Preview: MARY IVERSON -“Rise and Fall” @ Roq La Rue Gallery [Seattle]

We’ve enjoyed the work of Mary Iverson for years, initially unaware that she was a Seattle local. Over the pandemic, it has been like a breath of fresh air to see her out in nature creating small reference paintings while relaxing on the side of a shaded trail and/or overlooking a shimmering lake. In recent months, those who follow her Instagram account have had the pleasure of seeing her prepare for an upcoming exhibition launching later this week at Roq La Rue here in the city. Opening this Saturday, September 3rd, “Rise And Fall” marks the painter’s first solo exhibition at the gallery. Featured alongside some truly massive landscapes will be more modestly sized pieces and even some mixed media collage offerings, totaling a dozen works overall.

Iverson‘s trademark imagery incorporating lush Pacific Northwest backdrops overlayed with architecturally inorganic, almost mathematical linework and geometric patterns manifests a peculiar hybrid that, at once, lives in both of these disparate worlds, yet not entirely within either. The collection that the artist will be showcasing in “Rise And Fall” utilizes the mandalas and impeccable awareness of lighting to give life to these pieces in a way that reflects an otherworldly mystical quality that, rather than compete with the wilderness, actually functions to highlight and amplify magic that exists in the natural world but we too often overlook. You can almost feel the breeze and the warmth coming off of these paintings. I don’t know whether or not having actual experience smoking DMT in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest makes me the ideal person to offer up my take on this imagery, or if it reflects a bias that renders my vocal affinity for it invalid, but easily one of my favorite aspects in Mary‘s work is the careful balance she maintains to avoid stumbling into the standard Bob Ross-style happy trees territory or plummeting full-on into the new age sacred geometry urine therapy guru rabbit hole.

After recently mentioning the show online, a friend asked me if Mary was related to Allen Iverson. That imagery couldn’t be more conflicting than the reality of the spectacled 50-something Skagit County College painting and drawing teacher sipping from her mug in hiking gear. Iverson‘s personal physical aesthetic can often contrast dramatically with the sort of young, edgy tattoo-clad women with brightly dyed hair that she’s so often shown alongside in the new contemporary art world. She is a teacher and a skilled practitioner employing clean lines and a focused approach to accomplish singular and affecting visions. She has her formula down, birthing energy and vibrance through technical means. The results have proven consistently impressive.

Get the real scoop below via the official press release:

Roq La Rue is thrilled to present our first solo show with acclaimed NW artist Mary Iverson. Iverson is known for her paintings that blend traditional landscape painting with graphic line work that references industrial ephemera (most notably shipping containers) and globalizations effects on the world.

The “terrible beauty” aspect of her work is often referenced as being “post apocalyptic” for it’s pointed takes on the long term effects caused by out of control capitalism and climate change, and her new works “Calamity at Giza”, “Calamity at Pisa”, and “Calamity at Stonehenge” certainly back that claim. However, as many artists who’s work has been sounding an environmental warning alarm for some time, some of Iverson’s recent work has taken a slight turn. New works like “Sun Above Skagit River” and “Lake Valhalla” show a mystical softness and love for the natural world that still exists, and a sense of hope that one day the balance that we have lost will return once again, even if that time is beyond our own lives. A sense of the eternal plays out in her title piece “Rise and Fall”:
“The painting “Rise and Fall” features the iconic Myrtle Falls at Mount Rainier National Park. Last summer, my family spread our mom’s ashes at the falls. Watching her life float downstream, I realized that another reality would rise to fill the void. Embracing this dichotomy allowed something positive to spring from the loss, giving me the chance to heal.” – Mary Iverson

Iverson creates her work by painting natural landscapes she sees on her numerous hikes and explorations in the Northwest forests. When that part of the painting is complete, she then scratches perspective lines into the surface using an Xacto knife, then adds shipping containers strewn around the scene. The mandalas in the new series are also scratched into the painting surface. The process of scratching echoes the messages of destruction and creation in the work.

She also works with collage (the Calamity series seen in this show), gluing photographs to a board then painting abstract shapes on the surface of the distressed imagery. These pieces extend her narrative to iconic places that she has visited through media but hasn’t yet seen in the real world. They talk about rising sea levels and our contribution to history.

Check out preview images for the exhibit below the following event details…

WHAT:

‘Rise & Fall’
new paintings and drawings by Mary Iverson

WHEN:

Opening:
Saturday, September 3, 2022
6pm-9pm

WHERE:

Roq La Rue Gallery
2806 E Madison
Seattle WA 98112

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Opening is ALL AGES w/NO COVER
Artist will be in attendance
Show on view until Saturday, October 1, 2022
Gallery hours: 12pm – 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday