Above: Red Rock Splendor, one of many of Bets Cole’s paintings on display at the Karin Clarke Gallery

 

 

 

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Longtime Oregon artist Bets Cole has a new — and large — solo exhibit on display at the Karin Clarke Gallery in downtown Eugene. It has been described as “taking a road trip around Oregon” while not even having to leave town.

The show includes more than 40 new paintings and drawings, all created during the past two years. Locations range from the Oregon Coast to the wide open spaces of eastern Oregon, from the lush farmlands of the mid-Willamette Valley to dry landscapes of the eastern High Desert, from the rushing McKenzie River to Oregon’s fabled wineries, all of which Cole sums up this way: “The landscape has given us a gift — this new work celebrates where we live.”

Her styles vary as much as these locations, from working directly in the in-the-moment, outdoor plein air tradition to watercolor, acrylic, gouache, and charcoal, and even combinations of those skills in individual pieces of art.

It also includes artistic renditions of the experiences she had when traveling to gather her subject matter, one of which happened in Diamond, near Frenchglen, where she got stuck behind a cowboy herding his cattle.

“He said, ‘You can either follow us, or be bold and go through the herd,” so she did just that, taking photographs as she drove and later turning them into various works of art.

Cole’s long and varied career started out with her studies in art, first as an undergraduate at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., then a master’s of fine arts from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Her work is included in several permanent collectrions, including the M&T Investment Group in Baltimore, Marathon Coach in Eugene, Oregon State University in Corvallis, and the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The exhibit will be on view through July 20 during regular hours. It also will be open during downtown Eugene’s First Friday Artwalks on the evenings of June 5 and July 3.

The Living Landscape: Bets Cole’s Oregon

When: Through July 20, 2026

Where: Karin Clarke Gallery, 760 Willamette St., Eugene

Regular Gallery Hours: Noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Information: 541-684-7963 or online at karinclarkegallery.com