NELSON SANDGREN at Karin Clark

Expressions of the Northwest and Beyond

May 20 — June 28

Talk by Erik Sandgren, Saturday, June 7th at 3:30pm:

Themes & motifs of the work of Nelson Sandgren

The Karin Clarke Gallery is proud to share the legacy of Nelson Sandgren’s art and spirit in this, the first exhibit of his work since he passed away in August of 2006. Curated by Karin and her father Mark Clarke, the show will include watercolors, several large oil paintings and some self portraits at varying stages of the artist’s life.

Born in Manitoba, Canada, in 1917, Sandgren grew up in Portland and Chicago. He received his art education at the Chicago Institute of Design, the University of Oregon, the University of Michoacan, Mexico, and earned both his B.A. and M.F.A. at Oregon State College (now Oregon State University). After graduation in 1947, he joined the faculty there, and served as a professor until his retirement in 1987.

Nelson was greatly influenced by his teachers at the University of Oregon - David McCosh, Andrew Vincent and Jack Wilkinson, and although he did not study with her, Sandgren shared art philosophies with Maude Kerns in the later years of her life. In 1947 and 1948, Nelson studied with a second major influence in his work, Mexican muralist Alfredo Zalce, in Morelia, Michoacan. He became interested in creating larger scale paintings in collaboration with fellow artist friends. His public murals include those found at Mahlon Sweet Airport and the Lane County Court house in Eugene, Oregon, and also the Kerr Memorial Library at OSU, in Corvallis. He received numerous awards, grants and commissions during the course of his career, and exhibited in England, California, and Colorado, as well as Seattle and Portland.

A prolific artist, Sandgren spent four to five hours a day working in his studio, using oil, watercolor, and various print-making techniques. His unique brush work captures the essence of the environment in simplified, dynamic strokes. A sense of fearlessness, delight and reverence for the beauty of the natural world and the people in it, permeate his work.

Though Nelson traveled widely, his interest in the Oregon Coast never waned. He founded of a group of plein air painters, which, for a number of years, congregated at the beach in Bandon. His son, Erik Sandgren, carries on this tradition established by his father, with yearly coastal paint-outs, which continue to be a highlight in the experience of many local artists. Like his father, Erik is teacher, mentor and friend, who also helps many artists develop their skill and insight. On Saturday, June 7th, at 3:30 pm, Erik will give a talk about the themes and motifs of his father’s work, at Karin Clarke Gallery located at 760 Willamette Street, in Eugene.