Wade Womack and Alisa Looney stand in front of their Bend home and studio, with one of Alisa’s award winning public sculptures, Heart Connection, which was inspired by the entwined heart motif that Wade originally designed for their wedding rings.
Oregon Artists Alisa Looney, and Wade Womack have been creating art together in the Northwest since their college years. They grew up in opposite ends of their native state of Idaho, and met in the middle in the Printmaking Department at Boise State University. Alisa and Wade have collaborated in art and life ever since. After raising their son in Portland, they relocated to Bend’s Three Rivers area near the Upper Deschutes River in 2018, and love being surrounded by wild nature once again. In their shared studio riverARTadventures LLC, they create original metal sculptures, jewelry and woodblock prints, building commissions of all sizes for their collectors and patrons. They also teach classes, ranging from drawing in nature to woodblock printing and kiln-fired glass on formed steel.
Best known for her award winning outdoor sculptures, Alisa Looney’s work is in many private and public collections in the Northwest, including Maryhill Museum of Art in WA, and several US cities. Her enamel sculptures have exhibited in The Enamelist Society’s four most recent International Biennials: Alchemy 4, 5, 6 & 7, and published in The Art of Fine Enameling, 2nd Ed. Alisa received her BFA from BSU in 1983, ran a freelance graphic design business, began welding in 1998, and returned to enameling in 2010, studying with enamellist and BSU Professor Emeritus, John Killmaster. This allowed her to merge sculpture design with narrative enamels in what she considers her most timeless work to date. Alisa teaches these specialized enameling techniques at riverARTadventures studio in Bend, and also online. She has traveled to teach at several studios including the Carpenter Art Enamel Foundation, and frequently teaches online with Silvera Jewelry School and Pocosin Arts. . alisalooney.com
Wade Womack studied design and printmaking at BSU, receiving his BA in 1984. He works primarily with the reduction wood block printing technique. After 30 plus years as a printer and master framer, Wade is also applying his knowledge of craft to pieces he calls “Total Art”, which engage multiple senses: visual, auditory, experiential and time based, to bring a deeper appreciation of our environment and that which surrounds us. He feels art is a tool of expression. “I want the art to be unified in expressing an idea, a story. The line work, color, subject matter, all exist to express the idea. I want to effect the viewer in every way possible… intellectually… emotionally… physically… subconsciously. “ Wade teaches woodblock printing and drawing at riverARTadventures studio in Bend. wadewomack.com