Mark Makers: Rick Bartow and Seiichi Hiroshima, Moon and Dog Press.: A Two Person Exhibit

"Mark Makers: Rick Bartow and Seiichi Hiroshima, Moon and Dog Press" is a special two-person exhibit highlighting the nearly 20 year artistic collaboration between two very close friends. The show will feature a selection of historic paintings, prints and drawings by legend Rick Bartow (1945-2015) and mezzotint editions by master printer Seiichi Hiroshima.   

On View December 3, 2025 to January 31, 2026

SPECIAL EVENTS:

First Thursday Opening Reception: December 4, 5-8pm.
Holiday Open House

Saturday, December 13, 2-4pm. 

FROELICK GALLERY presents "Mark Makers: Rick Bartow & Seiichi Hiroshima, Moon and Dog Press," a two-person exhibit commemorating19 years of collaborative printmaking. Rick Bartow and Seiichi Hiroshima met in 1992 during Bartow's first exhibition in Niigata, Japan. In 1997when Bartow returned to Tokyo for an exhibit at Hiroshima's gallery they cemented their great friendship andprintmaking collaboration. Together they formed Moon and Dog Press which lasted until Bartow's passing in April 2016.
Rick Bartow (1946-2016) was born, raised and died in Newport, Oregon. He was a Vietnam Veteran, a lifelong musician and songwriter, a widower, an enrolled member of the Mad River Band of Wiyot Indians, and is considered one of the most important leaders in contemporary Native American art. He was prolific creating drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture. His art is held in over 100 public museum and institutional collections, and was the subject of over 100 solo exhibitions at museums and galleries internationally.

Seiichi Hiroshima was born in Tokyo in 1950 and still lives there. He taught printmaking at the university level from 1989 to 2010,he operatedAzabu Kasumicho Gallery in Tokyo from 1995 to 2003, and continues to print for himself and sometimes others in his Tokyo studio. Hiroshima primarily uses the color mezzotint process for his own artwork; it is an extremely difficult technique that he has perfected.

Bartow and Hiroshima haddistinctly different styles and methods, and they did not speak each other's languages fluently, but printmaking, art making, "mark making" brought the two together. Over their nearly 20 year collaboration they were highly productive! Bartow would scratch and incise images onto copper or plexiglas plates, very similar to a line etching but without acids- this is the most direct form of intaglio. Then Hiroshima would edition the scratched plates in his Tokyo studio. Their monotype collaboration sessions would happen entirely at Bartow's studioson the Oregon Coast. Bartow would paint with lithography inks on unmarked plexiglas or glass sheets, then Hiroshima would run those sheets through the press with rare Japanese and cotton papers. Together theycreated 191editioned drypoint titles, and almost 300 monotypes.

This show includesworks they created incollaboration, and unique works that they created solely on their own. They called their collaborative project Moon & Dog Press, they kept printing presses at each of their studios, and they were close friends to the end.Froelick Gallery is thrilled to represent Seiichi Hiroshima, and to exhibit Rick Bartow with secondary market consignments.

*Special Interest: The Portland Art Museum hosts "Rick Bartow: Storyteller," a solo exhibition of Bartow's artwork on view now through May 23, 2026.

*Please contact Froelick Gallery for press images and more information about its "Mark Makers" two person exhibit.