(Above: Two works by artist Mark Clarke, left to right, Model with Hat, c. 2002, and Hearts, c. 1997)
Edited by Randi Bjornstad
A new show is up at the Karin Clarke Gallery, featuring upwards of 30 paintings by Pacific Northwest master painter Mark Clarke and curated by his daughter, gallerist at both the main Karin Clarke Gallery and the nearby mini-gallery, Karin Clarke at the Gordon.
Later in life, she said, her father, who was born in 1935 and died in 2016, dubbed himself “an old landscape painter.”
“However, what is clear from this exhibit is the wide range of material he handled easily and masterfully, from landscapes to abstraction to figurative works, large and small in scale,” Clarke said in introducing this show.
The figurative pieces in this show, titled Mark Clarke: Northwest Master, came largely from his imagination and allowed him to experiment with content and technique, she said.
“He would say of his process, ‘I get a couple of these going at a time. I begin with a vague figure and then start changing all aspects of the painting — the color palette, the composition. I try different tools for applying the paint — rollers, pieces of cardboard, cloth daubers, in addition to brushes.’ “
The sizes of the pieces in this retrospective range from as small as 8×10 inches to as large as 40×40 inches. With the exception of one watercolor, all are acrylic, which Mark Clarke came to prefer as his medium later in his career. And, as was his habit, he built and painted most of the frames that surround his artwork.
Mark Clarke: Northwest Master
When: Through Aug. 26, 2023
Where: Karin Clarke Gallery, 760 Willamette St., Eugene
Gallery hours: Noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Information: Telephone 541-684-7963 or online at karinclarkegallery.com
Above: Night Field by Mark Clarke; 8×10 inches, acrylic on panel; c. 2015)
