Central Oregon Community College (COCC) is exhibiting the work of Portland surrealist Paula Bullwinkel in a show titled “Summer Mares” at its Barber Library Rotunda Gallery, Sept. 9 to Nov. 24, with an opening reception from 4-5:45 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3. This is free and open to the public. For complete gallery hours, visit the Barber Library’s webpage at cocc.edu/library.
“I’m a narrative painter, fascinated by doppelgängers,” Bullwinkel, formerly of Bend, said of her central theme. “Folklore tells us everyone has a ‘double-goer,’ a mysterious, identical copy, both familiar and strange, suggesting the possibility of multiple universes where infinite versions of one’s life play out simultaneously.”
A former fashion and entertainment photographer — who captured icons like Kate Moss, Sinead O’Connor, Lenny Kravitz and Morgan Freeman — Bullwinkel made a switch to oil canvases and has led an extensive career as a fine artist for over 20 years, with a style that explores dream-like scenes and imagery. She taught art and photography at COCC for a number of years.
Bullwinkel has been featured on OPB’s “Oregon Art Beat,” held artist residencies in settings as diverse as Vermont and Portugal, earned a fellowship from the Ford Family Foundation and received grant backing from the Oregon Arts Commission. She received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a minor in painting from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in art education with a minor in painting at Montclair State University.
For more information on the exhibition, contact Tina Hovekamp, director of library services, at 541-383-7295 or thovekamp@cocc.edu. In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.
