February 2 - 25, 2012

THE LAURA RUSSO GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT:

Mel Katz : Anodized Aluminum - Recent Wall Sculptures

Henk Pander : Worlds Apart - Plein Air Watercolors

OPENING RECEPTION:
First Thursday February 1, 2012
First Thursday Hours, 5-8pm


Mel Katz


Mel Katz
In Orbit    2011
anodized aluminum
24.5" x 88" x 0.75"

Sculptor Mel Katz creates works of bold and contrasting color, exuberant shapes and subtle humor. Continuing a career-long fascination with shape and contour, Katz plays with positive and negative shapes to form wall sculptures made of machine cut, anodized aluminum. In this new exhibit, Katz displays pieces that recall the undiluted colors of Matisse, invoked in bold geometric forms whose soft curves belie their rigid medium. Always evolving, Katz’s work is fresh, clean and modern, refined by years of technical expertise and aesthetic consideration.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Mel Katz graduated from the Cooper Union Art School in 1953. He moved to Portland in 1963 and became well known in the early 1970s as one of the founders of the nationally reputed, Portland Center for the Visual Arts. Katz taught art at Portland State University until retiring in 1998. He has been exhibiting his work since 1956, which includes a solo show at the Hallie Ford Museum in 2006, a retrospective at the Portland Art Museum in 1988 and the highly acclaimed traveling exhibition “Still Working,” in 1994. Selected collections include; the Portland Art Museum, OR; Seattle Art Museum, WA; Tacoma Art Museum, WA; City of Seattle; Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland; Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, OR; and Safeco Insurance, Seattle, WA.

More examples by Mel Katz


Henk Pander



Henk Pander
Silvie's River Looking East    2011
watercolor on paper
26"x 40"

Preeminent Portland artist Henk Pander is well known for his unflinching treatment of difficult subjects; in this new show he explores the contrasting landscapes of his native Netherlands and adopted Pacific Northwest home. The consummate draftsman, Pander uses plein air and studio still life as the basis for his compelling and commanding paintings. In a show that contrasts the wild, dramatic beauty of some of nature’s most isolated places with exquisite and intimate gardens, Pander explores the wide ranging influence that we have on our surroundings, and the impact those surroundings make upon us.

Henk Pander studied at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam before moving to Portland in the 1960s. In addition to his painting career, he worked extensively in theatre set design beginning with the Storefront Theatre in the 1970s-80s and numerous projects for the Portland Center for Performing Arts, OR. His work is well collected and is represented in many public collections including; City of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Oregon Historical Society, Portland; Portland Art Museum, OR; Seattle Convention Center, WA; and University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene. In 2011, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, OR presented a major retrospective exhibition of his work. He has an extensive exhibition history both nationally and abroad.

More examples by Henk Pander