bank" to house the gallery and studios.

That location, prime for redevelopment, would have been, at best, a temporary home for Hillsboro's latest cultural center. Instead, The Sequoia is secure at its present site for at least five years.

Because of that commitment, those involved are especially concerned with making the initial show a success.

"We're dealing with artists who all want the opportunity to exhibit," said JoAnn Wellner, Sequoia member and co-chair of its Exhibits Committee, as others bustled around her in the gallery Thursday.

"We all have our own ideas about nice design and placement. It's kind of chaos right now, but we are finding our way," Wellner said.