(It Really Doesn’t Matter, oil on canvas. Some Very Fine People, oil on canvas by Paula Bullwinkel)
Art in the Atrium – Franklin Crossing presents 25%! Americans! Approved!, a series of paintings by Paula Bullwinkel, as well as a feature of black and white photography by talented local artists, former students of advanced darkroom film photography with Bullwinkel at COCC. The exhibit continues through April 28.
The April 2019 debut of Bullwinkel’s 25%! Americans! Approved!, a series of five 36” x 48” oil paintings, depicts rodents, quotes by our 45th president and references to 1960’s-1980’s vintage beauty ads. The artist began this political theme two years ago with etchings and monotypes of the images created at Bend Art Center and the noted Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California.
She states, “Each painting represents part of an imagined whole, much as a frame from a film.” The composite images are both narrative and allegorical as the heroines’ surroundings convey mystery, perhaps foreboding. A sense of absurdity or whimsy softens the threat, with humor a powerful ally.
The artist adds that the 45 quotes (fact-checked) appearing in the paintings are statements or tweets by the current president, either before or during his tenure. The majority of her paintings have animals, suggesting an animal familiar, or part of a person’s spirit in animal form, which assists the individual to fulfill their quest.
Six of Bullwinkel’s former students, Katya Agatucci, Rhonda Dalrymple, Trevor Deiner, Mandi Johnson, Lucas Stovall and Tim Wulf, also exhibit their current photography. Their widely diverse subject matter unites in the theme of what is important to the sprit and essential to the self, indeed an imprint of the soul.
A recognized professional photographer in NYC and London for 18 years before teaching, Bullwinkel notes her pleasure in finding and encouraging talent in Bend. Several of the former students have established themselves professionally in the field.
Billye Turner curates exhibitions for Franklin Crossing, open 7am-7pm. 503-780-2828 or billyeturner@bendnet.com