Lisa Britton

Staff Writer

Baker City’s July art shows open a day earlier, on a Thursday (July 3) rather than Friday, so as not to conflict with the Fourth of July and various holiday celebrations.

But there will be art, regardless.

Crossroads Carnegie Art Center

2020 Auburn Ave.

Crossroads will feature the work of Paul Hoelscher, a Baker City artist who, in addition to his own work, teaches classes at Crossroads and works with children in local schools.

His show opens from 6-8 p.m. July 3 with refreshments and music.

Hoelscher earned a bachelor’s of art and economics degree from St. John’s Univeristy in Collegeville, Minn., and has lived in Baker City as a professional artist and art instructor for six years.

He teaches painting in various media and drawing at both Crossroads and Blue Mountain Community College. He’s also an artist-in-residence with Artseast and gives private lessons.

He’s won various awards, and in 2007, he and his art were featured on Oregon Art Beat, a program of Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Most recently, he won the andquot;best of mediaandquot; award at the Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts for watercolor painting.

The Sycamore Tree

2108 Main St.

The Sycamore Tree will feature the paintings of Halfway artist Judi Miller and the photography of Craig Coleman of La Grande.

The shows open Thursday from 6-8 p.m.

Miller has painted most of her life, but began andquot;professional paintingandquot; while living in Alaska in the 1970s.

She moved to Halfway in 1987.

She works in watercolor, oils and graphite pencil drawings.

andquot;Landscapes and horses, of course. My first love,andquot; she said.

She owns two horses herself.

andquot;They’re probably a big influence,andquot; she said.

Miller is mostly self-taught, though she studied with private teachers for a time in San Francisco, and completed a correspondence course through the University of California at Berkley while in Alaska.

andquot;From there it’s been pretty much on my own,andquot; she said.

She’s never at a loss for what to paint.

andquot;There’s just unlimited subject matter all around me. It’s pretty special,andquot; she said of her home in Halfway.