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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2016)
4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Visual arts, literature, theater, music & more ‘Oregon Visions’ Printmaker Stirling Gorsuch investigates the efects of time on landscapes in a new exhibition at Cannon Beach History Center & Museum By NANCY MCCARTHY Stirling Gorsuch is fasci- nated by how time shapes a landscape. But the linocuts, etchings, monotypes and other print work he will exhibit at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum also demon- strate how time has shaped the artist since his childhood in Cannon Beach. “It’s a progression,” Gorsuch said of the exhibit, titled “Oregon Visions,” to be displayed beginning Saturday, Oct. 8. “It shows a maturation; it’s an assortment of things I’ve done in Clatsop County and in Bend.” The local landscape — hik- ing trails through majestic forests, ocean waves crashing against rocks, beach bonfires and stars set against a dark sky — influenced Gorsuch as a youth. Later, when he lived in the Bend area, forest fires, bliz- zards and dramatically chang- ing seasons inspired him. He observed how the envi- ronment changed even in a few hours, as the sun and clouds passed overhead. “This exhibit is from a cou- ple of years ago when I tried to integrate abstract shapes and symbols as ways of showing the passage of time in one scene,” Gorsuch said. Window panes also often are used to show the effects of time moving across nature. “It’s kind of like memory — seeing a place at a certain time, and this is the recording of that time,” Gorsuch said. Coastal subjects are his favorite, said Gorsuch, who “Enduring” by Stirling Gorsuch. “Begin Again” by Stirling Gorsuch. SUBMITTED PHOTOS Stirling Gorsuch, an artist who grew up in Cannon Beach and now lives in Portland, will exhibit his work at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum in the show “Oregon Visions,” opening Oct. 8. now works in Portland. His life in Cannon Beach brings back some nostalgia. “It’s a magical place; people are drawn to it for a reason,” he said. “It’s a compelling place, with the colors and the light — they change so fast.” To capture the landscapes, Gorsuch works from his photos and drawings. Sometimes, the message he is trying to make or the emotions he tries to evoke don’t come easily. “At the base of Neahkahnie Mountain, there’s one tree I’ve probably done five differ- ent versions of,” he said. “It’s Continued on Pg. 5 “True North” by Stirling Gorsuch. “Phase Dance II” by Stirling Gorsuch.
