portland pilgrimage

This past Thursday I made one of my pilgrimages to Portland, Oregon, to take in a little culture and buy art supplies at one of my favorite art stores; Utrecht 1122 NW Everett Street (http://www.utrechtart.com/ ). I also picked up the book “Every Building on the Sunset Strip” by artist Ed Ruscha from Portland State University library. I first heard about Ed Ruscha in my art history class at P.S.U and his book back in the spring. I thought I would just pick up a copy at Powell’s book store. I was shocked to find out that the book cost two thousand to seven thousand dollars and is not a twenty dollar art book. A thousand copies of the first edition were printed in 1966 and the second printing in 1971 was only five thousand copies. Ed Ruscha took the photographs contained in this book with a motorized Nikon camera mounted to the back of a pick-up truck. This allowed him to photograph every house on the Sunset Strip while driving – first down one side of the street and then the other. The pictures were then pasted in order and the individual buildings were labeled with their respective house numbers. I have enjoyed looking at all the pictures and seeing the passing of time. It has made me want to drive up and down the sunset strip in L.A and see for myself how many things have changed.
After picking up my book I rode my bike down to the Elizabeth Leach gallery at 417 NW 9th to see the work of painter Chester Arnold. I was very pleased to see his paintings
He is doing large-scale representational paintings depicting piles of books and debris, burning paintings, and papers on the wind and land. I envied the person who bought one of his works. Another amazing artist I was very happy to see is Rosemary Powelson a member Black Fish gallery 420 NW 9th ave. Rosemary is doing mixed media works on paper and collage. Rosemary is quoted.” My focus has shifted from the details of my husband’s heart attack and the life threatening complications that followed to an examination of the poetic and ethereal topography of the heart. The text forms a new layer of information, and the relief shapes create physical suspension and the addition of light. To allow intimacy I purposely leave the surface of the collages open to close inspection and the transformation of light.”
I believe that both these artists work is worth seeing and looking up.
Till next time I wish you all the best, Jason Berlin