Josephy Center presents The Wallowas: The Mountains We Share, with featured artist Sharol Chandler
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, October 2nd, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
JOSEPH – (Press release from the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture) The Josephy Center for Arts & Culture is pleased to present The Wallowas: The Mountains We Share, a Featured Artist exhibition by Oregon artist Sharol Chandler. The exhibition brings together a body of work representing Chandler’s deep and enduring relationship with the Wallowa Mountains.
Chandler has lived and hiked in the Wallowas since 1976, developing an intimate familiarity with the region’s forests, rivers, creeks, mountains, and ever-changing light. While her work encompasses landscapes throughout the western United States, the Wallowa Mountains—particularly the Eagle Cap Wilderness—have remained a central focus of her artistic practice.
The selected works will, whenever possible, be arranged to create a visual journey from one side of the range to the other. The arrangement invites viewers to experience the mountains as a connected landscape and to see familiar places through Chandler’s eyes.
“Watching the colors, shadows, reflections, atmosphere, and constantly shifting light endlessly fascinates me,” Chandler says. Through her paintings, she hopes to convey the grandeur of the natural environment and allow viewers to feel as though they can “step right into that story.”
Chandler’s work has been exhibited in galleries throughout Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, including the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, and her paintings are held in collections across the United States. She has previously exhibited at the Josephy Center, making this Featured Artist exhibition a return to a gallery and community with which she has a longstanding connection.
Art & Geology: Seeing the Wallowas in New Ways
The exhibition will be followed by a special Saturday program on October 10 from 12:00–1:00 PM, featuring geologist, writer, and photographer Ellen Morris Bishop presenting The Art of Geology: Seeing the Wallowas with New Eyes. Her photo-rich talk will explore how geology has guided nature’s hand, from minute details to majestic formations, to create the mountains we know and cherish.
Following Bishop’s presentation, Sharol Chandler will speak briefly about her experience interpreting these same landscapes as an artist, bringing together geology and art to explore how the forces that shaped the Wallowas continue to influence the way we see and experience them.
Opening Reception
The community is invited to join Sharol Chandler for the opening reception Friday, October 9 at 7:00 PM. Meet the artist, enjoy light refreshments, and experience this special collection of Wallowa Mountain landscapes.
Exhibition: October 9–November 7, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, October 9, 7:00 PM
Art & Geology Program: Saturday, October 10, 12:00–1:00 PM
Location: Josephy Center for Arts & Culture, 403 N. Main St., Joseph, Oregon
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(Art depicted, “An Evening on the Moraine.” Provided by the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture)
