Expressionist Landscape 
Ian Painter, Beata Metzelaar, Anne Simernitski, Susanne Werner, Pierre Gour and Garth Amundson
FINAL DAYS - Now through December 31 

Throughout December ArtsWest presents four talented artists in Expressionist Landscape with diverse representations of nature, from colorful abstracts to atmospheric open spaces.  Each with a unique style, Beata Ondikova Metzelaar, Ian Painter, Anne Simernitski and Susanne Werner approach landscapes with verve and passion.  We are also thrilled to announce a further compliment to the ArtsWest experience with ArtsWest’s Alternative Media Platform, or AMP. 

Metzelaar’s rich textures and lush colors compliment her atmospheric landscapes which are drawn from her memories of early life in Czechoslovakia.  She studied under Eastern Europe’s finest instructors and began working as a textile designer and artist in Los Angeles in 1990.  Some of her corporation commissions include Eddie Bauer, REI and Land’s End.  Most recently her versatile creative expression was commissioned by Pacific Custom Interiors to design the interiors of large yachts.  Metzelaar’s passion for art and creativity, combined with an unparalleled vision for color and design, gives her the versatility to create pieces of many different styles and media.

Simernitski’s Abstract Expressionist work emphasizes spontaneity and expressive use of color for an emotional impact.  She was inspired on a trip to China where she found intricate layers of prayer papers glued directly to temple doors, sculptures of saints and trees. 
She has since been working with rice or silk papers traditionally used for weddings, burials or ceremonial burning rituals, as well as old gift wrap or used candy wrappers.  After soaking, gluing and layering these materials together, she rubs metallic paints onto the canvas, meticulously adding then peeling away color and papers.  The final pieces are cast in many different layers of varnish in an attempt to control time and the natural decay of life, elevating the recycled materials to the rank of art.

Susanne Werner’s colorful abstract art is very much about a process of action and reaction. With an intuitive approach, she translates the contemporary experience of life into a visual language using an emotional response to shapes, colors, and textures.  Born and educated in Germany, her lifelong exploration in art includes international courses and workshops at the Boston Museum of Fine Art School, the DeCordova Museum School and Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Canada.

Painter’s photographs originate in the concept of practicing visual mindfulness - observing without judgment, but while minding the internal process and thoughts of seeing.  His series, Composite Trees is the result of consciously rejecting attempts to choose an ideal viewpoint. Each image is created by layering multiple photographs of a tree taken from approximately equally spaced points on a circle around the tree. All possible viewpoints of the tree are contained in the resulting image, effectively removing the role of viewpoint. The trees he has chosen to photograph this way are non-distinct; at first glance they look like any other tree in the forests that they inhabit. However his technique separates out the tree from the containing forest; the end result a metaphor for the transformation of practicing mindfulness.

Within the last few years, the gallery has cultivated Pacific Northwest artists that fit within the ArtsWest mission statement to produce artistic events so fiercely compelling that they require conversation and improve the imagination while promoting the cultural vibrancy of our community.  Within those goals, we are excited to announce the new Alternative Media Platform, or AMP, which will include video and installation based work using audio and new media and exclusively showcases contemporary local artists.  For December, we are delighted to have the collaborative team, Pierre Gour and Garth Amundson, join in the fun with their sound based installation of 24 decorative french horns, “Happy happy happy.”