Robert Schlegel - All Around

The exhibition All Around is a showcase of works made by Robert Schlegel (1947-2021) in the later part of his career. Schlegel transformed landscapes, structures, people, animals and familiar objects with an abstract flair. His paintings, collages, and prints alternate between buoyant humor and deep mood. The artist was known for filling journals with sketches and notes from his outings. He often began with a sketch in charcoal, graphite, or oil pastel, and then developed the image either in studio or en plein air. By focusing on painting shadows and highlights, contrast formed the foundation of his paintings. Schlegel’s work explores the tension between the representational and the abstract of subjects he observed in the natural world. 

Much of Schlegel’s work reflects the environment in which the artist lived—Banks, Oregon. Creating a narrative with a sense of place was an important practice for Schlegel, and for many years the far northwest corner of Oregon was an open- ended inspiration for the artist. He often composed landscapes clustered with boxlike houses and barns that revealed the artist's unique interpretation of his hometown. He also enjoyed making playful portraits of horses, cows, goats, birds, and alluring flowers.

Click here to view additional work by Robert Schlegel