Andrew Dutterer and the Deschutes River
In September of 2021, one of the most wonderful humans I’ve ever known, Andrew Dutterer, was tragically killed in a car accident. He was a deeply beloved husband, father, son, brother, friend. He had both worked and played on the Oregon waterways, especially the Deschutes River. In his honor, with the tremendous help of community crowd-sourcing, I created a mapscape of Oregon and the Deschutes. The original painting went to his family and all profits from print sales go to the Wild Salmon Center.
Process
I wanted to show how the Deschutes leads down to the Columbia, and in turn how the Columbia leads out the sea. I wanted a vast Pacifica ocean and an arching horizon of a large, dyanmic sky. For Dutt, I wanted to be sure I had some special fishing spots along the lower Deschutes, which would be way out of scale, but so important to him. I also knew I wanted to include major mountain ranges, volcanoes, tributaries and towns for orientation. There are necessary lies in a design like this- but all in order to tell the most rich, full story of a person’s love of place.
I painted in acrylic, which allows for a nice process of layering, adjusting, and building the composition.
Sharing with others
The main goal was to have an image to celebrate the life of a loved one, for all that would cherish it. Andrew’s nuclear family received the original painting and hung it over their fireplace.
For inquiries about selling at a local Oregon shop, please email me.
