Mysteries of Metal—Paintings by Heidi Balmaceda, Sculptures by Ben Dye

Although she lived as a child in Chile with her family, Heidi Marie Balmaceda has spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest. Her paintings often start with natural objects like trees or clouds which she then stretches and curls into something whimsical and fantastic. The new work is inspired by the Columbia Gorge. With solid color backgrounds and shapes in gold, copper or silver foil, her paintings are bold and graphic yet they suggest delicate mysteries of the cosmos.



Balmaceda is one of Onda's represented artists, and her work has been shown at both the Alberta and Lake Oswego locations. Her active exhibit schedule has also included two shows at Gresham City Hall (2009), a one person exhibit at Teatro Milagro (2009), a group show for Latin Heritage Month at Portland City Hall (2008), and exhibits at commercial venues such as Anthropologie in the Pearl District, Dragonfly Café, Borders and Cinetopia. She is scheduled for a show at the Sundance Resort in 2010.


With a degree in Ocean Marine Technology, Ben Dye worked as a commercial diver and, with art classes at Clackamas Community College and Marylhurst, he interprets his experience in the natural world. He uses recycled materials as raw stock, combining the original colors or rust patterns to create the finished look. He is interested in bringing a story to life from each piece.






















Dye was part of a group of creators of functional art who put together the influential "Table/Lamp/Chair" shows in the 1980's. More recently, because of the materials he uses, he has found a niche for his work in exhibits focused on outdoor art, including the Southeast Area Art Walk, Heart of Oregon, Hardy Plants Spring Sale, Clackamas Master Gardeners Fair, Wilsonvillle Festival of the Arts, Open Studios, Vancouver Recycle Fair, Gresham Art walk, Cracked Pots, Carlton Art walk, Art in The Forest, Crawfish Festival, Art in the Burbs.

July 30-August 25, 2009
Opening and Artists' Reception: July 30, 6-9 PM
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-6, Sunday, 12-4

Universes Big and Small—Sculptures by Pamela Grow and Paintings by Paul Solevad

Pamela Grow was born and raised in Australia and moved to the United States in 1969. Living on the Oregon and California coasts, she has collaborated with artists who helped define her spontaneous and slightly quirky style. She has worked with various media but found her passion in creating works of clay. She has exhibited at the Palos Verdes Art Center and Torrance Cultural Center in Southern California, as well as American Crafts Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and Phoenix Rising Gallery, Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the Pacific Northwest Sculptors.



Paul Solevad's work explores the idea of universality and connection. The greater “continuum” is expressed in creations of floating fractal symbols and shapes, small windows into our expansive reality. The ongoing continuity of nature, man, and the universe is melded in surrealistic expressionism. Solevad's most recent work delves further into the exploration of nature and form with the series of “Radiolaria” - single-celled organisms that express the fractal patterns seen on every level of our organic reality. He views this new work as meditative mandalas, allowing for contemplation and reflection.

June 25-July 28, 2009
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-6, Sunday 12-4
Opening and artists' reception: June 25, 6-9 PM

Onda at Latino Gay Pride

The gallery and I received an award last week during the Latino Gay Pride celebration. It's the second year the Mariposa Awards were given, and I was one of five individuals and/or organizations recognized, including the heads of the bi-lingual theatre group and the bi-lingual newspaper. The group of people involved in organizing the four major events of the festival did an amazing job and were a lot of fun too.




The theme for Portland Latino Gay Pride’s first celebration was called Noche de Familia y Mariposas/Night of Family and Butterflies. “Mariposa” is a slang term used in many Latin American countries to describe someone who is gay. For many, it was a term used in a disrespectful or derogatory manner. The committee decided to change that by celebrating who we are and taking PRIDE in the “mariposa” inside of all of us.

Onda Gallery featured in Travel Portland

Pablo and I were interviewed by Anna Sachse of Travel Portland about some of our favorite places on Alberta Street. The publication just came out and will be available through 2010.

Creatures and Creation—Sculptures by Miguel Illescas and Paintings by Cori Jacobs

Miguel Illescas is an Ecuadorian sculptor who specializes in animal figures indigenous to the Galapagos Islands and human figures of native folklore. The metal sculptures are exhibited in honor of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, ‘On the Origin of Species’.

Illescas' distinctive style features delicate balance and colorful surfaces. Since 1989, he has shown metal sculptures in individual and group shows throughout Ecuador and other countries, including a 2007 show at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC.. His work is in public and private collections throughout the world, including large scale public art works in Ecuador.


Cori Jacobs is an American artist who paints in her San Francisco, Nayarit (Mexico) studio. Her subject matter is cosmic and personal. She has always loved the world of art and creativity. Daily she continues her exploration of this mysterious and unknown place, drawing and painting the images that arise, the places she encounters, the emotions and the people that surround her.

Born in Oregon and a graduate of the University of Oregon, she began her travels in Mexico to improve her Spanish and fell in love with the country. With a background in anthropology and a passion for indigenous art and craft, she lived for a time with the Huichol people, studying the traditional arts of yarn painting, bead work and embroidery in a small mountain community.

May 28-June 23, 2009
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-6, Sunday 12-4
Opening and artists' reception: May 28, 6-9 PM

May 9 is World Fair Trade Day

World Fair Trade Day was established by the Fair Trade Federation as a salute to the people and organizations who have dedicated themselves to making Fair Trade what it is today, a solution not an issue. Fair Trade is not just about poverty, it's about the alleviation of poverty. Fair Trade is not just about climate change, it's the end of environmental degradation and bad practices. Fair Trade is about change.

Since 1998, Onda Gallery has been proud to exhibit recognized and emerging artists from the Pacific Northwest and abroad. The gallery has a strong commitment to support local artists and invest in those who believe in "Sustainability and Fair Trade" practices.

Onda Gallery is the only gallery in the Portland area dedicated to Fair Trade. All of our gift items come from the hands of artisans protected by the principles of fair labor laws, safe working conditions, preservation of cultural identity and self empowerment. Gift items come from Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Nicaragua and Peru.

Fair Trade/Environmental Art

In honor of World Fair Trade Day on May 9th, Onda Gallery - Lake Oswego and Alberta - will host exhibits by artists who incorporate recycled materials or speak to the importance of living sustainably. The Lake Oswego exhibit will be dedicated totally to Fair Trade/Environmental Art while the featured sculptor at Alberta, Joel Heidel, creates much of his work from recycled metal.

Abstraction: Paintings by Angel Matamoros and Sculptures by Joel Heidel

April 30-May 26, 2009
Opening and Artists' Reception: April 30, 6-9 PM

Angel Matamoros works with acrylic and mixed-media, but he enjoys experimenting with various styles, colors and textures. He uses a variety of techniques including multiple glazes, resists, encaustic, watercolor and oil pastel.

"My paintings are inspired by memories and emotions which I recreate using color, texture and the occasional line of type or collage element. A work is finished when it has conveyed an emotion or memory."

A native of Costa Rica, Matamoros now lives in Olympia, Washington.

Joel Heidel works primarily in abstract direct-metal sculpture. He has extensive industrial training and experience in torch, wire feed/ mig, oxy/acetalene and arc welding, plasma and torch cutting and has performed these tasks on a wide range of metal gauges and types. He is knowledgeable in many processes including acid etching, glass making, glass casting and can employ an extensive variety of disciplines and skills

"I seek to escape the preconceptions of forms and to find new juxtapositions of seemingly incompatible elements. I strive to achieve balance between elemental and complex shapes and forms, overcoming established expectations. My personal artistic approach extends to my collaborative work as well, where two or more artistic minds work in concert to create a piece of work."

Heidel and his wife Angelina Marino live in Portland and collaborate on public art projects.