The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – Visitors to Dynamite Art + Coffee, located on the north end of Waitsburg's Main Street, will be able to enjoy the art of Walla Walla artist Leiv Fagereng, whose works will be on display through Nov. 27.

Fagereng's large, richly colored oil paintings are a feast for the eyes that provide food for thought.

"I like to have more questions than answers in my artwork, which is why I give it a surrealistic twist. I appreciate hearing what viewers think of my work, more than what I have to say about it," Fagereng said.

Fagereng hails from a family of artists, craftsmen, and musicians from the Portland, Ore. area, and says he has been painting on a daily basis since 1990. A classically trained oil painter, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and in Madrid, Spain.

Fagereng said he is unique as a painter in that he enjoys taking on challenges and has the ability to paint subject matter from landscapes and wildlife to anatomical studies to technology.

"A lot of painters focus on one thing, but I like to bounce around and keep the spark fresh," Fagereng said.

He loves to use a large canvas, and his paintings are laden with detail.

"I want the viewers to keep finding things in the paintings. I think that the best music, novels, and art all allow you to keep finding new things to focus on in the work," Fagereng said.

"I received a great compliment last week when a couple I sold a painting to six years ago told me they still find little details they hadn't noticed before," he added.

When asked to describe his work, Fagereng said curators have referred to it as pop surrealism, or even baroque era pop.

Fagereng likened his paintings to poetry or a novel, saying that writers don't always know where the work will take them when they first start a piece. He finds inspiration in a quote by mid-century painter Edward Hopper, who said, "If you can say it in words, there would be no reason to paint."

Fagereng said each painting takes six to nine months to complete but that the effort is worth it because they are so rich in detail and distinctive in style.

Several of the pieces on display at Dynamite Art + Coffee involve birds and airplanes. Fagereng said the bird paintings honor his grandfather, who was an Audobon member and taught his grandchildren all about birds and bird calls.

Two jet paintings on display were inspired by the mystery surrounding the loss of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Fagereng's works portray speculations that the planes either flew high enough or low enough to evade radar. In one piece, a plane nearly touches the stars, while in the other, it flies low across the ocean.

A piece with an American Flag and an F16 jet makes a statement about war profiteering and how wars are often fought for reasons of economic stability, Fagereng said. An image of the Nasdaq symbol imposed over the flag brings home the point.

Fagereng recently moved to Walla Walla from Seattle. He also works at Passatempo Taverna, the newly opened Italian restaurant and bar operated by mixologist Jim German and restauranteur Mike Easton, located in the former Pastime Café building.

Fagereng has been longtime friends with German and Dynamite Coffee owner Claire Johnston, as well as many other former Seattleites that have moved to the area. He said he came to visit often and grew to love the area enough that he decided to move here. He also has family in Summerville, and is very familiar with the area.

Fagereng said German gave him carte blanche to hang his art in the former jimgermanbar, now Dynamite Art + Coffee, where he sold several pieces.

"It's fun coming back to Dynamite because it's an exhibition space I know and love. There is nothing better than friends selling your work because they are passionate about it," he said.

Fagereng sells his paintings nationally and recently had a piece placed in the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin. A portfolio of his works can be found online at http://www.leivfagereng.com.