Sunriver Lodge Betty Gray Gallery presents l scapes by Leslie Cain waterscapes by Mary Rollins opening on June 30. The artists will attend the reception in their honor on Saturday, July 2, 4–6pm in the upper gallery.
Cain, in her first exhibit at Sunriver Resort, shows her deep affection for high desert country in expressionistic paintings featuring l scapes of Washington Oregon west of the Cascade Range. Her choice of pastel, inherently soft fluid, provides the ideal medium to capture the dreamlike quality of memory evoked by her images, surely reflecting the 50 some years of her living in the environment of her paintings.
Her work lauds nature her reverence for place: the still river eddy; the barren, sun-drenched rolling hills; the delicacy of feathery Spanish Olive trees along shallow streams; the quiet of open spaces, each scene noting a place that inspires nurtures through the fostered sense of calm. Many depict the dramatic contrast between lights darks that accompanies late afternoon, sunset, the inherent sense of quietude, accentuating the sense of intimacy of the images.
The quiet drama of Cain’s art arises not only with scene but technique for, though beginning with photographs, she works reworks the image to capture the desired mood. She sketches the scene then kneads the pastel pigment into the textured paper to capture broad planes of subtle color. Repeated over over, she creates a strong overlay of line that creates “depth, expression persuasion.” As she notes, “my pastels are doorways to those places of connection where, stepping through, we can remember who we are, why we’re here.”
Cain’s excellence received acknowledgment as the cover of the Daniel Smith Art Supply catalogue, features in the Walla Walla Lifestyles magazine Southwest Art Magazine through inclusion in numerous corporate, public private collections. She recently completed the new Lewis Clark diorama mural at Ft. Walla Walla Museum wine label artwork for Patit Creek Cellars.
In contrast, Mary Rollins presents her exquisitely detailed waterscapes, realistic watercolor close-ups of life on rivers, primarily tributaries of the Columbia near her home. These “small vistas,” as the artist describes her subjects such as a wren sitting quietly on a rock above rushing water or brilliant red Coho returning to spawn, focus upon the particular reflect her life-long interest in devotion to the intricacies of nature.
She characterizes watercolor as a medium perfect to portray this environment. With colors transparent luminous, others earthy with sedimentary quality, the medium easily morphs to characterize water it surroundings. Her work described as “Contemporary Naturalism,” features heavy underglazing, multilayered washes, other complicated techniques to produce complex paintings often requiring weeks to complete.
Rollins developed her exemplary technique with a BFA from Southern Oregon State University continued her studies with prominent watercolor artists. A member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon recipient of its Bronze Award in 2000, the artist’s work has been the subject of many publications including a feature article, “Intimate by Nature,” in Watercolor magazine appears in collections throughout the US.
Billye Turner, art consultant, coordinates the Sunriver exhibition schedule that includes an August exhibition featuring photographs by Vern Bartley. 541-382-9398.