Floor-to-ceiling photos brimming with hundreds of smiling faces surround Marlene Moore Alexander in her teaching studio in the heart of Bend. With her eyes sparkling, she shares stories of her students from the past 50 years, most of whom she is still in contact with. Clay masks and thank you notes are pinned about, while sculptures, mosaics, crochet, looms and fused glass tell stories of the hands that created them, and document a legacy of inspiration.

Known for her distinctive painting style, Alexander’s impact as an artist, curator and teacher has stretched far beyond her studio, imprinting the art of seeing on generations of children; on patients, staff and visitors of St. Charles Medical Center and Partners in Care; and on countless public spaces around Bend.

“I still love what I do as much as when I started,” she said, a bright magenta streak in her hair reflecting the spirit of the studio she calls Creative Arts—a place where all who enter are cherished for being their true selves.

How the Central Oregon Landscape Shaped Marlene Moore Alexander’s Art

Rooted deep in her Missouri upbringing, Alexander’s artistry grew from moments spent in her grandmother’s garden. “She was always pointing out colors and textures—like the tiny legs on a preying mantis,” she recalled. “My grandmother taught me how to see.”

Alexander’s keen awareness developed into a photographic memory, storing every minute detail of what she observed: “It’s what inspires me to do what I do, even the littlest things—like the spikes that poke you on a cactus,” she said with a smile. Her natural propensity for art led her to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1968, laying the foundation for her lifelong career.

Employing oil, acrylic, watercolor, alcohol ink, charcoal, gold leaf and layered collage, Alexander creates paintings that range from abstract to defined, and are born from her experiences in the natural world.

“I love the desert east of Bend,” she shared, describing the landscape that has been her muse since she moved to Bend in 1971. “I watch the wind blow grasses to create patterns. With the distant hills, the sky, the trees, the rock formations—I can look and think out there, alone where it’s quiet.”

A motto for her artistic process, the word KISS stands atop her easel. “It means, ‘Keep It Simple Silly,’” she said with a chuckle.

Alexander has been a juried member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Society of Oregon, and her work has earned bronze, silver, gold and platinum merit awards. Her pieces have been exhibited in numerous galleries across the country, and has been featured in publications such as Northwest Originals: Oregon Women and Their Art, and The Palette Magazine.

50 Years of Teaching Young Artists in Bend

In 1976, Alexander founded her art school with encouragement from fellow Bend mothers and inspiration from a book on art education written for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

For 50 years and running, she has taught the art of seeing, and even COVID-19 couldn’t deter her. Alexander built plexiglass cubbies and set up an air purifier to ensure her students would continue to have an outlet for expression.

Two essential goals have shaped every activity she designs: to nurture her students’ ability to see the world with creative eyes, and to inspire them to honor and celebrate their own unique lens.

“I tell them, jump out of the box and be you!” she said.

Many have become artists themselves, or grown up to be leaders in the community. Gesturing to the pictures of children surrounding her, Alexander shared, “Here’s Melanie Kebler, she’s now mayor of Bend. And this is Blair Struble—she told me she relies daily as an orthodontist on the fine motor skills she developed here.”

Commenting on Alexander’s ongoing influence, Struble reflected, “Marlene taught me to be confident in my own creativity and to not be afraid to tackle any project. That has impacted my approach to life and helped me tremendously in my career. To Marlene, nothing is ever wrong, ugly or incorrect.”

Bend native Betsy Weedman spent her childhood walking from what is today’s Highland Magnet School at Kenwood up the hill to the art studio adjacent to Alexander’s West Hills home. On “art class day,” she would eagerly anticipate what the activity would be.

Years later, Weedman would bring her own children up the hill to share a multigenerational experience—a common theme for many of Alexander’s long list of students.

“There was no question I would have my kids participate in her classes. What an honor and a privilege for them,” Weedman said, noting that all her nieces and nephews were in Alexander’s classes, too, and that her daughter, Katherine, returned as a teenager to be an assistant.

“Marlene’s dedication to children is something special,” Weedman added. “Her contribution to the art world in our community will last for generations.”

Bringing Art and Healing to St. Charles and Partners in Care

“Art is healing for the soul,” Alexander said, a sentiment that fueled her efforts to fuse art and healthcare, seeking an arts in medicine graduate certificate from the University of Florida College of the Arts.

She was an original member of Bend’s Art in Public Places group and a member of the national Society for the Arts in Health Care. She founded the Arts in Care and a rotating gallery program for Bend’s Partners in Care, and began the Arts in the Hospital program at St. Charles in 1990, serving as the coordinator for 12 years.

“Marlene turned St. Charles into the most magnificent art gallery, with pieces from all over the world,” Dana Buckendahl, a 33-year employee of St. Charles, shared. “Her contributions formed the true arteries and veins of the hospital, bringing life to every room and hallway, and inspiring the biggest shift in health and healing. Her impact is jaw-dropping.”

From designing art carts for patients’ rooms and leading writing workshops for doctors to introducing music, movement and other mediums, Alexander brought art to everyone who entered the hospital.

“A photograph still hangs on the wall of a man who, after becoming quadriplegic in an accident, was taught by Marlene how to paint with his mouth,” Buckendahl said. “Marlene created a place of magic.”