"EARTH & SKY"
Elaine Norberg & Kathy Cotner
Oil Paintings

September 25-October 28

Elaine Norberg is a painter who finds herself drawn to the tangle of growth and decay, the mysterious patterns of shadow, and the watery reflections that envelope the Pacific Northwest.  “As more and more land is developed and the face of landscape transformed forever, I feel compelled to record my interpretation of the disappearing woodlands and wetlands that move me,” says Norberg.  Her paintings celebrate the wild and untamed environment and the mesmerizing chaos that is orchestrated by nature on its’ own terms, without man’s interference. Whether using the buttery consistency of oil paints or the pure, finely ground pigments of soft pastels, painting is a way to explore what is filtered through her senses.

Pictured Right:"Floating" oil on board

Kathy Cotner’s focus of her paintings could aptly called “sky studies”. She works in oils on canvas with a painting medium that is a modern version of the old Masters formula. This medium creates a soft, silky paint that seems to float on the canvas. The result is a very transparent paint film, perfect for creating luminous atmospheric layers and capturing dimensional, yet vaporous clouds. The blue sky is the blank canvas upon which they float, constantly changing size, shape and density. Her paintings featuring sunrises and sunsets reflect their varied light and color. The paintings featuring cumulus clouds with their own sculptural form, majestically stand alone. “Living in the Pacific Northwest provides daily inspiration for my painting with stunning compositions floating right by my window.”

Pictured:"Heavy Clouds But No Rain" oil on canvas