Four-layered Ovoid Lattices #2, Michael Knutson, Oil on canvas, 40" x 60", 2012

Michael Knutson's diligently lucid abstract paintings often form overlapping spirals of intersecting colors. In the new exhibition of work by this Yale graduate and Reed College professor, these lattices take on a more rounded form. As you look closely, think about the fact that this local master doesn't use tape. "The works are composed of two, three and four layers of spiraling ovals that play with actual and apparent transparency."

Layered Ovoid Lattices | Michael Knutson
Opening Reception | November 1st | 6-9 PM
Blackfish Gallery | 420 NW 9th Ave.

Interrogation 2, Leon Golub, 1980-81, Acrylic on linen, 120 x 176 inches, The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica, Art © Estate of Leon Golub/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY/Courtesy Ronald Feldman Fine Arts.

Fighting Men looks at images of violence and masculinity through the work of three diverse macho artists. Jack Kirby produces comics with an aggressive flair, Leon Golub is a painter whose imagery recalls the barbaric, and Pete Voulkos turns the often feminine forms of pottery into something 'monumental' to suit the male-centric gaze of today's (and yesterday's) art audiences. In an essay about the exhibition, curator Daniel Duford writes "The specter of violence and the consequences of power animate this exhibition. Raw power emanates from the artwork. To watch Peter Voulkos manipulate a huge mound of clay on the wheel and rip and tear at the resulting form is a spectacle of brute force. The sheer strength required of Voulkos to make his work bespeaks extraordinary physical prowess. Power animated Jack Kirby’s superhero comics; his best known and most personal work depicted beings literally crackling with sublime cosmic energy." You might not get another chance to celebrate the work of three white men in one place, so don't miss it.

Fighting Men | Leon Golub, Pete Voulkos, and Jack Kirby
October 25th - March 3rd
Curators Talk | November 1st | 5 PM
Hoffman Gallery | Lewis & Clark | 615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road

Carbon Trace C, Patrick Kelly, graphite on paper, 2012

Patrick Kelly has a series of drawings opening at the Autzen Gallery this Thursday that force you to think twice about graphite as a medium. "The works in Accept a Mystery are part of a continued exploration in drawing. The graphite used in the drawings, reflect and absorb light creating an illusion of space and structure as light turns over the contours. These lines are created by meticulously layering pencil strokes that follow the movement of shapes across the page."

Accept a Mystery | Patrick Kelly
November 1st - 23rd
Opening Reception | November 3rd | 5-7 PM
Autzen Gallery | 2nd floor of Neuberger Hall | PSU

The People's Library PDX began back in the heydays of activism known as the Occupy movement. The library was birthed from donations and catalogued according to the Dewey Decimal System. Past Due brings this library to PNCA for the month of November, offering a free lending library and a series of presentations and discussions focusing on (but not limited to) debt, austerity, and libraries. Past Due is facilitated by Matthew Leavitt, Forrest Loder, Mark Nerys, Anna Gray + Ryan Wilson Paulsen, and others.

Past Due | The People's Library PDX
Opening Reception | November 1st | 6-9 PM
MFA Gallery Central @ PNCA | 1241 NW Johnson St.