‘Between Profiles’ by Manuel Izquierdo |
The late Portland-based artist Manuel Izquierdo was born in Madrid in 1925. In 1936, he and his brother and sister narrowly escaped the Spanish Civil War and fled to France, where they stayed in refugee camps. In 1942, Izquierdo settled in the City of Roses, where he won the Oregon Governor’s Arts Award in 1991 and eventually passed in 2009. Izquierdo taught at Portland’s Museum Art School (now known as the Pacific Northwest College of Art) for 46 years. This long journey comes to the Karin Clarke Gallery when its opens Manuel Izquierdo (1925-2009): Sculptor and Printmaker, sure to be a fantastic show featuring his expressive and abstract woodcuts and steel and bronze sculptures. Many of his prints reference his incredible personal story. Hallie Ford Museum Curator Roger Hull will speak at the opening reception, during First Friday ArtWalk, 6 pm Friday, March 4, at the Karin Clarke Gallery, 760 Willamette.
Also on First Friday ArtWalk — co-hosted by Eugene Opera General Director Mark Beudert and Lane County Historical Society and Museum Executive Director Bob Hart — the newish gallery Shadowfox shows its wide array of laser cut pieces and, at 10 pm, hosts “Intrinsic Motion,” a short, original ballet performance by dancer Amanda Coleman at its downtown location, 76 W. Broadway; 21-plus.
WOW Hall gets into the art action with the opening reception March 4 of artist DeeDee Draz Barreras’ show “Portraiture Fantasy Art.” Barreras has a background in painting murals, sets and props for “several Hollywood studios, TV networks and feature films,” and the artist also painted murals for Walt Disney Studios.
The artist-run studio Ditch Projects in Springfield opens its latest show featuring the work of L.A.-based oil painter Julian Rogers and Brooklyn animation and performance artist Peter Burr. This University of Oregon-affiliated, out-of-the-way gallery — it’s in a warehouse at 303 S. 5th Avenue, no. 165 — has a bent towards the conceptual and minimalist, so put on your cool pants and thinking cap before heading to the opening reception 6 to 9 pm Saturday, March 5.
The Whiteaker Printmakers is partnering with the East Coast’s BIG INK project — a project that “brings together artists, community organization and the public to produce large-scale woodcuts for exhibition and educational purposes” — for a two-day event June 4-5 in Eugene. Interested artists can submit proposals for woodcuts 24 by 36 inches or larger by March 21. Thirteen artists will be chosen and they will have two months to carve their image in plywood. At the event, artists will use Whiteaker Printmaker’s 48-by-96 inch etching press. For more info, visit whitprint.com or bit.ly/1XYyIqq.
Mark your calendars: Lane Arts Council and the city of Eugene’s Cultural Services present “Learn to Photograph Your Art Work,” a workshop by photographer and UO arts and administration instructor Scott Huette, 3 to 5 pm Tuesday, March 15, in the Hult Center’s studio; visit lanearts.org for registration, $20. And Maude Kerns Art Center is now accepting artist marketplace applications for the 2016 Art and the Vineyard July 2-4 at Alton Baker Park. Artwork must be original and handcrafted; application deadline is March 25. Visit mkartcenter.com for details.