Blog

Noel Torrey
August 1st – September 30th, 2025

Artist reception, Friday, August 1st from 5pm-7pm

Join us for wine and light refreshments on Friday, August 1st from 5pm-7pm to celebrate the artwork of local painter Noel Torrey. On view will be selections from his recent practice, highlighting both his dynamic abstractions as well as his realist landscapes. Torrey creates energetic and meticulously crafted compositions, drawing from the color theory of Joseph Albers, inviting viewers to contemplate form and hue.

We hope to see you there!

-Adam and Vanessa

Noel Torrey’s artistic journey began in Wiesbaden, Germany, where, as a teenager, he studied under Herr Alfred Herzfeld — a master restorer of Renaissance oil paintings. From Herzfeld, Torrey learned classical techniques of the Old Masters, developing a deep understanding of paint handling and traditional mediums that continue to shape his realist works.

Later, at Kansas City Art Institute, Torrey discovered Josef Albers’ color theories. This sparked a lifelong fascination with color interaction, leading to a parallel body of work: vibrant, meticulously structured abstract compositions.

Torrey’s dual mastery of realism and abstraction reflects a rare versatility. Whether capturing the subtle textures of a landscape or exploring the dynamic interplay of color and form, his work invites viewers into a dialogue between tradition and innovation.

We look forward to seeing you and providing the best in fine art picture framing; continuing in the 26 year tradition of Village Frame and Gallery!

All our best,

Adam and Vanessa
Village Frame and Gallery

BLOOM Artist Statement:
In my artistic journey, gardening has become more than a hobby—it’s a source of inspiration and a reflection of my creative process. My series, Bloom, is an exploration of how I perceive flowers, capturing not their literal existence, but the essence they evoke within me. Each piece in the series is a reflection of my inner vision, where the vibrant life of the garden merges with the fluidity of paint. Through a painterly approach, I strive to convey the beauty and emotion that flowers inspire in me, transforming them into vivid expressions of color and form. My work is an invitation to experience the garden as I do—not just as a collection of plants, but as a living, breathing canvas of inspiration.

About:
Dianne is a member of Gallery 114, her solo exhibit BLOOM was in September 2024. She has recently shown work at Verum Ultimum Gallery and Ford Gallery, both in Portland. She owned a graphic design and marketing business for twenty-five years in Silicon Valley. Born in Portland, she moved to Jacksonville, OR from Palo Alto, CA, in 2001, and Portland in 2012. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art from Southern Oregon University in Ashland. Dianne was a founding member of AMBUS Contemporary Art. For a number of years they had a co-op gallery in Jacksonville, then Medford. She was Chief Business Officer of the International Encaustic Artists (IEA), and also Board President for a number of years at the Pacific Art League of Palo Alto, CA, and more recently on the Board of Directors of The Geezer Gallery. Dianne works in her studio in the Multnomah Village area of Portland. She is represented by Gallery 114 in the Pearl District of Portland. Her work can be viewed at www.dianneerickson.com.

We look forward to seeing you and providing the best in fine art picture framing; continuing in the 26 year tradition of Village Frame and Gallery!

All our best,

Adam and Vanessa
Village Frame and Gallery

Megan Hatch
yes – and
December 6th, 2024 – January 31st, 2025

Artist reception, Friday, December 6th, 2024 from 5:30pm-8pm

Join us for wine and light refreshments on Friday, December 6th from 5:30pm-8pm to celebrate the artwork of Megan Hatch. On view will be selections from, yes – and, a series of photographic diptychs. Each set of images are bound together by a thin golden line, representing healing and multiplicity.

We hope to see you there!

-Adam and Vanessa

the way isn’t clear

reaching

losing ground

“I currently run the exhibition program for the Multnomah Arts Center, where artists from the community help to choose the shows and shape the programming each year. Making art and working in community is fundamental to who I am. I know, deep down, that the arts are essential to our collective thriving. It’s part of how we’re going to find our way.” See more of Megan’s work on her website: https://www.meganhatch.com

Village Frame and Gallery is located at 7808 SW Capitol Highway, Portland 97219 in the heart of Multnomah Village. Our regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm.

Vanessa Marsh: The Sun Beneath the Sky

September 6th, 2024- November 29th, 2024

Artist reception, Friday, October 4th, 2024 from 5:30pm-8pm

Join us for wine and light refreshments on Friday, October 4th from 5:30pm-8pm to celebrate the work of Vanessa Marsh, partner of shop owner, Adam Gerlach. When Vanessa isn’t helping out in the shop, you’ll find her in the studio, creating imaginary landscapes with light sensitive materials.

Reflecting upon the landscapes of her life in the Western United States, the images she creates are meditations on memory, climate change and geologic time.

We hope to see you there!

-Adam and Vanessa

About Vanessa Marsh:

Vanessa Marsh creates imaginary landscapes and atmospheres through a mixed media process based in photography. Working in various photographic processes she creates the illusion of a layered and dimensional landscape using opaque stencils and cut paper to make multiple exposures on light sensitive paper. She has translated this process into different forms of photographic printmaking, from traditional black and white darkroom prints, to analog color printing, wet plate collodion, lumen and cyanotype.

Vanessa Marsh (b.1978, Seattle, Washington) is a Portland, OR based visual artist. She received her M.F.A. from California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2004. Marsh’s work has been the subject of solo and group exhibitions at venues including Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco, The SFO Museum, The Penumbra Foundation in New York, photoEye Gallery in Santa Fe, NM and The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Marsh has been the recipient of a Penland Winter Residency and Fellowship (2023), a Jentel Foundation Fellowship (2018), a Rayko Photo Center Residency (2014), a MacDowell Colony Fellowship (2007), and a Headlands Center for the Arts MFA Fellowship (2004). Marsh’s images are held in institutional collections including the San Jose Museum of Art, the San Francisco Art Commission, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.

Don’t miss this exhibit on view through October 31st!

See more of Vanessa’s work on her website: https://www.vanessamarshfineart.com

Village Frame and Gallery is located at 7808 SW Capitol Highway, Portland 97219 in the heart of Multnomah Village. Our regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm.

Liz Thoresen
Landscapes
June 7th- July 31st, 2024
Artist reception, Friday, June 7th from 5:30pm-8pm

Join us for wine and light refreshments Friday June 7th to celebrate the lush landscape paintings of Liz Thoresen! Get lost in the pastoral vistas, budding trees and undulating grasses of Thoresen’s new works.

We hope to see you there!

-Adam and Vanessa

“This Spring has been particularly beautiful due to an abundance of rain and periods of welcome sun. This lush, green season has been pure inspiration and the reason the Pacific Northwest is so special. ” -Liz Thoresen

About Liz Thoresen:

Liz Thoresen was born in San Francisco, California, pursued her artistic passion from an early age and became an Art teacher in 1973.  Her interest at the time was Ceramics and she moved to Australia where she taught High School art and Ceramics at Caulfield Institute of Technology in Melbourne. After returning to the United States in 1980, she and her husband owned and operated a veterinary clinic for 26 years.  She has since retired and has been able to pursue her love of painting full time.   She has participated in many local and national group and solo shows. Her art has been published in two books and on the cover of the international magazine, the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association.  She is a member of the International Society of Experimental Artists.

“I live in a beautiful part of the Pacific Northwest where it is easy to find inspiration from many different sources. Ideas come from really seeing the world around me and the process of painting allows me to see that world more clearly. I find inspiration from nature, the weather, conversations, quotations, colors, shapes both man-made and natural, laughter, exercise, and the sheer beauty of the world around me. The magic that happens when color blends on paper, canvas, or board excites me and leads me from painting to painting. My aim is to express an idea in it’s own unique manner which prompts me to approach an idea in a variety of ways. I enjoy painting both representational and abstract and paint from a place of joy and hope my art brings you happiness as well. My studio in Beaverton is on four acres across the street from 500 acres of Federal Wildlife Preserve and in a beautiful valley which provides continual and unlimited inspiration.” -Liz Thoresen

Don’t miss this exhibit on view through July 31st!

See more of Liz’s work on her website: https://www.lizthoresen.com/

Village Frame and Gallery is located at 7808 SW Capitol Highway, Portland 97219 in the heart of Multnomah Village. Our regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm.

If you’ve stopped by Village Frame and Gallery recently you’ve likely noticed some changes. In late June I sold the business to Adam Gerlach. I had a chance to work with Adam in the months before the business changed hands. He is an experienced framer with a good eye and focus on quality, and he has the energy of the young! I am so happy that a nice, super-qualified framer is carrying on the legacy of this 24 year old business.

Adam and his wife Vanessa are both artists at heart and in practice. While Adam works with clients and does the framing Vanessa will be “wrangling the art,” meaning gallery shows will continue with opening events continuing on First Fridays. I encourage you to stop in the shop to meet Adam and bring your art finds in with confidence – You’re in good hands!

Nine years ago I purchased my favorite shop in Multnomah Village, Village Frame and Gallery. I met and worked with incredible clients and artists. I hired Lynne to help at the shop and found a friend. I have loved being a part of the fabric of the Village and the Village paid me back in ways I’ll never forget!

Meanwhile, Scott and I are building our “forever home” in Astoria. Getting to know our new city and the Pacific Northwest, taking time to really explore. Oh, I got a new haircut, too! Just in case you see me roaming around Multnomah Village on our monthly excursions back to the city. Please say “Hi!” 

Thank you to our clients, artists and fellow business owners for the last nine years. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

– – Beth Nichols