When I first moved to Portland the local art scene was dominated by a 10,000 pound elephant of an artist named Rama.  Actually, Rama is an elephant, and while I do not begrudge him the thousands of dollars he’s earned from the sale of “his” paintings, I did find myself viewing the local art patronage with a good deal of contempt.  Firstly, elephants do not paint.  Ever.  People paint.  In the case of Rama, one Jeb Barsh, his trainer, is the actual artist, employing the rather unusual technique of applying cheap tempra delivered by means of elephant.  Jeb actually consulted with me on a technical issue (Rama couldn’t make it himself) and we discovered that, like another 10,000 pound elephantine artist, Rama had archival issues.  That’s right, if you own an original Rama it is likely to be vulnerable to the Rothko effect.  In my mind, Rama’s paintings most resemble the over-spray from an automobile paint booth, although some approach the vagueness of a late Alzheimer’s stage De Kooning.

    Can you guess which is the million dollar painting??

Now that the elephant fad is fading I find another disturbing trend in the national arts scene, which, sadly, involves the exploitation of adults by children.  Yet another generation of collectors and art patrons, tired, no doubt by their cracking and chipping elephant art, are now rushing to buy up the work of toddlers. 

I recently watched My Kid Could Paint That!  a documentary about a 4 year old abstract painter named Marla Olmstead .  (Is there any other kind of 4 year old painter besides abstract?)  Other than the disturbing fact that a 4 year old ( now 8) has her own web site (visit)  I was most disturbed by her parents, one for letting their child get lathered up in acrylic paint, and secondly for keeping the poor kid on a production schedule to meet the demands of her adoring public.    Parents should remember that acrylic = plastic, which is bad.  Your kid is going to be exposed to enough plastic in their lifetime that you really shouldn’t bath them in Liquitex.  For once I was grateful that we didn’t have a product placement.  The documentary leaves it somewhat in doubt whether dad had a little more hand in the prodigies paintings than collectors might be comfortable with, but my feelings ran a little more on line with what kind of lousy dad wouldn’t help his kid with a painting? “Daddy, you paint a face.”  “For goodness sake little Pablo, if I touch it it will be worthless!” 

Evidently there is a child art prodigy - Akiane  - who paints in a non-abstract, representational manner.  She has appeared on Oprah! (Exclamation point hers) which means she must be really, really important.  No doubt she is a sweet girl, but having just toured a wonderful, independent art school, I can assure you her work is no better than that of any well taught child.  That would seem to be the entire problem, that the arts are so neglected in our education curricula that any child showing the least bit of development is hailed as a genius.  It is not that children cannot create interesting or beautiful art - they do it all the time.  And any reasonably intelligent child can be taught to create accurate, representational images, as shown by instructors like Betty Edwards in her book Drawing on the Right side of the Brain.  The problem is the same one that prevails in music, as evinced by shows such as American Idol.  One is not a great, artistic singer simply by hitting the right notes.  If that were the case then Bob Dylan would have never had a career.  Just as in music, the greatest visual artist is not the one who can most accurately reproduce an existing image, but one who can slide around the notes, altering things in such a way that they become alive.  To do so always takes some living.  Sorry kids.

See you in July! 

One of the great things about running an art store is getting to meet and work with so many terrific artists.  Occasionally, I am lucky enough to convince one of them to work for me for a while, until they become famous or get tired of counting pencils.  One of those terrific artists, who is very likely to become successful, if not famous, is Eva Speer, whose work is now being shown across the continent.  A graduate of Indiana University’s MFA program, she shows at Viveza, in Seattle and was recently profiled on Oregon Art Beat.  Having been lucky enough to participate in some morning discussions of philosophy and art theory, I can attest to the intellectual vigor that Ms. Speer brings to the table.  You can also see it in the energy she conveys when talking about art materials, especially paint, which contrary to the adage, is pretty damn interesting to watch dry.

Eva’s work is still developing, and it is entirely possible that we have not even seen what will become her recognized style.  That is the problem of having a surfeit of ideas in an industry which is agonizingly conservative and narrow minded.  Most people think of the art world as a bastion of liberality, but the reality is that gallery owners and collectors really don’t want to see an artists change and grow, but would rather see a stable, constant production of the same piece, over and over again.  Think of Chuck Close churning out the same portrait of his homely friends and you will get an idea of narrow intellectual conformity of the artiverse.  I don’t see Eva being so constrained, at least until she gets really tired of counting pencils. 

Several of Eva’s gouache/collage work can be seen in Portland Modern .

Utrecht Art Supplies of Portland is proud to be hosting a group show of 44 artworks by nearly 40 women in honor of Women’s History Month.  Taking the title “Crone,” the show was inspired by the growing membership in our customer ranks of a class of mature women, often returning to (or arriving at) art after a long absence.  As a group, these women seemed to posess the traits of the wordly wise, and as we are always curious as to what our customers are making with all of their supplies, we decided to arrange a group show.  We did not really set a theme, but were simply interested in what these individuals were wanting to show the world.  Nor did we set any age restrictions, although the majority of contributions came from women in their 50’s. 

The work carries a wide range of styles and subjects, but much of it is figurative.  These images of women - portraits, nudes, and symbolic compositions -  show a sense of assuredness, of coming into their own.  There is no remnant of Picasso’s hysterical woman here, only self assuredness, confidence and humor. 

There are also references to nature, but not often in the manner of traditional landscape painting.  Instead the focus is on nature, on organisms, and the patterns of plantlife.

The individual artists have their own interesting stories.  Martha Reisdorf came to painting by the circuitous route.  After being diagnosed with a brain tumor and undergoing surgery, Martha’s vision was altered.  She enrolled in an art class as a part of her recovery and was hooked.   Stereotypes cannot be easily broken until there is concrete evidence that they are false.  Anyone who thinks women are timid nead only look at one of Martha’s paintings to see a concrete manifestation of a woman’s strength.

Many thanks to all of our participating artists - and special thanks to PNCA student Heather Birdsong for her outstanding organization and curatorial efforts in bringing about this show.

The exhibition will run through March 28th.

Last year we had over 20 artists painting outdoors in the park blocks and hung a salon style landscape show. 

Then in November we will be holding our second Political Art Show.  This year is sure to be even more popular than our last  show.  Start your piece now!

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.

One of the great things about working at an art store is, of course, getting to work with artists.  Surprisingly, Utrecht isn’t much of a revolving door when it comes to our associates, and even our student employees tend to stick around for several years before moving on to greener (pthalo? viridian?) pastures.  One of our past employees, Mike Endo, has gone on to graduate school at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.  One of the great things about the internet and blogging is that now you can read someone’s diary without having to force the lock.  Mike has an interesting blog which he is using to chart his progress as a grad student and which is fascinating to observe if you are interested in the process of how an artist grows and evolves.  Take a look at http://www.cryingoflot49.blogspot.com/ and check out Mike’s progress.

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.