50 years of art with Mark Nilsson

THE DALLES — A pillar of the Gorge’s robust creative scene, Mark Nilsson has painted many canvases throughout his storied, 50-year career. Vibrant, mostly acrylic works — decades-old and brand new — scattered the walls of The Dalles Art Center (TDAC) on Oct. 15, where the internationally collected artist reflected on his remarkable evolution and ongoing exhibition “50 Years of Art.”

TDAC board member Abby Stackhouse moderated the conversation, asking questions about Nilsson’s experiences and inspirations before opening the floor for audience inquiry. An ode to the Gorge, the chromatic display debuted Oct. 8 and runs through Nov. 14.

Born in Baker City to a Swedish mother and Oregonian father, Nilsson is the great-grandson of Tillamook Cheese co-founder Hugh Barber. His family relocated to Sweden when he was a toddler, where he lived for six years and took up doodling, sketching, and painting. “Sometimes I would find an important piece of paperwork that I wasn’t supposed to doodle on,” Nilsson said. “But my father always encouraged me.”

After his mother passed away, Nilsson’s family returned to the States, where his father’s support never waned, fully accepting of art as his son’s potential career path. While attending high school in rural Sherman County, Nilsson’s art teacher, Mrs. Fritz, mirrored his father’s attitude, even allowing him to dabble in media beyond standard class sketches, including watercolors, pastels, oils, and acrylics.

At 16, Nilsson displayed and sold some of his early work at a craft store in The Dalles. His biggest sale, a $75 painting of Mount Hood looming over Lost Lake, marked the beginning of the “50 Years of Art” in question.

Nilsson’s artistic drive briefly lulled in the 1980s, however, when developing his passion into a business felt “out of the realm of reality,” he said. “I thought maybe graphic arts, but it was just too commercial.”

Thus, Nilsson explored other options, refinishing furniture while moving place-to-place across the country. In the late ‘80s, as the painted furniture craze blossomed, he started purchasing pieces, cleaning them, and painting them. “50 Years of Art” features a recycled old sewing cabinet, finished with an “Italian-style” portrait of wine and flowers.

In the 1990s, while living in Gilroy, California, Nilsson sold painted furniture and other household items in high-end stores. A designer approached him with an idea for a coffee shop mural; Nilsson kept painting; and day by day, art felt more and more like a viable way to make his living.

In 1995, Nilsson visited his brother at Christmas, who had recently moved to Hood River. That visit turned into an extended, and later, permanent stay. “Thirty years later, I’m still visiting,” he said. “It’s been the best thing ever.”

Ever since, Nilsson has made a name for himself as one of the region’s most prolific professional artists, specializing in boldly colored landscape paintings that capture its striking beauty. Several notable murals, including pieces at the Hood River County Library, Mid Valley Elementary School, Duckwall Fruit, Water’s Edge, and Holstein’s Coffee, have further enhanced his vast artistic footprint in the Gorge.

Although Nilsson is well-traveled and has captured stunning regions across the world, the bulk of his top-sellers are inspired by the mountains, waterways, and rock formations close to home — the local staples that people recognize and love. And when it comes to the fruit industry, don’t get it twisted, Nilsson much prefers pears over apples. “They’re much more shapely,” he said.

Nilsson credited his longtime clients for the support they’ve shown him over the years, noting that the community rallied around him after his recent brain tumor removal, helping ease financial concerns while he couldn’t paint for several months.

“50 Years of Art” comprises several stunning paintings, including those depicting a grain silo beneath a shimmering sunset, beautiful birch trees, a whimsical house, a Pacific City seastack, and many more color-rich pieces. Much of the work evokes feelings of pure joy, which Nilsson said is part of his nature — a reflection of the happy life he leads. “I appreciate darker paintings. I appreciate it if people want to get political. I find that very intriguing,” he said. “I just haven’t done much of it.”

The exhibition also includes painted jackets, aprons, event posters, totes, and an old chair plastered in paintbrushes. Nilsson expressed a desire to explore more experimental, abstract, mixed-media, and three-dimensional work — building on small pieces made from recycled wood and creating larger, freestanding sculptures. “There’s too much to learn and do,” he said. “I’d like to get weirder.”

For more information on TDAC and “50 Years of Art,” visit thedallesartcenter.org. For more on Nilsson, visit www.marknilsson.com.