The Hoffman Gallery in Manzanita presents its April Gallery Exhibition featuring works by Loren Nelson, Karen Russo, and Andrea Benson.
Opening Reception April 4, 3:00–5:00pm; the exhibition runs Thursdays-Sundays, April 2-25, 12:00-5:00pm. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
Loren Nelson: The Colors of Time reflects photographer Loren Nelson’s fascination with abstract imagery drawn from the Port of Astoria Boatyard. While visiting Astoria, he became captivated by the swirling patterns of paint, corrosion, and layered surfaces found on boats, nets, and industrial materials. This initial attraction developed into a sustained focus, and Nelson has spent hours exploring these environments, documenting combinations of color, texture, rust, and peeling paint. In his pursuit of abstract images, Loren is moving beyond traditional visual representation and inviting viewers on a journey of personal interpretation and reflection.
Andrea Benson: Between Earth and Sky evokes landscapes, weatherscapes, eruptive events, travelogues, little mysteries and small prayers for the planet. The construction is encaustic (bees wax based paint) and mixed media collage.Often, Benson starts by moving around scraps until there’s a feeling of recognition or rightness. What sensation does it create? Does it make her eyes feel good, or give her a warm feeling in my stomach? If Benson is putting together a string of landscape images, what combination will imply a kind of poetry or sensation of place? Does it connect to things she loves? She is hoping for a surprise. The process is one of looking for something and not knowing what it is, but believing she will recognize it when she finds it.
Karen Russo: Salt of the Earth is a collection of figurative sculptures in which the figure emerges from and becomes one with the landscape. Karen Russo is a sculptor who primarily works with clay due to its malleability, capacity for transformation, and direct connection to the earth. In this body of work, the confluence of the feminine born from the wildness of the sea and rocky shore exudes a sense of calmness. Through these maternal archetypes, evocative of the precious earth from which they were formed, she aspires to express an eternal optimism for the human spirit in this beautiful and tumultuous world.
The Hoffman Center Art Gallery is located at 594 Laneda Avenue, Manzanita. The exhibition is free and open to the public. The gallery is closed the last Sunday of every month. www.hoffmanarts.org