Friday, May 01, 2009

May 1 Eastside Art Openings

NAAU continues its Coture series with work by Stephen Slappe. For Shelter in Place, he has created a fictional narrative of cultural history from 1980's archives of the state of West Virginia. His teenage characters in a three channel video entwine personal fears with mediasphere plays on fears developed to boost ratings. Slappe has a history of sampling and repurposing, this show should be fascinating. At New American Art Union www.newamericanartunion.com 922 SE Ankeny


Grier Edmundson shows paintings "Tomprrow You Will Not Recognize Us". Edmundson samples recent history drawing meaning into the current time period. At Fourteen30 Gallery www.fourteen30.com 1430 SE 3rd 6PM-9 Free


Life+Limb shows illustrations by prolific artist, designer and multicrafter Jill Bliss. It's a perfect warming element to the Life+Limb clean designs and beautifully stark succulent plants. www.lifeandlimb.net 1716 E. Burnside


William Haswell shows Pine Grove Days and is winner of the copywriting award for the month: "William Haswell paints and draws landscapes, occasional map likenesses, and architectural fantasies. Simple draughtsman's lines on paper grow into perspectival studies of hulking masses. Set in wintry mountains, space, and future cities, the work invokes a cold and harsh inter-dimensional narrative where seen and unseen forces are at play resonating out of large looming things, in the quiet solitude of the mountains where nobody sees." The work itself is brush and ink landscape, a sublime meditation on our Northwest. Opening music by Mike Elias and friends. Opening at NATIONALE nationaleportland.blogspot.com 2730 E Burnside 6PM-9 Free


Beneath the Surface: Flora, Fantasy and Fable in Surface Design is an international show by artists curated by Pattern People who put artist patterns on things. It gets artist ideas out into the world of fabric, wallpaper and objects. At Nemo Design www.studionemo.com 1875 SE Belmont


Pushdot Studio has Ten Feet Tall, a group show by UofO BFA students Daniel Strong, Travis Bachmeier, Lindsay AuCoin, Mackenzie Schubert and Sarah Moore. At Pushdot Studio www.pushdotstudio.com 1021 SE Caruthers


Newspace presents Portland artist Rosemary Hammer and Vancouver, B.C. artist Jeff Downer. Both specialize in urban and suburban landscapes. www.newspacephoto.org 1632 SE 10th


In the 811 E Burnside Block

J Otto Seibold is a neon colorist. He has some very cheerful pieces this month at the Grass Hut. Books too. At Grass Hut www.grasshutcorp.com

Redux has illustrations by Adrienne Vita At Redux www.reduxpdx.com