Category: Spotlight on Our Members

There are some people that are sincerely sweet by nature. Their concern for others and kind words are never put on. When they ask, “How are you?” They genuinely want to know – and they have big enough shoulders to help carry your burden if that is the case. Holly Kroenig is one such person and we are blessed to have her not only as a member of the Guild, but one of our Gallery Managers.

Holly is actually one of our longest standing members. She joined TRAG in 2003, and immediately took the responsibility of hanging art in the Gallery for each rotation – and she has never stopped. From TRAG’s days at the old Friends of the Library store to the gallery at Singer Hill, Holly’s impeccable Artist’s eye displays our members’ artwork with flair and elegance. Colors are coordinated to best please the eye of the customer, and you will often see Holly tirelessly arranging and rearranging the pieces for the perfect presentation. Holly is renowned for her skill at Gallery coordination not just for TRAG but for our Community. She also runs the Art Pavilion at the Clackamas County Fair each year, and helps hang the art for the Charbonneau Art Festival.

Holly Kroenig is an award-winning artist in her own right. She regularly presents at her local gallery in Arizona, the Charbonneau Art show, and always at the TRAG Gallery. Her larger pieces of a locomotive train and a roaring lion were quickly sold when she first presented them, and customers often come into the Gallery specifically asking for her artwork. You can find more of Holly’s work at Fine Art America https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/holly-kroening/shop and Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/HollyJKFineArt. Holly is one of our most successful artists with the Guild, and we are so grateful and fortunate to have her. Next time you see Holly – thank her for her service. TRAG would not be what we are today without her.

Trieste Andrews, President
Susan Woodworth, Three Rivers Gallery & Gifts Manager

This month’s Kudo’s goes out to all the Artists who have worked so hard to make September happen:

• The Gallery – Susan Woodworth, Holly Kroening, Jeanne Kelley Brown, Cheri Bosserman, Yelena Shabrova, Trieste Andrews, and all the artists who applied for the first rotation
• SAGE project – Tamara Scott, Lynda Orzen, Kerry Edwards, Trieste Andrews, Yelena Shabrova, and all the Artists who submitted their work
• The Heritage Figures – Lucas Nickerson, Tamara Scott, Olivia Scott, Susan Woodworth, Judy Haas, Heather Merrifield, and Trieste Andrews
• The Mural Code – Trieste Andrews, Lynda Orzen, and Yelena Shabrova 

And let’s give a big shout out to some of our unsung heroes – the supportive husbands, families and friends who somehow get roped into most of the things we do. They not only sacrifice their personal time with us so we can pursue our passions but help out as well. John Woodworth who traveled back and forth to Salem with his wife Sue picking up slat boards for the gallery rooms, and then cutting and mounting them in the Gallery. Roger Rau, Trieste Andrews’ husband, who laid in the gallery carpets, made the boards for the Heritage Figures, and mounted new hanging kits in the café. And all of our wives, husbands, children and friends who support us every step of the way, who understand that “10 more minutes” on an art project sometimes turns into another hour – and understand that our passion for art is who we are – and love us anyway.

This month’s Kudos Korner contribution was given by multiple members of our Board:
 Lynne Collum
Silversmith, Fiber Artist

Lynne has been a member of the guild for over 10 years. She has participated in all the TRAG festivals and art shows mainly as a silver artist. In the past couple of years, she has fallen in love with her sewing and embroidery machine making purses and fun bags. One thing you probably don’t know about Lynne is that she does the bookkeeping for the gallery.

Years ago, when the gallery was in the Friends of the Library Bookstore, Lynne took over the gallery bookkeeping from Janice Gunderson. When Lynne took over, she worked with Karin Morey the bookstore manager to verify sales. After being in the bookstore for several years, the guild’s gallery was invited to move into the Singer Hill Café.

Lynne created an inventory sheet and price tags to help artists keep track of their work when on display and sold. Each month the receipts and inventory sheets are gone over carefully so artists will be paid accordingly. A lot of guild members probably haven’t met our illusive bookkeeper. Lynne lives in Molalla and doesn’t attend the monthly membership meetings. You will see her in the gallery the beginning of the month doing the books so our artists will receive payment for sold artwork.

We want to thank Lynne for her years of volunteering for the guild and the experience and expertise she brings to the gallery.

This month’s Kudo Korner contribution was given by multiple members of our Board:

 Lynda Orzen – Founding Member of TRAG.

Lynda Orzen has been involved with the Arts in Oregon City for over 20 years. She has been a strong voice of political activism for Oregon City for longer than that, and we are deeply grateful for her dedicated support in our community. Lynda is an integral part of our Three Rivers Artist Guild, and one of the main reasons we are in existence today.

Over the past two decades, Lynda has lent her personal involvement and support for the following art programs: The original Oregon City Arts Commission, the first Art Fair Event in Oregon City at Carnegie Park and the Pioneer Center which evolved into the Oregon City Festival of the Arts, the origination of our own Three Rivers Artist Guild, the main street “nomad” galleries in vacant retail and commercial spaces which is evolving into the SAGE project, and the origination of TRAG’s Holiday Show at the Pioneer Community Center.

However, Lynda’s accomplishments do not stop at promoting just Art in our Community. Lynda’s undying support for Oregon City also includes: serving as a member and Chair for Friends of the Library for more than 20 years, chairing the Political Action Committee for the new Library expansion, and working with the OC Police Department for a new police facility. All of these programs were passed and are still vibrant in part due to Lynda’s involvement. It is not surprising that Lynda was awarded Citizen of the year in 2015.

Lynda’s dedication for TRAG has never wavered. She still participates every year for the Festival of the Arts Committee, is a current and long-time member of our TRAG Board, manages the TRAG Holiday Show each year, publishes our TRAG newsletter each month, has recently volunteered to help with the Storefront Art Gallery and Events project (SAGE) which TRAG got funding for just last week, is assisting with the reinstitution of murals in Oregon City, and recently took a seat on the newest Oregon City Comprehensive Plan review committee to ensure that arts and culture take a prominent place in Oregon City’s overall plan.

I personally, as the current president of TRAG, would not know what to do without Lynda’s incomparable experience, input and willingness to give of her time. She is an exemplary model of what the word “volunteer” means, and how one person can change a City’s direction and culture. Please join me in giving Lynda a heartfelt Thank You and sincere acknowledgement of her support for the Three Rivers Artist Guild over the years. Let her be an example to all of us on how you can help our Guild and our community.

You are our hero!

This month’s Kudos Korner contribution was given by multiple members of our Board:Ingrid joined the Oregon City Arts community in the late 1990’s and continued to work with the Oregon City Festival of the Arts after the commission was closed. In 2007 Ingrid Aubry was one of the founding members of the Guild, and she has never stopped contributing to the success of our organization.  Her contributions include the Three Rivers Artist Guild logo which has been an emblem of Art in Oregon City for almost 14 years. Ingrid has also always been TRAG’s go-to person for almost all of TRAG’s postcards, flyers newspaper ads and posters. Her offerings include graphics for the Oregon City Festival of the Arts, the Gallery, the community art events, and the Gallery Artists receptions – just to name a few.

As an artist in her own right, Ingrid excels in all forms of photography. Her favorite medium is photocollage mixing whimsy and vibrant colors into a unique creative piece. Look at Ingrid’s photocollage works of the OC Arch Bridge or the St John’s Bridge (highlighted on TRAG’s website in May) and you will immediately recognize it as Ingrid’s. Here is an artist who has indeed found her voice. Ingrid’s many accolades include the cover of the Around Town Chamber of Commerce magazine for 2020 and displays at both the Museum of the Oregon Territories and the End of the Oregon Trail Museum. In addition to Oregon City’s own local exhibitions, Ingrid currently has an image that was chosen by the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in LA. This in fact is the second time they chose one of her pieces! Go to Ingrid’s website to see more of her work at  ingridaubry.com .

Please give Ingrid a shout out for all her work and dedication for TRAG – we would not be where we are today without her!

This month’s Kudos Korner contribution was given by multiple members of our Board:

Susan Woodworth is an amazing multi-media artist. Her art includes everything from birdhouse gourds, to painted glasswork, to jewelry made from her own ceramic beads. You can find Susan’s artwork on Etsy, Pinterest and Facebook. Her Susie Designs Facebook page shows her latest creations – https://www.facebook.com/SusieDesignsJewelry/. Susan is also a talented seamstress. Most recently she was named the Outreach Coordinator and Instagram Manager of “Sewing for Lives”, a nationwide organization that has made thousands of masks for the public during the current pandemic. Susan has recently been highlighted for her contributions to Sewing for Lives in three different newspapers and newscasts.

What TRAG is most grateful for is Susan’s volunteerism and her never-ending desire to help out. Susan is typically the first person to volunteer for any project or event that comes along. In fact, many times Susan will contact TRAG directly to ask if TRAG needs help when she sees an event announced. The responsibilities Susan took on just since January include: Marketing and Public Relations, Event Coordinator, Gallery co-chair, and OCFOTA committee member. Susan has also been one of our Artists for many of our community art projects including: Paint by Numbers, the Oregon City Heritage Figures, the Before I Die project, the Holiday show and the Oregon City Festival of the Arts.

Kudos and deepest gratitude to Susan Woodworth for being and exemplary member of the Three Rivers Artist Guild. We could never have accomplished as much as we have without you. Join me in giving Susan a heartfelt thank you. Like her pages on Facebook and Instagram and support her art and volunteerism!

This month’s Kudos Korner contribution was given by multiple members of our Board:

Yelena Shabrova   has been a colored pencil artist for over 10 years. Although her love of drawing impassions her to draw horses, landscapes, and flowers, her art reaches out to any number of subjects. You can find her incredibly beautiful artwork on her website at https://www.shabrova.com/.

Although Yelena has been with the Three Rivers Artist Guild only a few short years, she has recently become an integral part of our organization. Yelena’s vast and excellent computer skills are changing the TRAG website before our eyes. Connecting our artists to opportunities, updating our pages, creating an event calendar, posting events, and helping the Guild acquire the best financial bookkeeping system are only some of the tasks Yelena has undertaken since January. Additionally, she regularly takes on extra Gallery shifts if needed, and you will often meet Yelena and her husband attending many of the Guild members’ art shows – just to show their support. Kudos to Yelena for the small and large changes she has suggested, developed and executed for the board, the website, and TRAG’s members. If you see a post from Yelena on Facebook or Instagram, make sure you like or comment on her posting, and help support her as she has done for us!