Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Woman With Snake by Richard Helzer

  • Title: Woman With Snake
  • Artist: Richard Helzer
  • Medium: Stone
  • Size: 19"h x 24"w
  • Donor: Gift of the artist
  • Campus: Rock Creek
  • Location: B3/1 Mall by elevator

Known for his generosity as artist and as teacher, Richard Helzer started the art and art history programs at PCC Rock Creek and for many years also ran the gallery that now bears his name. Helzer studied at Portland State University and was a studio assistant for Frederic Littmann, a renowned Northwest sculptor. While Helzer was comfortable with the vocabulary of abstraction, he loved the challenge of depicting the human form. And while he was adept at casting and assembling compositions, he enjoyed the direct physicality of carving and working in clay. Thanks to Helzer's generosity and that of his family, the Rock Creek campus collection contains a wide range of this artist's important pieces.