A black and white photograph of the tip of a snowy peak viewed from what appears to be the remains of a clearcut. The snowpeak is framed by mountain shadows and wisps of white and black clouds. There is a distinct contrast between the sharpness of the clearcut and the muted snowcap in the background., Born: Decatur, Michigan 1949 Education: Western Michigan University 1967-1972 Photography: Self Taught, My interest in photography began on my 10th birthday when my parents gave me a Kodak Brownie camera. I took pictures of family and friends through high, edwardvliek@yahoo.com, http://artistsregister.com/artists/OR12, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
A man with wings interacts with different lifeforms contained in what appear to be beakers over the top of what appear to be collaged shreds of hand-written documents. The written text reads, "The philosopher's compare their secret stone to the salamander. It is fed by fire, lives in fire and is perfected by fire as the salamander is.", Salamander; mixed media; 1998, My recent works on paper are inspired by alchemical manuscripts. The alchemists documented their labors in enigmatic texts in which chemical procedures, cosmology and myths are woven together into fantastic allegories. Similarly in my paintings I use imagery of birds, beasts, plants and minerals as symbols of the process of transformation, As an artist I view alchemy as a metaphor for the creative process in which there is progressive transformation and refinement of materials, imagery and ultimately consciousness. In alchemy and art alike the creative imagination is the vital agent of change. The alchemists described their labors as an "art". Like the alchemist I attempt to use physical processes as a mirror of inner experience. The materials become "transmuted" from their initially inert state through creative and chaotic struggle into a new synthesis. In my painting I use physical processes of dissolution, evaporation, heat and gravity which remind me of the alchemist's use of the elements of water, air, fire and earth. Humor is an important element of my work. Likewise humor and paradox were not unknown to the alchemist. The texts abound with cryptic riddles meant to befuddle the literal-minded and catalyze intuitive insight. Hermes, the Greek god of wisdom, was the patron of alchemists and also the trickster who could lead his followers on a search to find "fools gold". Anyone who embarks on a potentially quixotic search to find the elixir of immortality should have plenty of humor and humility to sustain themselves! The homunculus, a human-like creature nurtured in a glass vessel was reputed to have been created in the alchemical laboratory. In the novel "Frankenstein" the renegade doctor studies the writings of Paracelsus, the swiss alchemist, before creating his monster. I see the homunculus as a metaphor for modem technology with all its wonders and potential horrors. The series of "Homunculus" sculptures which utilize remnants of household appliances and found objects explores this theme in a whimsical fashion. The alchemist searched for the "gold of the philosophers"-philosophical wisdom. In their pursuit of nature's secrets they combined scientific experimentation with a mystical quest for illumination. Their holistic view of the universe viewed matter and consciousness as a continuum, anticipating recent developments in physics. Alchemy is the ancestor of modem science; perhaps there is something that can be learned from its legacy? I am inspired artistically by the beauty of the texts and their insights into the mysteries of creation. Hopefully my own fanciful creations convey something of the spirit of that tradition. (Nez, 1998), http://www.augengallery.com/Artists/nez.html, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
Egyptian iconography and two human forms intermingle in some sort of drama that takes place over the top of what appears to be collaged shreds of hand-written documents. The written text reads, "You will see the Sun and Moon shining at noon then the gods will appear in the sky and the shades of the departed will walk again upon earth.", Magician's Tale #2; mixed media; 1998, My recent works on paper are inspired by alchemical manuscripts. The alchemists documented their labors in enigmatic texts in which chemical procedures, cosmology and myths are woven together into fantastic allegories. Similarly in my paintings I use imagery of birds, beasts, plants and minerals as symbols of the process of transformation, As an artist I view alchemy as a metaphor for the creative process in which there is progressive transformation and refinement of materials, imagery and ultimately consciousness. In alchemy and art alike the creative imagination is the vital agent of change. The alchemists described their labors as an "art". Like the alchemist I attempt to use physical processes as a mirror of inner experience. The materials become "transmuted" from their initially inert state through creative and chaotic struggle into a new synthesis. In my painting I use physical processes of dissolution, evaporation, heat and gravity which remind me of the alchemist's use of the elements of water, air, fire and earth. Humor is an important element of my work. Likewise humor and paradox were not unknown to the alchemist. The texts abound with cryptic riddles meant to befuddle the literal-minded and catalyze intuitive insight. Hermes, the Greek god of wisdom, was the patron of alchemists and also the trickster who could lead his followers on a search to find "fools gold". Anyone who embarks on a potentially quixotic search to find the elixir of immortality should have plenty of humor and humility to sustain themselves! The homunculus, a human-like creature nurtured in a glass vessel was reputed to have been created in the alchemical laboratory. In the novel "Frankenstein" the renegade doctor studies the writings of Paracelsus, the swiss alchemist, before creating his monster. I see the homunculus as a metaphor for modem technology with all its wonders and potential horrors. The series of "Homunculus" sculptures which utilize remnants of household appliances and found objects explores this theme in a whimsical fashion. The alchemist searched for the "gold of the philosophers"-philosophical wisdom. In their pursuit of nature's secrets they combined scientific experimentation with a mystical quest for illumination. Their holistic view of the universe viewed matter and consciousness as a continuum, anticipating recent developments in physics. Alchemy is the ancestor of modem science; perhaps there is something that can be learned from its legacy? I am inspired artistically by the beauty of the texts and their insights into the mysteries of creation. Hopefully my own fanciful creations convey something of the spirit of that tradition. (Nez, 1998), http://www.augengallery.com/Artists/nez.html, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
Color drawing exhibits the reflection of a stand of deciduous trees off of a body of water. There is a grouping of logs in the foreground with what appears to be clumps of grass growing in the water around them., Willow Creek; pastel, Allan Stephenson is an artist who draws his inspiration from the natural landscape particularly that of his native British Isles and also that of the Pacific Northwest where he now makes his home. *I am always looking for and attempting to communicate with the viewer that special sense of place that infuses some areas of the natural world with meaning, wonder and beauty. I hope my work can provide some escape from the sometimes frenetic world we all live in. I am a traditionalist. I don't see the art I produce as breaking any kind of new ground but rather I apply myself to existing forms and attempt to inject perhaps fresh content. I am currently enjoying the medium of pastel for it's direct hands-on quality that allows me to blend and sculpt the pigment using my fingers and hands rather than the intermediary of a brush.* (excerpt from artist's exhibition list), http://www.stephensonart.com/, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
A round stained glass piece that decorates the clerestory window above the main stairway with subtle accents of pink, purple, and green on a mostly clear and white glass ground., Stained glass by Peter Mollica, Peter@PeterMollica.com, http://www.petermollica.com/, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
A crowded city street depicted in bright, primary colors. Several human faces emerge from the foreground., City Streets #6; oil; 48 x 72 inches, http://www.gottliebgallery.com/artists/coe.htm, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
A stone arch with bay leaves incised in a relief pattern around the sweep of the form frames the entryway of the Knight Law Center., Bay Leaf; arch; cast stone; 1999, annestorrs@msn.com, http://www.4culture.org/publicart/registry/parts/parts_artist.asp?ArtistID=34, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
Shield-shaped, opaque frosted glass supported by what appears to be black metal on three sides. There are 78 sconces throughout the building., norman@normancourtney.com, http://www.normancourtney.com/, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
A stone arch with bay leaves incised in a relief pattern around the sweep of the form frames the entryway of the Knight Law Center., Bay Leaf; arch; cast stone; 1999, annestorrs@msn.com, http://www.4culture.org/publicart/registry/parts/parts_artist.asp?ArtistID=34, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
A transformational image: color rendering of what appears to be a human with a buck's head., For Lillian/Frank; pastel and graphite on paper; 40 x 26, The frailty of life on this planet and the need to recognize the interconnectedness of all species are common threads that weave through Bartow's work. His Yurok Indian heritage and his experiences in Vietnam are the source of these feelings and nurture his imagery. Crow/raven and a pantheon of other animals, including man, figure prominently in his work. He reanimates the ancient myths of Northwest peoples into his visual language. Once the symbol of rebirth and the spirit of all life, crow is a ghost-like figure in this monotype who knows "he" is no longer central to our lives. (OAC documentation, 1990). A Vietnam veteran and a Yurok tribal member, he addresses grief and fear in his work as means to dismantling them. His work is represented by Froelick Gallery and Stonington Gallery. (Data provided at http://www.npr.org/programs/talkingplants/features/2003/bartow/index.html. Reviewed on 04/09/07.), http://www.froelickgallery.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=227, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
