We are pleased to present “Coloring Temperament,” an exhibition of new paintings by Gregory Grenon, one of the most recognized artists in the Northwest.  Grenon continues his work as a colorist and explains, “My imagination jumps with color, makes me think differently and makes the viewer see the temperament of the subject I paint.”  His approach is incredibly honest.  These portrait-like images are strong, haunting and frank.  They engage the viewer with their outward glances.  The rawness with which he chooses to lay down his compositions results in a dynamic range of intensely expressive characters revealing thoughts, internal rhythms and emotional content. 

Grenon grew up in Detroit where he studied at the Center for Creative Studies.  After a stint in Chicago, where he furthered his printmaking skills at Landfall Press, he moved to the Pacific Northwest.  Throughout his career, he has had one-person exhibitions throughout the region as well as in New York, Chicago, Boston and New Orleans.  He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission.  His work is in numerous private and public collections including the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR; the Portland Art Museum; the Seattle Art Museum; the Tacoma Art Museum; the Boise Art Museum; Philbrook Museum, Tulsa, OK; and New York Public Library. 

Gregory Grenon
And Other Anomalies 2008
oil on glass
57.5" x 44"

More examples by Gregory Grenon

Portland artist, Jackie Johnson boldly paints totemic forms with vibrant colors.  In this exhibition entitled “Water, Quakes and War,” compositional shapes, some triangular and egg shaped, others tree or brick-like, are informed by current events, architecture, the figure, and nature.  Her explorations of composition are approached anew each time.  They transpire within a spatial, floating developmental process.  Johnson reveals metaphor and character throughout her work by reinventing form.  Ideas of perception are reconsidered, the elements become iconic and primal, as the totemic shapes appear to shift and jostle about the canvas.  Enigmatic images, they are left to the viewer’s own interpretation.

 A native of Oregon and a graduate of the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Johnson made New York City her home from 1978 to 1993 where she worked and exhibited her paintings.  She has been included in a number of gallery and museum invitationals such as the Blair Art Museum and the Johnstown Art Museum in Pennsylvania, the Academy of Art in Easton, Maryland, the Ward Nasse Gallery, and 55 Mercer Street Gallery in New York.  Jackie Johnson currently resides in Portland.

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Jackie Johnson
Making Stories at River's Edge 2008
oil on canvas
24.5" x 30.5"

More examples by Jackie Johnson


Next exhibition: November 6 - December 13, 2008

Rae Mahaffey – Engineering, Paintings, Prints, and Glass

Sherrie Wolf – Animal Life, New Paintings