September 2026 Exhibit
Elise Wagner
Finding Buoyancy
September 12 – October 5
We are honored to be presenting a third solo exhibition for Elise Wagner with a new collection of encaustic paintings titled Finding Buoyancy. This series, created from her studio perched out over the mighty Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon has been largely defined by the space and its relation to the river. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Artwalk, September 12, Wagner will be present at the opening reception that day, 5 – 8 pm. She will also be back on Saturday, September 19th at 2:00 pm to give an artist’s talk about her process, inspiration and career. The exhibition will be on view through October 5th.
An artist’s studio can be a place of solitude, an incubator of ideas, a place of sanctuary to process thoughts into compositions of reflection. For Wagner, her space and physical relationship to the river have provided all those elements, immersing and permeating her compositions, anchored physically by a buoy that is steadfastly tethered in place, marking passage while keeping navigator’s safe. This small man-made structure has become metaphor for Wagner, who’s attention has been captured by what she considers to be a symbol of resilience, orientation, and the ability to remain afloat amid challenging times.
About this series, Wagner states: “From the window of my studio on the Columbia River, I’ve been watching this one buoy along with the movement of water, vessels, sea lions and birds. These floating markers, small, bright points bobbing in the vast river, have become a presence in my work as I seek balance amid the currents of constant change.” After a period of 5 years of self-described upheaval; leaving her established home of 38 years, drastic changes in personal relationships, the loss of family members she has found herself in a state of forced transitions, pivoting from what wasn’t working to what is. This series reflects on that personal and sometimes painful process, her surroundings shaping the content of those changes through deep reflection and recognizing metaphor as a tool. She goes on to say, “Finding Buoyancy grew from living within these opposing forces and from the question of how we remain open to life and keep going when the currents beneath us are in constant motion. Finding Buoyancy explores the tension between weight and weightlessness, surface and depth, movement and stillness. Through encaustic painting and wax collagraph printmaking, I build layered surfaces that reflect shifting currents, geological formations, atmospheric patterns, and the passage of time.”
Encaustic is itself an ancient art form, with origins from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. And Wagner’s choice of medium is no accident, the alchemy of the process itself lending to her complex sense of the visual language and subject matter, both looking forward while looking back. Through encaustic, her passion for both science and art has become the perfect vehicle to create dialogue and a bridge between cartography use within ancient history to the uncharted galaxies and now the waterways that shape the land. Wagner’s work has evolved over the years, with a strong sense of maturity and confidence present while holding constant to her fascination in uncovering the unseen and her constant exploration of materials.
Wagner is known as a prolific, hands-on kind of artist, never to sit idle with a decades long career that is nothing short of inspiring through her commitment and drive as a fine artist. She is a recipient of a Pollack Krasner Foundation Award as well as receiving grants from the Oregon Arts Commission with work found in both private and corporate collections across the US, Canada, and Mexico. As an educator she has been invited to teach and present encaustic painting and printmaking at conferences and institutions Internationally and currently teaches virtual and private workshops. Currently her work can be seen in art venues from Astoria, Oregon to New York, Seattle to Washington DC.
Elise Wagner
Finding Buoyancy
September 12 – October 5
We are honored to be presenting a third solo exhibition for Elise Wagner with a new collection of encaustic paintings titled Finding Buoyancy. This series, created from her studio perched out over the mighty Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon has been largely defined by the space and its relation to the river. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Artwalk, September 12, Wagner will be present at the opening reception that day, 5 – 8 pm. She will also be back on Saturday, September 19th at 2:00 pm to give an artist’s talk about her process, inspiration and career. The exhibition will be on view through October 5th.
An artist’s studio can be a place of solitude, an incubator of ideas, a place of sanctuary to process thoughts into compositions of reflection. For Wagner, her space and physical relationship to the river have provided all those elements, immersing and permeating her compositions, anchored physically by a buoy that is steadfastly tethered in place, marking passage while keeping navigator’s safe. This small man-made structure has become metaphor for Wagner, who’s attention has been captured by what she considers to be a symbol of resilience, orientation, and the ability to remain afloat amid challenging times.
About this series, Wagner states: “From the window of my studio on the Columbia River, I’ve been watching this one buoy along with the movement of water, vessels, sea lions and birds. These floating markers, small, bright points bobbing in the vast river, have become a presence in my work as I seek balance amid the currents of constant change.” After a period of 5 years of self-described upheaval; leaving her established home of 38 years, drastic changes in personal relationships, the loss of family members she has found herself in a state of forced transitions, pivoting from what wasn’t working to what is. This series reflects on that personal and sometimes painful process, her surroundings shaping the content of those changes through deep reflection and recognizing metaphor as a tool. She goes on to say, “Finding Buoyancy grew from living within these opposing forces and from the question of how we remain open to life and keep going when the currents beneath us are in constant motion. Finding Buoyancy explores the tension between weight and weightlessness, surface and depth, movement and stillness. Through encaustic painting and wax collagraph printmaking, I build layered surfaces that reflect shifting currents, geological formations, atmospheric patterns, and the passage of time.”
Encaustic is itself an ancient art form, with origins from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. And Wagner’s choice of medium is no accident, the alchemy of the process itself lending to her complex sense of the visual language and subject matter, both looking forward while looking back. Through encaustic, her passion for both science and art has become the perfect vehicle to create dialogue and a bridge between cartography use within ancient history to the uncharted galaxies and now the waterways that shape the land. Wagner’s work has evolved over the years, with a strong sense of maturity and confidence present while holding constant to her fascination in uncovering the unseen and her constant exploration of materials.
Wagner is known as a prolific, hands-on kind of artist, never to sit idle with a decades long career that is nothing short of inspiring through her commitment and drive as a fine artist. She is a recipient of a Pollack Krasner Foundation Award as well as receiving grants from the Oregon Arts Commission with work found in both private and corporate collections across the US, Canada, and Mexico. As an educator she has been invited to teach and present encaustic painting and printmaking at conferences and institutions Internationally and currently teaches virtual and private workshops. Currently her work can be seen in art venues from Astoria, Oregon to New York, Seattle to Washington DC.
August 2026 Exhibit
Opening Saturday, August 8th, 5 – 8 pm.
Tom Cramer BOLD & other new works
&
Arnold Pander Distance
Celebrating our 14th anniversary, we are honored to be hosting two solo exhibitions during the month of August. Within our South Gallery we welcome back the inimitable Tom Cramer. He brings his latest series, BOLD, comprised of complex, color saturated oil paintings on canvas and wood burned oil paintings on panel. In our Front Gallery we are excited to host a solo exhibition for Portland visual artist and filmmaker Arnold Pander. For his first show at Imogen, he brings a new series of watercolor paintings as well as oil paintings titled Distance. Both artists have been at the epicenter of the Portland art community for decades, cultivating their own footprint on the visual arts scene while adding to the broader artscape of the city. Stop in to say hello to both Tom and Arnold, Saturday, August 8th 5 – 8 pm. The exhibitions will be on view through September 7th.
Tom Cramer, widely known and respected for his charismatic nature as well as his spontaneous and joyful art has been a dominant force within the Portland art scene for decades, exhibiting his visual art as well as creating public art. He is known to utilize almost anything as his canvas, including buildings, cars, and stage sets. This series, BOLD is a fresh and playful abstract series exuding contagious and uplifting energy.
Within this series Tom’s collectors might note a subtle shift in style as he merges into a new era. His work continues with a strong anchor in use of color and pattern, echoing his long interest in Eastern spirituality, music, and botany. Cramer utilizes organized color, line, and form to suggest geometry, that then in entirety becomes a vessel of essence and/or spirituality.
A conversation with Cramer always leads into avenues that may have been little explored or considered, full of energy, ideas, and many twists. Cramer’s paintings reflect very much the same and are in many ways a direct reference to his own experiences. Drawing inspiration from intense periods of travel and engaging on a deep and personal level in what he considers to be older and wiser cultures, has helped him to create “an art driven by emotional content.” About this series BOLD & other new works, Cramer states: “In this body of work the main goal is emotional content. I am interested in how forms and colors work together to hopefully inspire the viewer. The art is heavily influenced by music - an attempt to attain the poignancy of music, is the desired visual outcome. In a sense, the goal is to turn the viewer on to themselves and for them to achieve a higher state of consciousness.”
It’s with this in mind that Tom is offering his paintings at levels that all can afford. His goal is simple and straight forward; to put art in the hands and hearts of all who will benefit from living with original artwork. Each painting holds spirit and soul, and much like music or poetry it has the profound ability to carry those who engage to a better place whether it be momentary or forever.
Cramer’s formal training began at PNCA in Portland and then on to Pratt Institute in New York. His work has been exhibited at the Tacoma Art Museum and the Portland Art Museum as well as many other prestigious visual art venues. Cramer’s work is also included to the permanent collections of Microsoft, Inc, Portland Art Museum, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Boise Art Museum, and many other highly regarded institutions.
In our Front Gallery we are excited to host a solo exhibition for Portland visual artist and filmmaker Arnold Pander. For his first show at Imogen, he brings a new series of watercolor paintings as well as oil paintings titled Distance. Within this series he’s primarily exploring the mystical beauty of light and water through abstracted seascapes, focusing on mood and design.
Arnold Pander, born in the Netherlands and raised in Portland, much like Tom Cramer has enjoyed a multi-faceted career in the arts, spanning decades. Growing up in a family of artists, his father, the highly acclaimed Dutch painter Henk Pander and his mother a master papermaker Marel Kalyn, his world was infused and informed by the creative process from an early age. As a multidisciplinary artist his career has included fine art, comics, film, and cross-media entertainment.
About this collection, Arnold states: “This series of works on paper explores perception and environment at the mouth of the Pacific Ocean, where familiar physical points of reference dissolve into an immeasurable expanse. In this vast landscape, distance becomes imperceptible, and one's sense of place is surrendered to nature's whim, wrath, and wonder.”
Arnold’s paintings appear effortless, yet complete control of medium is clearly established, illustrating the true mark of a confident and experienced painter who is at ease with their chosen medium. Arnold has the ability to coax a desired effect without over doing. Each painting is a reflection on nuance of time, place, and perspective. He goes on to say, “Without a fixed frame of reference, our collective understanding of place gives way to uncertainty, where the images that inhabit these spaces exist as much within the mind's eye as they do in the physical world. Reduced to shape, form, and atmosphere, these landscapes become abstractions—representations of a place that once was, or perhaps never fully existed at all. They invite the viewer to either hold onto a familiar sense of place or allow the work to transform into someplace new, or something else entirely”
His paintings, illustrations, and mixed-media works have been exhibited in galleries and public venues throughout Portland, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Amsterdam, including Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Mark Woolley Gallery, and Wieden+Kennedy. His editorial and fashion illustrations have appeared in Details and Paper magazines, Warner Bros. Records album packaging, and on television, including an appearance as a fashion illustrator on America's Next Top Model. Most recently, his oil paintings were featured in Season 3 of HBO's Euphoria.
As one half of the Pander Brothers, Arnold earned critical acclaim and an Eisner Award nomination for Grendel: Devil's Legacy. He has written and illustrated projects for major publishers including DC Comics (Batman), Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Image Comics. Arnold is also an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. Through Collaborator Studios, he develops original films, graphic novels, and cross-media entertainment properties that unite cinematic storytelling, visual art, and emerging media. Across every discipline, his work explores the evolving relationship between image and narrative.
Opening Saturday, August 8th, 5 – 8 pm.
Tom Cramer BOLD & other new works
&
Arnold Pander Distance
Celebrating our 14th anniversary, we are honored to be hosting two solo exhibitions during the month of August. Within our South Gallery we welcome back the inimitable Tom Cramer. He brings his latest series, BOLD, comprised of complex, color saturated oil paintings on canvas and wood burned oil paintings on panel. In our Front Gallery we are excited to host a solo exhibition for Portland visual artist and filmmaker Arnold Pander. For his first show at Imogen, he brings a new series of watercolor paintings as well as oil paintings titled Distance. Both artists have been at the epicenter of the Portland art community for decades, cultivating their own footprint on the visual arts scene while adding to the broader artscape of the city. Stop in to say hello to both Tom and Arnold, Saturday, August 8th 5 – 8 pm. The exhibitions will be on view through September 7th.
Tom Cramer, widely known and respected for his charismatic nature as well as his spontaneous and joyful art has been a dominant force within the Portland art scene for decades, exhibiting his visual art as well as creating public art. He is known to utilize almost anything as his canvas, including buildings, cars, and stage sets. This series, BOLD is a fresh and playful abstract series exuding contagious and uplifting energy.
Within this series Tom’s collectors might note a subtle shift in style as he merges into a new era. His work continues with a strong anchor in use of color and pattern, echoing his long interest in Eastern spirituality, music, and botany. Cramer utilizes organized color, line, and form to suggest geometry, that then in entirety becomes a vessel of essence and/or spirituality.
A conversation with Cramer always leads into avenues that may have been little explored or considered, full of energy, ideas, and many twists. Cramer’s paintings reflect very much the same and are in many ways a direct reference to his own experiences. Drawing inspiration from intense periods of travel and engaging on a deep and personal level in what he considers to be older and wiser cultures, has helped him to create “an art driven by emotional content.” About this series BOLD & other new works, Cramer states: “In this body of work the main goal is emotional content. I am interested in how forms and colors work together to hopefully inspire the viewer. The art is heavily influenced by music - an attempt to attain the poignancy of music, is the desired visual outcome. In a sense, the goal is to turn the viewer on to themselves and for them to achieve a higher state of consciousness.”
It’s with this in mind that Tom is offering his paintings at levels that all can afford. His goal is simple and straight forward; to put art in the hands and hearts of all who will benefit from living with original artwork. Each painting holds spirit and soul, and much like music or poetry it has the profound ability to carry those who engage to a better place whether it be momentary or forever.
Cramer’s formal training began at PNCA in Portland and then on to Pratt Institute in New York. His work has been exhibited at the Tacoma Art Museum and the Portland Art Museum as well as many other prestigious visual art venues. Cramer’s work is also included to the permanent collections of Microsoft, Inc, Portland Art Museum, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Boise Art Museum, and many other highly regarded institutions.
In our Front Gallery we are excited to host a solo exhibition for Portland visual artist and filmmaker Arnold Pander. For his first show at Imogen, he brings a new series of watercolor paintings as well as oil paintings titled Distance. Within this series he’s primarily exploring the mystical beauty of light and water through abstracted seascapes, focusing on mood and design.
Arnold Pander, born in the Netherlands and raised in Portland, much like Tom Cramer has enjoyed a multi-faceted career in the arts, spanning decades. Growing up in a family of artists, his father, the highly acclaimed Dutch painter Henk Pander and his mother a master papermaker Marel Kalyn, his world was infused and informed by the creative process from an early age. As a multidisciplinary artist his career has included fine art, comics, film, and cross-media entertainment.
About this collection, Arnold states: “This series of works on paper explores perception and environment at the mouth of the Pacific Ocean, where familiar physical points of reference dissolve into an immeasurable expanse. In this vast landscape, distance becomes imperceptible, and one's sense of place is surrendered to nature's whim, wrath, and wonder.”
Arnold’s paintings appear effortless, yet complete control of medium is clearly established, illustrating the true mark of a confident and experienced painter who is at ease with their chosen medium. Arnold has the ability to coax a desired effect without over doing. Each painting is a reflection on nuance of time, place, and perspective. He goes on to say, “Without a fixed frame of reference, our collective understanding of place gives way to uncertainty, where the images that inhabit these spaces exist as much within the mind's eye as they do in the physical world. Reduced to shape, form, and atmosphere, these landscapes become abstractions—representations of a place that once was, or perhaps never fully existed at all. They invite the viewer to either hold onto a familiar sense of place or allow the work to transform into someplace new, or something else entirely”
His paintings, illustrations, and mixed-media works have been exhibited in galleries and public venues throughout Portland, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Amsterdam, including Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Mark Woolley Gallery, and Wieden+Kennedy. His editorial and fashion illustrations have appeared in Details and Paper magazines, Warner Bros. Records album packaging, and on television, including an appearance as a fashion illustrator on America's Next Top Model. Most recently, his oil paintings were featured in Season 3 of HBO's Euphoria.
As one half of the Pander Brothers, Arnold earned critical acclaim and an Eisner Award nomination for Grendel: Devil's Legacy. He has written and illustrated projects for major publishers including DC Comics (Batman), Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Image Comics. Arnold is also an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. Through Collaborator Studios, he develops original films, graphic novels, and cross-media entertainment properties that unite cinematic storytelling, visual art, and emerging media. Across every discipline, his work explores the evolving relationship between image and narrative.
July 2026 Exhibit
Matthew Dennison
Mapping Ontology
July 11 – August 3, 2026
We are excited to host a third solo exhibition for artist Matthew Dennison, and his latest series of paintings titled Mapping Ontology. He brings a new collection of paintings that will include three distinct styles and interests, while incorporating reclaimed materials. Mapping Ontology holds focus on the human figure and will include “Book Cover” paintings, portraits painted to vintage book covers, figurative paintings, painted to 100-year-old door frames and a new series of his narrative paintings, where the stories tell themselves. Stop in to meet Matthew, he’ll be present and available to answer questions about his work during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, July 11, 5 – 8 pm. The exhibition will be on view through August 3rd.
Matthew Dennison, known for his interest in connection to place and human relations, brings a new series looking deeper into the dynamics of the human role within the world. Ontology itself is by definition the branch of philosophy that investigates the nature of existence, the features all entities have in common, and how they are divided into basic categories of being; in short, the metaphysical dealing with the nature of being. Dennison has long incorporated the human form within his paintings, and this series continues in that vein yet looking deeper into defined roles of individuals while still holding onto ambiguity.
Within this latest series of oil paintings, Dennison continues with a keen sense of youthfulness and a sense of play and/or peril that for many might remind them of times long ago. This sense of nostalgia is consistent throughout the series. With saturated bright and energetic colors, Dennison conveys a sense of freedom yet sometimes an edge of foreboding creeping into content, while still anchored to the moment and untethered to realities of contemporary culture. His distinct style may remind some of illustrations drawing parallels to the mid-century, yet Dennison masterfully takes turns, perhaps teasing the viewer with composition very unlikely attributed to that era. Stylized characters interact with one another in expected ways while surroundings convey a vastly different message.
About this series Dennison states: “I’m interested in placing what I think into painting, by pulling in what triggers my ideas into a visual mapping. My work is a study of the world around me (an ontological dive) and in the end creating a shared personal dialog. I realize that reality is constructed in the mind of the observer. The people in the paintings are people I might not know…or a composite of people I have known. The paintings are a way of casting memories and a visual form of writing.”
Dennison, a long-time contributor to the Northwest’s art community has enjoyed a notable career, exhibiting his work extensively throughout the region as well as Chicago and the east coast. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Portland Art Museum and the Tacoma Art Museum as well as many corporate and private collections around the world.
Matthew Dennison
Mapping Ontology
July 11 – August 3, 2026
We are excited to host a third solo exhibition for artist Matthew Dennison, and his latest series of paintings titled Mapping Ontology. He brings a new collection of paintings that will include three distinct styles and interests, while incorporating reclaimed materials. Mapping Ontology holds focus on the human figure and will include “Book Cover” paintings, portraits painted to vintage book covers, figurative paintings, painted to 100-year-old door frames and a new series of his narrative paintings, where the stories tell themselves. Stop in to meet Matthew, he’ll be present and available to answer questions about his work during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, July 11, 5 – 8 pm. The exhibition will be on view through August 3rd.
Matthew Dennison, known for his interest in connection to place and human relations, brings a new series looking deeper into the dynamics of the human role within the world. Ontology itself is by definition the branch of philosophy that investigates the nature of existence, the features all entities have in common, and how they are divided into basic categories of being; in short, the metaphysical dealing with the nature of being. Dennison has long incorporated the human form within his paintings, and this series continues in that vein yet looking deeper into defined roles of individuals while still holding onto ambiguity.
Within this latest series of oil paintings, Dennison continues with a keen sense of youthfulness and a sense of play and/or peril that for many might remind them of times long ago. This sense of nostalgia is consistent throughout the series. With saturated bright and energetic colors, Dennison conveys a sense of freedom yet sometimes an edge of foreboding creeping into content, while still anchored to the moment and untethered to realities of contemporary culture. His distinct style may remind some of illustrations drawing parallels to the mid-century, yet Dennison masterfully takes turns, perhaps teasing the viewer with composition very unlikely attributed to that era. Stylized characters interact with one another in expected ways while surroundings convey a vastly different message.
About this series Dennison states: “I’m interested in placing what I think into painting, by pulling in what triggers my ideas into a visual mapping. My work is a study of the world around me (an ontological dive) and in the end creating a shared personal dialog. I realize that reality is constructed in the mind of the observer. The people in the paintings are people I might not know…or a composite of people I have known. The paintings are a way of casting memories and a visual form of writing.”
Dennison, a long-time contributor to the Northwest’s art community has enjoyed a notable career, exhibiting his work extensively throughout the region as well as Chicago and the east coast. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Portland Art Museum and the Tacoma Art Museum as well as many corporate and private collections around the world.
June 2026 Exhibit
Michelle Muldrow
The Roiling Sea
June 13 – July 6
We are excited to welcome back artist Michelle Muldrow and a new series of paintings for her third solo exhibition at Imogen. Her painting is a conceptual exploration of the American landscape, imbued by working history of the land she portrays. The exhibition, The Roiling Sea, opens during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, June 13th. Muldrow will be in attendance during artwalk and available to answer questions about her work, 5 – 8:00 pm. The exhibition will remain on view through July 6th.
Michelle Muldrow, who is well versed in the arts, is a nationally recognized painter and singer/songwriter. She brings a new collection of paintings exploring the relationships between landscape, consumerism, historical aesthetic philosophy, and personal narrative. Within this series she places the figure within the landscape, to emphasize the role mankind holds in the world. Working in casein on panel with a complex palette, she applies philosophical ideas to American landscape painting, utilizing historical precedents while considering the contemporary experience as bridge, to a greater understanding of America. A continued sense of nostalgia marks her gestural style and sense of composition.
Her chosen medium casein, is itself historical in nature, being one of the original forms of paint, dating back to prehistoric times and utilized in early cave paintings. The medium, soft in tonality with a matte finish lends itself perfectly to her painting style, evoking a dreamlike imprint of memory. Muldrow, driven by personality to explore and understand nuance of both material and composition makes her own casein, commonly known as milk paint. Working with raw pigments, she has total control of the depth of color, achieving saturated and deep hues not usually typical to the medium. She is also calculated in her approach to painting by careful brushstrokes in sheer layers to further build the intensity of applied color.
Reflecting on her past work (her last series shown at Imogen) in juxtapose to where she is now, she states: “Drawn to the late Romanticist era of artists, in conversation with the artists of the past (J.M.W. Turner, James Abbott MacNeil Whistler), my work was reflective of a sense of impending change on the horizon yet honoring the past. It is now two years later, my relationship with the late Romanticist era artists, (late 19th century to the advent of WWI) has melded with contemporary imagery and experience. My methodical discourse with the past, referencing art history, Turner, Whistler and now Winslow Homer, is now insufficient. I have found that I am suddenly incapable of such emotional distance. My aesthetic methodology and painterly techniques have fallen away and all I can do is frantically paint. It is as if I am scrying from tea leaves, each painting a desperate attempt to make sense of what is happening at this point in time. The familiar, the tropes, populist illustrations are all thrown in with spectacle, the distractions, shock and awe, overwhelm and escapism. Everything that was once familiar now asks, is this an omen? What was once normal, now exists only in manipulated fiction. Unable to paint with contemplative distance, I am untethered, every painting is conjured from what I can’t comprehend. Asking, what is next in this roiling sea of change.”
Muldrow has exhibited her work extensively throughout the country, from New York to Los Angeles with many stops in between. She is a 2021 recipient of a Provincetown Art Museum/Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant as well as most recently receiving an Individual Fellowship grant from the Oregon Arts Commission. She has had her work included to many private and corporate collections, including the Microsoft Corporate Art Collection, the Cleveland Clinic Art Collection, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus Art Collection, and many others.
Michelle Muldrow
The Roiling Sea
June 13 – July 6
We are excited to welcome back artist Michelle Muldrow and a new series of paintings for her third solo exhibition at Imogen. Her painting is a conceptual exploration of the American landscape, imbued by working history of the land she portrays. The exhibition, The Roiling Sea, opens during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, June 13th. Muldrow will be in attendance during artwalk and available to answer questions about her work, 5 – 8:00 pm. The exhibition will remain on view through July 6th.
Michelle Muldrow, who is well versed in the arts, is a nationally recognized painter and singer/songwriter. She brings a new collection of paintings exploring the relationships between landscape, consumerism, historical aesthetic philosophy, and personal narrative. Within this series she places the figure within the landscape, to emphasize the role mankind holds in the world. Working in casein on panel with a complex palette, she applies philosophical ideas to American landscape painting, utilizing historical precedents while considering the contemporary experience as bridge, to a greater understanding of America. A continued sense of nostalgia marks her gestural style and sense of composition.
Her chosen medium casein, is itself historical in nature, being one of the original forms of paint, dating back to prehistoric times and utilized in early cave paintings. The medium, soft in tonality with a matte finish lends itself perfectly to her painting style, evoking a dreamlike imprint of memory. Muldrow, driven by personality to explore and understand nuance of both material and composition makes her own casein, commonly known as milk paint. Working with raw pigments, she has total control of the depth of color, achieving saturated and deep hues not usually typical to the medium. She is also calculated in her approach to painting by careful brushstrokes in sheer layers to further build the intensity of applied color.
Reflecting on her past work (her last series shown at Imogen) in juxtapose to where she is now, she states: “Drawn to the late Romanticist era of artists, in conversation with the artists of the past (J.M.W. Turner, James Abbott MacNeil Whistler), my work was reflective of a sense of impending change on the horizon yet honoring the past. It is now two years later, my relationship with the late Romanticist era artists, (late 19th century to the advent of WWI) has melded with contemporary imagery and experience. My methodical discourse with the past, referencing art history, Turner, Whistler and now Winslow Homer, is now insufficient. I have found that I am suddenly incapable of such emotional distance. My aesthetic methodology and painterly techniques have fallen away and all I can do is frantically paint. It is as if I am scrying from tea leaves, each painting a desperate attempt to make sense of what is happening at this point in time. The familiar, the tropes, populist illustrations are all thrown in with spectacle, the distractions, shock and awe, overwhelm and escapism. Everything that was once familiar now asks, is this an omen? What was once normal, now exists only in manipulated fiction. Unable to paint with contemplative distance, I am untethered, every painting is conjured from what I can’t comprehend. Asking, what is next in this roiling sea of change.”
Muldrow has exhibited her work extensively throughout the country, from New York to Los Angeles with many stops in between. She is a 2021 recipient of a Provincetown Art Museum/Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant as well as most recently receiving an Individual Fellowship grant from the Oregon Arts Commission. She has had her work included to many private and corporate collections, including the Microsoft Corporate Art Collection, the Cleveland Clinic Art Collection, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus Art Collection, and many others.
May 2026 Exhibit
Jo Hamilton
Groundswell
May 9 – June 8
We are honored to be presenting a solo exhibition for the renowned Jo Hamilton and her newest series, Groundswell, during the month of May. Hamilton has enjoyed a remarkable career that has taken her far with her textile-based paintings in yarn. Growing up in Scotland within a family of crocheters and knitters, she learned the skill component of her art making early in life. She now creates large scale fantastical wall hung compositions in yarn from her studio in Portland where she resides. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Artwalk, May 9th. All are invited to come meet Jo from 5 – 8 pm, Saturday, May 9th who will be available to answer questions about her work. The exhibition will remain on display through June 8th.
This latest series, Groundswell explores real and imaginary interactions between the forces of nature and manmade environments and activities. The term groundswell by definition refers to a sudden gathering of force in public opinion, a violent ocean swelling caused by a distant earthquake or storm, for Hamilton this concept is indicative of the past year. She works from that idea to create elaborate depictions, sometimes dwellings teetering on precarious edge, a submerged church, colonized by coral, a cross section of landscape revealing the fossilized layers of previous era, magma seething a few miles below the earth’s crust, utilizing metaphor within composition to ultimately illustrate the turbulent place mankind is in. She does this with careful consideration to beauty and sometimes a hint of wryness.
About this series she states, “Despite the helplessness we might feel in the face of such seemingly powerful phenomena, the reality of the earth’s resilience and longevity relative to our human consciousness and short span of existence can be both inspiring and comforting. Beneath the surface, under the thin crust on which everything lives, incremental changes and movements are occurring that can eventually bring about monumental, mountainous results. Wind, water and earthquakes are constantly reshaping landscapes and cities.”
Her process is not typical as she works with neither paint nor brush, rather utilizing post-consumer materials through concise decision and concern for the natural environment. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in the 1990’s, Hamilton moved to Portland where she integrated her years of training in drawing and painting with the handcraft she learned primarily from her “Gran” during her childhood. About her process she states “My work weaves together these distinct languages, referencing the hand-labor of generations of women as well as contemporary culture. The process involves knotting (and unraveling) hundreds of yarns to create each work. Each knot can represent a moment in time or disappear into he whole, and this interplay between material and subject animates the work.” Hamilton refers to her creations as a “net, filtering and transforming traditionally dominant gender roles and fine art genres.”
Her remarkable “paintings” have gained the attention of collectors and curators around the world with the inclusion of her pieces in the permanent collections of the Portland Art Museum and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art as well as many other private and corporate collections.
Jo Hamilton
Groundswell
May 9 – June 8
We are honored to be presenting a solo exhibition for the renowned Jo Hamilton and her newest series, Groundswell, during the month of May. Hamilton has enjoyed a remarkable career that has taken her far with her textile-based paintings in yarn. Growing up in Scotland within a family of crocheters and knitters, she learned the skill component of her art making early in life. She now creates large scale fantastical wall hung compositions in yarn from her studio in Portland where she resides. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Artwalk, May 9th. All are invited to come meet Jo from 5 – 8 pm, Saturday, May 9th who will be available to answer questions about her work. The exhibition will remain on display through June 8th.
This latest series, Groundswell explores real and imaginary interactions between the forces of nature and manmade environments and activities. The term groundswell by definition refers to a sudden gathering of force in public opinion, a violent ocean swelling caused by a distant earthquake or storm, for Hamilton this concept is indicative of the past year. She works from that idea to create elaborate depictions, sometimes dwellings teetering on precarious edge, a submerged church, colonized by coral, a cross section of landscape revealing the fossilized layers of previous era, magma seething a few miles below the earth’s crust, utilizing metaphor within composition to ultimately illustrate the turbulent place mankind is in. She does this with careful consideration to beauty and sometimes a hint of wryness.
About this series she states, “Despite the helplessness we might feel in the face of such seemingly powerful phenomena, the reality of the earth’s resilience and longevity relative to our human consciousness and short span of existence can be both inspiring and comforting. Beneath the surface, under the thin crust on which everything lives, incremental changes and movements are occurring that can eventually bring about monumental, mountainous results. Wind, water and earthquakes are constantly reshaping landscapes and cities.”
Her process is not typical as she works with neither paint nor brush, rather utilizing post-consumer materials through concise decision and concern for the natural environment. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in the 1990’s, Hamilton moved to Portland where she integrated her years of training in drawing and painting with the handcraft she learned primarily from her “Gran” during her childhood. About her process she states “My work weaves together these distinct languages, referencing the hand-labor of generations of women as well as contemporary culture. The process involves knotting (and unraveling) hundreds of yarns to create each work. Each knot can represent a moment in time or disappear into he whole, and this interplay between material and subject animates the work.” Hamilton refers to her creations as a “net, filtering and transforming traditionally dominant gender roles and fine art genres.”
Her remarkable “paintings” have gained the attention of collectors and curators around the world with the inclusion of her pieces in the permanent collections of the Portland Art Museum and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art as well as many other private and corporate collections.
