(Above: Ontario Hill, charcoal drawing by Ken O’Connell, 1975)

By Randi Bjornstad

Cautiously, the doors reopened this week at The Karin Clarke Gallery in downtown Eugene.

“I felt all these conflicting emotions — we have been taking the covid-19 situation so seriously,” Clarke said. “This show, which is a retrospective of Ken O’Connell’s career, was on the schedule for May when we closed the gallery in March. Then we thought June might be possible, but it still seemed to be too soon, so we planned it for July, and now with the governor’s reopening phase in place, I thought there was no reason to wait even longer.”

Artist Ken O’Connell’s work is featured in a July show, Ken O’Connell: A Retrospective, at The Karin Clarke Gallery in downtown Eugene

Even so, art appreciators who come to see Ken O’Connell: A Retrospective should feel comfortable with the precautions that Clarke is taking with her first post-coronavirus exhibit.

“There will be a sign on the door that people need to wear masks, in accordance with the state requirements,” she said. “And it will be necessary for people to maintain a respectful social distance, which usually isn’t a problem in most galleries because there aren’t often a lot of people stopping by at once.”

To minimize even that eventuality, there won’t be a gala opening reception for the O’Connell show. Instead, the artist will hold several Friday afternoon meet-the-artist sessions, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on July 3, 10, 24, and 31.

There also will be a real-time artist’s talk at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 3, during which viewers can relay questions and make comments. After that, the talk will be available for viewing, without the interactive element.

Also, the gallery has so much window space “that if people think there are too many people inside for them to go in, they can still see much of the show from outside,” Clarke said. “We plan to have some chairs outside so that people can sit down and relax, and we also will have masks and sanitizer for people who need those things.”

February Snow in Taos, by Ken O’Connell

Ken O’Connell may not be among the best-known artists whose work has been shown at The Karin Clarke Gallery, but it’s not for lack of quality or versatility, Clarke said.

“He has done so much during his career, including heading the Art Department at the University of Oregon for 12 years,” she said. “He has worn many, many hats in the art world, including organizing classes and workshops and promoting the work of area artists.”

She first heard of him from her mother, well-known Oregon artist Margaret Coe, whom O’Connell invited to teach on-location workshops in many Oregon locations under the auspices of the UO.

“That was a turning point in her career as an artist,” Clarke recalled. “It was the impetus that launched her from studio painting back into one of her favorites, plein air painting.”

O’Connell also arranged for artist Satoko Motouji to teach workshops in Italy — I actually attended one of those myself,” Clarke said. “I still occasionally have people coming into the gallery who remember taking the classes that he had organized.”

O’Connell’s own work runs the gamut, from paintings to ceramics to drawings to printmaking to woodcuts to photography, and one of his best-known art forms, filling sketchbooks. The show covers work from 1963 through 2020.

“Over a year ago I went to visit him at his house, because I was thinking of doing a summer show of work by five artists, and he had come to mind as one of them,” Clarke recalled. “But when I got there, I realized that he needed to have a retrospective of his own work — he was like a five-person show all by himself.”

While many artists specialize early in their preferred medium, that was not O’Connell’s way, she said. “At a young age, he somehow knew he needed to pursue every kind of art, and also at an early age he somehow knew that he wanted to use his talent and skill to be a teacher. And that’s what he did — he taught elementary school, middle school, high school, community college, and university.”

View off 30th Ave East, by Ken O’Connell

The show includes about 40 pieces of O’Connell’s eclectic works, as well as a short animation he did in the 1980s from his drawings.

“I went through and pulled out my favorites and samples of his work of certain types,” she said. “I looked for things that would fit in certain groupings, such as one section of large black-and-white drawings.”

She also has examples of O’Connell’s nearly 100 sketchbooks, which will be shown in glass cases, “and even those are unusual, because his sketchbooks can include drawings, paintings, and collage.”

O’Connell’s habit always has been to have a sketchbook at the ready to fill any idle time.

“One of his former students said there was a delay at an airport once, and Ken’s reaction was, ‘Oh, good,’ ” she said. “He immediately pulled out a sketchbook and started drawing what he was seeing. He is able to create value out of all the little pauses that we experience in life.”

After all these months of sequestering, Clarke believes this show offers a good way to reopen and offer people something serene and safe to bring themselves out of the long and often anxious sequestration of the ongoing pandemic.

“I myself have had a lot of anxiety about this situation,” she said. “But I’m hoping that people will come and decide for themselves how comfortable this is for them, to feel good about having an experience that they haven’t been able to enjoy for so long. And for those who are still unsure, we will continue to provide viewings by appointment.”

Ken O’Connell: A Retrospective

When: Through Aug. 1

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

Hours: Noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by appointment

Special events: Real-time artist talk online at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 3 online at https://bit.ly/2Aqxwf3 (available to view afterward without live component); meet-the-artist sessions from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on July 3, 10, 24, and 31

Information: Telephone 541-684-7963, email kclarkegallery@mindspring.com, online at karinclarkegallery.com

Ken O’Connell’s Planes of a Different Color