GROUP EXHIBITION
ELEMENTS: FIRE
Opening November 4, 2021

The second of four group exhibitions grounded by the elements, Elements: Fire opens at Foster/White Gallery on November 4, 2021. A wide range of interpretations, the artwork in this grouping includes explorations of the increasing frequency of forest fires and their implications, the raw violence of fire, and the beauty of a flame; we are reminded of water's power against an inferno, given images of death and rebirth, of natural cycles, and of the devastation left in a fire's wake. And, despite the impact of that devastation, many of us have deeply cherished memories attached to fire - it can represent gathering with loved ones, staring into embers beneath starry skies, learning to make a s'more for the first time, or warming cold hands after hours in the snow. 

Historically relied upon to sustain life - warmth, light, the daily preparation of meals - fire has taken a lesser role in our lives in modern society; its domestic presence is typically limited to the infrequent hearth, reserved for back-yard fire pits, and camping trips. Still, collectively we acknowledge the power and mystique of its immense force; one that we control when we can, and are lost to when we cannot. 

Elements: Fire is a challenging exhibition in light of the current reality and impact of forest fires around the world, but beautiful in its diverse perspectives. We grapple with the knowledge that this combustion often stems from the negative impacts of our race on the natural world, while also navigating the inherent truth of an environmental  cycle that includes fire and its effects as part of a healthy rhythm. In a world that has changed so significantly in the past fifty years, we have yet to find a balance between ourselves and some of the most constant and elemental forces of our planet. Seeking to master fire, we are as yet subject to its tendencies, despite how drastically our own have changed.

Says participating artist Sarah Winkler,

"In the Smoke Signals paintings, I want to capture the explosive dance of the wildfire. Emit the heat of the moment. The splatters of smoke and lines of a blaze where the almost amorphous land forms appear to melt. A wildfire is an event which demonstrates both nature's violence and its vulnerability. Though this environment is nothing but hostile for human life, through choice of color these images have a sensuality, a sense of calmness. A pure celebration of the power of nature."

Shar Coulson, Fauna Flora Figure 173, 48 x 40 inches, $8,300

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Eva Isaksen, Small Steps, collage on canvas, 36 x 48 

EVA ISAKSEN
Here Now
Opening September 2, 2021

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Eva Isaksen’s newest body of work carries a deep sense of gravitas, a level of self-assurance communicated through the simplification of the abstract. Continuing her explorations in collage, Isaksen incorporates physical elements of significance from her life; personal textiles, letters, and clippings of favorite texts are layered within steady forms and a sophisticated palette. Describing the works as reflecting her search for the unknown, there is yet a grounded calm in her quest.

Isaksen’s confidence in her artistic voice is strong here. There is a sense that she has reached a significant moment of resolution in her work and life that provides a cohesion to the pieces in Here Now. Says Isaksen “Life is short and I feel an urgency to fully embrace it.  There are so many more ways to work and evolve [...]. The work has its own narrative, glimpses of stories, history and memories but ultimately it is about form, space and abstraction. It’s also about a place where the intuitive becomes one with all the experiences collected from a lifetime as a working artist."

Eva Isaksen, Summer Follows Spring, collage on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

Eva Iskasen holds an MFA in Painting from Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, as well as a BFA from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD. Isaksen studied at the Nordland School of Arts & Crafts Narvik, Norway. Isaksen's artwork has been exhibited international including at Galleri G. Guddal, Rosendal, Norway; Galleri Bodøgaard, Bodø, Norway; Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA; US Embassy, Brussels, Belgium; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA; and Museo de los Pintores Oaxaquenos, Oaxaca, Mexico. Isaksen has also shown her work extensively across North America, has been a recipient of dozens of awards and public art commissions, and was a founder of Seattle Print Arts, Seattle, WA. She has participated in artist residencies across the world, most recently at Tare Steigen Air, Tare Art Center, Steigen, Norway and at Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Bally, Ireland. Her work is part of dozens of private, public, and corporate collections including those of the Boeing Corporate Headquarters, Chicago, IL; Hilton Hotel, Seattle, WA; Seibu Department Stores, Funabashi, Shizoka Higashi, Totsuka, Japan; Goldman Sachs, New York, NY, and the United States Embassy in Riga, Latvia.

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Tom Burrows, Jedidiah Island, polymer resin, 24 x 24 inches 

Tom Burrows

New Work | Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair 

August 5 - 28, 2021 

Tom Burrows’ resin pieces are laboriously created through a unique and highly variable process. Burrows’ artistic career has included a myriad of explorations in sculptural materials, ranging from performative, site-specific installation work to two-dimensional pieces. Often with an element of research focused on social issues such as homelessness and housing, he has been a significant part of the arts community of British Columbia since the early 1960s. 

The works in this exhibition reflect light, bouncing it between the walls of each hollow form and illuminating the natural tendencies of his materials. Vibrant pigmentation causes each piece to possess a seemingly effulgent presence, each transmitting fields of color and allowing for meditative encounters. 

To learn more about Tom Burrows and to see available work, please visit his page.

Robert Marchessault, Pupuri, acrylic and oil on canvas stretched on panel, 60 x 48 inches

Robert Marchessault

Grow / Re-Grow
July 1 - 24, 2021

Robert Marchessault, Arcs, oil and acrylic on panel, 52 x 40 inches

Says the artist, "For many years, my landscapes, and in particular my images of trees, have been a visual metaphor for overcoming difficulties and thriving in adversity. I am in wonder at how trees are able to take root and grow in spite of forces aligned against them.  Wind, drought, rocks, pollution, pests and disease make survival a struggle. Yet, in the face of the misery; trees adapt, change, bend, re-grow and thrive."

Robert Marchessault received a Visual Arts Diploma from Dawson College, Montreal, QC, a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, QC and an MA from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. His work has been shown internationally including at Gotland Museum, Visby, Sweden, and many galleries across North America. He’s been the recipient of dozens of awards including a Canada Council Travel Grant. Marchessault’s paintings are in dozens of art collections including 20th Century Fox, Bank of Montreal, Rothschilds Inc, and Royal Bank, among many others.

To learn more about Robert Marchessault and to see available works, please visit his page.

David Alexander, When They Fall Rock Island Remains and History Becomes Mystery,
acrylic on canvas, 56.5 x 66 inches

DAVID ALEXANDER
Second Time Around the Coastline
June 6 - 26, 2021 

Water is a recurring character in the artwork of painter David Alexander. Often mirroring his abstracted landscapes with reflections, Alexander invites us to keep our eyes on the surface of the water he depicts. Some paintings feel like he has completely shortened his depth of field until we are right upon the organic moment he is sharing. Finding nuance and contrast in light and landscape, Alexander’s emotive renderings of natural places fill the two dimensional surfaces of each canvas with intrigue; marks made not only tell a story of place, but also capture the hand of the artist.

This exhibition includes paintings that range from abstract reflections, wide landscapes, and bright, lyrical explorations with attractively amorphous natural forms. Says Alexander, "I pay attention to the impermanence, transience and vulnerability of land, how it is used and/or abused. Many viewers have commented on how abstract my paintings are. I don’t disagree, but I feel they have the amount of representation in them that allows me to work more experimentally and freely within the genre of landscape."

David Alexander

Alexander studied at the Vancouver Art School and Langara College, both in Vancouver, BC, and holds a BFA from Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana. He also received an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. He has been a visiting artist and instructor across the globe, and participated in residencies including being a guest artist in residence at the Morris Graves Foundation and the Grand Canyon’s Artist in Residence Program.  Alexander’s work is part of numerous museum and gallery collections including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver BC; Notre Dame University, Indiana, and Museum London, London ON. In addition, his work is in Embassies in Berlin, Beijing and Krakow. Corporate and private collections include works in major cities in North America as well as in Dubai, Seoul, New York, Mumbai and Nice, among others.

Mark Rediske, Lumen I, mixed media on panel, 42 x 42 inches

MARK REDISKE

levi tenente
May 6 - 22, 2021 

Mark Rediske's artwork is uniquely born of a complex process. It exudes a powerful yet quiet presence, a timelessness and organic quality. Often referencing mythical or ancient civilizations and geographic points, Rediske highlights our collective narrative and shared connection to the natural world. In this body of work Rediske explores a return to light, both figuratively and literally.

Says the artist "The last year has been an ordeal and a test of resolve to sustain hope, empathy and a reverence for beauty. [...]These paintings have a heightened sensibility of light and dark with the aspiration of light emanating through."

Rediske achieves an effect that gives his pieces a feeling of timelessness. Richly saturated hues are tempered by warm neutrals, rich blues and greens give way to  soft golds. A master of his craft, Rediske’s panels are flawlessly executed. There is a relief  in sharing space with his artwork; a calm, meditative quality extends from the pieces themselves, quietly inviting reflection and introspection.

Mark Rediske, Lumen V, mixed media on panel, 42 x 42 inches

Mark Rediske holds a BFA and an MA from St. Cloud University, St Cloud, MN. He has shown his work across the United States, including Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA, and began showing at Foster/White Gallery in 1991. He was an instructor at St. Cloud University, St. Cloud, MN; Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA; and Oregon College of Arts & Crafts, Portland, OR. Rediske’s artwork is held in dozens of collections including American Airlines, Seattle, WA; The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC; Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ; Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA; and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chicago, IL. 

Casey McGlynn, Ex Bird, 2021, mixed media on canvas, 96 x 96 in.

CASEY MCGLYNN | LANDING IN THE CROW'S NEST

April 1 - 24, 2021

Casey McGlynn creates layered multi-media pieces with a focus on painting and collage. His honest creations pull from ongoing personal narratives and delve into intimate realities of his life and internal dialogue. Approaching sadness through humor and with penchant for all things punk, McGlynn's visual language is full of symbolism. Colors tend towards highly saturated, bright, and varied, with figurative elements outlined in black paint. In Landing in the Crow's Nest we see deep greens and blues offsetting neon oranges and pinks. Whales, turtles, horses and birds coalesce, a riot of forms and colors filling space.

These pieces teeter on the edge between distressed  and reflective; meandering through a collection of thoughts before ultimately returning to their starting point.

In this body of work, Landing in the Crow's Nest, McGlynn's starting point was the idea of returning to or finding home, landing in a place of healing. In this case, The Crow's Nest refers to McGlynn's new studio in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. The title piece, imaged above, depicts the artist's mother's house, and above the compartmentalized structure, perches a bird. There is a sense that from its vantage point, the bird has landed, calmly, in a place of its choosing. 

Casey McGlynn, Sentimental Journey, 2021, mixed media on canvas, 71 x 128 in.

Casey McGlynn holds a Diploma from Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, ON. He has shown his work across North America, most recently with his 2019 solo exhibition at Foster/White Gallery, and at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO; by invitation at the Alabama State Council of the Arts, Montgomery, AL; at the Outsider Art Fair, New York, NY; and as a featured artist at the SOFA Exhibition in Chicaco, IL. He has been the recipient of multiple awards, has been a guest lecturer at several universities including at Brock University, St. Catherines, ON. His work is part of collections across North America.