Review:
Lorna Nakell at Beppu Wiarda Gallery
by Chas Bowie, for The Oregonian
Wednesday July 22, 2009
After three years spent exploring the realms of painterly abstraction, Portland artist Lorna Nakell returns to her figurative roots.
Working mainly in watercolor, gouache and colored pencil, Nakell builds her compositions from layers of mixed media and collaged imagery to create unexpected and frequently narrative visual associations. “Flying at Night” at Beppu Wiarda Gallery features a promenade of unlikely cohorts, including a raging barn fire, aerial views of Midwest crop patterns, a dead goldfish, rivers and smoky plumes made of written words and a sly nod to “Madame X” of John Singer Sargent’s famed 1884 painting.
Nakell has a good nose for sniffing out inspirational sources: The pieces in “Flying by Night” are directly inspired by the work of Ted Kooser, the former U.S. poet laureate. Kooser is nimble with arresting imagery, as in his short verse about a suicidal typist with no hands, which is included in the show, “They Had Torn Off My Face at the Office.”
Each of Nakell’s midsized pieces corresponds to a specific Kooser poem, which is artlessly affixed to the gallery wall beside the artworks. Typewritten lines from Kooser’s poems also are collaged directly onto the images, drawing the correlation between Nakell’s source material and her finished pieces even tighter. This literal engagement of the text, combined with Nakell’s visual transcription of the poetry, is highly illustrative and a bit too obvious at times. But of her representational work, “Flying at Night” might be Nakell’s strongest showing to date, rife with searing visions, written and rendered.
Residency
Lorna Nakell was recognized for her artistic achievement by Weir Farm Art Center in Wilton, CT. Nakell was awarded a two week residency at the art center which took place September 3rd - September 17th, 2008. Weir Farm is a National Historic Site, Connecticut’s only National Park, and the only national park dedicated to American painting. To read about Nakell’s stay at the farm as well as see photos of the surroundings and work created visit http://lornanakell.blogspot.com/
Where EAST meets the Northwest
ALL IN THE FAMILY. “The Family Dynamic,” on exhibit at the Portland Art Center, features an interesting range of styles and media influenced and connected by the fact that the artists are all related to each other. The exhibit runs through September 28. Pictured are (L-R) painter Susan Sumimoto, painter Lorna Nakell, sculptor Noah Nakell, and photographer Chuck Nakell. (Photo/Chuck Nakell)
From The Asian Reporter, V17, #38 (September 18, 2007), page 9 & 12.
“Family Dynamic” reveals subtle connections and overwhelming support of individual artistic visions
By Toni Tabora-Roberts