Russo Lee Gallery

𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 2026. ⁠
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Rooted in Margot Voorhies Thompson’s decades-long engagement with Oregon’s remote Northern Great Basin—Fort Rock, Summer Lake, Abert Rim, Hart Mountain, and the Warner Valley—the works in 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 draw their palette directly from the desert’s lichen colonies, yielding colors of vermillion-orange, cochineal red, cadmium yellow, and brilliant green, alongside pigments the artist has collected on-site in the form of ditch dirt, minerals, and sand. The paintings explore themes of cosmology, survival, and cultural memory, informed by petroglyphs dating back 10,000 to 18,000 years that speak to the ingenuity of the region’s Paleolithic nomadic cultures. Accompanying the exhibition, two short documentary film clips—𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 and 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳—will stream on the gallery monitor, offering an intimate look at Thompson making art on location under the intense desert sun.⁠

Margot Voorhies Thompson’s 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 is on view through May 30, 2026. ⁠
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Image: Margot Voorhies Thompson, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 2026, gouache and charcoal on watercolor paper, 25 x 19 inches framed.⁠
Installation view: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 by Margot Voorhies Thompson, 2026.⁠
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For more information, please contact [email protected]