February
13, 2013
Executive Director
 |
| "Passage" 36x48 oil and wax on canvas |
Coos Art
Museum
541-267-3901
For
Immediate Release
Contact: Steven Broocks
sbrooks@coosart.org
TRANSPORTED: Paintings by Robert
Canaga at Coos Art Museum
Coos
Bay, OR - Coos Art Museum presents TRANSPORTED,
a solo show of mixed media paintings, combining raw pigments, oil and wax by
Oregon-based artist Robert Canaga, April 18 through June 28, 2014. The opening
reception is Friday April 18 from 5 to 7pm and coincides with the opening of Expressions West 2014 the Museum’s
Western states painting competition for which Canaga served as juror.
In
TRANSPORTED, painter Robert Canaga
explores images of the vessel as both object and symbol. The thematic forms
bring to mind containers or sailing vessels from antiquity, familiar contours
repeated throughout history. Boldly colored and textured in Canaga’s signature
style, the series evokes a sense of solidity and purpose with its simple,
satisfying shapes.
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| "Shadow" 60x30 oil and wax and acrylic on panel |
“These
paintings are based on the idea of transport from one place to another,” says
Canaga, whose work is influenced by the artist’s two near-death experiences. TRANSPORTED’s metaphorical reference to
the body-as-vessel, carrying the soul, cannot be overlooked. The paintings do
not convey fragility; quite the opposite, they vibrate with celebration of
their own place in the universe. “I’m more whole at 64 than I was at 24, more
held together, in a sense,” continues Canaga. “I’ve escaped amazing
circumstances, but remained solid.”
Even
the smaller paintings seem larger than their dimensions. Their energy radiates
outward with the artist’s confident orchestration of color and
composition. Canaga describes himself as
a color purist. He elaborates, “I carry precise colors in my mind’s eye. The
windows of my studio do not reveal the surrounding landscape, because I
deliberately decided not to be influenced by the external Pacific
Northwest palette. I’m fascinated by color frequencies and how
those frequencies relate to each other.”
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| "Blue Bowl" 36x36 oil and wax on canvas |
Coos Art
Museum
director, Steven Brooks, comments, ”We are very pleased to have one of the
areas most active and innovative artistic leaders exhibiting at the Museum. We
are also pleased that Robert Canaga has agreed to jury Expressions West 2014
a painting competition that exposes the Oregon Coast
to the art of thirteen western states.”
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| "Moon Jar" 36x36 oil and wax on canvas |
About
the Artist:
Robert
Canaga was born in Oregon and makes his home
in Eugene. He
is known as one of the state’s most experimental printmakers, and currently
focuses on abstract painting in oil, raw pigments and wax. His involvement in
the arts community spans decades. He is curator at The Gallery at the Watershed
in Eugene, past
President of the Board for Oregon Mozart Players and former curator at Opus 6IX
Gallery. His work is collected nationally. Canaga is also owner of Robert
Canaga Galleries in Portland and Eugene. More information
about the artist can be found by visiting his website at
http://opus6ixgallery.blogspot.com/
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| "Celtic Bowl" 30x60 oil and wax on panel |
About
Coos Art Museum:
Coos Art
Museum has been a cultural focal point of Oregon’s scenic Southern Coast since 1966.
It occupies the historic 1936 Art Deco US Federal Building in downtown Coos Bay.
The Museum offers a wide range of arts activities including exhibitions, art
classes and lectures. Hours are 10:00am to 4:00pm, Tuesday through Friday and
1:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday. Museum
admission: $5 general, $2 students, veterans and seniors, free to Museum
members.
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| "Vessel: Jar #1" 5'x5' oil and wax on panel |
I like these paintings a lot. Your comments about color, as well as the recognition of how of just soaking in the views can influence creativity and shape a painting also strike a chord. I recognized the value of having a skylight but no windows in my old studio after I moved to a new one where the view across the valley is hard to ignore...
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