Minnich - Marlene Bauer

Where is it?

Concourse A

This column is located between Cheng's In Memory of My Father and Autio's Columbia Gardens.

About the Art

The inspiration for this column was derived from Bauer's involvement in the "moving and reclaiming" of two old houses. Saving the houses from demolition and reusing the exposed materials, Bauer's most recent series of urban landscapes reflect images of pathways, house parts, line crews, and salvage. The artist’s modernist approach created flat, map-like renderings that were incorporated into this column.

The Details

Artist

Marlene Bauer

Date

2004

Medium

Mosaic column (stone, glass)

Dimensions

Approximately 10' in circumference (3' diameter) x 17' high

Did you know?

Minnich is a family name of the artist, making the title of the column appropriate and fitting as the piece exudes a personal sense of home.

About the Artist

A Pacific Northwest native, Bauer applies her modernist approach to her artwork, and her paintings become a sort of balancing act in reconciling her subjects and her techniques. Teetering between abstraction and representational, Bauer’s houses are depicted as simplified forms, exploiting a universal iconography. The recognizable elements in her artwork – trees, buildings – are unconventionally depicted in wide patches of overlapping color, “pulling each painting away from literal interpretation.” Marlene Bauer's abstractions stem from her interest in the "visual dynamics of a quick impression of a landscape from a moving car or a glance out a window."

"My work is inspired by my impressions of life in the Pacific Northwest. Observation of common experience in family and urban life are enduring sources." – Marlene Bauer

Short Bio

Bauer was born in Vancouver, Washington, and has maintained a studio in Portland, Oregon, since 1976. She attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the University of Oregon where she received her M.F.A. The artist has exhibited her work in solo exhibitions at the Laura Russo Gallery, the Elizabeth Leach Gallery (both in Portland), and the Davidson Galleries in Seattle. Bauer's artwork is included in many of the region's public and private collections including the King County Regional Justice Center, Bank of America, the City of Portland, and the Oregon State Arts Commission.

Similar Artwork

At the Airport

Does Marlene Bauer's simplified yet deeply personal approach to depicting architecture have you wanting more? Check out Beverly Buchanan's Vesta Community in which Buchanan humanizes the buildings that she paints. Follow the STQRY link below to see Vesta Community.

Minnich - Marlene Bauer

Bits of images of pathways and architectural details are discernible in her works inspired by the demolition and renovation of two old houses.