Portland's bike culture is varied and likely you are part of it. We have bikes who can haul heavy loads, even moving people from one apartment to another, a dynamic oh so sought messenger group that holds bike polo in the mud and mad alley cats, Zoobomber gravity players, fixie aficionados, velodrome and Fairmount-Skyline spandex racers, safe routes to schools advocates, tall bikers, the baby trailers, custom frame wranglers; more for sure. Documentation of this becomes a show, Teams of Portland, at the local ad agency. Four days only. W+K 224 NW 13th Thurs 6PM-9, Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat/Sun 12Noon-6 Free
Portland painter Molly Vidor is a master of lush still life and abstract work. Past work has spanned the tonal range, often with black backgrounds, fierce highlights and a sensual clear glaze over the finished work. This show, Destroyer, is a continuation, more abstract, and sometimes adding the suggestion of figurative observer. The work has a dreamlike emotion that some may enter and others may not register. Also in the PDX Window Project, a large display window viewable 24x7, is Artocracy, project by Portland artist Megan Murphy, to sell prints online at a great price and with maximum proceeds to the artists. A virtuous cycle. At PDX Contemporary Art 925 NW Flanders Closes early, 8PM
Paul Missal has trained generations of Portland painters at PNCA, that is 25 year's worth. Yale schooled, he founded the Blackfish Gallery coop in 1978 when the Portland's slim contemporary art world comprised the Portland Art Museum, PNCA, OCAC and Arlene Schnitzer's Fountain Gallery (-1986), later subsumed by Fountain gallerist Laura Russo into the Laura Russo Gallery. At Blackfish, Paul Missal shows his own work tonight. Though Missal paints still lifes and landscapes, he is primarily known for sensitive portraits. See and meet the master. At Blackfish Gallery 420 NW 9th
I like minimalism and conceptual work as well as the next, arguably more. Nonetheless unique figurative work that touches is a love too. I dig the energy of Superflat, no apologies, and collect it. One such figurative artist is Kendra Binney who shows "in better light" at Compound/Just Be Toys this month. Pacific Rim Binney is tapped into the kawaii-style, her figures have preternaturally large eyes. This is perfect fit for the illustration-style work so successively championed by Compound. Binney shows worldwide, from originals to very reasonably priced prints. At Compound-Just Be Toys www.justbedesign.com 107 NW 5th Avenue
Artist Gretchen Vaudt shows drawings at Valentines. Til 9, lights on, after Vaudt spins and Al James, aka The Un-phased, from Delorian plays. 232 SW Ankeny lateish
Stumptown has distinct curators for its downtown, Division and Belmont instantiations; resulting in distinct vibes at each - see yourself. This month the show downtown is Sacred Pop: Exploring Text Through Collaborative Processes. 3 collaborations share walls: Todd + Craft show oil paintings of landscapes, painted under the McLuhanesque tutelage of painting 1.5 phenom Bob Ross; Gary Weseman and Amy Steel show "A Penny For Your Thoughts" which includes and audio piece; Philip Cheaney and Laura Aiken show "You Are What You Sing" portraits of pop singers in Dymo lettering tape. 128 SW 3rd
This is too good to not note. Artists are the canaries in the coal mine of culture. Forever they have been critics-commentators on the leading edge of culture as noted by MacArthur winner Dave Hickey. Picasso was an early innovator and critic. The issue in his time was the Spanish Civil War. It is argued that the first world war, WWI, marked the transition to modern war, targeting civilians, aka people. So sad. (note my home was built in 1918 by a Spanish Civil War volunteer and a relative served in WWI, surviving it; many of his colleagues, sadly, did not) Artist Picasso, modded earlier work into the mural Guernica. This artwork is a touchpoint into the horror of total war, targeting civilians, to this day. To see it full scale pierces the heart. Portland State shows the preliminaries - Picasso's artist studies, which resulted in the final work. It is so apropos in the time of war and saber rattling. PSI shows 42 reproduction sketches for Guernica. At the PSU Littman Gallery in Smith Center. Free
Always recommended are the DeSoto Block and the Everett Block. The DeSoto Block encompasses the Contemporary Crafts Museum, always free; Blue Sky / Nines Gallery- for conceptual work, Augen and the Charles Hartman Gallery. It is easy to see it all on opening night and through the month.
The Everett Block is bounded by NW Everett, Flanders, Broadway and 6th. Most of the live-work space are open first Thursday only. So see it until about 10PM.
Each venue, for visual arts, and for music, has its vibe. Brand. One of Holocene's vibes has been Portland's art community. Tonight they tap that with an art show by Cory Smith, Sarah Gottesdiener, Olivia Edith, Chloe Richard, Wesley Younie, Bradley Royce, Kjerstin Rossi and Hooliganship. That is accompanied by a fashion show by Denwave, Luxury Jones and Stand Up Comedy. (!) Musical contributions by Glass Candy, Fleshtone (!!!), and a myriad of DJ's. 9PM-late $8
