Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Wall space at Portland Millworks becomes Wilsonville's newest art gallery

Showroom combines fine art with the beauty of doors and windows

• By: Michelle Te  
• Published: 12/8/2009 12:17:32 PM

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Artwork by Martha Warnington. Click the camera icon to view more images in the photo gallery.

Elysium: A garden or field at the end of a hero’s journey. Often referred to as “heaven.”

Sue Reynolds, a former educator turned supporter of the arts, believes she has created just such a place through both a Web site and now an art gallery in Wilsonville.

It’s been an interesting journey toward this resting place at Portland Millworks on Wilsonville’s westside, tucked behind Lazerquick, in the shadow of a looming Coca-Cola plant.

Yet, the juxtaposition of both business and pleasure provides a needed boost for struggling artists and home product manufacturers. Visitors to the showroom see how art enhances both the home and its architecture.

“It can be really hard to get someone into a gallery to view art,” said Reynolds, who lives in Portland. “But put art in a showroom like this, and it’s a whole different story.”

The beginning of the journey
Reynolds was an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College six years ago when her home burned down. Over the ensuing three years, she battled insurance companies and contractors to both build and furnish a new home as well as rebuild her former one.

The process showed Reynolds she had skills she didn’t know existed. Despite a successful career in both public and private classrooms at all levels, she encountered processes she never had before. At times, it was contentious, and seemed to be against her nature.

“When it was all done, I told myself I could do anything I wanted for the rest of my life,” she said. “I have done a lot of things. I’m generally fearless. But when I got through the contractors, and the managing big projects, I realized I had more skills than I was aware of.”

She considered three options: working with color and design in magazines, organizing homes, or supporting the work of artists.

The third option was “the door that opened first,” she said, when she met sculptor Katy McFadden.
Reynolds toured the artist’s garden and they struck up a friendship. Reynolds’ vision was a Web site that featured the work of outdoor art pieces. She planned to work with landscapers in placing these art pieces.
Now, three years later, that vision has expanded and deepened. The newly-formed Elysium Artists includes more than 20 artists, mostly in interior pieces, with another 10 exterior artists ready to join.

Her happiness in this venture is the opportunity to bring people together for fun.

“My greatest joy is that everyone plays well together,” Reynolds said. “That’s what I bring to this. You have to be a fabulous artist and fun to work with. All we do is have fun.”

Reynolds’ sister, Joan Carlson, whose artwork is displayed through Elysium Artists, brought Portland Millwork into the picture. Her husband is a part-owner in this door and window business. They offered free wall space to Elysium Artists, as well as the opportunity to have gallery showings.

The art was hung over Labor Day weekend, with soft openings in October and November. A holiday show is scheduled for Dec. 5, open to the general public.

Reynolds has sent pleas to artist and media groups. She hopes to be featured on Oregon Art Beat in January, and has invited the Northwest Society of Interior Designers for a tour.

“We’re testing our feet, and we’re learning,” she said. “It’s so much fun. And we’re selling artwork. The community has been ‘ridiculous’ in their welcoming.”

The Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council had its most recent board meeting in a conference room on Portland Millwork’s second floor and Reynolds hopes they continue. She has invited Wilsonville High School students taking art classes to hang and show their work in February.

She hopes a gallery showing that welcomes the students and their parents will provide more business for both her artists and for Portland Millworks.

“I hope people will see the art and also see this place as a resource,” she said. “At Elysium Artists, we operate from an abundance theory. We believe there’s enough for everyone. We can all thrive. We are building bridges with all kinds of businesses.”

With art galleries closing in various Portland locations, Reynolds see this new venture as a boost to the art community.

“We don’t see ourselves as competition with anyone,” she said. “We see ourselves as collaborating with everyone.”

What you’ll find
While doors and windows fill the floor space at Portland Millworks, the walls are filled with two-dimensional art pieces from a variety of artists in an interesting range of mediums.  Reynolds has filled spaces between doorways, hung art over coffee tables, and even decorated the bathroom walls.

“You have to be careful about who you choose to put in the bathrooms,” she said. “They have to be comfortable with it. But their art does get some good viewing time.”

The art adorns the stairwell, the hallways, and two upstairs rooms. A conference room has art hung there permanently. It includes original artwork, priced from $125 and higher. It also includes prints of original pieces, photography and notecards.

The large showroom, where the doors are displayed, has a rotating collection, based on new artists and pieces that sell. The doors themselves become a piece of artwork — including one that an artist pained to look like the intricate grain of wood.

While three walls of this room display artist’s watercolors, acrylics and fiber medium, a fourth wall provides its own unique display. This wall of windows allows showroom visitors to view the workshop down below.

Portland Millworks orders doors and windows, then does the finishing work right there in a large room below.

It’s quite a delight to Reynolds, who wants to choose two comfortable sofas for the visitors’ viewing pleasure.

“It’s like something right out of ‘This Old House,’” she said.

Details: www.elysiumartists.com.

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