Slideshow

Slide Show and Q&A: Shawn Demarest's "You Are Here"

October 31, 2012

"Holgate Drench"

The view: SE Holgate & 28th. Demarest is from Colorado, and earned a BFA from the University of Colorado. She lived in New Mexico after graduating, learning how to paint en plein air with the sun-drenched Land of Enchantment as her muse. “I really didn’t

"Holgate Sun"

The view: SE Holgate & 28th.

"Clinton Sleet"

The view: SE Clinton & 26th. After being in Portland for a few years, Demarest began to see the variety and beauty in Portland’s wet weather. “I realized I was totally captivated with rain scenes, and with the things that rain does to water and reflectio

"Running"

The view: SE Stephens & 22nd. Demarest had always been a purist landscape painter, working only from observation. To paint rainy scenes, though, she has needed to use photography. Nevertheless, she says, her plein-air training remains crucial. “I couldn’

"And then my wheels left the ground"

The view: SE Market & 29th. Demarest undertook the body of work in “You Are Here” in February, after it was brought to her attention she was only painting streetscapes, anyhow. “I had an open studio, and a women asked me why I was painting so many street

"Wet march"

The view: SE Sandy & 10th. Demarest is drawn to streets not only as the “trails” of cities, but for aesthetic reasons. “I think they’re just really beautiful,” she says. “I love headlights and cars and the way that that bright light can contrast against

"Hawthorne"

The view: SE Hawthorne & 37th.

"SE Milwaukie"

The view: SE Powell & Milwaukie. But, more than streets, Demarest is painting a sense of place. “Honestly, I think I always paint where I am,” she says. “So, if I was living in the mountains, I’d be finding things there to paint. If I lived on 82nd Avenu

In the transient urban landscapes she paints, Portland artist Shawn Demarest seeks to capture those evanescent moments when we stop, if only briefly, to recognize that where we are is beautiful—even in gray, rain, or sleet. "You Are Here," an exhibition of her work, is on display at Annie Meyer Gallery tomorrow through November 30.

Art, Slideshow, Interview

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Portland Monthly

Slide Show and Q&A: Shawn Demarest's "You Are Here"

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