May 6 - 29, 2010

THE LAURA RUSSO GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT:


Michihiro Kosuge: New Sculpture

Margaret Shirley: Recent Work

OPENING RECEPTION:
First Thursday May 6, 2010
First Thursday Hours, 5-8pm

Please join us for artist talks with Michihiro Kosuge and Margaret Shirley, Saturday, May 15, at 11 a.m.

Michihiro Kosuge



Michihiro Kosuge
Equilibrium 2010
black granite
15" x 17" x 51 "

Portland sculptor Michihiro Kosuge creates sculpture out of polished and rugged granite or basalt, manipulating the stone into a range of organic and geometric forms. His work reflects an interest in the relationship between man and nature seen in influences of both architectural form and the natural environment. In this exhibition, Kosuge's sculptures explore aspects of transformation. His treatment of each piece prompts reflection on what it may have been like before the artist's hand and mind transformed the stone into something new. Using drills, blowtorches and grinding wheels, each stone surface is thoughtfully honed, shaped and polished, or sometimes left pristine. The result is a beautiful combination of solemnity and spirituality. The initial understated presence of this work rewards close looking with a rich and profound experience

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Michihiro Kosuge first studied architecture at the Tokyo Sumida Technical School of Architecture and then went on to receive his MFA in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1970. He began teaching art at Portland State University in 1978, becoming a full professor in 1989, and after serving three years as the Chair of the Art Department, retired in 2003. Exhibitions of his work include the Oakland Art Museum, the Portland Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Art, and the Seattle Art Museum. Major commissions include Highline Community College, Des Moines, WA; the River Point Education Center, Spokane, WA; Kaiser Permanente Foundation, Vancouver, WA; the Little Tokyo Mall, Los Angeles, CA; Portland Community College, Sylvania Campus, OR; and the Washington County Justice Center, Hillsboro, OR. Most recently, Kosuge completed an extensive 5-piece commission for the Portland TriMet Transit Mall.

More examples by Michihiro Kosuge

Margaret Shirley


Margaret Shirley
Formal Foliage 2009
acrylic, ink, plant material on wood
22.5 " x 25"

The process paintings of Margaret Shirley combine subtle color with texture and patterns observed in found objects, such as leaves, seaweed or seed pods. Shirley's practice is to build up the painting surface with repetitive patterns of drawn plant forms using graphite, ink and tempera. Her work is inspired by and often created from the things she sees and constantly gathers from the world around her, most often from the forest or the sea. She incorporates collage, applying leaves and other natural objects directly onto her paintings. Shirley both explores process and makes studies of the natural world, rendering organic forms into abstract patterns. The results are often mesmerizing fugues of pattern and texture that compel reflection both on the complexity of the natural world, as well as on minimalism, the spare, process –driven movement associated with artists including Agnes Martin and Donald Judd.