The Maude Kerns Art Center presents two shows opening on August 2: “Circling the Grove,” featuring the work of Eugene artist Leanne Ellis and Portland artists Lisa Brinkman and Carissa Burkett, and “Land as Deity,” showcasing work by Oakridge-based painter and illustrator Barbara Counsil Burney. A free, public Opening Reception takes place on Friday, August 2, from 5 – 7 pm. Both exhibits are on view through Friday, August 23. The Title Sponsor for “Circling the Grove” and “Land as Deity” is the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).
In the Main Gallery is “Circling the Grove,” an exhibit that celebrates what the artist Lisa Brinkman calls the “subtle mysteries of interconnectivity between psyche and Nature, between self and other, within life cycles.”
Leanne Ellis gathers plant materials that she presses and dries, next reconfiguring her collected botanicals on handmade paper. In this way, she gives new life and energy to the plant materials that mother nature provides.
Lisa Brinkman exhibits what she calls eco-printed paintings with images of plants, birds, animals, and celestial objects. Steamed botanical prints on raw silk are the springboard for her developed paintings.
Carissa Burkett creates acorn cap sculptures that she envisions as meditations on the cycles of generation and rebirth. Adhered together in a repetitive process, the acorn cap sculptures come to life as they grow and expand to form organic shapes.
In the Salon Gallery, Barbara Counsil Burney presents “Land as Deity” showcasing mixed media “altars” with painted, “deity-like landscapes.” Burney’s reverence and kinship with the natural world began in her early years growing up among the deciduous forests of Northern Michigan. Later in her life, she worked for Oregon State Parks and witnessed how the healing power of nature brought people together.
Each altar is constructed of a group of oil paintings, dried plants, and shelves to hold offerings to “deities,” such as Mount Hood National Forest and Lake Superior, selected by Burney from personal experience and fondness for a particular ecosystem. She describes her goal in making and exhibiting artwork as “inspiring others to protect undeveloped wilderness areas and increasing the accessibility for all people.”
