Excerpts from a Symphony
Data Western Hemlock – Butt Flare (Dendrometer), Acrylic and Resin on Wood, 2020, 46 in. x 62 in.,Panel 7 of 16 Listening to the Forest – Leah Wilson Listening to the Forest Stream Drawing Studio Four times in one year, I sat for the duration of a day at the gauging station at Watershed 2 in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest on the solstices and equinoxes. My task was to take reference photos of a white rock sitting at the bottom of the small creek for a series of paintings entitled Solstices and Equinoxes. Every 10 minutes from sunrise to sunset I pushed the shutter... Read More
Common Ground at Anti-Aesthetic Gallery
Common Ground Anti-Aesthetic Gallery, Eugene, Oregon Dates: August 3 – October, 2020 Address: 245 W 8th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401 Hours: By appointment Contact: Eugene Contemporary Art Attention-Devotion and Consider a Tree at Anti-Aesthetic Gallery, Eugene Contemporary Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2020 Eugene Contemporary Art is pleased to present Common Ground – a platform for a host of conversations and events alongside an exhibition with works by Eugene Contemporary Art artist members and invited artists. As a way of getting to ecology through art, Common Ground is a space for exchanges... Read More
Process and Place, Cookies and Sections
A look up close. Red Alder – Top of Crown (Air Temperature), Acrylic and Resin on Wood, 2020, 46 in. x 62 in., Panel 1 of 16 Listening to the Forest – Leah Wilson Listening to the Forest A Story of a Relationship with a Place Listening to the Forest is not about wood anatomy, or data, or science. Although what you will see is wood anatomy and lines drawn from data, it is not the basis of my work, or what compels me to persevere through all of the setbacks and frustrations that come along with making a public art project. The foundation, and the impetus to continue, lie in... Read More
Introducing Listening to the Forest
It is an exhilarating time in the studio. Attention-Devotion, Acrylic and Resin on Wood, 2019, 46 in. x 62 in., This is a prototype for Listening to the Forest – Leah Wilson Listening to the Forest I am excited to announce that I have been awarded the opportunity to create my first Percent for Art public art project! Listening to the Forest will be permanently housed in Oregon State University’s new Forest Science Complex. The building is beautiful, replete, as you can imagine, with intricate wood interior details and extensive windows. I invite you to follow my process as I... Read More
Harmonizing with Experiential Knowing and Data Sets
Harmony Experiential Knowing and Data Sets Harmony Experiential Knowing and Data Sets Climbing the Discovery Tree – Leah Wilson I climb a 200ft old growth Douglas-fir tree every season so that I can feel the light quality change as I ascend above the forest canopy. This means of knowing extends past light registered and processed by my eyes. It offers a complementary way of understanding a forest that a complex data set cannot provide. I experientialy know that the warmth of the sun doesn’t have as much power over the dark, damp forest floor as it does higher in the tree. I know how... Read More
Time and Place: Ecological Works
Time and Place: Ecological Work At Liberty Arts Collective, Bend, Oregon Curated by Andries Fourie Dates: November 1 – January 4, 2020 Opening Reception: Friday, November 1, 2019, 5:00 PM Panel Discussion: Saturday, November 16, 2019, 11:00 AM, Moderated by Andries Fourie with artist Leah Wilson, Dr. Brooke Penaluna (research fish biologist with Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S.D.A Forest Service) Dr. Michael Nelson (a philosopher and economist who is Oregon State’s lead principal investigator at Andrews) and Louise Shirley (Curator of Natural History at the High Desert Museum). The... Read More
Divergence
June 7 – July 26, At Liberty Arts, Bend, OR.
Opening Reception June 7, 5pm.
Divergence is a group exhibition curated by Andries Fourie, exploring the artistic strategies of eight artists who work in different ways and investigate a variety of subjects, but also share an affinity for elegance, technical skill and design.
The photographs, paintings, drawings and prints of Hong Chun Zhang, Susan Rochester, Nathan Lewis, Analee Fuentes, Tallmadge Doyle, Leah Wilson, Kirsten Furlong and Frank Miller show us that conceptually-driven art can also be visually sophisticated and beautiful: a balanced marriage of form and content. Their work celebrates the fact that artists who follow different visual paths can still reach the same destination.
Collecting Evanescence at Lane Community College
Leah Wilson’s solo exhibition of work from the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest titled, Leah Wilson: Collecting Evanescence will be seen at Lane Community College Main Campus Art Gallery in Eugene, OR. January 7 – February 6, 2019. Opening Reception January 10 from 4:30 – 6pm.
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Collecting Evanescence – Six Years at the Andrews
Collecting Evanescence – Six Years at the Andrews Leah Wilson: Collecting Evanescence Six Years at the Andrews Joan Truckenbrod PopUp Gallery, Corvallis, Oregon Dates: October 6 – October 27, 2018 Opening Reception: Saturday, October 6, 2018, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Artist Talk: Saturday, October 6, 2018, Corvallis Art Walk: Thursday, October 18, 2018, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Address: 517 SW Second St., Corvallis, OR Hours: Saturday 12:p0 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Leah Wilson’s solo exhibition of work from the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest since 2012 titled, Leah Wilson: Collecting... Read More
Metanoia Catalyst
Metanoia Catalyst More Metanoia Catalyst Metanoia Catalyst LEAH WILSON & KATE ALI HULT CENTER PLAZA JULY 27, 2018 – AUGUST 3, 2018 Eugene BRIDGE Exhibitions 2018 How do we adapt to radical change? What does regeneration look like? How do we foster positive growth in our struggling populations? How can we improve/impact our social and cultural landscape to foster a sense of belonging and hope for the future? These questions are being considered at micro and macro levels across our city, state, country and global community, from Eugene’s art community to Federal land management and... Read More
Muses
I am not drawn to the more contemporary understanding of a muse as a particular person who inspires an artist to create work, almost like a love letter about the one objectified as the muse. I am more interested in the ancient Greek understanding of the muses. They are more like nymphs who could be found in forests and streams. They are capricious beings who have ideas of their own and they are looking for someone to help them manifest those ideas into tangible creations in the world. They are transient collaborators at best.
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In the Studio
I find this to be a hilariously accurate depiction of my time in the studio lately. I spend hours hand cutting Dura-Lar only to find that when I am done for the day, it looks as if nothing has happened. Studio News & EventsSo much occurs behind a closed studio door. Taking inspiration from Anne Truitt's Daybook, Studio News will provide you with a glimpse into the art making process. Sign up for an insider look. Sign Me... Read More
Emergence
Emergence I gave myself permission to retreat from the public for a while, to hole myself away in my studio to work with new material and ideas. I needed to be able to make mistakes and to fail without scrutiny. It’s been like my own extended artist residency. But now, I feel it is time to reemerge and to share what I have been up to. Solstices/Equinoxes, Rogers Gallery, Willamette University, Salem, OR Sometimes living and working in Eugene, Oregon can feel isolating. It is far removed from any major art center. In the summer of 2016 Kathleen Caprario, another local artist, was also feeling... Read More
Life Size
Life Size Kate Ali built a full-scale model of Gray Space. We moved it out of the shop to get a feel of how the scale of the space will work outside. Older Post: ← Isolation Newer Post: Emergence... Read More
Isolation
Isolation I remember a conversation, not so long ago, I had with Kathleen Caprario. We both expressed the isolation we were feeling as artists living in Eugene, with its lack of contemporary art venues and support, and how tired we were of feeling so isolated. Since moving here in 2008, I have frequently questioned whether I should stay here or relocate to a city with a vibrant and thriving contemporary art scene. After our conversation, I did what I usually do: I went back to my studio to make things in isolation. But Kathleen did something different. Last summer she invited some artists... Read More
Gray Space
Gray Space I’m involved with a new collaborative project entitled Gray Space. Gray Space is a collaborative endeavor that explores the idea of site/context. Eight artists will separately install and document the placement of a micro/mobile-gallery called Gray Space in site-specific and potentially unsuspecting or unknown locations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Each of the participating artists will select a location for Gray Space and will install a contextually specific work of art inside. Gray Space will activate public space and point to context as being inherent to the idea of... Read More
From Tree to Shining Tree
A forest can feel like a place of great stillness and quiet. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s a hidden world beneath your feet as busy and complicated as a city at rush hour.
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Solstices/Equinoxes
January 17 – May 14, 2017
Roger W. Rogers Gallery
Willamette University
Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center
900 State Street
Salem, OR 97301
Hours: Monday – Friday 8am to 6pm
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Solstices/Equinoxes: Work-In-Progress
Solstices/EquinoxesWork-In-Progress Spring Equinox Solstices/Equinoxes: Spring Equinox, 40 in. x 77 in., Oil on 3 wood panels, 2016 Solstices/Equinoxes Project Overview These are the main questions that I posed for this project: How do the colors of the creek change throughout a day? How does the colors of the creek change over the year? Procedure at the creek On the solstices and equinoxes of one year, I spent the entire day from before sunrise to after sunset at the gauging station of Watershed 2 at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. Beginning precisely at sunrise, I took a photo of the creek... Read More
Empathy
Empathy Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Empathy Part 5: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Sitting at Watershed 2 Sit in the forest for a day with no agenda. Swim naked in the creek. Sleep under the stars. The only thing that is required is that you pay attention. Take yourself out of your head: It might take a few days. Stay. Speak little, or not at all. Stay until you feel at ease with the silence. Stay until you hear the rustle of something small... Read More
Faith
Faith Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Faith Part 4: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Lookout Creek on the Winter Solstice I don’t have faith in many things at the moment. This year, so far, has been one of those years to shake most of it out of me. However, I do have faith in one thing. It has never failed me, not even once. I trust that the world is beautiful (although I still haven’t been able to figure out why it is so). My artwork depends on it.... Read More
Wonder – Why is the world so beautiful?
Wonder Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson An Open Letter to Robin Wall Kimmerer Why is the World So Beautiful? Wonder An Open Letter to Robin Wall Kimmerer: Why is the world so beautiful? Part 3: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Penguin Crossing Dear Robin Wall Kimmerer, At the end of his presentation at the Arts/Sciences Convergences at OSU introduction, poet and writer Charles Goodrich asked this question on your behalf: Why is the world so... Read More
Eye Surgery Haiku
Eye Surgery Haiku Eye Surgery Haiku primary art tool an angry Frankenstein sewn: eye surgery eyelid swollen shut paintbrush can’t find the surface colors become gray eye is open now and the world appears vivid two eyes in concert Older Post: ← Story Newer Post: Wonder - Why is the world so beautiful?... Read More
Story
Story Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson And Notes for the Art Science Convergences at OSU Panel Discussion Story Part 2: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Ambient: October 11, 2014, Between 10:55 AM and 3:42 PM; Watershed 1, Lookout Creek & Watershed 3 Oil on 6 Wood Panels, 25 1/2 in. x 112 in. Telling you what I do is fairly easy: I make abstract paintings that show chromatic changes in the environment that we can’t easily see or track with... Read More
Patience
Patience Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Patience Part 1: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson 200 Year Log Decomposition Study Patience is at the essence of the log decomposition study at HJ Andrews. Mark Harmon began the study of forest ‘morticulture’ at the Andrews about 30 years ago. It is designed to continue for 200 years. How patient must one be to wait to know that the answer that you are seeking will not be found during your own lifetime?... Read More
Silence
Silence “He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” Elbert Hubbard Silence has been on my mind lately, especially when I am in my studio painting. Without silence there is no music, no prose, no composition. It is only through silence and emptiness that form can emerge. Recently I went to the symphony and I paid careful attention to the silences. They are between the notes, they separate the movements, and they mark the end of a piece. The silence that occurs between the last note, and the first cough and shuffle from the... Read More
Discovery Trail
Discovery Trail Published in the Rot: The Afterlife of Trees Exhibition Catalog, The Arts Center, Corvallis, OR, January 2016 " Discovery Trail A lacquered tree round adorned with an image of a salamander marks the beginning of the Discovery Trail located at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest headquarters. The trail wanders through old growth forest and leads to Lookout Creek. Along the trail you will find no signs or kiosks designating an area or object as particularly “discover worthy.” There is an invitation at the trailhead to discover, but it does not dictate what that discovery... Read More
The End to Adventures in Unemployment – The Beginning to Adventures in Self Employment
The End to Adventures in Unemployment – The Beginning to Adventures in Self Employment The End to Adventures in Unemployment The Beginning to Adventures in Self Employment Recently I’ve learned a few things about the way that I think about money and jobs. I learned that if I have a day job that gives me no pleasure, doesn’t value my skills, and gives me a small wage for showing up every day, and I lose that job, then I am labeled ‘Unemployed’. When you are labeled unemployed, there are certain things that need to be done to fulfill the obligations of one who has joined those ranks.... Read More