Past Exhibits
ELIZABETH COPENHAVER
"Experiments in Art"
March 18th - May 28th, 2007
We moved around quite frequently while I was a child. My father was a navel
officer, and my mother said that he was going to have a girl in every port
and she was going to be it! Consequently, my sister and I, along with a
brass tray, a small oriental rug and an oil painting of Aunt Helen's garden,
were packed into the car. When we took them out, that was home. I count 12
moves by the time I graduated from high school. We saw a lot of scenery.
With all this moving about, my mother still managed to expose us to art with
classes and museum visits. (She preserved some of our efforts, such as
numerous pink ceramic pigs fashioned when I was six.) When I was a young
adult, I recognized paintings at the National Museum that had been at the
Corcoran Museum, where I had taken classes as a child. One in particular
was Whistler's "Woman in White" - one of my long time favorite paintings.
When I was in teacher training at Northwestern University, I made a
memorable expedition to the Chicago Art Institute and was entranced by
paintings of the German Expressionist School. Previous museum visits had
focused on 19th century French Impressionist painters, "Modern Art!" my
mother stated firmly! In Washington, D.C., I experienced Mark Rothko at the
Phillips Gallery, which had a whole room filled with his paintings. Sitting
there, I was opened to a new way of experiencing paintings that was
emotionally involving.
For twenty years, I taught in various capacities - six years as an
elementary classroom teacher, several more years as a substitute teacher, and
for eight years I ran a small tutoring program for underprivileged children
in Washington, D.C. During this time, my husband Bill and I greatly enjoyed
raising our two children. Then, once our children were out of the house, we
lived in Japan for eight months. I ran around madly while I was there,
trying to see everything. In a provincial museum, I encountered a painting
by John Constable. I think it must have been a full-sized preparatory
painting. It delighted me. "Yes, that's what I want to do!"
Back in Davis, California, I took a drawing class with Jo Melton and found
that I could put on paper that which I observed. When we came to Portland, I
became a docent at the Portland Art Museum and enjoyed the wonderful
training we received. I also began classes at PCC Sylvania.
There, I studied water color with Bob Dozono and Caroline Wilhelm, oils with
Mark Smith and Hugh Webb and drawing and pastels with Mary Stupp-Greer and
Ken Weeks. Then one summer, I encountered oil and wax painting with Sandy
Rumagough, and all madness was let loose. The results are here today. I've
had great pleasure and support from a small group of watercolor painters who
meet every Friday to paint outdoors when the weather is fine, and still life
and portraits when not. Their friendship, support and suggestions have been
invaluable. My family has also enthusiastically encouraged my painting
activities.
For this artist, making pictures is an adventure in using line color and
texture to create a sensual experience. The process is deeply involving and
satisfying, whether the product is successful or not. I've enjoyed each
medium, sometimes mixing them. My art is personal, reflecting my outlook and
experience as well as some art currents of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Making art has caused me to see the world quite differently, allowing me to
see much more than I did as a casual viewer, both visually and emotionally.
However, art is given more importance when someone else comes to see it. I
sincerely hope that the pleasures I've had in creating these pieces will
bring pleasure to others who see it.
