Mark Bennion's untitled fresco paintings are on display at Traver Gallery through Sept. 11. (Courtesy of Traver Gallery)
The artists of the so-called Northwest School were a loosely affiliated group of like-minded painters, sculptors and printmakers of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s whose work shared a number of traits that came to define a regional movement. The painters of the Northwest School worked with the natural forms and/or atmospheric qualities of the region and combined those elements with influences from the larger art world: surrealism, cubism and abstract expressionism. (Also works on paper.) The movement’s “big four” are Mark Tobey, Guy Anderson, Morris Graves and Kenneth Callahan but there are a good many more names associated with the movement: Paul Horiuchi, James Washington, Jr., George Tsutakawa and William Ivey amongst them.
Vashon Island artist Mark Bennion is a self-professed descendant of the artistic lineage of the Northwest School. Both in his reverence for Eastern art and his predilection for working on paper, Bennion is following in the footsteps of the founding artists of the Northwest School. Further, Bennion claims the painter William Ivey (1919-92) as a friend and mentor. The two met when both were represented by the Woodside Gallery in Seattle. Bennion, then a young painter, would pay visits to Ivey’s studio and the two would converse on everything from fishing to child rearing to “why we paint.”
A show of Bennion’s subtle work is currently on display at Tacoma’s Traver Gallery. Entitled “Kalevala,” the show consists mostly of the fresco paintings but there are also a few sculptural works. Fresco – painting on wet plaster – is an ancient medium most notably used in classical antiquity (Pompeii) and in the Renaissance. Michelangelo’s paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, for example, is done in this medium. Bennion’s method is a unique use of the ancient technique. He applies oil paint and dry pigment to the wet plaster, which is on paper. The paper is mounted on a panel. The work is sanded down and repainted over and over. Bennion’s process mimics the effects of time and the elements upon a surface. He is interested in old walls and ancient surfaces that bear testimony of the passage of time. Bennion’s frescoes are restful places that hold the eye in a pleasant way. They are simple pieces done in muted color bearing scrapes and hairline cracks. At the same time, however, there is a richness and visual depth. The eye is drawn to the frescoes as to a beautiful old door, a stone wall or a worn floor: surfaces that fascinate because they tell the tale of years of use, decay and repair. They seem both careworn and carefully preserved. Many of the frescoes are done in stony colors or earth tones. There are also wonderfully muted greens, almost tropical blues and not-too-mellow yellows.
Bennion’s show title “Kalevala” is taken from the ancient collection of Finnish songs and poems.
“My uncle was a Finn and he talked about it,” explained Bennion. “The Kalevala is about passing things along from one generation to the next.”
“The heart of my work is about ancient things,” said Bennion, “things worn away and rebuilt.”
In his use of the ancient medium of fresco and in his keeping alive the influence of the masters of the Northwest School, Bennion is indeed bearing the torch passed to him by previous generations of artists so that it might be passed in turn to generations to come.
“Kalevala” is on view through Sept. 11 at Traver Gallery. For further information visit www.travergallery.com. A visit to Bennion’s website (www.markbennion.com) has many fine examples of his work as well as a video of a sculptural installation.
Also on display in the gallery is a colorful and varied retrospective of works by some of the big names in studio glass that have been affiliated with the Pilchuck Glass School, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
