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.