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On March 12th, 2010, Murdoch Collections will host Field Work, an exhibit of contemporary paintings by Portland artist Arn Strasser. The exhibit kicks off March 12th with an opening from 6 to 9 pm, and runs through Friday, April 30, 2010 at Murdoch Collections, 2219 NW Raleigh Street in Portland. Both the gallery and Strasser will be donating ten percent of artwork sales from Field Work to the Oregon Food Bank.
Strasser's paintings are full of lively mystery. Field Work provides the viewer with a sense of discovery, as if they had come upon a set of documents from an unknown culture, while also obviously representing the artistic imagination. His Crisp, clean architectural style is captured in a serene sea of white punctuated with color and gestural markings.
A native of Zurich, Switzerland, Strasser's family settled in Great Neck NY where he was raised. Many family members were involved in the visual arts, so his art education began early and organically. After receiving his undergraduate degrees at Michigan State University, Strasser worked on an independent newspaper in Providence, Rhode Island, where he cut hit teeth on pre-digital methods of typography and graphic design. This unofficial education is evident in his painting today.
As Strasser migrated West, art became increasingly crucial to his life. In 1998, he earned his Masters in Architecture from U of O while also painting in his studio and showing his work at galleries. His critically acclaimed first solo show "Spatial Gestures" in 1996 featured paintings on wood, and his piece "Arrival," acrylic and graphite on wood, is part of the permanent collection of the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC.
Writer Joseph Berenson says of Strasser's new work: "The markings are foreign, and the cataloging is in an unknown language. The pieces appear to a set of documents, or uncovered notebooks from a sort of naturalist of an unknown world, or from a mysterious undiscovered place in our world. And yet the work is of the imagination. These are field notes of an artist, not a naturalist or scientist. They are non-derivative and spontaneous. The power of the art is in the largely non-referential images, which allow the viewer to engage in a process of discovery."
A book on Strasser's work titled "Field Work" is edited by Berenson and includes an extensive interview with the artist. The book is scheduled for publication this spring by Asher and Merriman. Strasser's works are held in private and public collections across North America and Europe.
More on Arn Strasser and his artwork can be found at the artist's website: http://www.arnstrasserstudio.com/ Murdoch Collections http://murdochcollections.com/ is open from 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays from 10 to 5. Please call (503) 284-1960 for more information.
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OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY
MAR, 12 2010
6 TO 9 PM
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