G. Lewis Clevenger
For the month of June, the gallery is pleased to present the abstract paintings of G. Lewis Clevenger. Clevenger’s interest in abstraction has always been a personal and sometimes emotional response to the world that we live in. His paintings are born out of both an individual and collective rhythm, influenced by poetry, nature, and everyday banalities. Small things develop into the biggest picture, hence the title, De Minimis / Maximus, the yin and yang between what is minimal and minor and what is grand and major. Simultaneous with his Russo Lee show, Clevenger will open a feature exhibition of abstract paintings in Moving On, in the governor’s office at the Oregon State Capital Building in Salem from May 26–July 25, 2019.
Clevenger is known for his dynamic paintings of hard-edged abstracted forms, textural surfaces, and curvilinear lines. The artist combines media to create a compositional harmony between the rigidity of one shape and the irregularity of another. Referring to moments that are unplanned but experienced, he draws inspiration from within, collecting a visual repository of images drawn from memory, recollection, reality, and dreams.