Summer Ono, world’s greatest band, is having a record release party this Saturday. My dear friend Jon Chick and my husband Tom Risse are in the band. The record is beautiful inside and out, multiple colors of vinyl to choose from and a lovely cover to boot. It’s going to be quite a party, there will be 7 band mates involving a trumpet and an organ or two.
You can have yourself a listen on Bandcamp.
While you’re at it, download the whole album free of charge.
Someday Lounge
125 NW 5th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
SATURDAY, OCT 3
BARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY, BLUE CRANES, PHYSICAL HEARTS, SUMMER ONO
9pm, $5.00 at the door
Bark’s mission is to transform Mt. Hood National Forest into a place where natural processes prevail, where wildlife thrives and where local communities have a social, cultural, and economic investment in its restoration and preservation.
As I sat down to my fried eggs and rice breakfast, I started thinking about all the great breakfasts I’ve had around the globe. I decided, if I ever had a breakfast joint, I’d serve these:
The Cafe 100
2 eggs OM, white rice, Portuguese sausage or spam, served with soy sauce or Huli Huli sauce.
The Coronation
Chocolate Cornetto and a cappucino
The Full Monty
2 eggs, beans, english style sausage, grilled tomato, toast
I’m getting down to this years last 100 apples. When I started this project, I had a feeling I wouldn’t get sick of apples, and I haven’t. I love them more now. This has been a great project and I’m going to miss it. I’ve been thinking of things to do for next year. I’ve started taking photos of the sky every day and am excited to see a big grid at the end of the year. But I feel like I should try something a little more challenging. It’s nowhere near January so I’m just going to let my ideas simmer before blabbering them.
Apple 272 A McIntosh from Christy’s lovely orchard basket birthday present, served with almond butter.
Apple 271
Baked Pink Lady appel rings with pork tenderloin, asparagus, red potatoes and garlic mushrooms.
Apple 270
Returned the LG monitor and replaced it with a Dell. The LG made terrible noise all the time. This is a Gala from Christy’s basket
Apple 269
Apple, beet, bleu cheese salad at the Observatory on SE Stark.
Apple 268
On a short grain white rice and eggs kick at the moment. Apple 268 is a Gala from Christy’s apple basket.
Apple 267
enjoying an apple in the garden with Mississippi
Apple 266
Picked up one of my favorite children’s books at the airport while I waited for Tom to fly back in from SF.
Apple 265
In the garage, finishing a painting for the Family show at the Launch Pad Gallery opening on October 2nd.
Happy Birthday to me! My friend Christy brought me a basket of apples straight from the orchard. They are Galas, Honey Crisps, and McIntoshes plus a couple of Asian Pears (Apple Pears). She also gave me bee and apple cookie cutters. Time for apple scones, me thinks.
Apple 264 from the basket Christy gave me. H is for Honey Crisp. So delicious, so crisp and fresh.
Apple 263 and flowers from Mo for my birthday. I’m so spoiled.
I dropped off a painting for the group show at The Launch Pad Gallery. The show starts next week, Friday October 2nd. This makes three group shows in three months for me. I feel good that I’m trying to get the wheels turning again.
I have really low self esteem right now about my art, mostly because I’m barely making any. I know the less I work, the more confused about my work I am, so I try not to take these things too seriously. Nothing much else to say about that. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
I went to city hall earlier this week for a press release party for a Portland-wide show and art gallery for AMP and Portland Youth Development Coalition. The fundraiser is November 14th. Details will be posted on the site as soon as I get them. Before then, my globe will be on display somewhere in Portland, don’t know where yet.
In other news I found out I have a slightly underactive thyroid and I’m on a thyroid replacement now. I think it’s making me feel much better, I’m hopeful that it’s going to fix some long term annoyances with my health. I’ve had much more energy at the end of the day and I’ve been painting more.
Next week I start a 12 week painting class that I’m hoping will give me some good support to get my portfolio together for applying to an MFA program. In a couple weeks I start a 12 week graphic novel class. I wanted to take something different and I love the idea of spending 12 weeks with pen and ink. Mostly I’m excited to get out of the house more. I’ve been working from home for 6 months now. I rarely go to Tom’s work for the day, there just always seemed to be something I need to do around the house. Some days it’s UPS packages, some days I have to deliver art or Mississippi is staying home from daycare, there’s just always a reason for staying home vs going downtown. I’m loosing my marbles being here all the time. Being alone all the time. I think if I work from home, I’ll have more time to paint, but at the end of the day, after sitting in front of a computer, in a back bedroom all day, the last thing I want to do is hang out by myself in a dark garage, painting. It’s not very inspiring, this coding webpages.
Tom’s been practicing a lot lately too, which means I go from a whole day all alone to a whole night all alone, just me and cranky Mississippi. Dog parks are nice but still kinda lonely. Art openings alone are lonely. Grocery shopping alone is even lonely. Cafes alone are lonely. Painting alone is lonely. You get the picture. I have friends, I see then, it’s just the bulk of my days are spent alone. There are lots of benefits to working from home, the draw back is the lonely part. Actually, I think I’ll pack up right now and head to the cafe for a while, that’s a great perk, most people dream of spending an hour in the middle of the afternoon in a cafe.
I’m dreaming of my new classes, and more far off… of MFA studios and making new friends.
Launch Pad Gallery
Family
Opening October 2nd, 6pm – midnight
Show runs October 2nd – November 1st, 2009
534 SE Stark, Portland, OR
See website for gallery hours and details.
I ran across an old pair of shoes this morning. They used to be a favorite pair. I wondered why they ended up at the bottom of my closet and how I could have forgotten about them. I went to put them on and realized Mississippi had chewed through the laces. Ah ha! No wonder I gave up on them. They were pretty beat up anyway. I finally just tossed them, destined for the landfill.
Yesterday she stole the ribbon from my birthday flowers and my birthday card. At the dog park she jumped up onto a girl who had treats and when she went to sit on the top of the picnic bench, she jumped up there with her, all smiley, “please give me some treats!” I told her that wasn’t the way to get treats but I’m pretty sure she didn’t believe me. At the dog park on Sunday, she kept stealing another dog’s soccer ball and running away with it. The dog seemed to think this was amusing but the dog’s owners weren’t too keen on it. They stashed the ball away and went to the other side of the park, away from Mississippi. We ran into them later and I could feel a sense of exasperation that we’d returned to their peaceful, happy soccer playing world. I can’t really take them seriously though. If you go to an 8 acre dog park with 50 dogs running around, you’re going to have to learn to share.
Mississippi is also finding mysterious fruits and nuts in the backyard. She somehow got hold of a whole plum. We had no plums in our house. There are no plums trees to be found anywhere in our backyard or hanging over our fence. My only guess is that Andy, our back fence neighbor might have tossed her a plum. I also found her chewing on a peanut yesterday. That I figure must have come from a blue jay. They hang out in our backyard a lot and I’m sure someone must be putting peanuts out for them.
I’ve been giving Mississippi the carrots I grew in the garden this year. They are in a fenced off bed where it’s hard for her to get to them. I have some pathetic hope that when she sees that sometimes I give her garden grown vegetables, she won’t feel obligated to help herself. I know these theory of mine will never fly and that I’m lucky I’ve been able to harvest anything out of the garden this year.
Other than cleptomania, barking, and leash pulling, our little girl is cute as can be. We are smitten. We start a new class October 10th. This one is going to focus solely on leash walking. I’m looking forward to it. You can join in if you like, it’s being taught through Rockin’ Roxy’s.
I’ve donated some art for an annual AMP (Artist Mentorship Program) fundraiser. I’ve been really impressed with everyone I’ve met through the experience and I’m so excited to be a part and so happy to have met them all. The fundraiser will be on November 14th in Portland. I’ll keep you updated on place and time in the next few weeks. Here is a documentary about AMP.
Together Gallery is proud to present
“You Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine”
Featuring artwork and Installations by: Bwana Spoons, David Wien, and Mark Warren Jacques
Join us for the opening reception.
September 24th 2009. 6 – 10 pm.
The show will run September 24th – October 25th.
Together Gallery
2916 NE Alberta St Suite A
Portland, Or 97211
503.288.8879 info@togethergallery.com
Apple 262
My acupuncturist wants me to stop drinking any form of coffee, decaf or otherwise, so I went to Tao of Tea for a couple bags of nice black tea.
Apple 261 and my diseased hand. Dermatologist said it was an allergic reaction gone haywire. It’s getting better now finally.
Apple 260
This is a pink lady. It’s red inside and very tart.
Apple 259, a pink lady
Apple 258
Happy birthday to me. We kayaked on the Willamette for my 39th birthday. I shared my apple with Tom because I love him.
Apple 257
Apple 256 at Cafe Reese with Mo on our girl’s night out.
Apple 255 and a birthday card from Dad and Bonnie
Apple 254 got a copy of Juztapoz magazine at Together Gallery after seeing Evan B. Harris’s show.
Apple 253 with a bunch of tomatoes from our garden.
Apple 252
Apple 251
Aple 250 and my new $20 dress shoes from Macy’s
Apple 249 and an apple pouch from a Vietnamese bakery on Foster.
Apple 248, driving around aimlessly, tired of feeling crappy.
Apple 247
Famous Fridge Photographer Mark Menjivar will be showing some of his photos at the Ampersand Vintage Gallery on SE 39th and Alberta in Portland, Oregon starting next week. Mark’s documentary photographs of American’s refrigerators is a fascinating study of how our lifestyles are interconnected to our food habits.
You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the Untied States.
For three years I traveled around the country exploring the issue of hunger. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the effects they have on us as individuals and communities. An intense curiosity and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional portraits.
A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened the question, “May I photograph the interior of your fridge?” to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed “as is.” Nothing added, nothing taken away.
These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full story of one’s life.
My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care. How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for the land.
MARK MENJIVAR
You Are What You Eat Ampersand Vintage
Sept. 23th thru Oct. 25th, 2009
Opening Reception Wednesday, Sept. 23th, 6-10 PM
2916 NE Alberta St, B Portland, OR
503.805.5458
ampersandvintage@mac.com
My 39th birthday was so fun, I think I’ll repeat it next year. We did, however work ourselves to death on kayaks and I was in so much pain last night I literally could not eat my birthday cake. I waited until this morning and had some for breakfast instead.
Things I did and received for my birthday:
Electric blanket – thank you, thank you, thank you
New computer monitor
Seasons 1 and 2 of the Monkees on DVD
4 hours of kayaking on the Willamette
Pizza at Apizza Scholls
Highlights from my 38th year:
Moved to Portland
Got a dog
Was in the Bay Area Currents show at the Oakland Gallery
Got my Husqvarna sewing machine
Sold my scooter
Went to Seattle
Went to Cape May, New Jersey
Kept my job, despite moving
Started my 365 apples project
Started photographing the sky every day
My general consensus of the year. Not enough art shows, too much time sitting in front of the computer. We love Portland and I’m so glad we moved here. Dogs take a lot of work but ours is ridiculously cute. I love my husband to pieces and I’m so glad we’re married.
For my 39th year I’d like to spend more time making art and writing about art, get better at gardening, get rid of excess crap in the house, loose some weight, get into more art shows, work on my MFA portfolio, submit portfolios to galleries, visit Seattle more, go to Chicago. Take more weekend trips. Go camping more, go see more live bands.
I’m editing an interview I did with Evan as we speak, but his show at the Together Gallery comes down September 20th so I wanted to post some pics of the show and encourage you to head down there before the end of the show.
Evan B. Harris
Fables and the Flourish Together Gallery
2916 NE Alberta St Suite A
Portland, Or 97211
Gallery Hours
Tue-Sun / 12-7 pm
August 27th – Sept. 20th 2009
See more of Evan’s work on his website.
Heather’s sweet and intimate grid collages are made from old envelopes, magazines, and thread.
Heather Cavalieri
Works on Paper Ampersand Vintage
2916 NE Alberta St, B Portland, OR
Hours: Tue. thru Sat. 12 to 6 PM, Sundays from 12 to 5 PM
August 26th to September 20th, 2009
Hayley Barker’s solo exhibition at Charles A. Hartman Fine Art is comprised of 10 to 15 watercolor paintings on paper. The paintings are layered with detailed markings and tonal washes, and include imagery from plant life, animal fur and scales, and ambiguously sensual organic forms. The show is on display from September 2nd, 2009 through October 10th, 2009.
Barker takes ink and watercolor blobs and transforms them into Chimeras of part cartoonish mythical monster, part sensuous organic form, part abstract painting. Using bright washes of watercolor as base, Barker manifests her own Rorschach tests into monsters and whimsical lifeforms. Barker interweaves elements of the delicate with the grotesque, plays along the borders between formlessness and hard edge, and transforms elements of her paintings into imagery that is sometimes sexual, sometimes comical.
In her artist statement for the show, Barker talks about the vilification of mutated life forms and how we as humans, tend to placed judgment upon these mutations as “bad” when evolution itself depends on mutations to further and ensure life on earth. Barker’s Chimeras pay reverence of those mutations, not as unnatural villains, but as manifestations of the purity, beauty, and humor that is life.
Hayley Barker: Chimeras
September 2 – October 10, 2009
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art
134 NW 8th Ave
Portland OR 97209 www.hartmanfineart.net
Nell Warren’s exhibition “Storied” at PDX Contemporary art is a refreshing example of a contemporary twist on the tradition of landscape painting. Warren’s work, with it’s highly calligraphic, tiny brushstrokes combined with large fields of color, borders on abstraction. Her use of muted colors and flat rigid surface, had a calming effect on me, they reminded me somewhat of the quiet, meditative paintings of Agnes Martin.
The flat surface, which looks like it might be covered with a layer of plaster, gives the paintings an old world fresco look. The tiny brushstrokes had me thinking about Indian miniatures. In reading her bio on the PDX Contemporary art website, I discovered she is heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese art and is especially interested in Tibetan Tanka paintings.
One thing I loved very much about Warren’s paintings was how the sides of her canvases are less than pristine. They are full of test marks and in give the viewer some insight into the development of the pieces. Even in her test marks, Warren seems orderly. Though the pieces are full of expressive line work, they have an essence of control about them, like ordered chaos. The intricate, almost graphic linework gives her paintings a sense of narrative, though there is no clear narative in the paintings. The paintings feel to me like vivid conversations between artist and landscape. Warren also seems to be in conversation with east and west, old and new.
Nell Warren’s exhibition “Storied” will be on view at PDX Contemporary Art
Tuesday – Saturday
11 am – 6 pm
925 NW Flanders
Portland, Oregon 97209
September 1, 2009 – September 26, 2009
Visit the PDX Contemporary Art website for more details.
We went to Oregon City yesterday. It’s just 10 miles from our house. It’s a small historic town with lots of used book stores, used bicycle stores, bars, and pawn shops. We got a brochure: 150 things to do in Oregon City. Some of my favorites:
Get a tan at a tanning salon
Eat authentic Mexican food
Celebrate National Library week!
Get a tatoo
Relax and have a cup of coffee
Check out the new Oregon City banners throughout town
Miniature Schnauzer Dog Show
Attend church services
Visit Oregon City’s oldest furniture store
But in all fairness, we had a great time. We ate at Biscuits cafe, which was pretty good, and we had the best score at the Goodwill. We got some crazy good vinyl, Carpenters, Christopher Cross (The first ‘adult contemporary’ album I ever bought), ABBA. I also found a very strange beverage dispenser in the shape of a campfire. We went to the End of the Orgeon Trail Interpretive center where we heard a nice talk about early photography. I had never heard of Mourning pictures before. Because infant mortality was so high, and because photographs were so expensive, sometimes the only time a photo of a child was taken was after they had died. They had a few examples. The photos were beautiful and moving. We also saw a funny movie about immigrants coming to Oregon along the Oregon Trail. The theatre had props and multiple projections and I was impressed with the amount of love and care that had been put into the museum. Here are some pics:
Silhouettes were the pour man’s photograph. And Kara Walker’s source of inspiration.
In the Museum
From inside the shack. Looks like a shot from Swoon’s installation “Feral” at the Luggage Gallery last year.
A painting of Mt Hood that totally reminds me of an artist in one of the SF 49 Geary Galleries. Does anyone know who I’m talking about?
The four buildings have wagon-like bars going around them to make it look like a wagon train.
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