Dust Breeding
by Marcus Fischer

MAKEOVER MOMENT + MORE: Don’t you just love it when your friends show up in the NY Times? I do. Anyhow, Kirk Linder, a very fine artist in his own right, earns his living as a contractor by day (recently earning the 2009 CotY Award in the region).  His work is affordable and amazing. Back in ‘02 I hosted a solo exhibition of his work at Soundvision, and while he is still making creative objects and images when he can, he’s busy helping others with real deal home improvement projects.

GET THE PICTURE?: This weekend I got to meet up and chat with my former professor Abelardo Morell during Photolucida where he was the keynote speaker. He readily recognized me, and me him (though its been almost exactly twenty years since we’ve seen each other). There was a small reception prior to his talk, Pictures in Pictures at PAM where he gave a warm and funny, yet full snapshot of his career — one which seems to have hit a major crescendo in the past ten years. His newest monograph (Phaidon) and is a beauty, covering his full career. It was great to catch up with familiar faces, photographers whom I’ve curated into exhibitions since 1993 — and of course lots of new folks in the mix!  Photolucida deserves a lot of credit for pulling off this incredible event bringing international photogs together and into our fair city, I met with folks from upstate NY, Arizona, Czech Republic, Boston, Seattle and other exotic locales. Though I had to work and other responsibilities clouded my ability to participate more fully, from my perspective it was a huge success.

THE APPLE STRETCHING: Milepost 5 hosted its second large-scale opening this year (marking one year since artists have taken occupancy) and there was a decent crowd especially given that there were five exhibitions, two performances, two concerts, and a wine/chocolate tasting. Though the fanfare has now left the building, if you weren’t able to make it by for tonight’s festivities - all exhibitions (except Still Life, which closed after tonight) will continue through into June when we will again host another like event. There’s always something going on under our roof (Hand2Mouth have a performance in May, Gary Wiseman continues his Coffee Breaks as our Artist-In-Residence), and in our new Community Garden by POP Farming - you are always invited to come by to check the place out. Watch for some amazing large-scope projects come Summertime!

HETEROTOPIAN TWO: And I had the pleasure of meeting in person both the curator for Of Other Spaces, James Voorhies who was in town scoping out a new project for Fall, and Damien Gilley who walked me through his powerful Air Math exhibition, serving as his thesis at PSU’s Autzen Gallery. A very talented gent who has a way with a sorta Euclidean depth perception. Of course I wish I could have gotten these two gents together in one room at the same time to discuss Foucault!

- OPENING RECEPTION -

TONIGHT: 7:00-9:00PM Pacific Standard Time

IN B/W (w/Color Added): As the weekend is upon us there are many indulgences of the photographic and visually-oriented variety about town. Take for instance, the many observances offered by Photolucida (see below post). Milepost 5 will have its entire Lofts Building open to the public for a reception this Sunday (7-9PM) to host a whole range of exhibitions on each of its floors, a performance by Gary Wiseman + Meredith Andrews, wine, chocolate, music - Sunday will also be the last chance to see Still Life curated by Anna Fidler.

END USER: In response (nod) to a piece recently written by artist/writer Arcy Douglass. Take from it what you will. Below is a clip from the catalogue of the just closed Of Other Spaces exhibition.

FREEDOM STATE: The 2006 feature by LA-based filmmaker Cullen Hoback, which was made locally, now makes its debut on Hulu! Check out the pull quote   : )

Every other year image-makers and photo pros (+ geeks) from all over gather ’round our fair Stumptown to garner what’s what in the world behind and in front of the lens. Photolucida, one of Portland’s photographic non-profits has been doing this since Y2K and it’s always a sought-after event for emerging photogs and those that love them. The city galleries have decked their halls and are gearing up for what is unofficially known as photo month and in just a week “lights, camera, action” so to speak. This year is no different and the festivities will take place at the Benson Hotel. Reservations for a slot to open your folio to top academics, professionals and curators in the industry always fill up right away. This year I am happy to aide as a “roving reviewer” on Friday 4/24 (from 1-4PM). There are many interconnected events that are both closed and open to the public - see here for full calendar of details.

©Abelardo Morell

One very special event not to be missed is Abelardo Morell’s Pictures in Pictures lecture at the Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium on Friday night at 7PM. You see, Morell was my first college photography professor at MA College of Art, where he still continues to teach. He made an impression on me for making such allowances when I took a more conceptual road. He was one of the first to acknowledge the importance of my voice on its colloquial merits - I will not long forget his guidance. The summation in his images, which I find continues through my own work, is probably this innate sense of balance between disquiet and intimacy. He is also featured in a small show this month at Blue Sky Gallery with a handful of work from the last few decades. These images show his fascination for the book as object (I love the centerfold of the Colliseum!) and the use of the camera obscura.

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:: label info ::

Beta-lactam Ring
Landform
Grey Sparkle/Moriremo Tutti
2062/Musex
Staubgold
The Helen Scarsdale Agency
Archipel
Trumn

BBC/Obit

The CAP Art Auction: Last night marked twenty years for this important event, and there was applause, wide smiles, and a few tipsies tossling about as would all be expected! This event elicits so much emotion from participants and patrons alike. Probably because its cause runs so deep and everybody involved truly wants to raise money for Cascade AIDS Project’s services. The event has been referred to as snooty elitist in the local media, artists have complained of having their potential donations rejected, certain galleries have pulled out of support for other similar reasons (fewer PADA members paticipated), some artists (like myself) who have donated several times have neither had their work sold (1 of 5 in 7 years) nor been in either the Live Auction or appeared (other than in name) within the pages of the glossy catalogue. Not surprisingly, my work (below) did not sell in the auction, perhaps because the opening bid was $90 more than the full retail value of the piece? Yet, despite these worthy criticisms and opinions last night seemed quite special in the cavernous annals of the Oregon Convention Center.

The music came alive with several local players and bands, the amazing lil’ knoshes overfloweth provided by some of the top area restaurants and caterers (did you try the crazy cheese bar from Kells, or the sumptious sweets from the Urban Farmer or the “Velvet Painting” mini cupcake from Cupcake Jones?), and of course the wine and spirits overfloweth. Aside from this cultural lubrication how was the quality of the art work on view you ask? Well, this year the proceedings were curated by Rock Hushka of the Tacoma Art Museum. One thing to note, artists generally do not donate their greatest hits outright, and that in combination with one curatorial perspective overall makes for a certain blend. I was told that Hushka selected everything on view, including the Silent Auction items. If that’s the real case my main pet peeve with the CAP Auction organizers continues. It just makes sense (if you expect artists to donate again) that every donated work (even if thumbnail-sized) should be represented in the printed catalogue - and to find ways to make it happen, not excuses for their exclusion (no exceptions, ifs and or buts).

As you might imagine, there was much here which one may categorize as “coastal work” — objects and images that would greatly appeal to the cultural tourist — a central composition of splashy color, and much that would fall into the category of strict craft rather than fine art. Of course, that topic could be warmed over so many times that everything becomes rather homogenized in the end, let’s suffice to say that there were few standouts in the room (and many empty bidding sheets). I spied some pieces that made me look twice (several Hushka singled out as well): Stu Levy, Lorna Nakell, Garrett Price, Laurie Danial, Rachel Denny, Chris Bennett, Sally Finch to name a few. With fewer galleries other art consultants and appraisers stepped up to the plate this year including Stoots Fine Photography and Heidi McBride - as well the Portland Art Museum’s Rental Gallery. Over and above the room was rather nicely lit and well layed out, plenty of room to peruse the food and the art separately. The DJ picked up where the live acts changed over and the central bar made it so the patrons needed to wade their way through the art panels on wheels to reach the watering hole. Smart set up.

Images Courtesy Becca Bernstein’s Facebook

In the end we will see what effects the current economy had on this grande annual event. I had a great time and it was good to see a smattering of familiar faces (less than in years past, however). It was a beautiful night and Rob accompanied me dressed quite spiffily, the house merlot was balanced and overall there was an aire of typical auction curiosity. During the evening I quizzed a few of the Live Auction attendees about what was going on in the adjacent room. As usual there were some generous folk making $25,000 donations in the name of CAP’s programming. At day’s end that’s all that really matters for any fundraiser. In its wake, though, given that the central scope here is art and AIDS, what’s it like at this social intersection? How did we do as a community-at-large? Does the whole thing fit into our times, and/or perhaps even moreso now for some reason? How could this event shift its focal point? Did it seem different to you this year? Did it seem elegant or tacky? One thing is for sure, those amazing, sparkly truffles in passionfruit, blackberry/pink peppercorn and blood orange will be on my tongue and worth speaking about for some time — and when these fine confectioners open their storefront shop on upper SE Belmont later this Summer we wholeheartedly welcome them to the neighborhood!

As always, your suggestions, feedback, light flamethrowers, cheerleading and all are welcome here. I wish to extend a thank you to Cosmos Editions who generously donated framing for my work Capt. (2007-08).

Taking to Alberta Street in May is the first African American artist whose work was collected by MOMA! Brought together by the non-profit Art on Alberta, 50 works of WPA artist Thelma Johnson Streat (1911-1959), who lived in Portland fifty odd years ago, will be on view as part of Art Hop. Streat grew up in Yakima, WA and Pendleton, OR and then moved to Portland and attended PNCA when it was still the Museum School.  She was featured in the Smithsonian Magazine in a piece titled “Thelma Johnson Streat and Cultural Synthesis on the West Coast” by Judy Bullington. Her work was collected by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Eleanor Roosevelt (mentioned in her diary) and even Vincent Price (who, incidentally, I once met!).

Her bio attests that this will be a true, rare glimpse into the work of a visual artist who was also an accomplished dancer - and for this event Urban Arts Dance will incorporate her dance work into their performance. Galleries participating include Guardino, Talisman, Ampersand, the Black United Fund and Grow. This site is dedicated to her life’s work and can act as a preview of this very unique event. Programming like this is tough to present without the support of the community, Art on Alberta is holding a drive to raise about $4,300 by May 16th - check out their site for more information to see how you can be part of making it happen.

For the second exhibition at MP5³ we open the glass cube to Jenevive Tatiana and her Parlour Games. From the exhibition statement: “Those in play here are between modernism and marginality: the endgames of the monochrome and the game theory of social networks, achronologically articulated through found web 2.0 information and reshuffled salon-style as sculptural elements…like language or coded communications.“

The space is lit 24/7, so even if public access to the building is limited you can still catch a glimpse of the work here. In fact, seeing the current show illuminated in the evening is even more eye-catching. You still have a few days to witness Kate Fenker Strange Attractor, so get to it.  Right now you can also catch Tatiana’s work at Seattle’s Crawl Space (through 4/26) as part of Call and Response curated by Jeffry Mitchell. Join us at Milepost 5 on Sunday, April 26th from 7-9PM.

Moments after I made such a grandiose statement about divorcing all but my own work herein I got several private messages of concern. I can appreciate that - but I view the web as public space, and blogging as more interactive than its been as of late. Hence, this brought on my “spring cleaning” surge, which will carry on, yes. However, again, all in my line is slow-churn, not cut n’ dry. That said, I continued my venture, with a curatorial sensibility in my step, and along with my art-going pal we took to the streets once again yesterday. In our wake we made it to the far reaches between Sellwood and Lake Oswego, to inner Southeast and even the Alberta Arts District. What’s out there you ask?

Suffice to say that despite what infuses all contemporary recessionism, art abounds. We started with a most perfectly charged and artful cup at Albina Press (2.0) on Hawthorne. It’s certainly all it preaches, especially when they call themselves a wifi hotspot - I felt particularly naked sans laptop (I undoubtedly port all this above my shoulders). They have a smattering of travelogue type photos upon their walls and the Stumptown pour is the best in the Northwest (oh, I may have said that already, but worth repeating). Oh, back to art. From there we darted first to 12×16 Gallery where there are four photographers donning the walls. Of note are a few striking collage-like images by the ever thoughtful Lee Ann Slawson. She’s got a way with finding readymades in the urban scape. Ken Hochfeld’s b/w mirrored natural panoramas are seamless and he’s clearly done much homework when it comes to tonal range as the gray scale in fully intact in these lush works on view.

Dan Gilsdorf ©Marshall Astor

Off to The Art Gym at Marylhurst University we noticed a new pair of bronze Nikes upon the recently dubbed (?) Knight’s Green by the sweet courtyard fountain. Inside was the new video show called SRO: Guys Doing Guy Things with Mike Bray, Dan Gilsdorf, Mack McFarland and Stephen Slappe. The gallery attendant was experiencing some technical difficulties getting all in sync, but given the number of multiple channel monitors and sound effects in the room, along with slide projectors — let’s just say the wires are well hidden. Though I had witnessed the dead-on Rail prior, this Gilsdorf work makes a wonderful local comeback here, perfectly situated as its ouroboros greets you at entry. In combination with his other two pieces (Fire and Shoot) he easily stands out overall. The other gents held their own, and I especially liked having to stoop below a false above wall to get into Slappe’s four-channel piece which was pretty much a crossroads in the middle of nowhere. Man and machine in the hinterlands. The video is synced so when a car or jogger goes by they cross the room (sort of through the viewer). Cool. McFarland’s homage to Videodrome meets color theory was quite cacaphonous and unwielding in its organic placement of multiple tv sets and psychedelically flashing slideshow upon a shield of lycra/spandex. Bray’s work was a one-trick pony that skipped a beat, and seemed to be missing its actual dimensional staging.

We then drove to Gallery Homeland, and although our visit was outside normal gallery hours we managed inside the building to the lure of Ethan Rose’s spacey-ambient soundtrack which was playing throughout, cleverly installed by dangling speakers from the ceiling. Damien Gilley (the soon-to-be PNCA MFA grad seems to have had five or six consecutive shows as of late) turns the space out - and with colored masking tape, no less. This is by and far the best architectural use of PMiddy’s joint I’ve seen come to the fore, organized by Tilt Export. He plays with and sort of mocks the windy hallways and adds just a touch of color here and there amid stark black silhouettes. See for yourself at OpenWidePDX - but this is a show of scale worth permeating real space and time, so head to the Ford Building if this has whet your appetite at all.

Last in our series of visits was to see Cliff Evans at the Cascade Gallery (PCC/Cascade) run by artist Jacqueline Ehlis. Empyrean is a digital video collage running about 15 minutes long on a loop. Colorful, disturbing, haughty and fueled by found images from the internet of advertising, military, beauty and the wild kingdom. Evans work has been shown at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Orange County Museum of Art among others. The staccato jitter of this sole piece turns the space into a cinema this month (now closed for installation). I had to sit through two cycles to gather more of his kaleidoscopic vision.

To end the day it was time for a treat at the newly blossoming mini chain of delicate delights, Petite Provence.  This boulangerie/patisserie is very welcome here in town and if you haven’t been it gives both Pix and Papa Haydn runs for their mousse and other dreamy, creamy concoctions. Oo la la! After three visits I am still a big fan (and hope they read this as I always welcome a complimentary tart of any shape or flavor). I delighted in a pyramid filled with multiple mousse confections and a toasted coconut base, and took a chocolate passionfruit macaroon for the road. Hmmm, the battle of the bulge has no power here. With paper goodie bag in hand it was then off to the Portland Art Museum to retort with Michael Knutson who was discussing a 17th Century painting by Thomas Blanchet and a pair of Japanese screens from the same era.

The subject and temperament here was different from my recent talk in the series, and he had both a comparable crowd (less artists, more elders) and two separate floor locations to travel. Knutson, who teaches painting at PSU, heightened his talk with discussion about geometries and perspective which I really appreciated as an overlay to what we were looking at - a new way to look at these pieces that I may have passed by several times. He discussed isometrics and the connective tissue between gesture and relationships between characters in the work. The crowd was genuinely interactive and I enjoyed his point of view, especially how it related somewhat indirectly to his work - which I purposefully avoided by only making aerial implications, I feel the artists I discussed would most probably find my take wry and apropos.

PS: On this night with the cool orange moon near full, resembling a skyward basketball, it subtly mimicked tonight’s Trailblazers win over the Lakers (”Rip City, Baby!”). Ahhh, sweet night air, indeed.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: The brand-new release Zivilisatose by Germany’s Telepherique (French for funicular railway, or aerial tramway) is just released on San Diego’s Diophantine Discs. Over several months I worked directly with the band and label to secure the proper cover art, and in the end they used excerpts from both my works Network and Genometrics as the outer and inner sleeves. The label even used a Rip City-based printer. The recording, unlike much of the catalogue of this seminal underground artist whose been working together since the late 80s, is also the final recording under this moniker. Some may recall the disbanding of other similar artists like Brume, Maeror Tri and Augur and understand the weight of retiring a certain brand or sound - and Telepherique (Danijela, Klaus and Rene Jochim) does it with the most peculiar approach on Zivilisatose. In the end the work hits hard at the core, crossing bloated American consumerism in the face of an epidemic of obesity (ala Super Size Me), all done with twisted repetition, a/tonality and a blend of obscurities you’ve grown to expect. It’s dramatic and on the darker side of ambient collage/sound art. Get your copy direct from the label, or I have a few ($15).

New England-based artdaily.org has been serving its readership since ‘96, staking its claim as the first art newspaper on the ‘net (significant nowadays). Recently they covered Of Other Spaces, the group show currently at the Bureau for Open Culture in which I am one of the artists on view. The show is open through April 25 if you happen to be in the Greater Columbus area. The local Columbus Alive also paid the show mention.

The 20th Anniversary of Cascade AIDS Project’s Annual Art Auction is coming this week. This year it has been curated by the Tacoma Art Museum’s Rock Hushka to be held at the Portland Convention Center on Saturday, April 18. Festivities begin at 6PM.

INFO

ArtBabble is online here + now. Artist-based webisodes, behind-the-scenes footage, and much more media. The NYT weighs in.

ABOUT TIME: Probably a tainted euphemism amidst Spring cleaning, but suffice to say that after various bouts with the triple C (current cultural climate) unBlogged is about to experience some downsizing. Starting this month I got me a new server and have consolidated my domain. The blog will soon be dedicated mostly to my own projects and the associated iTunes-based podcast (primarily focused on international media-based artists, labels and composers). Just a lil’ teaser, there’s a collaboration in the works, a new recording, even a downtown exhibition to speak of - so the content will flow and not spilleth over - think a slow defrost. The whole tjnorris.net website will also go through a stripped down 3.0 revision before the conclusion of Summer. Minimized, modified but not commodified - with content: leaner, and not necessarily meaner. I promise fewer food analogies.

CHOMP: When Spring comes around as it does there’s always this awkward sense of renewal for me. Perhaps I was once a tall birch tree? This year is no different. As the world turns about the whole concept of ‘$timulus’, I have found myself wandering some to derive what’s in my own creative cache. And of course, what’s out there in the streets. So, that’s where I’ve been (well, I still have a roof for now). What got my juices flowing this week on the internet was a very candid 1966 interview with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester (in two parts). Amazing.

BITE: The other night after returning from a wake-up call of mediocrity, in the form of a concert by Lil’ Wayne, it dawned once again that life doesn’t have to be this way. Given that the house was less than 1/4 full defines the state of many things in transition that I’m not going to contemplate here and I realize that you do your own math. My choice to more often surround myself with high culture is conscious, as connoisseurship. Though one may be considered a snob for their personal bias and taste, I neither take no prisoners or hold any regrets against the PBR crowd (sorry, easy analogy).

NIBBLE: That said, I guess when popularity is filtered into the categories of what the people want, manhandling a sandwich that big is an act of will. You know, everything oozes out the sides,  spills everywhere. As life flows, and ebbs, and overflows sometimes…choice remains key. And what I’m getting at is more intimate with yourself, your tendencies and creative consciousness. Not to mention, giving something back to community in the process. This can take so many shapes and should include high brow, low-fi and popular thinking. Breath.

SAVOR: Last night Rob and I indulged in the animated film Monsters vs. Aliens at the super cool vintage Roseway Theater. I could say plenty about the value of theaters like this in Portland and the importance of supporting them, and the quality and price (movie and treats), but suffice to say, we are lucky in this town. The film is very funny, appealing to all ages on many levels. The Pixar animation is so incredible in every scene. And a major motion picture of sci-fi in animation, I’m there! Plus before or after the movie you can try one of the many Asian restaurants nearby, oogle the original pink Coca Cola sign across the street or stop in Annie’s Donut Shop (mmmaple!) which is surely a flashback, and glad to see it hasn’t become just another hipster hotspot (hipsters get such a bad wrap, I know).

Talk about monsters…don’t miss this trailer (below) for one of my absolute favorite childhood stories, Where The Wild Things Are. It stars a great ensemble of actors: Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker and Benecio Del Torro - but features local Max Records (playing Max!), who also happens to be the son of Shawn Records - one of the folks responsible for heading up much of what is going on with Photolucida later this month. You will have to wait until October to see it in theaters….

MANGIA: Earlier yesterday my pal Diedrich and I did our now regular art walk across town (more like an art ride). I recalled having prior done similar with Hilary Pfeifer and even earlier with Abi Spring. We started at the somewhat new Jazzkats Coffee Bar in the Hollywood District. Call me nostalgic, call me old-fashioned, but I just prefer a place with an atmosphere of big comfy seats, full-sized red ceramic mugs and friendly service over the generic white paper cups and anything with “accino” as a suffix and a side of specialty foam.

EYE-CANDY: Next we headed down the eastside to NAAU for the latest Couture exhibition by filmmaker Vanessa Renwick called The House of Sound. It was wonderful entering into a space that was a virtual living room, sofas, lamps, throw pillows, votives and records! Diedrich put on some classic soul and the film began. Renwick has re-oriented the viewer to the front of the gallery with a silver screen, and small hints of the outdoor light and cars passing could be seen through the blackout curtain, which actually just made you feel more at home. Across is a big marquee/sign from the original North Portland record store from which the soundtrack was also based upon. Renwick’s film mediates between the relative nil of the empty lot upon which the foundation for the shop was built and now long closed, and a radio interview with several of the folks who either worked at or were familiar with the place.

In fact, it’s all about place and though I had never been there as it was gone before my arrival in the northwest, I felt at home. You see, I used to work in a very similar shop in Cambridge, MA called Stereo Jacks, I also worked at places called Cheapo Records and Record Hog…many have vanished,  but were once fine independent purveyors of out there sounds in jazz, soul, blues and rock n’ roll. Being a record buyer was very special indeed, and having “regulars” come by every week was great - the long chats about style, rarieties, and all. Hints of nostalgia everywhere, though beyond homage it’s a stern commentary on gentrification and the changing scape of America in general. And what’s left these days often is simply an empty lot rather than a dusty window to the wonderment of yesteryear.

IT’S PHOTO MONTH IN PDX: From there we trekked into the Pearl for a first stop at the DeSoto Building. Charles Hartmann was out so we went into Blue Sky for a strong exhibition of Alexis Pike’s work in the front room. When I first saw something from this series a few years back I knew she was on to something and now it’s become a full blown series of wry comments on the Northwest. She’s got a great sense of humor, though the work is no joke at all as she has a pretty exciting and offbeat way with composition and color. I loved three or four of the late Terry Toedtemeier’s very personal black and white work from the mid 70’s. Odd perspectives with a hint of the psychedelic, really captures the mood of the era with intriguing results. If he were with us I would have told him how a few of these were the best I’ve seen - here’s hoping that means there’s more of the past to see in the future! I feel quite remiss for not knowing their was a room of work by my former professor and the auteur of the camera obscura, Abelardo Morell, who will be lecturing at PAM on April 27 (don’t miss that!). I will make a special trip.

Upon approach it would have seemed that Sally Cleveland’s work was a suite of photographs until I stepped into Augen and found these amazing small paintings the size of 5×7. They reminisce with elements of candid photography and hint at the whole “photo-real” painting genre but escape both in a very clever and painterly way. In the back gallery are some fantastic repetitive photo collages by Amy Archer, and they do just the opposite but panning the viewer’s eye - they are exquisite examples of how to perceive the photographic as something far more painterly.

The show of Kim McKenna’s work at Beppu Wiarda is quite an overview of what she has been up to as of late. The work canonizes the synergy between the mundane of modernity with a twist of the allegories of Turner. We stopped in at Chambers 916 to see the large and colorful mural works by James Pustorino (which will be changed out four times over two months) and darted across the street to see the final exhibition at Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery prior to its change to simply Pulliam Gallery. The show is a bit of a ‘retrospective’ of sorts of some of their standout artists, missing were Hildur Bjarnadottir, Jerry Iverson and James Boulton - though the show is far stronger than last month’s installation pastische alongside the always elegant Yoshi Kitai. I was particularly drawn to the G. Lewis Clevenger pieces on view, and the smattering of work by Jeffry Mitchell. I very much look forward to the next iteration of the gallery which will stay at its current address and share a platform with neighboring PDX Contemporary and Jane Beebe. For more on the evolution see The Oregonian.

Over to PDX there are new small sculptures by Cynthia Lahti, standouts were Ball Of Cats - which could be described as “ballofcats” (like yarn) and The Dalles. I like the barren presentation on pedestals and nothing else, very clean, and hit me as if I were walking into a puppet show. The work is full of oddity and broken-ness. Take the corner to spy new work by Richard Schemmerer appearing in the PDX Window Project this month with Never Good Enough. Elizabeth Leach has Chris Rauschenberg’s Wanderings II. I was drawn mostly to the all-seeing eye and spare part of Tomar, Portugal (2007). There are a few gems in this collection from his many travels including images shot in El Paso, Marrakesh, and Lisbon among others. He employs many visual puns and captures what’s right there with an air of the human hand that’s come and gone. They also have a sense of quiet that I like very much and don’t overstate what’s obvious. His Wanderings I was stronger as a edited body of work, however, I think we will engage again in his footsteps down the road a piece.

We finished this part of the run with a stop through of the 30 Year Anniversary Show for Blackfish Gallery. Happy Anniversary! It’s great to see a cooperative making it through the trenches of the tough times and there were some interesting works this month. Jim Neidhardt’s Signature Piece harkened to some of the best work by Yoko Ono, with its barren frame and plexi face with only the artist’s animated signature and its reflection. In its understated Duchampian quip it made me nod and smile. Once again, I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the beguiling kinetics of Stephan Soihl. Just as I queried the gallery sitter about this piece I realized from the very informed response that I was talking with the artist himself. That, plus I managed to overlook he was wearing a nametag - it was pleasant to meet an artist I’ve long admired. We briefly discussed the properties of motor oil, and he demonstrated some of the inner workings and mechanisms that make the work tick.

Finally, we ended our tour at the other artists coop in town, Gallery 114, for Paul Dahlquist at 80. My, and to imagine I met him when he was only 74 or 75! He’s been called Portland’s “Walt Whitman figure” but he really does resemble Santa, oh. It was so pleasant to have him present at the gallery, his familiar face often gallery sitting at Blue Sky. And the show is quite extensive and covers his entire career, including the first photo he took in China, to some more recent nudes and a great shot of an old woman tucked amid brownstones. He calls himself a “picture giver” (rather than a taker) and its so true. I felt a special honor when he shot me a handful of years back, and loved having an opportunity to oogle his personal photo collection, which is also extensive. You will want to see this show if you like portraiture. Dahlquist captures a lilt in people’s personality, an openness which is surely emitted through his sense of generosity. Black and white all over, with a signed, limited edition book available that chronicles 80 images on view. This is the third exhibtion of his I’ve seen and by far the very best.

PS: On the way back to Milepost 5 we stopped on Broadway and into what is now known as Plan B (formerly B. Rogers Gallery). It was nice to meet Bradley Rogers, its purveyor of this gift/gallery type shop with lots of fun lamps and other clever crafts. I perused the portfolio of William Jamison on this, my very first visit.

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MORE: Monochrome Vision

My niece Adrianna is growin’ up and I’m like an instant nerdy, blushing uncle. After moving from Costa Rica to Alaska and to Los Angeles she’s recently launched a new project via the web. Letterbomb Zine is the online cross between a blog and a fanzine. Seems we share the love-for-music gene. Though our tastes differ greatly, you can hear her emote about the bands playing in and around the city of angels. She studied communications and has worked as a disc jockey (I did that once upon a time). It’s all in the family, her boyfriend is a DJ, her dad is a rock musician, her mom (a former entertainer in her own right and “groupie”) married a teamster who works the big arenas. And though you can still read through some of my critical meanderings in the world of sound here, here and here — I’ll give Adrianna my full license to take over where I left off. Check it out!

Since my Artist Talk back in mid-March I’ve managed to decompress by obtaining my very own copy of Sol Lewitt: Incomplete Cubes (MIT Press). It’s an invaluable resource for this series, and the work of this great man. Though, I have to say I’m glad it came late and didn’t traverse my mindset as it covers the work from every angle - and I was shooting from the hip of my own perspective. By climbing into the open side of the cube I broke bread with the logic of artistic physics, and entered into a place of both containment and belonging. The blog fiftytwopieces picked up on and ran with that (March 12-18). In the picture above (©Portland Art Museum) Michael Knutson stands at far left and will be the next guest artist in the series.