Palate to Palette
Talented winery owners paint the Valley
By Hilary Berg
Candice Cameron
Atop Pheasant Hill Vineyard, a micro planting west of McMinnville, on the southern edge of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, owners Candice Northup Cameron and husband Colin Cameron enjoy a view of the Cascade Range and Valley below. The vineyard offers a counterbalance to busy careers in education. Having earned a master’s in art education, Candice continues to paint (oils, acrylics and watercolor) and has been juried into large and small shows. In addition, she’s established Artisan Murals & Design, a business combining her love of fine art and interior design. Her paintings reflect the colors and diverse geography of Oregon. She says, “Inspiration comes from the many incredible vistas, picturesque vineyards and ever-changing light that is the vernacular of Willamette Valley’s countryside.” From their one square acre of grapes, Apolloni Vineyards produces Pallino, a custom-crush label for the Camerons.
www.candicecameronfineart.com
www.pheasanthillvineyard.net
Clare Carver
On a 120-year-old farmstead outside Gaston, Clare Carver wears many hats: She raises chickens, Irish Dexter cattle and heritage breed pigs, and works her draft horses, Hummer and Houston. Carver’s also a winery owner, executing the marketing and hospitality of Big Table Farm Wines, a brand she founded in 2006 with winemaking husband Brian Marcy. Oh, and she’s an accomplished artist, too. Her current subject matter: the 70-acre farm and surrounding Willamette Valley. Her style: Rich and immediate with a signature depth of color. Carver has exhibited her art (oils and drawing) throughout the Bay Area, the Northwest and Australia, including many solo shows. She studied on the East Coast at Tyler School of Art and has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
www.clarecarver.com
www.bigtablefarm.com
James Frey
With degrees in exercise physiology and business from UC Berkeley and the University of Arizona, James Frey seemed an unlikely winemaker or even artist. Nonetheless, in 2003, he and his wife, Andrea, moved their family to Oregon to establish Trisaetum, a winery located in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, plus three estate vineyards. Painting since his 20s, Frey is known for his complex, large-scale abstract paintings, textural interpretations of places and experiences. His landscapes primarily reflect the ever-changing moods of the Willamette Valley, while many of his other abstract works reveal the emotional expressions of his profession as a winemaker, often incorporating vineyard soils, grape skins, vines and other organic plant matter. His art is currently on display throughout the U.S., as well as the U.K., France, Sweden, Canada and Brazil. A gallery of his artwork is featured at Trisaetum.
www.jamesfreycollection.com
www.trisaetum.com
Art of Sparkling
Argyle + PNCA = Cool Collaboration
In late September, Argyle Winery and Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University (PNCA) proudly unveiled the 2021 Art of Sparkling artwork at a special reception held at the winery’s Dundee tasting room.
Established by Argyle to support the talents of Oregon student artists, Art of Sparkling remains a unique collaboration with PNCA. Three students are selected to receive an Argyle scholarship, which involves creating original artwork used for the annual three-bottle set, and describing their creative process along the way.
The 2018 vintage brut set is available online at www.argylewinery.com.
The winners are listed below:
Hayato Kikkawa — “Evening that Delightfully Sparkles” (acrylics on cradled wood panel): The label was inspired by the relationship between an estate vineyard and adjacent clover field, representing improvisation in harmony with the unpredictability of nature. (pictured left)
Jakob Dawahare — “The Return” (digital and mixed media): Inspired by puzzles and broken fragments coming together, the label’s linework embraces the aesthetic of vine rows, creating a pattern much like a topographic map. (pictured middle)
Renn Simmons — “This Unending Life Gifting Cycle” (digital collage and photography): The label reflects the regenerative and symbiotic relationships among soil, cover crops, sunlight and grapevines. (pictured right)
