EARLIER PREVIEWS

2002-11
H20
ALL NUDES REVIEW
BARRY BROOKS
Z.Z. WEI
JAMES GORDANEER
ALPHONSE BORYSEWICZ
NOEL HODNETT
LIZ MAGOR
MARY JOSEPHSON
POST-IMPRESSIONIST MASTERWORKS

2002–09
WILLIAM ALLISTER
JERRY WINGREN
LISA BIRKE
FRIDA KAHLO/DIEGO RIVERA
JUDY COOKE
JAN SMART
RENÉE ZANGARA
DAVID LAM
GILLIAN WEARING
ALTHEA THAUBERGER

2002–06
JAN CRAWFORD
ARNOLD SHIVES
BAKER LAKE ARTISTS
CHITUWA JEMALI
NATALIA & VIATCHESLAV TCHISTLINE
GEOFFREY FARMER
MUSEUM OF GLASS INAUGURAL
DEBORAH WORSFOLD
LOUISE BOURGEOIS
EDOUARDO KAC
SEMSAR SIAHAAN
JIM HODGES/SHELLEY HIRSCH
HYE-KYUNG KIM/TORU SUGITA

2002–04
STEPHEN UNSER
MOVING STILLS
KEVIN PAUL
MacPHEE/MACKENZIE
BRIGITTE DORTMUND
RITA DE KELAITA
20TH CENTURY TRADITIONS
MANDY BOURSICOT
ROBERT BATEMAN
MARGARETHA BOOTSMA

2002–02
LAIWAN/FREEDMAN
MILUTIN GUBASH
CYBORG CULTURE
MOVING IMAGES – INDIA
FRANK HYDER
MATA ORTIZ
RICK BARTOW
TOM WESSELMAN
WILLIAM TRAVER ANNIVERSARY
MATIÈRES DE RÊVES

2001–11
JOE DAVID
ARNI HARALDSSON
ALEXANDER RODCHENKO
SENSUOUS VIENNA
RICHARD NOTKIN
GARDEN OF MYTH & LOGIC
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
HAI BO, SONG DONG, ZHUANG HUI
REBECCA MELOY
GAYLEN HANSEN
SPIRIT OF ISLAM

2001-09
GABRIELLE ROSSMER
MEL MUNSEN
JOSEPH PLASKETT
LORENA WOLFFER
GU XIONG
HANK MURTA ADAMS
DIANE BURNS
MICHAEL BROPHY
SKY GLABUSH
SONIA CORNWALL
SIDONIE CARON

2001-06
DITA ARNTZEN
JUDITH KINDLER
DALE CHIHULY
LINDA STANBRIDGE
MICHAEL BATTY
GEORG GROSZ
SONIA KASPARIAN
DAVID OSTREM
KATHERINE McLEAN
TIM DIGGLES
ROYAL NEBEKER...
MIRANDA J. MALLINSON

2001-04
HENK PENDER
SASHA ROGERS
CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY
BEN DAVIDSON (HAIDA)
KITTY BLANDY
OYVIND MYHRE
KATHY GLOWEN
KIM OSGOOD
FERNANDA D'AGOSTINO

2001-02
EMPIRE OF THE SULTANS
E12
GRETE STERN
ERIKA BLUMENFELD
JOHN SINGER SARGENT
TERRAFORM
CURATORIAL MUTINY
CATHY DALEY
HANDS ON

2000-11
BARBARA PROKOP AND LARISSA FASSLER
MARK GILBERT
DEBRA BEERS
DAVID WILSON
STEPHEN MCCLELLAND
WILF PERREAULT
BORGE CHRISTOFFER NYROP
RODNEY GRAHAM
MICHAEL SPAFFORD
PETER DOIG

2000-09
SOPHIA RYDER
JAE T. DOUGALL
ROBERT HELM
MEL CURTIS
JANICE ROBERTSON
JACK CHEVALIER
TAKAO TANABE
ADAD HANNAH
CHINA: 50 YEARS
IMPRESSIONIST MASTERWORKS
VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

2000-06
ROSANNE JANZEN
KEVIN McKENZIE
MIKE SVOB
LEAP VISUAL ARTIST GROUP
CORNELIA PARKER
LYNN CHADWICK
CINDY SHERMAN
PAT CAIRNS
LEO KENNEY
KAZIMIERZ SICHULSKI
IWONA SARNECKA-DABROWA

2000-04
DINA BARZEL
LYLE SILVER
GORDON SMITH
TONEL, AL MACHETE
ARI TOMITA
MONDO SECTER
STEVE MCQUEEN
BRENT GELAUDE
ELSBETH COOP
SHERRIE WOLF
DAVIDA KIDD

2000-02
MATTHEW PICTON
CAMROSE DUCOTE
ELEANOR BOND
SHEILA NORGATE
MARTHA BENZING
KYLA MALLETT
CLAUDE TOUSIGNANT
JACOB LAWRENCE

99-11
JAMES KOESTER
LEE MILLER
CONNIE STERRITT
ORION EASTLAND
RICHARD MORHOUS
QIU ZHIJIE
SALLY MICHENER
JON SWIHART
CAROLYN KRIEG

99-09
BEN REEVES
ADRIENNE SALINGER
TOTEM FORESTS
METAMORPHOSIS
FROG TOTEM
JESSIE HOMER FRENCH
STEVE MENNIE
ROBERT DRUCKER
BRIAN SHANNON
CAROLE D'INVERNO
 
99-06
LILIANA STRELEC
CHANTAL ROUSSEAU
DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD
MICHAEL MEW
KIMONO INFLUENCE
J. D. CHALLENGER
GAYLEN HANSEN
RON HERRON
TERRENCE La NOUE
SYLVIA TAIT

99-04

JOE FAFARD
JACK BUSH
JAYCE SALLOUM
GWEN CURRY
HANNELINE ROGBURG
LIZ MAGOR
WENDY HAMLIN
TOM HARDY
ROY DeFOREST
DAVID GREEN

99-02
AL HANSEN
BECK HANSEN
MICHAEL BATTY
R L JOHNSON
ANGELA GROSSMANN
JOANE CARDINAL
PHILIP JONES GRIFFITHS
STAN DOUGLAS
ROBERT COLESCOTT
DARREN WATERSTON
JON KUHN, ALLESANDRO
DIAZ de SANTILLANA
and JOHN LEWIS

98-11
PETER ASPELL
PREMONITIONS
NANCY BOYD
JESSICA STOCKHOLDER
LINDA & HARRY STANBRIDGE
THE NATURAL WORLD
GERRY SCHALLIÉ
JOHNNY MEAH
CHARLES M. RUSSELL
DANIEL CLAYMAN

98-09
SHE
MOGENS VANTORE
ALAN WOOD
NORMAN YATES
EDGE CITY
LORNA LIBERT
RALPH GIBSON AND KEITH CARTER
JAMIE EVRARD
ELAINE HEALY
GEORGE CHACONA

98-06
KEVIN MCKENZIE
VICTOR SHAW
CHRISTOPHER PORTER
CANADIAN GLASS SHOW
MAUDE LEWIS
MASKS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST
JOSEPH PLASKETT
GEORGE D. GREEN
SERGIO GOES
KIRK LYBECKER

98-04
PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
HELEN FRANKENTHALER
JOHNINE MAJCHROWICZ
LESLIE POOLE
JOANNE TOD
TERESA MARSHALL
CHARLES EDENSHAW
CATHERINE MCAVITY
DANTE MARIONI

98-02
MAX BENJAMIN
GEORGE LITTLECHILD & JOHN CLAIR WATTS
JACK SHADBOLT
THE SAIDYE BRONFMAN AWARDS
DAVID N-DORRINGTON
THINKING PRINT
CHRISTOPHER KIER
DENNIS EVANS
DO IT!
ROBERT YOUNG
FAMOUS EMPTY SKY

97-09
JANIETA EYRE
KHAI FOO
BARBARA GAMBLE AND MARISA MYRAH
GEORGE-MARIE GLOVER
SHERRY GRAUER
FRANCINE GRAVEL
TED KATZ
JOHN KOERNER
LEAH KOSH
LAURA WEE LÁY LÁQ

97-06
JOY ANSON
NIXIE BARTON/KATHERINE MCLEAN
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
CLAUDIA BERNARDI
ROBERT BIGELOW
MARGARETHA BOOTSMA
RICHARD BULMAN
IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM
GWEN CURRY & LYNDAL OSBORNE
JAE DOUGALL
PETER DRAKE
JAMIE EVRARD
JULIE MCINTYRE
RICHARD MARQUIS
SANDRA MEIGS
BARBARA MILNE
VASLAV NIJINSKY
TIM PAUL
ALEXANDER PETROV
SUSAN POINT
SANDY ROUMAGOUX
GORDON SMITH
MONICA TAP
SHAWN WESTLAKEN, TODD SPICER & MARISA MARY MYRAH
KAREN YURKOVICH

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Tom Cramer

Mark Woolley Gallery
Portland OR Sep 30-Nov 1, 2003

John Cole - Madronas
Tom Cramer, Gold Rush (2002), oil/metal leaf on carved wood relief
[Mark Woolley Gallery, Portland, OR,
Sep 30-Nov 1, 2003]

Most Portlanders know Tom Cramer for his landmark outdoor murals, wildly-painted art cars and carved miniature totems – all of which are bright, bold and lean toward American pop-culture.

In the past few years, after travelling to India, Cramer’s techniques have become much more humble and reflective. His carved and painted wood reliefs speak more about subtle layers of reality than of graphic design. The intricately carved fractal-like patterning almost appears caused by chance or accident, rather than determined by the artist. In other pieces, Cramer has applied subliminal imagery in embedded, kaleidoscopic patterns.

Cramer’s tactile work expresses something infinite and intangible. Bordering abstraction and reality, confusion and clarity, and the invented and the improvised, these laborious baroque pieces seem to be crafted in the vein of William Blake’s poetic concept: that the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. In emphasis, they have gilded surfaces inspired by the art of India.

For Cramer, the creative process is like a retreat from reality. The artist would delight in viewers being able to see beyond the seemingly decorative aspect of his work to the transcendent intensity of a new perspective.

© Allyn Cantor

 Wed, Sep 3, 2003