FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2007
Clatsop Community College
Art Center Gallery
1653 Jerome Avenue
Astoria, OR 97103
Contact: Teri Sund 338-2478

CLAIRE COWIE: “SNAPSHOTS”

The Art Center Gallery at Clatsop Community College in Astoria will be exhibiting the work of artist Claire Cowie April 30th – May 18th, 2007. There will be an opening reception held Tuesday, May 1st at 6:00 pm at the Art Center Gallery. Cowie will also be serving as guest juror for the annual Clatsop Community College Student Art Exhibition, which will open May 21st.

Claire Cowie of Seattle brings to the Art Center Gallery a collection of sculpture, prints, watercolors and collage work. Recently gaining regional and national attention for her fanciful creatures and subtle depictions of the natural world, Cowie presents Snapshots, a collection of work that spans the last five years of her rapidly developing career.

Cowie, who received her MFA from the University of Washington in printmaking, has fully evolved into an established sculptor and painter. Inspired by Japanese sumi ink drawings, her watercolor paintings utilize light brush stroke to communicate the essence of her whimsical and somewhat mythical subject matter. Delicately considering placement, Cowie utilizes negative space to gain perspective on elusive floating imagery. Her concerns with nature versus man-made environment become apparent when viewing landscapes dotted with structures fading into space, as well as her self-created creatures sometimes hinting at a troubled existence within their designated environment.

Her figurine style sculpture, created primarily with man-made substances such as liquid resins and carved foam, depict beast and man struggling with what might be regarded as a trapped existence. Working sometimes directly with cast doll parts and discarded toy animals, Cowie covers surface with dripping layers of resin, gesso and watercolor, creating a sense of ambiguity in each figure.

Also included in this collection is a series of photogravure prints, a photographic etching process. This work represents Cowie’s experience as a printmaker and her interest in historical techniques that are rarely practiced by contemporary artists. Her subject matter echoes a quiet recollection of childhood memories, a past not completely forgotten.

Cowie whose work was recently reviewed in Art In America is currently included in the Tacoma Art Museum’s 8th Northwest Biennial. She is represented by James Harris Gallery of Seattle as well as Elizabeth Leach Gallery of Portland.

Claire Cowie’s work will be on exhibit at the Clatsop Community College Art Center Gallery April 30th through May 18th, 2006. There will be a reception Tuesday, May 1st at 6:00 pm in the Art Center Gallery. This event is free and open to the public. For more information please contact Teri Sund at (503) 338-2478.

© Claire Cowie