About Reed Clarke
Reed Clarke is a painter and printmaker based in Portland, Oregon who devotes himself full time to his art after a diverse academic and professional journey. Following his MFA degree at the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop (where he had the opportunity to immerse himself in the studio art program headed by printmaker Mauricio Lasansky), and a PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon, Reed transitioned from a career in mental health to focus on painting and printmaking.
His work, predominantly figurative, features earth-toned, muted colors that evoke a sense of stillness and timelessness, with contemplative expressions and subtle psychological dimensions that make his subjects relatable. His pieces have been exhibited in numerous galleries and juried shows, earning accolades such as first place and purchase awards.
While Reed gravitates toward the human figure, he has always been fascinated by how the abstract dimensions of a painting, that perhaps the viewer is at first unconscious, can be the very parts that hold one to stay and look deeply. Though full of ambiguity, there are subtle narrative threads to the imaginary figures in his paintings. He brings to the depiction of his subjects contemplative facial expressions and relaxed gestures, making their posture and mood relatable to many. Commentators have attributed some of the acclaim of Clarke’s work to this relatability. He strives to keep his subjects from being associated with a particular decade or time and to draw on subjects from many races and age groups.
Reed believes it’s an interesting time to paint figuratively in an age saturated with photographic images, an age where some question the relevance of painting. For Reed painting will always be the unique visual record of one person’s struggle with the blankness of a canvas. “Ultimately” he says, “I’m striving for a balance between recording a human subject that engages the viewer and at the same time creating a painted surface that rewards the viewer with its physical beauty.”
Resume:
Solo Shows:
Lindgreen Gallery, George Fox University November 2022
Buckley Center Gallery, University of Portland July 2022
Guardino Gallery, Portland OR May, 2022
Guardino Gallery, Portland OR June, 2020
Guardino Gallery, Portland, OR May 2018
12 x 16 Gallery, Portland, OR June 2017
Guardino Gallery, Portland, OR August 2016
Linen Gallery, Boise, ID March 1014
Pelicano Gallery, Ilwaco, WA January 2012
Utrecht Gallery, Portland, OR March 2010
OES Gallery, Portland, OR December 2009
Beet Gallery, Portland, OR May 2008
So-Oh Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE May 2005
Pine Street Studios, Portland, OR July 2005
Farm Café, Portland, OR April 2004
Margita Feldman Gallery, Portland, OR November 2003
Two and Three Person Shows:
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2023
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2022
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2021
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2020
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2019
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2018
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2017
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2016
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR November 2015
White Gallery, Portland State University, Portland, OR July 2013
Juried Shows:
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR March 2024
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2023
Guardino Gallery, “Little Things”, Portland, OR December 2022
8th Annual Invitational Portraiture Exhibition,
Imogen Gallery, Astoria, OR December 2022
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2022
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2021
Guardino Gallery, “Little Things”, Portland, OR December 2021
Guardino Gallery, “Little Things”, Portland, OR December 2020
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2020
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2019
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2018
Guardino Gallery, “Little Things”, Portland, OR December 2018
Collins Gallery, “The Hand-Pulled Print”, Portland, OR June 2017
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2016
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2015
Au Naturel, Astoria, OR (Juror: Barbara Shaiman) February 2015
(First Place Award & Purchase Award)
Portland State Print Invitational, Portland, OR January 2014
North Coast Printmakers, Astoria, OR August 2014
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2014
Au Naturel, Astoria, OR (Juror: Charles Froelick) March 2014
RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR February 2014
Cascade AIDS Project, Portland, OR April 2013
North Coast Printmakers, Astoria, OR January 2012
Au Naturel, Astoria, OR (Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson) March 2012
Au Naturel, Astoria, OR (Juror: Jane Beebe) March 2011
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2011
(Curator’s Choice Award)
Au Naturel, Astoria, OR (Juror: Laura Russo) March 2010
Arts Commission Show, Beaverton, OR April 2008
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR May 2008
Cascade AIDS Benefit Auction, Portland, OR April 2007
Arts Commission Show, Beaverton, OR April 2009
Sunriver Annual Arts, Sunriver, OR August 2003
Collections
George Fox University, Newberg, OR
University of Portland, Portland, OR
Clatsop Community College, Astoria, OR
Wood Hill Homes, Bend, OR
Generation Development, Portland, OR
Boise City Builders, Boise, ID
Education
University of Portland, BA 1969
Portland State University, BA 1971
University of Iowa, M.F.A. 1974
University of Oregon, Ph.D. 1998