Over the past two weeks, Rental Sales Gallery has been focused on showcasing abstract works of art. Many of the gallery’s member artists work exclusively or partially in this style, creating a broad range of 2D and 3D works. Here we are presenting just a small sample of the works that we hold. Nonetheless, there is still a rich variety of works, from the glass and wood sculptures of Robert Elon to the rhythmic lines of thickly-applied paint of Diana LoMeiHing, to the mixed media and paper compositions of Alice Van Leunen.
Abstraction is the departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art; this departure from accurate representation being slight, partial, or complete. Abstraction therefore exists along a continuum, as opposed to being fixed. RSG holds many works that fit along this continuum. To see more of them, either come into the gallery for a visit and look about, or visit our website and search our Catalogue. Click the link and go to Style and search for “Abstract” in the drop-down menu.
Ruth Armitage
Ruth works in a variety of mediums, including oils, acrylics, wax and watercolor, producing a wide range of beautiful abstract pieces. Her work can be found in collections all across Oregon and she is President Emeritus of the Watercolor Society of Oregon. Both of these displayed pieces in the blog are made using Ruth’s oil and cold wax technique on wooden panels. Taking weeks or even months to complete, the medium allows for rich veils of color and texture.
Alice Van Leunen
“My goal” says Alice Van Leunen, “is to create unique works of art that delight the eye and the spirit and have lasting significance for the community.” A creator of public and private artworks, Alice’s inspirations comes from a wide range of interests. “Some of my artworks have been inspired by by research into history, mythology, and science. Many make musical or literary references, featuring calligraphic marks made with yarn, foil, paint, fabric, or pencil. Some works are an artistic response to life’s challenges. And others refer to other artforms, especially other textile traditions.”
Eileen Cotter Howell
Eileen’s paintings are created using a combination of spontaneity and control. Guided by a free association of ideas, she builds a composition by accentuating existing shapes and adding new ones. The techniques that she uses are deliberate, combining a range of medias, but the images themselves evolve in a stream of consciousness fashion. She says, “It’s a process of trust, both scary and exhilarating, that draws on a highly personal store of experiences, thoughts and concerns.”
Mike Baggetta
Mike’s abstract expressionist paintings are an evolution from his years of drawing and painting, his formal art training and his professional design background. After moving to Portland in 1993, the combination of the diverse beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the vibrant arts community motivated him to reconnect with drawing and painting. Almost immediately Mike had a resonant connection with the abstract genre. “I’m fascinated with the physicality of paint and the juxtaposition using a variety of texture, color, and shapes to create fine art compositions that are both dynamic and highly poetic.”, he explains.
Fasai Streed
These works by Fasai Streed are part of a series of abstract works categorized by the artist as “Architectural”. The straight lines and bold blocks of colors put one in mind of modernist buildings, making the name extremely appropriate. Inspired by growing up with both parents as artists, Fasai also produces more figurative works and pieces inspired by Thailand, and her childhood with her grandmother outside of Bangkok.
Diana LoMeiHing
Diana’s paintings are rich in color, movement and emotional energy. She explains her process of creativity, saying “My state of mind is like clouds on a windy day, I am in constant motion, ceaseless, because thoughts are transitory and fleeting and constantly changing. I felt the necessity to describe these feelings in painting, and abstraction is the artistic language which comes closest to what it needs to describe these ephemeral emotions.” She is often quite astonished by the final piece and the results of her artistic journey.
Robert Elon
A relatively recently-arrived artist, Robert has a highly individual aesthetic among our artists. He produces beautiful works in glass and wood, which are rich with different textures and colors. These give the pieces the feel of sunlight dappling through trees or running water, both rich in spring-like associations for the viewer.
Dennis Hartley
Dennis has been working since 2016 on a series of works entitled ‘Meditations’, a number of examples of which are available for rental or purchase through RSG. Two examples of this elegant series of pieces are shown here.
Dennis explains: “Within a simple horizontal grid, fields of color and texture are interwoven and interact, creating rhythm and movement. Also, the work is influenced by the repetitive/rhythmic structure inherent in minimalist music.”
Kelly Orr
Portland-based artist Kelly’s mixed media pieces currently focus on the transitory beauty found in life and decay. Her work “finds inspiration in the impermanence of her environment – whether internal or external. Thoughts are fleeting, metal rusts, flowers bloom and rot. Her abstract, mixed media photographs celebrate the unavoidable mutability of life.”
