{"id":17275,"date":"2025-09-05T12:47:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/?p=17275"},"modified":"2025-09-05T12:47:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:47:29","slug":"tropical-treasures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/tropical-treasures\/","title":{"rendered":"Tropical Treasures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Afternoon at Kula Gardens<\/em> by Eileen Downes
30″x30″; collage on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

COLLAGE ON VIEW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tropical Treasures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

at Stefani Art Gallery in Salem, Oregon, USA
5-30 September 2025<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Where paradise is built from paper\u2014and stories emerge from the surface. Eileen Downes transforms everyday printed paper into radiant visions of the tropics. In “Tropical Treasures”, the acclaimed \u201clayerist\u201d invites the viewer to experience a vivid world where color, texture, and emotion come alive through intricately torn fragments of magazines, maps, packaging, and printed ephemera. More than a visual escape, this exhibition is a masterclass in the art of storytelling through collage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Bright Red Hibiscus<\/em> by Eileen Downes
30″x30″; collage on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From lush botanical vistas to tranquil oceanic dreams, each work invites close inspection\u2014revealing unexpected phrases, hidden meanings, and a richness that grows with every glance. Downes doesn\u2019t paint in the traditional sense\u2014she \u201cpaints\u201d with paper. Her technique, developed over decades, involves layering hand-torn pieces of printed material with careful precision and intuitive freedom. She works from the inside out, allowing each composition to evolve organically, blending image and text, color and negative space, clarity and abstraction. In “Tropical Treasures”,<\/em> these lush collages radiate warmth, memory, and a deep reverence for the natural world. Viewers are encouraged to look closely\u2014not just at the image as a whole, but at the layers that form it: a snippet of a headline, a scrap of a travel guide, a shadow of vintage type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(text adapted from material provided by the artist)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

INFORMATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stefani Art Gallery<\/strong>
305 Court Street NE
Salem, Oregon, 97301 USA
(971)458-3432<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-5PM

MAP<\/a> | WEBSITE<\/a> | FACEBOOK<\/a> | INSTAGRAM<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COLLAGE ON VIEW Tropical Treasures at Stefani Art Gallery in Salem, Oregon, USA5-30 September 2025 Where paradise is built from paper\u2014and stories emerge from the surface. Eileen Downes transforms everyday printed paper into radiant visions of the tropics. In “Tropical…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":17289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collage-exhibitions","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/eileen-downes-afternoon-at-kula-gardens.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2QTD7-4uD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18518,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/fragments-from-a-tropical-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":17275,"position":0},"title":"Fragments from a Tropical Life","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"16 June 2026","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Fire Heart by Deirdre Hyde16\"x16\"; collage on paper; 2025. Courtesy of the artist. Deirdre Hyde: Fragments of a Tropical Life at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA21 March-7 July 2026 Deirdre Hyde\u2019s \u201cFragments of a Tropical Life\u201d transforms four decades of sketches, woodcuts, screen prints, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exhibitions"","block_context":{"text":"Exhibitions","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/dierdre-hyde-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/dierdre-hyde-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/dierdre-hyde-fire.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/dierdre-hyde-fire.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5766,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/alt-left-local-treasures\/","url_meta":{"origin":17275,"position":1},"title":"Alt-Left: Local Treasures","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"20 April 2017","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Alt-Left: Local Treasures 28 April-11 June 2017 Opening Reception: Saturday, 28 April, 6-8PM \"Alt-Left: Local Treasures\" was curated by DeWitt Cheng and features work by Mark Bryan, John Hundt, Pancho Jimenez, Michael Kerbow, Ariel Parkinson, and Vanessa Woods. 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Espeso\u2019s collages are mostly small format. 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All Rights Reserved 2017\/Bridgeman Images COLLAGE ON VIEW Cut and Paste: 400 Years of Collage at the Scottish National Gallery\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/eileen-agar-fish-circus.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/eileen-agar-fish-circus.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/eileen-agar-fish-circus.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/eileen-agar-fish-circus.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4543,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/tear-cut-paste-at-art-gym\/","url_meta":{"origin":17275,"position":4},"title":"Tear, Cut & Paste at Art Gym","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"20 January 2016","format":"gallery","excerpt":"\"Tear, Cut & Paste: The Art of Collage\" 7 January-14 February 2016 Pioneered by artists like Picasso and Braque, collage has evolved over the last century\u00a0into a new medium. \"Tear, Cut & Paste\"\u00a0explores the way artists bring new and unique twists to this traditional art form: Lili Francuz uses poster\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exhibitions"","block_context":{"text":"Exhibitions","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/lili-francuz-as-the-sky-turns.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/lili-francuz-as-the-sky-turns.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/lili-francuz-as-the-sky-turns.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/lili-francuz-as-the-sky-turns.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3401,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/articles\/felix-rodriguez\/","url_meta":{"origin":17275,"position":5},"title":"Felix Rodriguez","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"25 November 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Felix Rodriguez, a graphic designer, calligrapher and collagist from Valladolid, Spain, says \"My artworks have a vintage style, and maybe that's because I use original papers and magazines from the beginning of the 20th Century. 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