EUGENE, OR – The Lane Community College Art Gallery is proud to present Tenth and Yamhill, A Painted Narrative, an exhibition featuring the works of regional artist Margaret Coe. Margaret Coe, a longtime resident of Eugene and much-exhibited artist, received her MFA from the University of Oregon in 1978. She studied with David McCosh, Andy Vincent, and Frank Okada, and has been influenced by Northwest artists, including Nelson Sandgren, Charles Heaney, and C.S. Price. She taught art for many years at the University of Oregon, Lane Community College, and the Maude Kerns Art Center.
Artist Statement:
Margaret Coe spent the past year-and-a-half traveling with her daughter through the illlness and eventual death of her two-year-old grandson, Marcus. The work that emerged from this period expresses the intensity of this most human experience, and invites the viewer to consider it in all its immediacy.
In a parallel to the grieving process itself, Coe begins each piece with a stark, black canvas. Shades of gray are introduced, and then gradually color comes back into the picture. Unlike her recent work, these sixteen 20" x 20" paintings are not only smaller, but are unframed with wrapped canvas edges, giving the viewer a direct, unmitigated encounter with the image.
The series has a narrative quality. A cast of forms are assembled to populate the surreal and threatening stage. People and objects, buildings and cars recombine and interact with the desperate mother and child, huddling away from danger. The paintings become more and more abstract; the mother and child disappear; and the screen fades to black. Coe has undertaken a brave exploration of pain and loss.
The show runs from October 26 to December 9. There will be a lecture on Thursday, October 29 at 3:15 pm with a reception immediately following.
The galleries are located in building 11 on main campus, 4000 E. 30th Avenue. There is no charge for admission. The Art and Applied Design Department phone number is 541-463-5409.
For more information about Lane Community College:
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