"Shorelines" will feature a brand new series of paintings by Gwen Davidson inspired by her time on the coast.
Davidson's thoughts on this series:
Work on these paintings began after I spent time on the coast last fall. I wanted to return to those days and keep those places around me as winter arrived in Portland.
This has not been an intellectual pursuit. It is the memory of sensory experience, space spreading out and motion all around. The paintings reflect general impressions of moving air and water, rock masses, seasonal color. I remember tracing the line of water vapor in the sky, water trails out in the ocean, and rainwater draining through the rocks at my feet, but these were not scientific connections. The word that came to mind was wholeness. Pretty simple.
The paintings are not photographic. I am not describing what I know or have studied. My landscape photos usually don’t match what I see. Photos are still, often airless and tend to flatten space. What I remember is the “aliveness.” I want that movement of air and water to guide my hand. What is the nature of this place? Can I get that into a painting?
EVENTS WITH THE ARTIST:
Preview Reception: Wednesday, November 5, 5-7pm
First Thursday Reception, November 6, 5-8pm.
Exhibition Talk, Saturday, November 8, 11am