Sandy Roumagoux Northwest Painter

Sandra Roumagoux -
New Landscape Paintings

Michael Parsons Fine Art, Portland, Oregon
Show Dates: November 4 - November 28, 2015

Ocean Sky Series #3 by Sandy RoumagouxSandy Roumagoux was born in Yakima, Washington, in 1940, and raised on a farm near Camp Adair in the Willamette Valley.  After completing her B.A. in 1977 and her M.F.A. in 1981 from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, she returned to Newport, Oregon, in 1985, where she currently divides her energies between serving her second term as Mayor of Newport, and her first love, painting.  The subject matter of her paintings is sometimes influenced by having grown up on a farm, where she was raised by a family consisting of avid environmentalists and gun lovers.

Roumagoux's paintings are often thinly painted creations, with thicker impasto layers used to great expressive effect.  Especially interesting is the reductive nature of her work, eliminating extraneous detail from her compositions, to arrive at a finished work offers the scenic elements which most interest her.  There is often great sophistication in Roumagoux's paintings, illustrating the point that what may at first appear simple, will reward the viewer who lingers that extra moment and discovers the deeper beauty present in her work.  It is this tension between an almost naive spontaneity of expression and understated sophistication, along with the genuine beauty of her rich color sense, which first drew me to her work, long ago.

Ocean Sky Series #2 by Sandy RoumagouxRoumagoux has exhibited extensively, throughout a long and productive career, including the Blackfish Gallery, Portland; Mark Woolley Gallery, Portland; Oregon State University, Corvallis; Portland Center for the Performing Arts; Newport Visual Arts Center; Triad Gallery, Seal Rock; Quartersaw Gallery, Portland; Clackamas Community College, Oregon City; Jacobs Gallery-Hult Center, Eugene; Fine Arts Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; and many other venues.  Her work is also featured in many prestigious public and private collections.

Here is Sandy's artist statement about her latest work:

The paintings for this exhibit are landscape and ocean sky scapes completed during the year of 2015. I am currently serving my second two year term as Mayor of Newport.  I challenged myself to keep up my studio work hours while serving as mayor.  And, a challenge it was.

Ocean Sky Series #4 by Sandy RoumagouxThis work focuses on my reaction to the landscape I see everyday.  The subject matter, or my point of view, is decided by what catches my attention.  Several of the paintings are based on views when traveling the Yaquina Bay Road.  This road continues to be a rich source of visual imagery.

The ocean sky series are of the surf and cloud formations I see out my living room window.  The clouds and ocean change from minute to minute and choosing the moment to translate in oil paint and on canvas is challenging. I have looked at the ocean from my living room window for the last 26 years and consider myself fortunate to have this view.  In addition, as Mayor of Newport the future of ocean policies for energy, for sustainable fisheries and environmental care are never far from my thoughts.

Text used with permission from www.michaelparsonsfineart.com

QuotationSandy's work is always powerful, insightful, and exceptional.  Her mastery of paint and color combined with her curious and probing mind have made her one of Oregon's most treasured artists.

Poetic in her love of nature and passionate about her art, her work shows a love for the environment, and a willingness to expose ideas.  She is the quintessential painter's painter and thinker's thinker and with every exhibition she continues to amaze and delight her devoted fans.

Melinda Thorsnes
Gallery artist at Michael Parsons Fine Art