How much beauty can you compress into a single day? Inordinate amounts, it turns out.

It helps, of course, if you live in Oregon, and if you define beauty in the most subjective ways, regardless of whether you look at art or nature.

Come with me then, in the morning, to sneak a peek at herds of elk, in what could count as morning fog, but is more likely a mix of that and the intolerable amounts of smoke and haze wafting over the state from the Camas fires. Indeed, the entire stretch from Portland to the coast was filled with smoke.

The landscape looked worthy of a romantic painter, though, and the elk impervious. Kaspar David, where are you when we need you….

All of this was seen on the way to Astoria, itself shrouded in clouds on and off as well.

Reason for the field trip was the current exhibition at the CCC Royal Nebeker Gallery, The Ship Show, which was all about – you guessed it – ships.

Ben Killen Rosenberg,  Clatsop Community College’s Printmaking Instructor, who conceived of and curated the exhibit, explains his concept for this show: 

“When visiting Astoria, I always stop to watch the ships traveling up the Columbia River. Large vessels bringing goods or carrying vacationers from places near and far away pass by– a visual delight for all who see them. Ships are mysterious and romantic; they speak to an earlier time and a slower pace of travel, as they pass through vast bodies of waters.  Ships can also be ominous harbingers of cruelty and environmental damage. From news reports I’ve followed, I’ve learned of ships carrying illegal cargo or using slave labor changing the GPS locations to avoid being caught by the few authorities on the “look out. Out at sea, in stateless open waters, the environmental impacts and horrendous labor conditions are monitored by almost no one. This is a show about ships as we know them–cruise ships, tanker ships, container ships, offshore vessels and fishing ships–it’s a Ship Show.”

I won’t be reviewing this one other than general remarks, since I have some of my own work in it as well as that of a close friend, but I urge a visit for the opening reception on Oct. 27, at 6:00pm. Not only will you be able to wrap your head around a remarkable variety of work (as well as quality differentials) by 20 artists working with different media. You can also admire Kristin Shauck’s success in hanging a show that would challenge the most experienced gallerist given the range of contributions.

Importantly, you will have a chance to look at a print that was one of the most beautiful images I have seen all year – and this has been a year pretty full of beauty. It was created by Royal Nebeker, who died some years ago, and for whom the gallery is named, after his distinguished career as an artist, but also a beloved teacher at the College and a strong community activist.

I will write about him, now that I have discovered him, (seemingly the last Oregonian to do so) in some future essay. For now let me say that the print could not be captures on camera to do it justice, but it is an incredibly suggestive and emotionally charged piece.

Here are some of the works on exhibit, paintings, photography, sculpture, and photomontage.

Anna Fiedler’s “Adventures are never fun when you are having them” can be yours for $2500….

Local photographer Roger Dorband captures Astoria like no other.

And here is work about the impact of climate change, any guesses?

The day started with nature, had art in the middle, and ended in the woods. A perfect sandwich to nourish the soul. A 3-mile afternoon hike along Ecola Creek, off 101 near Cannon Beach, provided plenty of daily wild life, and swathes of ferns, some now glittering with sun that had finally broken through.

Someone had left a mason jar with flowers and seashells in a tree hole, like an offering. Beauty in the gesture.

The rains will settle in tomorrow, FINALLY. Cherishing the last of the light.

Here is Ernest Bloch’s beautiful Epic Rhapsody, America – the composer lived in Oregon, and the 3rd movement shows some big ships in the video…..more importantly, I love his music.