On the corner of Northwest 12th avenue and Hoyt street is the true gem of the Pearl District.  A refuge for the weary soul and a feast for the eyes, this art gallery/antique shop/sumptuous oasis is a not so hidden treasure that gives our neighborhood a touch of the genuine amidst the carefully calculated boutiques and overpriced restaurants.  While I very much enjoy the gallery scene, too often I find that I leave our local galleries feeling depressed, discouraged and dissed - the three d’s.  I suppose it is too much to expect warmth and friendliness from an art gallery, especially since I never buy anything, but one can hope. 

Where one can find a warm greeting, not only from the lovely people behind the counter, but also from the paintings on the walls, is at The Cultured Pearl (532 NW 12th Avenue).  Owned by Harvey and Steve, they have perfected the fortunate art of traveling to Europe to bring back an array of masterpieces that somehow slipped through the museums and collections of the old world. 

How they can assemble such a range of work and have it come out anything but a jumble is a testament to their collective eye and aesthetic.  Their shop is, in my mind, the greatest work of installation art that Portland has ever witnessed.  If you like painting, or have ever wondered what it would have been like to walk into an art gallery in Paris in 1896, then I encourage you to spend an hour at the “salon”.

It is really an amazing selection of work, from the very traditional to antique/contemporary.  And, surprisingly, most of the work is incredibly affordable.  So before you decide to drop six figures on that pile of postmodern pulchritude, go by The Cultured Pearl and ask yourself if you really wouldn’t rather live with one of their warm old friends.

Founded in 1990, Gallery 114 has been a constant beacon of individuality and artistic freedom in Portland’s Pearl District.  Most member run, cooperative galleries are lucky to last two years before the infighting and squabling  tear them apart, so it is a testament to the member artists that the gallery has continued to be a vital part of Portland’s art scene.  The gallery has also avoided the complacency of some co-ops, and the work on view is consistently of high quality and relevant to our region. 

So, on to our favorite artist, Kimber Shiroma.  She is, of course, our favorite, because she works with us here at Utrecht, where she is known as the Queen of the Count, and the God of Galkyd, among other things.  I was lucky enough to see one of the Robert Motherwell’s series, “Elegy to the Spanish Republic”, while on a business trip to Philadelphia, and came back to Kimber’s show with the painting fresh in my mind.  Her work was impactive, to say the least.  Looking at her large scale paintings, one can see a continuity with the history of abstract expressionism, but she clearly adds to the tradition.  The addition of fabric and hair, which are glued to the surface of the canvas, are not readily visible from a distant viewing, and as you are drawn in there is a paradoxical attraction/repulsion that goes on.  They imply an underlying complexity to all things, something visceral and filamental about nature.  They are beautiful paintings, and, like humans and other living organisms, they are constructed of things that, when explored too closely or squeezed too tight, make one go yuck. 

E.B. White wrote a an essay after Charles Lindbergh’s successful flight across the Atlantic on the spirit of Me-Too-ism - the tendancy of individuals to claim some share of the success of another persons accomplishments.  Suddenly it was because of the Goodyear tires and Quaker oil that Lindbergh was able to accomplish his heroic flight.  With that in mind, I still have to admit that I was excited to see a huge, three page layout in the Sunday Oregonian that praised the accomplishment of artist Lucinda Parker upon her execution of a huge 10 foot by 40 foot painting commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission for the new performing arts center at the Lower Columbia College in Longview.   The reason for my excitement?  Well, it was because I sold her the canvas it was painted on!  Now, trust me, I take no credit for this tremendous work of art, but it is difficult not to want to crow - “hey, that’s our canvas!”  That Ms. Parker could create such a monumental work is a wonder in and of itself, considering that she herself is only about half as tall as the painting.  The work’s title, “Where Water Comes Together with Other Water” touches upon the theme of confluence, which many Portland artists have been thinking about lately.  This is, perhaps, Portland’s best contribution to the arts right now, the idea that here, things can come together, and that together we may solve some of our common challenges.  I encourge you to take a look at the full article in the Oregonian, written by D.K. Row.  Unfortunately the online article does not reproduce the terrific photos by Benjamin Brink, but they are in the January 6th Sunday publication.

Currently on view at Utrecht Portland is a 25 year retrospective of work by artist and store manager, Kelly McCarty.  This show runs through December.