2009 Au Naturel Juror, Rick Bartow, To Exhibit Work At CCC Art Center Gallery
From: Kristin Shauck
To: Media
Date: 10/24/08
Subject: Rick Bartow Art Exhibit PR
Clatsop Community College
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/24/08
Contact: Kristin Shauck (503) 338-2472
2009 Au Naturel Juror, Rick Bartow, To Exhibit Work At CCC Art Center Gallery
Perseverance, an art exhibit by Rick Bartow, opens on Thursday, November 6th and runs through December 12th at the Clatsop Community College Art Center Gallery. Bartow, one of the Northwest’s most celebrated artists, will be honored at the opening reception on Thursday, November 6th at 6:00 p.m. Music will be provided by Dave Drury. Bartow will also be serving as juror for CCC’s 2009 international juried competition Au Naturel: the Nude in the 21st Century. The Art Center Gallery is accepting submissions for the competition through December 15th, 2008.
Bartow is an extremely accomplished figurative artist who works in a wide range of media. He is represented by Froelick Gallery in Portland, and has received many honors, including a solo exhibit at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (New York, 2003), The Eiteljorg Museum’s Fellowship for Native American Fine Art (Indianapolis, 2001), a year-long installation in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at The White House (1997-98), a Flintridge Foundation Fellowship (2001-02) and an interview on National Public Radio with Ketzel Levine (2003). Since 1997, Bartow has collaborated with Master Japanese Printmaker Seiichi Hiroshima to create drypoints and monotypes.
When viewing Bartow’s artwork, the immediate impact of his raw, visceral mark-making creates a physical presence reminiscent of Abstract Expressionism; yet in many of his works there is also a delicate sensitivity and ephemeral quality of astonishing technical skill. Exploring the inextricably linked extremes of the human soul, from despair to triumph and from pain to passion and/or pleasure, Bartow creates a vision that vacillates somewhere between waking and dreaming, past and present. Member of the Wiyot tribe, Vietnam veteran, accomplished blues musician, and traveler to the furthest reaches of the globe, Bartow draws upon his own personal experience as well as his ancestral heritage for inspiration. Sometimes referring to his artwork as “medicine,” Bartow explains his engagement with the creative art process as a means to navigate through difficult periods of his life. The visual result often strikes a chord that resonates deeply among viewers of his art.
It is clear that Bartow feels a strong affinity for the natural environment of his Oregon home, and a special affinity for the animal kingdom, particularly the wildlife of the Northwest. His art is populated with birds, bears, and coyotes, as well as strange hybrids that are both animal and human, recalling the visible and invisible forces of the natural and spiritual worlds, and suggesting the powerful stories of Native American myth. His striking piece entitled Bear’s Song, for example, is both poetic and fierce, and features energetic gestural marks that emerge from a vibrant field of reds, yellows, and oranges. As a whole, Perseverance is a show that embodies the spirit of an artist whose creative work speaks of a determination to overcome life’s inevitable challenges and ultimately reflects a journey that is rich, full, and deeply experienced.
The CCC Art Center Gallery is located at 1653 Jerome Avenue in Astoria, OR. This event is free and open to the public. The Art Center Gallery is ADA accessible. Please contact Kristin Shauck at (503) 338-2472 or Scott Reuter at (503) 338-2478 for more information.
Artists interested in submitting artwork for the 2009 Au Naturel juried competition may contact Kristin Shauck at (503) 338-2472 or visit our website at www.clatsopcc.edu and click on the News link: Download the Au Naturel Prospectus here.
Clatsop Community College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.
Perseverance (2002), pastel and graphite on paper, 40” x 26”
The Bear’s Song (2008), pastel, tempera, and graphite on paper, 54” x 40”
Page Last Modified:
November 1, 2008
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