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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2015)
Christos Koutsouras puts coastal dark seasons on canvas ‘Accessible To All’ art show opens at Imogen Gallery and Carruthers Building ASTORIA — Imogen Gallery announces a two-fold event. Artist Christos Koutsouras, who likes to work on a large scale, has put together a power- ful body of work for his newest series, “Accessible To All.” Be- cause of the magnitude of this collection, the exhibition will be shown at two locations: at Imogen Gallery and in a pop- up space located in the Car- ruthers Building at 1198 Com- mercial St. All are invited to a preview party from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 at the Carruthers Build- ing pop-up space. Then, both spaces will participate in Asto- ria’s Second Saturday Art Walk on Aug. 8 (see page 10). Born in Greece, Koutsouras found his way to the lower banks of the Columbia River in 2010, in search of a place to create a series of work for his second solo exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Con- temporary Art. His intent was simple: to stay six months for an intensive period of paint- ing, creating a body of work inspired by the Paci¿c 2cean. This place of conÀuence took hold, and, like an anchor dropped from a freighter, here Koutsouras remains, still ¿nd- ing inspiration in the currents that move land, sea and sky. “Accessible To All” encom- passes his visual notes of a landscape that has profoundly marked his work. Submitted photo “Over the River” by Christos Koutsouras at Imogen Gallery. Known internationally for his use of color to convey delicate yet dramatic atmo- spheric conditions, Koutsouras brings an extensive collection of large-scale canvases, small impasto paintings and graph- ite drawings on wood panel for his second solo exhibition at Imogen. Inspiration for this series comes primarily from his time spent at Fort Stevens State Park, with great focus on the permanence of man-made structures within the landscape. Koutsouras’ attention was captivated by one location of Fort Stevens, speci¿cally the parking area near the famed shipwreck of the Peter Ire- dale. He visited this location almost daily for nearly a year, taking in the ¿rst light of day or watching daylight slip into darkness. He studied the sub- tlety of concentration of light during winter storms. The dra- matic unfolding of weather and dunes surrounded one particu- lar building, seemingly caught in an eddy of unseen current. Local collector Timothy Dalrymple was invited to write about the series. “It is here that the Columbia River collides with the Paci¿c 2cean, a place some say of mystery and se- crets. Local residents and regu- lar visitors to this historic place know the bright blues, greens, and sunny yellow whites of sands, sea, and the blacks of the massive South Jetty in spring and summer,” Dalrym- ple writes. “In previous works such as ‘Remains of The Day’ and ‘Kyma,’ Koutsouras has cap- tured these seasons through color. But then there comes late fall, winter and early spring, with wild storms, winds, seas: the dark seasons. Fog, sheets of rain, Ever- est-high black clouds domi- nate these times. Koutsouras’ recent work is his emotional response to this chaos ex- pressed in masterful tech- niTue re¿ned over decades of hard, tough, thoughtful work. “These new paintings re- quire that we look into them not as carnival-goers at a gallery opening. We must be collabo- rative with Koutsouras in na- ture’s drama. These paintings demand our engagement. To appreciate the work we must do our own work, identify- ing important images, shapes, spaces that carry the artist’s message and meaning.” Koutsouras’ career has been as vast as the landscape he por- trays. His desire to become an artist was apparent since child- hood; however, that was not enough to convince his stone- mason father it was a viable career choice. Subsequently, Koutsouras left his island home of Samos to become a merchant marine and travel the world. He excelled in his chosen pro- fession and quickly rose to the rank of 3rd mate on the ship he called home. Not feeling ful- ¿lled with his life as a seaman, Koutsouras answered his true calling, and jumped ship while in port in Ireland. From there he made his way to Berlin and enrolled in art school, tipping off the beginning of a remark- able career. He quickly became rec- ognized and respected for his exquisite and subtle use of color and with that came commissions to do large-scale paintings for cathedrals, murals and other public art. 2ne such project was a mural at the East Side Gallery, in Berlin, where a monument of freedom was established when the Berlin Wall came down. There he was given a 30-foot-long portion of what remains of the wall to cre- ate a statement of peace. Imogen Gallery is located at 240 11th St. For more informa- tion, call 503-468-0620 or visit www.imogengallery.com T he Illah ee A partm ents 5:00 pm Downtown Astoria Every month, year ‘round! First Friday set at museum Find music, food, activities and movie ASTORIA — Join the Co- lumbia River Maritime Mu- seum during its First Friday Nights events on the Muse- um Plaza. The next First Friday will feature music, activities, food and a movie on Friday, Aug. 7. Listen to live music by Robin Bacior and friends beginning at 7 p.m. Find hands-on activities and games for all ages, making this an event for the whole family. Enjoy a selection of food and beverages, served by lo- cal vendors at a cash-only food court. Then gather your lawn chairs and blankets for a 9 p.m. showing of the movie “The Guardian.” First Friday Nights are free of charge. The Colum- bia River Maritime Museum is located at 1792 Marine Drive. August 8th Visit Downtown Astoria on the 2nd Saturday of every month for art, music, and general merriment! Presented by the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association Submitted photo Watch “The Guardian” at First Firday Night. astoriadowntown.com facebook/astoriadowntown.com D ow ntow n A storia’s M ost Respected A partm ent Com plex Since 1969. 1046 Grand Avenue Astoria, OR 97103 503-325-2280 August 6, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 21
