Current Exhibits   Previous Exhibits   Exhibit Schedule   Back to previous exhibits November 28 - December 22, 2007 THE LAURA RUSSO GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT: Michael Brophy - Here There Nowhere Judith Poxson Fawkes - New Tapestries OPENING RECEPTION: First Thursday December 6, 2007 First Thursday Hours, 5-8pm Michael Brophy's paintings explore the evolution of the Northwest landscape in both subtle and dramatic ways. Without being sentimental, his sublime landscapes approach the canvas theatrically, referencing historical and environmental elements that question our surroundings and how we got here. Brophy's physical and conceptual understanding of painting gives his storytelling allusive power and mythic impact. Not an illusionist, he applies paint in a direct and economic way using composition and the formal elements of balance and proportion to animate his ideas. The result is dramatic, probing and refined. Although he paints imagery familiar to this region, his ironic, if not iconic, sensibility becomes a unique reflection of contemporary currents in the continuing saga of the Northwest story. Northwest artist Michael Brophy graduated in 1985 from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, where he has also taught. He has shown extensively in the Northwest in both solo and group exhibitions. In 2005, he was honored with an exhibition, "The Romantic Vision of Michael Brophy," by the Tacoma Art Museum and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University. He is a recipient of multiple honors including a NEA Westaf Grant, a Pollock Krasner Grant, and an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Regional Arts & Culture Council. His work is in collections including Microsoft, the Multnomah County Library Collection, the Portland Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, OSU Library in Corvallis, and the City of Portland, OR. Public commissions include Portland's City Hall and the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in Wasco, OR. Michael Brophy Ruin  2007 oil on canvas 74" x 80" More examples by Michael Brophy The richly woven designs by Judith Poxson Fawkes are diversely influenced by a variety of patterns, such as Italian architecture, Seminole Indian patchwork, and the formal elements of abstraction. For this exhibition, Fawkes weaves stunning images inspired by the Northwest Portland neighborhood she lives in. Majestic trees and historic houses evoke memories of solace and quietude, and vulnerability against the rough realities of the world. Other tapestries that include images with water reflect a greater environmental concern. Within the context of her medium, her weaving techniques and skills allow her to define and determine shape through color. The results are shimmering forms that undulate across a field of color creating their own 3-dimensional illusion. In this series of tapestries, by combining a standing interest in formal architectural elements with further explorations of abstraction, the artist weaves a complex and haunting pictorial chronicle. Portland artist, Judith Poxson Fawkes received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She has exhibited her tapestries nationally since the 1960s, and her work is in numerous collections including the American Crafts Museum, NY; City of Seattle; Clark College, Vancouver, WA; Greenville County Museum of Art, SC; Knight Library, University of Oregon, Eugene; and Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. She has completed many commissions including the Aurora Municipal Center, CO; Knoxville Convention Center, TN; St. Helena Hospital, Deer Park, CA; PERS: Public Employee's Retirement System, Portland, OR; and Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Court House, Portland, OR. Judith Poxson Fawkes Neighborhood Afloat 2007 linen tapestry 53" x 53" More examples by Judith Poxson Fawkes Next exhibition: January 3 - February 2, 2008 Henk Pander - Recent Watercolors JD Perkin - Burned and Bloom, New Work