Local artists put an abstract spin on landscapes.Byline: Nancy Worssam; Special to The Seattle Times La Conner's Museum of Northwest Art The Museum of Northwest Art (also referred to as MoNA) is an art museum located in La Conner, Washington, and is focused on the Northwest School art movement, which had its peak in the mid-20th century. The Museum was founded by Art Hupy in 1981. has mounted an impressive show where abstraction combines with representational rep·re·sen·ta·tion·al adj. Of or relating to representation, especially to realistic graphic representation. rep art to satisfy the intellect as well as the aesthetic sense. Featured are five highly regarded local painters and one glass artist, most of whom have a unique take on traditional landscape art. Mary Iverson began her career as a plein-air painter and then concentrated on Port of Seattle The Port of Seattle is a port district that runs Seattle's seaport and airport. Its creation was approved by the voters of King County, Washington, on September 5, 1911. It is run by a five-member commission. The commissioners' terms run four years. scenes. Her large and small paintings in this show combine scenic views with scattered Scattered Used for listed equity securities. Unconcentrated buy or sell interest. and piled cargo containers. Especially powerful is her adaptation of Albert Bierstadt's "Puget Sound Puget Sound (py  `jĕt), arm of the Pacific Ocean, NW Wash., connected with the Pacific by Juan de Fuca Strait, entered through the Admiralty Inlet and extending in two arms c. on the Pacific Coast" (1870), a
brilliant dialogue about the environment. In it, containers wash up on
the pristine pris·tine adj. 1. a. Remaining in a pure state; uncorrupted by civilization. b. Remaining free from dirt or decay; clean: pristine mountain snow. 2. shore as it was 140 years ago. Philip Govedare's paintings are done in a palette that gradually changes from soft pastels to intense reds and oranges. Undulating swells, depressions and water features fade into the horizon as they might be seen from a plane. There is no hint of human presence except for what appear to be empty roadways crisscrossing the land. Margie Livingston's works are better considered "airscapes" than landscapes. "The idea of drawing air with a line is ludicrous," she says, "but that's what I'm trying to do." Working from a model, she attempts to capture light going through space. Next to one of her paintings and lit by a spotlight is the model she used to create it -- a branch within a grid of slender dowels. Together, painting and model give the viewer insight into her process as well as a sense that she has succeeded in drawing air with a series of lines intersecting in·ter·sect v. in·ter·sect·ed, in·ter·sect·ing, in·ter·sects v.tr. 1. To cut across or through: The path intersects the park. 2. in space. Kelly Neidig's landscapes take form from strips of bold colors under mostly benign skies. John Keppelman's figurative fig·u·ra·tive adj. 1. a. Based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical: figurative language. b. Containing many figures of speech; ornate. 2. paintings compress space. Complementing the painted landscapes are three-dimensional cityscapes by West Seattle glass artist Boyd Sugiki. Most powerful are his deep-blue or black groupings inspired by the skyline of Istanbul. Though delicate and elegant, they evoke the vitality and continuity of urban life. Be sure to pay attention to the cutouts he uses to test his designs before blowing the glass. The museum is also showing work by noted Puget Sound sculptor Tony Angell, known for his depictions of local wildlife. Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net EXHIBITION REVIEW 'Representing Abstraction' Through Jan. 3, Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner, Skagit County; $2-$5 (360-466-4446 or www.museumofnwart.org). CAPTION(S): Richard Nicol : Mary Iverson's ''Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast with Containers'' scatters modern-day cargo containers on the pristine shore of Puget Sound as it was 140 years ago. (0410294515) Kelly Neidig : Kelly Neidig's ''Drift'' employs bold strips of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color to create the landscape. (0410294516) Copyright (c) 2009 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved. |
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