News Release

Explore the “Painted Stories” of Maria Esther Sund adorning the Upstairs Gallery of the Newport Visual Arts Center, opening Saturday, November 5th . The richness of coastal diversity is celebrated as Sund incorporates her Latin heritage with stories of love, happiness, and loss portrayed through her mixed media collages. By loosely defining the narrative of her imagery, and constantly exploring a variety of techniques and materials, Sund invites the viewer into her creative expressions to engage in their own interpretations.

Maria Esther Sund was born and raised in El Salvador. She traveled abroad and studied art at Simmons College in Boston, MA and La Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. After living in California for 38 years, she has moved to Lincoln County where she spends time in her studio surrounded by views of the Salmon River. Sund has been painting for over 35 years, and is now incorporating the additive process of building collage layers with acrylic paint, glazes, and mixed media. She then journeys into the retractive process of excavating and exposing areas, revealing beauty beneath the surface. Focused and free intentional play keeps Sund tethered to the process of creating instead of preconceived results, allowing the process to guide her.

“Painted Stories” will be on display until January 15 th , with an artist talk on Dec. 3rd at 2pm. The Up Stairs Gallery is located inside the Newport Visual Art Center located at 777 NW Beach Dr. and is open Wednesday through Sunday 12-4pm. Parking is available in the building’s upper parking lots as well as the Nye Beach Turn Around.