“Saints and Monsters, Monsters and Saints” is a séance of sorts, a conversation between the living and the dead, to which we stand privy.

Gregory Grenon and Mary Josephson formed quite the artistic power couple, each accomplished painters joined as married partners. 

So, more than a great artist passed away when Grenon died at age 73 in February. The two were together for decades, each hailing from Michigan but meeting in Portland. They loved motorcycles, baseball, each other and, of course, fantastic colors and art.

Gregory Grenon, a leading figure in Portland’s contemporary art circles for close to 40 years, died on Feb. 6, 2022 at age 73. He and his wife, the artist Mary Josephson, had recently returned from a month-long stay in Italy.

Gregory Grenon’s paintings at Laura Russo are another kind of familiar-yet-different. These are not quiet understated paintings. They are bold colorful people painted in reverse on glass. They seem like people you might know. They are portrait-like, but painted “expressionistically.” Eyes are big, lips are plump, ears tend to be simple thick C-shapes. Strong outlines tie everything together.

Grenon’s paintings succeed as meta-commentaries on the fuzzy lines that separate looking from leering. He challenges us to untangle our responses to the retrograde conception of women embedded in his paintings.