By Rose Kearsey

Practicum Contributor

Art by the community, for the community.

For the second year, downtown Corvallis shoe store, Footwise has generously provided a blank storefront wall for local artists to craft pieces while a live audience watches through the glass.

Window on Art, located on 3rd & SW Madison Ave., presents free entertainment for anyone that passes by.

During the month of April, a total of seven artists have been selected to step up and transform a white wall into a space of aesthetic expression.

From painting to performance art, each installation offers a look into the creative process that typically goes unseen.

Audiences get to experience the art right as it’s being made and can follow each of the projects as they progress throughout the week.

Jeff Hess, fellow artist and community organizer for Window on Art, got involved during last years event.

 “Footwise provides that window space to an artist or art guild every month and I applied for it last year, then put this event together,” Hess said. “They’ve been really great hosts for the project and have accepted a lot of disruption from their normal routine.”

Hess is thankful for the space and hopes that the event can grow to be in a larger building one day.

For now, Footwise continues to hold regular business hours while the artists are busy constructing their pieces.

Two students from Oregon State University are in the spotlight this week. Tanner Henderson and Francisco Morales, both fine arts seniors, met during a drawing class during Spring term of last year and hoped to eventually team up on a project.

“We have really distinct styles but we’ve been talking about collaborating for a long time just because we’re both similar yet different. As far as temperament and work ethic, we’re the same but our styles are completely different,” Morales said. “I’ve thought about collaborating before but you always have to make sure that you get the right type of person, not necessarily the right type of artist.”

For their collaborative design, they’ll be using dry and wet mediums, as well as found objects, such as cardboard and scraps of wood.

“The way we work together is compatible so it’s a really interesting project for the both of us,” Henderson said.

Henderson finds the balance of contrasting styles between him and Morales to compliment eachother.

“I’m pretty serious about what I depict. You look at it and you’re just like ‘yeah that’s pretty serious stuff, they’re not jokes’ — but then Francisco has different work that can be humorous,” Henderson said.

This event is happening all month long, with different artists weekly. Up next is Madeline Corbin, a fine arts senior, her performance piece will take place from April 14 – 25. From April 26 – 29, local artist Lauren Ohlgren, will display her charcoal, graphite, and acrylic pieces.

During the final week of April 30 – May 3, there will be mixed media installations by local artists, Lauren Sharpton and Katrina Henry.

Passersby are encouraged to pause from life’s chaos and watch them through the front window throughout to show that art takes dedication and time before a complete, satisfactory product is reached.

“They want the community to see artists making artwork, and we want to shine the light on the process,” Morales said.

[email protected]