Astoria Open Studios Tour
Pier 11 Studio once again joins the annual Astoria Open Studios Tour, giving visitors a chance to explore Astoria’s creative culture by visiting more than 50 artists in their studios over the course of the weekend. To celebrate the depth of talent in Astoria's growing arts community, Pier 11 Studio is hosting an exhibition in its main gathering space featuring artist team Anna Daedalus and Kerry Davis alongside resident artists Elise Wagner and Gabe Fernandez.
Perched on the Columbia River waterfront, Pier 11 Studio serves as the working studio of painter Gabe Fernandez, represented by Russo Lee Gallery in Portland and Patricia Rovzar Gallery in Seattle, and painter and printmaker Elise Wagner, whose work appears locally at Imogen Gallery and in Seattle and Washington, D.C. Both artists are currently preparing for their September solo exhibitions — Fernandez in Portland and Wagner in Astoria.
This free, family-friendly event invites visitors to step inside working studios, talk with artists about their techniques and practice, and preview upcoming classes and events at Pier 11. Printed tour guides listing all participating artists will be available at galleries, coffee shops, and hotels across Astoria in early July.
Elise and Gabe are also featured, alongside the tour’s full roster of artists, in the group exhibition “Artists of Astoria,” on view July 11 – August 4 at Astoria Visual Arts.
Featured Artists — Anna Daedalus & Kerry Davis: A married artist team whose individual and collaborative work spans photography, installation, sculpture, and land art, with eight major joint projects exploring interdependence, environmental crisis, and geologic time. Davis’s assemblages and photographic still lifes draw on familiar materials and cultural references; Daedalus’s place-based photographs and artist’s books respond to the living world through the lens of deep ecology. Co-founders of Portland’s former Roll-Up Gallery, the pair lives and works near the mouth of the Columbia River.
GO Gallery Pop-Up Exhibition at Pier 11 Studio
For more than a quarter century, Guardino Gallery was one of Portland's most beloved destinations for contemporary Northwest art. This August, its legacy takes on a new chapter as GO Gallery — founded by Gail Owen and carrying forward the vision of the late Donna Guardino — makes its Astoria debut with a special pop-up exhibition at Pier 11 Studio.
Held during Astoria's Second Saturday ArtWalk, this one-day exhibition brings together original prints from ten accomplished Northwest printmakers, marking one of GO Gallery's first major public presentations since reimagining itself as a fully virtual gallery. Visitors will have the rare chance to view etching, intaglio, mezzotint, woodcut, linocut, woodblock, monoprint, and waterless lithography, all in the unique waterfront setting of Pier 11 Studio.
Throughout the day, gallery director Gail Owen will be on hand to discuss each artist's work and lead informal talks on the printmaking processes represented. Featured artists include Reed Clarke, Gene Flores, Heather Halpern, Fran Lee, Hibiki Miyazaki, Gail Owen, Nicole Rawlins, Egor Shokoladov, David Te Selle, and Margaret van Patten.
Free and open to the public, this event offers a rare opportunity to explore exceptional original prints and connect with a gallery legacy that has shaped Portland's art scene for decades.
Gabe Fernandez — Opening Reception, Russo Lee Gallery
Astoria-based photorealist painter Gabe Fernandez opens a new solo exhibition at Russo Lee Gallery in Portland this September. Known nationally for paintings that transform ordinary objects and fleeting moments into extraordinary studies of light, perception, and memory, Fernandez brings a rare combination of technical precision and emotional depth to his work.
Join us for the opening reception, where guests can view the new body of work firsthand and meet the artist in person. This exhibition marks an exciting parallel moment for Pier 11 Studio, the working waterfront studio and educational space Fernandez co-founded in Astoria with painter and printmaker Elise Wagner, as both artists open concurrent solo exhibitions this month — Fernandez in Portland, Wagner in Astoria.
Fernandez's practice centers on meticulous realism, capturing quiet, often overlooked subjects with striking clarity. His work has built a devoted national following among collectors drawn to its stillness and craftsmanship.
Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate the opening of this highly anticipated exhibition and experience Fernandez's latest paintings in person at Russo Lee Gallery.
Gabe Fernandez — Artist Talk, Russo Lee Gallery
Join photorealist painter Gabe Fernandez for an artist talk at Russo Lee Gallery, offering an intimate look into the ideas and process behind his current solo exhibition. Known for paintings that elevate ordinary objects and fleeting moments into extraordinary studies of light, perception, and memory, Fernandez has built a national reputation for work that balances technical precision with deep emotional resonance.
During this talk, Fernandez will discuss his approach to photorealism, his creative process, and the inspiration behind the works on view. Attendees will gain insight into how he selects subjects, builds each composition, and achieves the luminous, almost hyper-real quality that defines his paintings.
Fernandez is co-founder, alongside painter and printmaker Elise Wagner, of Pier 11 Studio, a working waterfront studio and educational space in Astoria. Since relocating to the North Coast, the two have become active contributors to the region's arts community, hosting workshops, exhibitions, and creative gatherings.
This talk offers a rare chance to hear directly from the artist about his practice and the exhibition on view. Space may be limited, so early arrival is recommended.
Elise Wagner — Opening Reception, Finding Buoyancy, Imogen Gallery
Painter and printmaker Elise Wagner opens Finding Buoyancy, a new solo exhibition, at Imogen Gallery in Astoria this September. Wagner is internationally recognized for her luminous encaustic paintings and for pioneering the wax collagraph printmaking process through her innovative PrintWax materials.
Finding Buoyancy explores the intersections of nature, science, geology, cartography, and the passage of time. Inspired by the convergence of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean — a view Wagner takes in daily from her Astoria studio — the exhibition reflects on resilience, adaptation, and navigating life's changing currents. The buoy emerges throughout the body of work as a central and powerful metaphor.
Join us for the opening reception to celebrate the debut of this new collection and to experience Wagner's richly layered abstract paintings in person. This exhibition arrives during an exciting month for Pier 11 Studio, the working waterfront studio Wagner co-founded in Astoria with painter Gabe Fernandez, as both artists open concurrent solo exhibitions — Wagner in Astoria, Fernandez in Portland.
Elise Wagner — Artist Talk, Finding Buoyancy, Imogen Gallery
Join painter and printmaker Elise Wagner for an artist talk at Imogen Gallery, offering an in-depth look into her solo exhibition, Finding Buoyancy. Wagner is internationally recognized for her luminous encaustic paintings and for pioneering the wax collagraph printmaking process through her innovative PrintWax materials.
During this talk, Wagner will discuss the inspiration behind Finding Buoyancy, including how the convergence of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean — visible from her Astoria studio — shaped the collection’s themes of resilience, adaptation, and navigating change. She will explore how the buoy became a powerful, recurring metaphor throughout the exhibition, and share insight into her layered abstract compositions and her innovative approach to wax collagraph printmaking.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about Wagner's artistic practice, her materials, and the ideas behind the works on view.
Wagner is co-founder, alongside painter Gabe Fernandez, of Pier 11 Studio, a working waterfront studio and educational space in Astoria. This talk offers a rare chance to hear directly from the artist about the exhibition and the journey behind it.
Artist Talk with Elise Wagner & Gabe Fernandez
Join artists Elise Wagner and Gabe Fernandez for a talk and slide presentation about art, partnership, and place. Working side by side at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, Wagner’s abstract encaustic paintings and collagraph prints explore layered natural systems, while Fernandez’s hyperrealist paintings capture the precision of light and observation.
Maryhill Museum of Art
Celestial Currents, selected artworks by Elise Wagner, encaustic painter and printmaker.
Encaustic Collagraph Printmaking in London
Elise will be teaching two one-day courses on Encaustic Collagraph while traveling in the UK.
For more information please visit https://www.artichokeprintworkshop.co.uk/page/courses-and-tuition/.
To register your interest in the course email artichoketrading@btconnect.com.
Encaustic Collagraph Printmaking in London
Elise will be teaching two one-day courses on Encaustic Collagraph while traveling in the UK.
For more information please visit https://www.artichokeprintworkshop.co.uk/page/courses-and-tuition/.
To register your interest in the course email artichoketrading@btconnect.com.
Familiar Elements: Visible and Invisible
A two woman show at Frederick Holmes & Co, Seattle, WA, titled Familiar Elements: Visible & Invisible
Grand Opening Pier 11 Studio
Join us for the Grand Opening of Pier 11 Studio. A center for creative learning and the working studio of Elise Wagner.
Bodies of Water Exhibition
Bodies of Water exhibition at 33 Contemporary Gallery, Palm Beach showroom. Through December 27, 2024 and online virtual reality exhibition.
Select Works at Hoffman Center for the Arts
I am honored and delighted as a new resident of the north Oregon Coast to have been invited for a special exhibition at the Hoffman Center for the Arts.
Visual Artist Talk: "The Interplay of Elements"
“The Interplay of Elements”, a Visual Arts Lecture with Elise Wagner at the Hoffman Gallery in Manzanita, August 18th, at 1:00 pm. Elise will talk about the various ways she has brought her inspirations to life over the past 30 years with the encaustic medium. The presentation will include visuals of her work, work space, the encaustic and some show and tell work samples of encaustic collagraph printing plates. Join us! This is a ticketed event. Receive complimentary admission, by signing up to be a member here.
Exhibition
Wonder Lands - An exhibition in the small room at Imogen Gallery of visually intricate works exploring loss, change, and transformation on Saturday, June 8, 2024. Show is up til July 8th. Contact the gallery wth inquiries.
ELISE WAGNER 20 YEARS IN WAX POP-UP
Clatsop Community College Royal Nebeker Art Gallery continues its exhibition season into 2024 with a brief pop-up show, will give aspiring art students a glimpse into a prolific two-decade period of exploration into the ancient Greco-Roman medium of encaustic.
Holiday Open Studio
Join me for the first in Astoria celebrating a long standing open studio tradition spreading holiday cheer by unveiling my year-end small works and prints. Original art makes the perfect gift! Stop by to peruse dozens of small encaustic paintings and collagraph prints while enjoying some hot cider.
