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THE ART OF PORTRAITURE
By WILLIAM HAM
FOR COAST WEEKEND
T
he art of portraiture
is almost as old as art
itself.
Two ongoing exhib-
its capture the evolution of
the portrait, from its origins
as simply a way to record
a likeness to its embracing
a far broader vocabulary of
form and image.
Locally, the Imogen Gal-
lery in Astoria is presenting
its third annual “Facing You:
An Exploration of Portrai-
ture” exhibition through
Tuesday, Dec. 5.
And, in Oregon City,
“Local Portraits Northwest,”
an invitational exhibit by
16 artists from Oregon and
Washington, is on view at
Clackamas Community
College’s Alexander Gallery
through Saturday, Dec. 9.
What these exhibits have
in common is the partici-
pation of two local artists
— Timothy Peitsch and
Imogen artists
featured in Clackamas
Community College’s
‘Local Portraits NW’
Reed Clarke — with their
own distinct approaches to
portraiture.
Peitsch, of Astoria, con-
siders the portrait to be “the
purest subject matter, the
most recognizable,” he said.
His portraits evoke the
varied strains of Astorian life
through the faces of every-
one from North Coast home-
steaders and anonymous
turn-of-the-20th-century
prostitutes to contemporary
members of the logging and
waterfront communities.
“Timothy’s work is very
powerful,” said Chris Dre-
ger, “Local Portraits NW”
curator. “I had seen some
pencil drawings he had done
of dockworkers in Astoria,
which were very striking. So
I invited him.”
A portrait, Peitsch said, is
the “most enjoyable platform
for me to work from.”
“I’ve always loved the
viewer’s reaction to them. It
Continued on Page 15
COURTESY REED CLARKE
Reed Clarke poses for a photo in his studio.