The paintings of Northwest artist Sherrie Wolf are influenced by her fascination with still life and a strong interest in European and American art history. Wolf plays with illusion by combining contemporary still lifes with elements of paintings from art history, a technique that connects her work to the traditions of reinterpretation and artistic borrowing. This exhibition, Counterpoint, references the musical term, which means the art of adding a related but independent melody or melodies to a basic melody, to make a harmonic whole. Similar to musical compositions, each choice Wolf makes in her still life subjects and historical painting references lead to compelling results.

Sherrie Wolf graduated from the Museum Art School, now the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR, in 1974 and received an MA from the Chelsea College of Art in London, England in 1975. She began exhibiting her work in the mid 1970s while teaching art at PNCA. Her work is included in such collections as The Vivian and Gordon Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts, Portland Art Museum; Hallie Ford Museum, Salem, OR; the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington; City of Seattle; and Washington State Art Collection. Recently, her work has been part of the nationally traveling exhibition, "Women's Work: Contemporary Women Printmakers from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his family."

More examples by Sherrie Wolf

JD Perkin


JD Perkin
Kicking, Punching 2009
ceramic
19" x 20" x 9"

JD Perkin creates figurative ceramic sculpture, inspired by the human form. The surfaces are rich and organic, with agitated, colored and etched surfaces. This series of both life-sized and small ceramic pieces, consists of solitary figures as well as pairs or groups. They are captured in moments of repose, or energetic actions like boxing or kicking. Some are contorted to the point of abstraction, others hint at eroticism. Perkin’s use of color and pattern heightens the sculptures' physical and emotional charge.

A Portland native, JD Perkin has exhibited his work since 1982. He received a BS from Portland State University in 1984, with a focus on anthropology. While there, he also received an Award of Excellence in Painting from the School of Fine and Performing Arts. A large part of Perkin’s artistic development includes performance art. He received a grant from the Metropolitan Arts Commission (RACC) in 1990 for his performance piece “Dirt Box.” In 2007, Perkin collaborated with Anne Thompson on Second Skin, a sculptural installation for the Portland Art Center. His work has been featured at the Portland International Airport, the Bush Barn in Salem, and on Oregon ArtBeat.

More examples by JD Perkin


Upcoming 2009 Exhibitions:

October 1- 31
Tom Cramer - New Work
PNCA Alumni Group Show:
Michael Brophy, Roll Hardy, René Rickabaugh, Jackie Johnson,
Mary Josephson, Jay Backstrand, Lucinda Parker, Chris Gander, Sherrie Wolf, and Jack Portland, among others

November 5 - 28
Mary Josephson – New Work
Kim Osgood –New Monotypes