November 3. 2004
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in
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^îo rtla n i» (i)b eeru er
Artist Works in World of Decay
Gallery 500 reopens
with ‘Saturation’
BY JAYMF.E R . ClITl
T he P ortland O bserver
A fascination with rusting, rot
ting and the natural dying process
is helping a local artist create works
that reflect interest in both the natu
ral and industrial world’s cycle of
decay.
“I find beauty in natural pro
cesses” says Rio Wrenn, a local
fiber artist, dance and yoga devo
tee and amateur chemist.
When delving into the natural,
Wrenn rots fruit, mixes chemicals
and rusts iron and silk to create
stains as pigments to dye various
objects.
Her show, “Saturation,” appears
this month at the newly renovated
Gallery 500, located at 420 S.W.
Washington, Suite 500.
Justin Oswald, curative director
of the gallery, supports underex
posed artists from the northwest
and beyond.
“1 show a lot of emerging artists
here. I've shown the underdog that
another gallery wouldn’t even think
of showing,” Oswald said.
Besides her interests in the art
and life processes, Wrenn has stud
ied Indian culture and discovered
similarities between temple hang
ings, called Kalamkari, and the rust
ing process.
A reception with the artist is
planned from 6 to 11 p.m. on Thurs
day, Nov. 4 at the gallery. For more
information,call503-223-3951 orvisit
www.gallery500.org.
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• Beef Ribs
Local artist Rio Wrenn works in rust and natural dyes.
photo by
M ichael R ubenstein
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