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August 21. 2015 12:01AM Third Fridays feature art and fun in downtown Medford "Buckskins" and other oil paintings by Wimer artist Sheryl Swift will be featured at Art du Jour Gallery. A block party on Middleford Alley will kick off the Third Friday art walk at 5 p.m. Aug. 21 in downtown Medford. Attractions include merchant stalls, artists working on new pieces and live music by the Shelley Kristen Band in the brick alley at the end of North Bartlett Street. Downtown Market Co. will offer wine tasting on its patio, which faces the alley. Food and beverages will be available, including basil-infused lemonade and pulled-pork tacos from Downtown Market, along with arts, crafts, freshly baked bread, fresh flowers and kids' activities.  Wimer artist Sheryl Swift will be the featured artist at Art du Jour Gallery. Swift will showcase 15 of her Western-themed landscapes and animal portraits. "Who didn't love horses when they were a young girl?" asks Swift. "I've always loved animals and horses. I'm inspired by their beautiful faces. I've always been a cowgirl at heart." Swift, who was born and raised in Sacramento, Calif., filled notebooks with drawings of horses until she was in high school, when she branched out and painted landscapes, people, pets and murals. She came to Southern Oregon in 1970 to study art and science at Southern Oregon State College. "I try to capture the personality and my personal feelings for the animal in my paintings," Swift says. "Sharing something's beauty with others is what moves me to paint." Swift's oil paintings will be displayed through Saturday, Aug. 28, at Art du Jour, 213 E. Main St. She also teaches private watercolor and oil painting classes and drawing classes at Central Art Supply in Medford. Medford artist Alx Fox will showcase 10 of her large-scale abstract expressionistic paintings in acrylic and mixed media in Art du Jour's Salon Gallery. "The Art of Abstraction: Expression Through Color" will be displayed through September.  "My style is about emotion, feeling and color," Fox says. "That's my inspiration. That's why my paintings are large-scale. I like energy and I like to get my arm moving. My goal is to share light, love and joy into other people's lives. I'm always happy when I'm painting." Fox's work is represented year-round at Art & Soul Gallery in Ashland, and she'll showcase paintings in October at Infusion Gallery in Los Angeles. She has a workshop set for October at the Rogue Gallery & Art Center. Swift and Fox will be on hand to discuss their work from 5 to 8 p.m. at Art du Jour. Call 541-770-3190 for information.  Rogue Gallery & Art Center, 40 S. Bartlett St., will present Portland artist Carole Murphy's "Embedded Meaning," an exhibit of sculpture and three-dimensional wall hangings, through Friday, Sept. 18, in its main gallery. President of Pacific Northwest Sculptors, Murphy chisels, shapes and molds wood, stone and concrete in organic abstracts that are elegantly evocative of primitive cultures and natural forms. Some of her pieces have fluid shapes while others have strong, rough textures from primal inspirations. She uses recycled steel, aerated cement, fiber clay made from recycled paper and found objects. “Creating abstractly offers me a distinct freedom, full enclosure and unadulterated expression," Murphy says in a press release. "Acting as a conduit, sculpting enables me to move into uncharted territory. Many times I am not aware of the totality of the sculpture, nor where I am traveling, until I arrive.” "The Many Media of Wendy Daniel" will be displayed through Sept. 18 in the Rogue's community gallery. Daniel's playful approach to art includes drawing, collage, fiber art, wood sculpture, paper mache and mixed media. Celebrated for uninhibited purity, folk art can portray its subjects with spirited exuberance. "I do not create folk art to be serious," Daniel says in a press release. "I create to delight the viewer. I hope it makes them smile or laugh." A reception for Murphy and Daniel will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Call 541-772-8118 for information. The new 30 North Gallery, 30 N. Central Ave., will showcase photography by Sarah Molloy, along with landscape photography, paintings, drawings and various media by other fine artists. The gallery also is a working studio and offers classes. Cheese, crackers and wine will be served from 5 to 8 p.m. at 30 North. Call 541-500-1230 or find the gallery on Facebook. Just off Middleford Alley on North Bartlett, visitors will find Jym Duane Photography, a small shop with a big selection of fine art photography. Farther down Middleford, LIFEArt will display paintings and other art by young artists in its after-school program.      http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150821/ENTERTAINMENT/150829985 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->