Abstract art comes to Alexander
New gallery exhibition
‘Inner States’ features
CCC teachers Mandee
Schroer and Don Olsen
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATT R0WNIN6
4 Clackamas Print JANUARY 2 0 ,2 0 1 6 thedackamasorint.com
Clackamas Community College welcomed
a new exhibit to the Alexander Gallery on
Jan. 13, “Inner States.”
The show includes the work of Mandee
Schroer and Don Olsen, two adjunct
teachers at the college.
“We’re really excited to have this
opportunity for the student body to see
their work this term,” said Kate Simmons,
faculty member and Gallery Director at
CCC. “This work focus largely on ideas of
printmaking and works on paper.”
Simmons said the artists felt like the
ideas of physical process and working
w ith a concept informed both of the
bodies of work shown in “Inner States.”
Schroer’s work is interested in “feelings
of tension and mental awareness,” said
Simmons. She uses abstract shapes
to assign feeling and convey feelings
through them.
Schroer received a grant for framing
her artworks. She also features a series of
woodcuts in the same style as the framed
prints. Woodcuts are often used as large
stamps; the artist puts on ink and presses
the cut onto a medium. Schroer viewed
the woodcuts as “exercises in process,”
said Simmons.
Part of Schroer’s work was created at
Caldera, a two week residency outside of three dimensional space. So, I used that
space as interior space: as mental space,”
Sisters, Ore.
Schroer had special words for the water said Olsen.
Simmons said, “He’s created this
media prints she had produced while in
composition, and he reproduces that
central Oregon.
“They were conceived down in Caldera com position continuously. He then
as a means of me trying to interpret my goes into each one of those individual
visual world, and how I am trying to come compositions and paints and draws on
to terms with this internal conflict I have top to create more unique one-of-a-kind
art objects.”
with chaos and organization.”
Olsen uses commentary directly in his
Schroer’s pieces are meant to explore
her inner world not just as a standalone work, using text. “Sometimes those bits
representation, but as a continuation of of text are very random, sometime they
have humor to them ,” said Simmons.
each other, as a language.
“I look at these as a visual vocabulary
Olsen gave an analogy for his artwork.
or a narrative. They’re put together to “The underlying vision is that I’m trying
have a relationship with one other,” said to push the front of my windshield out,
so that I can see w hat’s in that space.”
Schroer.
Her other works were created in Mexico said Olsen.
He described th at he used a concept
while on a trip with students.
“Those were sort of a continuation of to work with to free up the workflow of
these tangled pieces. These tangles are creating art. He soaked the papers in ink
water, folded them and unfolded them,
the way I internally feel. ”
Don O lsen, who teaches digital and ran them through a press, among
photography, also had words about other techniques.
his work, a m ultitude of prints and
“It’s a repetition to free in the end,
multimedia work on paper.
because I know what to do next,” Olsen
“All the work is about this idea of said with a laugh.
The Alexander Gallery’s show “Inner
trying to create [a] space that on a two
dimensional piece of paper you can create States” will be open through Feb. 5.