OUT OF SIGHT INTO MIND
Am working on ideas for "The Premonition" - Think three males from the Norma Triangle encounter the Nuart Theatre somewhere in the Twilight Zone.
NOW PLAYING AT THE NUART...FROM ONE OF MY FAVOURITE DIRECTORS:
For more on Anton Corbijn visit: antoncorbijn.com
So am storing up some very effective musical and filmic inspiration, because you don't always need 20/20 vision to use your imagination...
Hoping to return to the canvases soon. Meantime, thank you to Kyle for the press! Check out his author's blog at: kylemarffin.com.
Portland art lovers get out there and support Hickory's latest exhibit! Show runs now through 23rd September.
Gallery @ the Jupiter Hotel Presents: “Constructed Landscapes”, 23rd July through 23rd September 2014
Featuring artwork by local Portland, Oregon artists Hickory Mertsching & Brooke West
"Upstream" Oil on Canvas - Hickory Mertsching
The First Friday Eastside Art Walk
Artist opening reception is on Friday, August 1st from 6 to 8 p.m.
“Constructed Landscapes” is based around the concept and process of creating an illusion that reflects the natural world. “Within this illusion, objects and symbols form a narrative that dwells both in myth and reality,” says artist, Hickory Mertsching. “Dancing between those two worlds of perception is the wolf that exists in our fabricated mythology, versus the wolf that resides in the real world.”
Mertsching’s paintings are loosely interpreted landscapes based on imagery, wildlife, and environmental artwork of the American west. Gleaning from traditional animal painting, pop art, and direct observation of natural habitats, the imagery is collaged together (constructed) to create a finished painting. Following in Mertsching’s tradition of still life and observational painting, the subject matter is constructed with actual props, based on mental snapshots while traveling around the region.
Additional elements are collaged in from various resources, both in the tangible and in the memory (or perceived memory), hence the construction of imagery. “Within this imagery, I am continually attempting to illustrate themes of life and death in the passing of time and seasons,” explains Mertsching. “Subtle hints of violence, moments of peace and reflection, and hints of preservation and sustenance are infused into the paintings, with the goal of evoking memories and nostalgia that is engrained in the collective psyche.”
Mertsching spent the early part of his life in a “back to the land” movement in the northern woods of the Lake Superior region of Wisconsin and the coastal range foothills of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Hickory attended an art school in Milwaukee where he drew extensively, and learned traditional sculpture techniques. After completing his BFA, he returned to Oregon and began working in a fine art bronze foundry. Upon spending a decade in the foundry world making master molds, welding together statuary, and “doing all things involved in bronze foundry work”, Mertsching began to spend his evening hours pursuing painting and creating bodies of work that he began showing in coffee houses and out of the back of his truck at street fairs. In the late-2000’s, Mertsching decided to focus entirely on his own work and paint full time.
As part of the First Friday Artisan Series, Gallery @ the Jupiter Hotel presents a reception for the artist on Friday, August 1st, from 6 to 8 PM. The Jupiter Hotel has been an incubator for small businesses and a supporter of the arts. Their newest venture is the First Friday Artisan Series where they expand the concept of art into an exploration of all of the senses: visual, taste, touch, smell and sound. The First Friday event is an opportunity to treat attendees to a variety of sensory stimulation and support the local artisans that make Portland a unique and wonderful place to live.
For more information visit:
Gallery @ the Jupiter
Jupiter Hotel
800 E. Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97214
503-230-8010
gallery@jupterhotel.com
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