(Above: Breezy, a woodcut by Eugene artist Lynn Pedersen, one of three artists represented in a new show at the Maude Kerns Art Center.)
By Randi Bjornstad
Trappings of the new normal — face coverings and 6-foot social distancing — will apply as the Maude Kerns Art Center opens a new show on Friday, July 17, with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Natural Affinity features the work of three artists who draw their inspiration from their different ways of viewing and expressing the world they see around them.
Eugene artist Lynn Pedersen uses a wide variety of artistic mediums, from etchings and woodcut prints to ceramics to drawing on wood. Her artistic career started with ceramics more than 40 years ago, and she added printmaking to her repertoire in 2003. Each of her pieces begins with a nature-based drawing, which she later interprets in her studio. Pedersen’s work has been shown widely in the Eugene area, including the Mayor’s Art Show, Lane Community College, Vistra Gallery, and Whiteaker Printmakers, as well as the Maude Kerns Art Center.
Gail Owen, who lives in Portland, specializes in hand-pulled linoleum reduction prints. Her subjects frequently include the plants and animals found in that environment, often sewing multiple prints together to create a larger body of work with repeating patterns. She has shown her work in several Portland shows, including at the Guardino Gallery and a solo exhibit at Mount Hood Community College.
From a bit farther afield, Jim Frazer brings his mixed-media and sculptural pieces from the Salt Lake City area. His current project, titled Glyphs, (see examples below) begins with photographic images taken of details such as the tracks of bark beetles on tree trunks, which he then renders in other mediums, relating the small things abundant in nature to the larger world, which he describes as “calligraphic characters from an unknown language.” Frazer has studied both painting and photography and has exhibited his work in shows nationally and internationally.
Glyph 07 ,by Jim Frazer
Glyph 05, by Jim Frazer
Natural Affinity
When: July 17 through Aug. 21; opening reception 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 17. with facial coverings and social distancing required according to Oregon Health Authority guidelines; the show also will be viewable online at mkartcenter.org
Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene (corner of 15th and Villard streets)
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday during exhibitions
Information: 541-345-1571 or mkartcenter.org
Bob’s Deciduous Azalea, by Portland artist Gail Owen
