Margaret Coe : Light, Woods, and River Flow

Karin Clarke Gallery is pleased to present Light, Woods, and River Flow, powerful new works by venerable Eugene painter Margaret Coe. This series of large and medium-sized oils on canvas, mostly created within the last two years, focuses on her experience and interpretation of the woods behind her home in Southeast Eugene and of a cherished spot on the Calapooia River. According to the artist herself, “there’s a lot of experimentation, and these paintings also feel more autobiographical.” This is also what she wryly calls her “Walden experience, being on your own with the landscape, using that like a meditation.” A consummate painter, Coe finds here another opportunity to explore the dynamic tension between the formal components of her compositions. At the same time, she imbues both subject matter and formal elements with symbolic significance, and her work often acquires a spiritual dimension, notably through her glorious portrayal of light.

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