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Cherry blossoms are but one harbinger of spring. To painter Garrick Arnold, they also now represent grief and the enduring power of love after death.
“Truth be told, cherry blossoms were the farthest thing from my mind as a subject,” Arnold said in a statement. “But a recent experience showed me just how powerful this annual rite of passage can be—spring, renewal, and transforming grief into beauty through the power of art.”
In a video promoting his new exhibition of cherry blossom paintings, Very Cherry—on view at the Pearl District wine den Bar Rione starting Thursday, April 3, and lasting throughout the month—the abstract painter says a patron sought him out to commission a large-scale representation of a flowering cherry tree to commemorate his late wife and their 35-year marriage. According to Arnold, the couple often walked along Tom McCall Waterfront Park to take in the pink petals and enjoyed one last walk together before she fell ill. After completing and installing the painting, crying all along the way, he felt inspired to create a series.
After leaving his marketing career in 2020, Arnold began painting professionally. His paintings have shown in Portland galleries, including Murdoch Collection Gallery and J. Pepin Gallery. His inspirations include Sam Francis, Jackson Pollock, Joan Mitchell, and the lessons of Zen philosophy and quantum mechanics. Arnold’s paintings are known for their kinetic applications, often as streaks, waves or splatters. The pinks, reds and whites Arnold uses to represent cherry blossoms have a peppered look, as if he rained every drop on the canvas in uneven layers, making them look more natural.
Very Cherry, a series of seven to 10 paintings, shows as part of the monthly art walk First Thursday, which next year celebrates 40 years. Along with serving a crack cocktail menu and curated wine list, Bar Rione will host classic guitarist Madeline Okano to set the mood.
SEE IT: Very Cherry by Garrick Arnold at Bar Rione, 804 NW 12th Ave., 503-478-0619, barrione.com. 7 pm Thursday, April 3. Free.