BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS
M I C H A E L O. P E R R Y
dispatches from the Discovery Trail
Our World in Words Exuberant expressions of the history, art, lifestyle, and natural beauty of the Columbia River region
with HAL CALBOM woodcut art by DEBBY NEELY
A LAYMAN’S LEWIS & CLARK
a different way of seeing ... 2026
CRR PRESS
Below are four oil paintings using bright red, some orange and yellow, complemented by blues, especially ultramarine blue.
This work is astonishing. The variety of moods and nuances Debby evokes in simple black and white — delicacy writ with a knife and gouge — testifies to her craftsmanship and to her love for her subjects. Adding haiku to these dramatic images pins them in moments and memories and heightens our attention and interest. We’re proud to present Debby’s Words and Wood to the people of the Pacific Northwest and to lovers of art and the natural world everywhere. – The Editors
Photo by hal Calbom
I sign my name with the red chops. The top chop is my name in Chinese. The bottom chop says, “I draw birds and animals.” Debby Neely From Words and Wood
COLUMBIA RIVER READER PRESS
words and wood • debby neely
Debby Neely is a Northwest artist and poet. This is her first book combining words and woodcuts.
A Lifetime of Art
“Reflections at Wellfleet”
Top left: “Bright Morning at Lydia Cove” Top right: “Chatham Sunrise Over Lydia Cove” Bottom left: “Old and New Provincetown” Bottom right “Red Bow Tie Down” In these four images I used warm red to compliment the blue and darker hues in each composition. The blue areas are a mix of cooler aqua blue and a warmer blue ultramarine. “Red Tie Down“ is an interesting approach to making a simple subject more enticing by blurring the background and sharply focusing on the red iron tie-down bollard in the immediate foreground, giving an impression of depth. Next are four very different oil paintings, contrasting from what is seen in the imagery above.
words and wood
pacific northwest woodcuts and haiku debby neely
Gregory L. Gorham
Above: “The Blynman Bridge House Detail,” Acrylic
“Pines and Birches,” acrylic on canvas 30” x 40,” fourth in the series. Sold to Mike and Joy Kidd of Long Beach, Washington.
Baker sBay is the waterway that hugs against the landmass on the north, or Washington, side of the Columbia River. To the south, across Bakers Bay is Astoria, Oregon. After leaving Astoria and driving north over the Megler Bridge, the road heads west towards Ilwaco. The first small village you’ll come to is Chinook. Traveling further you’ll come to the fishing village at the base of the Long Beach Peninsula named Ilwaco. At the only intersection in Ilwaco turn north towards Long Beach. Further north you will first pass through the small Seaview community, the first community developed after Ilwaco on the Peninsula. Then the road heads into Long Beach, Washington, the largest city on the Peninsula, still heading north on Washington State Route 103 into Ocean Park.
COLUMBIA RIVER READER PRESS
BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS River River Reader Press /2026 Holiday 2025 • November Columbia 25 / Columbia Reader 21