There’s the abstract acrylic, oil and plein air paintings of the majestic Northwest landscape.

And then, most of all,, there’s the history of each of the seven artists featured in a month-plus exhibit at the Karin Clarke Gallery, The Northwest Landscape, which opens Jan. 31 and runs through March 16. 

All seven of the artists, four men and three women, have influenced generations of artists as well as the direction of painting in the region.

The late Mark Clarke and his wife Margaret Coe will have their works on exhibit as well as Bets Cole, who has had her plein air paintings shown nationwide and is still working. 

Carl Hall taught at Willamette University for four decades and gained national recognition in a 1948 Life Magazine article, which called him a “magic realist,” and Hart James, who lives in Washington state, is known for her stylized, slightly abstract paintings that feature flowing water and mountains.

David McCosh began his career at the Art Institute of Chicago and then taught at the University of Oregon from 1934 to 1970. His work, increasingly abstract in his later years, reflected his emphasis on intense observation of nature. 

Erik Sandgren is a Corvallis native and the son of noted Oregon State University art professor Nelson Sandgren, and he established his own painting and teaching career. Landscape, especially in the Northwest, has been a lifelong subject matter for his  acrylics and watercolor paintings.

The Northwest Landscape, featuring the works of seven Northwest painters, is Jan. 31 through March 16 at the Karin Clarke Gallery, 760 Willamette St. The gallery is open from noon to 5:30 pm Wednesday through Friday and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday. First Friday ArtWalks for the show are Feb. 2 and March 1, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

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