September 11: Happy Hours: The Art of Marjorie McDonald @ Bryan Potter Design
Title of Exhibition: Happy Hours: The Art of Marjorie McDonald
Dates:Â September 11 – October 30, 2009
Opening Reception:Â September 11, 2009 – 5:00p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Location:Â Bryan Potter Design, 221 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR
Gallery Hours:Â Wednesday-Friday, Noon – 5:00 p.m. and by appointment
Press Photo:Â Web-ready image attached. Caption for artwork: Surfers & Clam Diggers, Marjorie McDonald, 1994, 5.5 x 4.25
Related: Portland EVENTSÂ LISTINGS
MARJORIE MCDONALD: A TRUE OREGON ORIGINAL
PORTLAND — Late in life, Marjorie McDonald began to create collages to ease her migraine headaches and to keep her mind occupied. When she passed away in 1995 in Corvallis, she left behind an inventive and original body of work, thoroughly infused with imagination and zest. This exhibition presents the vision of a true Oregon original.
Educated, well traveled and active, Marjorie lived a full life. She was a high school Russian teacher (the first in the U.S.) and was active in many physical activities, including tennis and fishing. She outlived a child and a husband.
She developed her own technique of collage for her artwork, layering pieces of rice paper dyed with paint. Her subject matter ranges from portraits and almost-abstract floral arrangements, to nostalgic scenes from her life and fantastic worlds of animals and monsters. Marjorie's unschooled approach to composition and technique puts her in the realm of folk or “outsider” art, but her approach to materials and themes is handled with ingenuity and careful consideration.
At her passing, the artwork went in the custody of her niece, Andrea Campbell of Portland. Her work is in the collections of Oregon State University, Reed College, and many private individuals. This exhibition is organized with the help of Eldon Potter at Bryan Potter Design as a way to introduce this wonderful artist and her work once again to the public.
There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 11, 2009 from 5-8 p.m.
Bryan Potter Design is a working design studio. Art can be viewed Wednesday through Friday, noon-5pm, through October 30.
