104 http://www.AmericanArtCollector.com
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / PETERSON CONTEMPORARY ART
11 /5-11/ 30 Bend, ORT
hree different artists, three unique
visions for their craft. The artwork
of Oregon-based artists Donald Yatomi,
Valerie Winterholler and Ken Roth are
placed together for a trio show this fall
at Peterson Contemporary Art in Bend,
Oregon, offering collectors a diverse
viewing experience. While each artist’s style
and subject matter differ, they all share a
common home, as well as a pull toward
creating powerful works of art.
“I’m more interested in...down-to-earth,
real-life [subject matter] that is ugly,” says
Yatomi. “The more uncelebrated and ugly
it is, the more I do it. I leave the beautiful
stuff to the painters who do it well, like
landscape artists and people who do
beautiful portraits...When I do landscapes,
I do alleyways,” he says. If he doesn’t see it
commonly on gallery walls, that’s what he
paints. Yatomi adds, “That’s why I do urinals
and laundromats. These are places that are
taken for granted and almost shunned. I do
it because it’s neglected, no one wants to
see a urinal. It’s the rebelliousness in me.”
His oil Reed Market Pub depicts a dark
dive bar scene, which manifested from
a fun night out with his wife (who was
initially adamant about not going). He
shares, “I’m drawn to dive bars because
it goes back to the theme of repulsive
places...When I paint, I don’t paint for an
audience. I paint for myself.” But when his
paintings resonate with others, he says,
that feeling is incredible.
Winterholler, born in Bend, has spent
most of her life in Oregon. “I am constantly
inspired by the wide-open horizons and
amazing forests,” she says.
“The Badlands just east of Bend have
offered me a respite many times and
suggested the color palette for the painting
Equilibrium. Its open space and gnarled
ancient junipers feel like history and
possibility combined.” says the artist. “In
Equilibrium, I am utilizing the colors of Dry
Canyon. I am exploring the idea of what
lies beneath the dry pale sand in contrast
with what is growing on the surface and
the balance of the two. It is an abstracted,
diluted idea of sky, ground and underlying
history and future growth.”Landscape artist Roth’s Deschutes River
No. 7 depicts the major tributary of the
Columbia River that runs through central
Oregon. The piece is highly textured, with
thick strokes of paint, palette knife work,
and the clear visibility of the surface of the
canvas. Roth often works with a variety of
substrates, including canvas, wood, metal
and various types of paper. “As most of my
work is either with more literal elements or
abstract, derived from my surroundings the
closeness to nature and the vast amount ofopen space has been a very large source of
inspiration in my painting,” says Roth. “It
is also the ease with which I can access the
landscape that has really made me appre-
ciate Oregon.”
Peterson Contemporary Art’s 2021 Fall
Exhibition will be on view from November
5 to 30.Peterson Contemporary Art
550 NW Franklin Avenue, Suite 178 • Bend, OR 97703
(541) 633-7148 • http://www.pcagallery.comThe Power of Place
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