Wild Arts Festival sets NW artists free
Lori Presthus once observed an owl at a rehabilitation center, then went home to paint it on canvas with egg tempera, her medium of choice.
Although she’d seen the owl in a cage, she chose to set it against a natural backdrop instead — a starry night.
“I set it free,” she says.
Her other artwork depicts herons, egrets, crows, jays and a dizzying array of birds.
“I’ve always just been crazy about birds,” says Presthus, a cellist with the Portland Baroque Orchestra. “I feel like they’re part of man’s journey through time.”
The West Linn artist isn’t alone in her obsession. Seventy artists and 30 authors who also take their inspiration from wildlife and the outdoors will showcase their works at the 31st-annual Wild Arts Festival next week at Montgomery Park.
