Preeminent Portland artist Henk Pander is well known for his unflinching treatment of difficult subjects and his extraordinary technical virtuosity in both oils and watercolors. His latest watercolor exhibition focuses on both sumptuous and stark Oregon landscapes. The consummate draftsman, Pander paints his watercolors in plein air and the results are compelling and commanding works. His eye for beauty in the midst of places that are seemingly desolate or foreboding tempts viewers into the images, and rewards that looking with rich color and surprising details.
Henk Pander studied at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam before moving to Portland in the 1960s. In addition to his painting career, he worked extensively in theatre set design beginning with the Storefront Theatre in the 1970s-80s and numerous projects for the Portland Center for Performing Arts, OR. His work is well collected and is represented in many public collections including; City of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Oregon Historical Society, Portland; Portland Art Museum, OR; Seattle Convention Center, WA; and University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene. In 2011, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, OR presented a major retrospective exhibition of his work. He has an extensive exhibition history both nationally and abroad. Presently he is also involved in set design for Portland’s Jewish Theater Collective and its upcoming production of A Pigeon and a Boy at Milagro Theatre.