Gwen Davidson


Reflections, 2014

As I developed these landscapes, I realized that the collage elements could depict more than one scene or one moment in time. Like my viewing experience, the paintings have become a combination of something seen at a distance and details known from previous experience. Small snapshots superimpose themselves across a sweeping view, mental images of past observations and close-ups. Pieces of collage can combine impressions of Utah's high desert with long-held memories of eastern Oregon.

My paintings often begin with realistic studies. They are an examination of the landscape, a way to identify recurring shapes and their organization, their characteristic colors and changes over time. Then I work towards abstraction by painting more freely, cutting the paper into pieces, and recomposing them.

Realism and abstraction each have their appeal, but what interests me most is the ground between them where the world is transformed but still recognizable.

Gwen Davidson

 

Exhibitions
  • 2017- Composing, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2017- Look Closely, Meyer Gallery, Park City, UT
  • 2015- Back to the Sea, Freolick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2014 - Reflections, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2012 - Abstract Landscapes, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2009 - Coastal Landscapes, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2007 - Point of Reference, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2004 - Relative Values, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2003 - Recent Work, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA
  • 2002 - Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2001 - Gwen Davidson: Recent Work, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA
  • 2001 - Paintings, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 1999 - Froelick Adelhart Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 1996 - Big Drawings, Small Paintings, Portland Community College—Northview Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 1992 - Gallery 114, Portland, OR
  • 1990 - Portland State University—Littman Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 1986 - Portland State University—Gallery 299, Portland, OR (thesis)

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