(Above: Yellow Fields #6 by artist Jon Jay Cruson, on display at White Lotus Gallery; the piece is acrylic on canvas and measures 36 inches tall and 60 inches wide.)
Edited by Randi Bjornstad
A new exhibit at White Lotus Gallery features work by artist Jon Jay Cruson with the theme, Yellow Fields. The show opens Oct. 10 and runs through Nov. 29, with an artist talk scheduled for 6 p.m. on opening day.
Cruson has long been inspired by open landscapes, reflecting his many travels throughout Oregon, Washington, and Northern California, reflecting what he has seen in countless sketches and, once back in his studio, shaping them into new paintings.
However, White Lotus gallerists say in announcing Cruson’s Yellow Fields, this show is different:
He started the series a few years ago, contemplated the progress and decided to put the work aside. After a period of time, Jon brought out the paintings, made changes to them and added more pieces to the series. What inspired was the continual trips at sunrise to late sunset through the wheat fields south of The Dalles and east to Pendleton.
On these trips, with each rise, fall or bend in the open road, Jon discovered different patterns and different yellow fields. Some seemed like a blinding white yellow, others ranged from yellow tones to brown, and still others offered the occasional burnt black fields.
These paintings are the result of the time spent, observations made and response to the visits to this area. A friend of Jon’s observed, “When you’re driving fast all around eastern Oregon through the fields and recalling it afterward, the look on your face was really happy. It was the face of exhilaration, and freedom.”
Formerly from California, Cruson graduated with a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Oregon, then taught at the UO as well as at Oregon State University and Treasure Valley Community College at Ontario in eastern Oregon.
His work has been shown widely and is held in many public and private collections, ranging from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to Oregon art museums including the Portland Art Museum, the UO’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum, and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.
Jon Jay Cruson’s Yellow Fields at the White Lotus Gallery
When: Oct. 10 to Nov. 29, 2025
Special event: Opening reception 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, with artist talk at 6 p.m.
Where: 767 Willamette St., Eugene
Regular gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Information: Telephone 541-345-3276, email lin@wlotus, or online at wlotus.com
