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Visual arts, literature,
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‘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.