PDX Art: Elizabeth McClellan at Appendix Project Space

Appendix wins another price for most innovative use by hanging
Elizabeth McClellan fairytale like drawings right into nature from which they drew their inspiration.
A brilliant stroke that payed back big as the setting sun started to back light the huge pieces of paper to give them an otherworldly glow.


Appendix Project Space
btwn 26th and 27th Avenues on NE Alberta St. (South Alley)
Portland, OR 97211
Northeast
appendixspace.com

Hours: Wed-Sun 3pm-7pm, Last Thursday receptions 6pm-10pm

PDX Art: brand new Interview with Chris Habermann

23 Sandy is pleased to present Wonderland featuring paintings illustrating the classic Alice in Wonderland by Portland artist Chris Haberman. Wonderland will be on display July 3-August 1, 2009.
Special showing/party July 10 6 PM till 9 PM

Interview with Chris Haberman about his fresh new show" Alice In Wonderland"
at www.23Sandy.com





It's been awhile since we talked Art & its back story. Can you give me a
a synopsis about your experiences as a rising Star in the PDX Art scene
over the past year like its pro's and cons?

Its been a pretty great year since we chatted about all this. Its been fun. I'm just constantly working. I don't think I'm a star, but I know that my art life, relationships and perception of art seems to change every year. Gladly, I feel I am changing with it. I am slowly not having as many shows as years past, trying to not be a production artist as much, but rather, fully thinking about themed shows, perfecting my craft, extending my audience, showing outside of Oregon and working in other media like sculpture and really large works. The cons are a negative. Art is hard enough without exposing the negative. Art should be positive, and working as an artist and surviving a recession is something I appreciate every day. I'm about to be featured on OPB Art Beat in September, put a couple books, work on the biggest group show of the year (Manor of Art, Milepost 5, August 14-24). Life is busy, but good. My only true "con" would be that I wish I could afford to employ an assistant, or that the National Endowment of the Arts would see the work I do as an artist and arts activist and give me a bunch of money.


This is your second show at 23 Sandy last time it was very sculptor
this time around its illustrative what's the difference in preparation?

Laura Russell, owner/operator of 23Sandy Gallery approached me with last year with an idea of a 2nd show with her and we talked about an illustrative show - something that could be graphic plates to accompany text in a book. We talked about several ideas for a book - mostly reprinting an older story - and the Alice In Wonderland idea put a gleam in both our eyes. I love sculptural art and reuse material, but I really wanted to work on an illustrative series like this - even though I still painted on recycled sheets of wood. It was different to work this way, because 90% of the work is the same size and I framed it all - two things that are not really my style, but it was great to ready this show and to prove that I am able to work within specific creative parameters.


"Alice in Wonderland" I am not that familiar with it but can you site an example how it influenced your childhood reading it and about its impact on a young persons psyche? And is that why you picked it for this show?

I can't believe you don't know this story - the thing is, you probably already do, because the idea has been used hundreds of times. AIW was picked because it is truly a classic tale, full of colorful creatures and Carroll's linguistical twists of languages and references. His style and imagery are very much a fitting and inspiring element to the puzzles and word chains I create in my own work. My mother first read AIW to me when I was in grade school. Of course, I remember the Disney cartoon as well, and I loved them both. The idea of having this magical world all to yourself is pretty amazing and a very typical theme in children's literature after the publication of AIW. My mother helped enrich my creativeness as a child, as a constant daydreamer, hoping their was a secret ladder in my closet or creatures smiling and talking to me in the grooves of the 70's wood paneling. I have always loved fantasy, comic books, mythology and I think that anything fantastical helps to enrich the imagination while further cementing what is real and what is not real. But that seperation and the introduction to these worlds came first from my mother, who taught me the difference and importance of both.


Are Fairy tales good for children or are they invoking nightmares which follow us into adulthood?

I really don't mind any of the nightmares I had as a child following me into adulthood, I think everything I've experienced in literature, film and pop culture during my life have helped shape me as a creative.
I've always loved Fairy Tales and I think they are wonderful stories and learning tools for kids. As part of the oral tradition, stories like Grimm's Fairy Tales, are still part of our teaching process with children, although today we may have glazed over some of the grittier parts of these original stories, we have also introduced real life lessons and situations as well.
Every story has a lesson, from David and Goliath to Spiderman to SpongeBob.


Why do you think you are a good fit to reinterpret this story and what value can we can from being
reintroduced to Lewis Carrol, story?

I learned a lot of new things reading the story again. I also bought the annotated version and learned how much hidden references that Carroll introduced - much in the vain of Irish author James Joyce does, in building a multi-layer structure that can be read in many different ways. I knew there was a lot in the story, from pure creation of "foolish" language, to political themes - which again, is why it is a classic. Carroll's construction (as with many books of this time) are great to revisit because of its surrealistic nature and timelessness. Alice will always exist, because we have all wanted to climb down the rabbit hole.



Have you ever fallen into the Rabbit Hole and if you could have your own Rabbit Hole who would live there?
(warning this is a trick question)

That's rad. I don't know if I really fell down, or carefully planned an exhibition with friends, beers and a barbecue one night. Ha ha ha. I think I've tried to explore my imagination as far as possible during my life, and my rabbit hole has been pretty busy. I would probably fill my rabbit hole with writers and painters and my relatives (Bukowski, Joyce, Hemingway, Picasso, Basquiat, Frida, Rivera, Burroughs, Tom Waits, etc. - all the icons of my life, and my Mom of course). Seriously, I am very much a dreamer and I am a true believer in keeping a child's mind active in an adult. I think I hold fast to my own world in my head, as I believe everyone should. I also played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons as a kid (and young adult-super nerd), so I have always loved the make-belive. I haven't done a ton of drugs either (some of course), but that special part of all of our minds is accessible without that.



You are mentoring under-served Youth in Portland. What are the things the public should be more aware of in regard to future generations?

They are smarter than we are. But also I think the world moves much quicker for them, so their attention span may not be like ours. It doesn't mean its bad...its just fast, you have to keep up, focus attention and make sure they hold interest. You have to think quicker than the internet and prove to them that sources beyond a computer or a television are still important tools in the world. Books are still printed, paintings are still painted - the world isn't totally reliant on animation and websites yet - other media is still active and the basis for everything else. The only advice I have for the public is to love your kids, take interest in them, covet their feelings and to never shun their thoughts or creativity.


When can we expect the reprint to be available and what format is it going to be?

Well, I was going to publish this book through the gallery prior to the show, but I didn't have the works ready in time for printing. Now, I am going to publish this book through a non-profit arts group I helped found (www.portlandcityart.org), to keep costs down for publication and distribution. I would love to make a pop up book, but this is my first solo book venture, so I just want to put it out. I think its extraordinary that someday I may read AIW with my illustrations to my own kids. Kinda crazy.


What kind of political system would you put in place if you could have your own Wonderland ?

Wow...that's a great question. Well, Wonderland is basically a Monarchy, ran by a Queen, so I probably wouldn't do that. I would probably like to put the workers in charge, The Gardener, The Lizard, the simpler blue collar folks of Wonderland - or I just may import Winnie The Pooh and make him the king he has always deserved....that would be more fun. :)


Thank you Richard. You are wonderful!

PDX Art features "Call + Response" at the Contemporary Craft Museum

Namita Guppta's curatorial masterpiece "Call + Response" is a brilliantly conceptualized exhibit built on exquisite craftsmanship and eye catching creativity

spend some time with this enlightening Art installation and find greater inside into the process of making Art and its context to Art history

for more info
contact
http://www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org

PDX Art: Rachelle Clark & Shawn Christopher at JOAT Studio

contact Shawn or Rachelle
at www.joatstudio.com

PDX Art: "Wonderland" special event hosted by Melissa Sillitoe

Fun in JULY
Friday July 3
7/3/2009, 6:00pm,
"Wonderland"
opening at Virtuoso Studio
325 NW 6th Avenue
Portland, Oregon, US
$Free$
Celebrate visual artist Richard Schemmerer’s newest and most colorful work and partake in wine, snacks, and the ethereal sounds of: Dina Rae http://www.myspace.com/dinaraeofsunshine Baron Landscape www.myspace.com/baronlandscape and Myrrh Larsen www.myspace.com/myrrhlarsen

hosted and produced by Melissa Sillitoe

check Melissa's other ventures like

The Show and Tell Gallery

it is located at Everett Station Lofts: 625 NW Everett Street #231—a working/living art space community in Portland. Featuring visual, literary, and musical programming, Show and Tell Gallery Productions hosts free artistic events in public places and promotes collaborations between indie artists.


Find out more about Show and Tell Gallery:
www.showandtellgallery.org

or

Keep up with event listings through Myspace:
www.myspace.com/showandtellgalleryproductions

or

Check out reviews of our events at:
http:/www.brokenhours.net/blog


Show and Tell Gallery Productions

7/1/2009-7/15/2009


The Regular Event Run-Down:

Three Friends Mondays Caffeinated Art Series:

"Three Friends Mondays: Caffeinated Art" is a weekly event for which three talented friends put together a combination of music, poetry, comedy, and/or live art to present a performance for you. Every Monday is unique, and sometimes even brings strangers together to collaborate creatively. Poets, singers, cellists, bluegrass guitarists, comedy sketch groups, bands, and painters have all graced the stage, and there are always sweet surprises! Even better, there is no cover charge. Simply show up at Three Friends Coffee House, 201 SE 12th Avenue (cross street is Ash), relax with a treat, and enjoy the show! Performances start at 7 sharp. The event is hosted by Show and Tell Gallery Productions. If you are a performer or guest, please consider staying to support the artists who perform at the Open Mic immediately after the Caffeinated Art series, the variety is unbelievable!

Let's Play Sundays Series:


Let's Play is a laid-back event that happens every other Sunday. A group of people gathers on the couches at the coffee house with a treat, and ready to read. Often inviting local writers, and sometimes reading a classic for some throwback fun, we keep it casual. No acting or play-writing experience necessary, all you need is a fun attitude!

Show and Tell Open Mic:

Every Monday following the Caffeinated Art series, creative people take numbers and hit the stage to Show and Tell, well, whatever really. This event provides an open and inviting forum for artists of all types to shine and share their stuff. We've had music, live painting, poetry, journal entries, emails, blonde jokes, and more... Because of this format, every week is fresh with unexpected surprises. You don't know what will happen next, and won't want to miss it! Don't wait; sign-up is at 8.

First Friday:

Monthly, we feature an artist's work in the Hopscotch gallery located at Three Friends Coffee House. We kick off the new art with a live music and celebration!

7/6/2009, 7:00pm, 3 Friends Mondays Canceled for 4th of July
3 Friends Coffee House, 201 SE 12th Avenue
Portland, Oregon, US
$FREE$

See you next week!


7/13/2009, 7:00pm, 3 Friends Caffeinated Art: Gary Aker with friends Kelly Anne Fiore and Allison Francis


3 Friends Coffee House, 201 SE 12th Avenue
Portland, Oregon, US
$FREE$

You might call this line-up, Trippy, Hippy and Lippy… Kelly Ann Fiore and Allison Francis are both distinct singer/songwriter stylists who accompany themselves on guitar, while Gary Aker is an avante garde spoken word artist, who calls his pieces: Primal weird word things…

Kelly Anne Fiore grew up in Florida, something she’s not exactly proud of, where her mom, a struggling opera singer, never tired of giving her voice lessons…Her first stringed instrument was the cello, which she studied for nine years. She took off for Norway to attend art classes, before moving to Portland to enter a music program, at a local art college. There she studied piano and music theory. She dropped out to experiment with three bands and complete massage school, including obtaining her state license. Whew. Indescribable soulful journeys into the unknown. Haunting.


Allison Francis started out in Portland before moving herself, and her career, to Boston. Simple chords and joyful melodies form the heart of her Northwest-grown folk music. She is signed to indie label, Base Trip records and working on her first album, “Who You Were and What You Have Become.” In the meantime, we’re lucky to have her back in Portland for the summer, playing around town to flex her material, remember her roots and get to know you, her audience.


Mr. Aker has a long history of spoken word experiments in Portland, Oregon. He was a key player in the Art Quake literary finals in the early 90s, and the blossoming Slam Scene. Going up against the Newyorican Poets in the mid 90s, he is remembered for tossing Hershey Kisses into a standing-room-only crowd at the Clinton Theater. More recently, he is appreciated for his dance-poetry-piece, “We’re All Just Stand-Ins For God,” performed to the LP version of the 70s disco classic, “Good Times,” by Chic, at the sadly missed Rake Gallery in ’08. Mmm. Good times indeed. Tonight he will showcase new creations—avante garde, lyrical, prose-poetry, and straight narrative— covering the subjects of ailing Mothers, decaying Society, and the revelations of Dance in a show titled, “I Fall Asleep Like an Elephant Man.”



7/13/2009, 8:15pm, Show and Tell Open Mic


Three Friends Coffee House, 201 SE 12th Avenue
Portland, Oregon, US
$FREE$

You know, you know--this is the Portland community's open mic. With the casual comfort of the coffee shop as your backdrop, and a welcoming audience of artists and appreciators, standing on that stage is everything thrilling. You will be pod-cast so later you can show and tell with all your friends who couldn't make it. In the meantime, you'll enjoy the pleasure of performing with other passionate people and maybe making new friends in the process. Amateurs and verbal veterans alike are in high demand every Monday, so just jump and come do it. You know you're a star, so show us!



Submissions:

Do you do art of any kind? Please do let us take a look and consider your creation(s) for one of our many events. Especially if you have a piece for Let's Play, send to attention Melissa at showandtellevents@gmail.com.

Where else is Show and Tell?

* become a "Friend" of Show and Tell on Myspace; stay informally informed about indie art in our community:

www.myspace.com/showandtellgalleryproductions

If you missed Mondays, you can simply click this link and check out the talent that happened on Show and Tell's Three Friends Stage during previous weeks:

http://www.brokenhours.net/podcasts/3F/3F.html


Hugs,

Melissa Sillitoe, Host/Producer

and

Nikia Cummings, Marketing Coordinator

Show and Tell Gallery: “Art. Caffeine. Community. Good times.”
www.showandtellgallery.org

PDX Art: What really really really matters! by Richard Schemmerer

What really really really matters!
It’s not always about decoration tone color craftsmanship taste labels or what not.
What matters is that it speaks its own language vibrates to its own beat.
Picasso was a great painter but he realized that his gift was not his ability to draw and paint beautiful life like specimens but to take apart the balance that we were accustomed too.
His brush turned into scissors his artistic eye got polished into a diamond with many more facets than it was common at the time.
When I take something that is either used up or has no more value or both or something else that has a function in daily life and does not register as a piece of Art and bring them together it blows new life force into its allotted prediction to allow fresh information to be gained.
An umbrella in a flower pot all of a sudden illuminates a metaphor for the planets fragile ecosystem.
White bread becomes Wonder Bread when laid out like a Mandala on a city square reminds us about waste and starvation and that life is TBA a time based spectacle free of charge to the participant.
Instead of reading a book it morphs to be a surface for a collage with its title integrated into the context giving renewed meaning to it to become one with it.
What I am saying is that what matters is that we keep mixing and meshing things to go deeper into the web of life.
Sure surface is nice fun great easy to observe but inside underneath and all around is where our destiny is still invented.
Nothing really compares to anything else all stands in itself but all also stands side by side as part of something greater unfolding each of its pleads of potential like a monumental piece of Origami made with artistic consideration and cheerfulness to surprise us with every new perspective we take.
Life is not a cartoon with a pre-written text balloon in front of everyone’s face.
Life is fierce in its desire to propagate exponentially because there is no final creation.
Sorry we are not the ultimate “piece de la resistance” but only a proto type that is bug ridden and needs a major overhaul soon.
What matters is that we are willing to acknowledge this with grace and that we continue to step outside our comfort zone with grace joy vigilance to keep plugging away in pursuit of happiness for all.

Escape is not an option but surrender is.

PDX Art: "Wonderland" is here by Richard Schemmerer

Liberation

Talking thinking creating displaying a new version of something
that has been explored before in many artistic languages
happenings that sweat with the lust of ornate language
like ripe fruit titillating the brain
Symbols of past and present guide desires to conquer the screen of liberation
ready for digestion by a angry populous
fragments of delusion fight for recognition
hot thoughts belch out narrowed vocabulary
Yelling with freakish pitch its message into
the abyss of the intellect
discourse is distorting the time space relations
bouncing like the echo of the howl of gallery walls
beg with estranged messages for understanding
to find completion in the act
copulating with the other ways of thinking
to reorient the self and its path to be of value
for a greater good that leads to a greater world

Visual enticement beckons us to pay attention
to our own wants and needs instead of that of
the prescribed pharmaceutical stimulants
that alter our Ego but not our heart

so that we can stop being reduced to a statistic in political polls
but find out for our self's what Peace of mind
of heart and Peace for all truly means



Peace from the ashesby Richard Schemmerer

he Golden Dawn is gone
The wind of fear is blowing
Through the burning hallways
Of our sacrificed love
Sacrificed in the name of unleashed hate
For an infinitely replaceable enemy
How many generations
Have to give their lifeblood
In the name of a killing freedom
A freedom that eats away
Our rights, our joy, our humanity
That leaves us cold to the plied
Of other less fortunate cultures
Our souls are yearning
For the phoenix to rise
Out of the field of destruction
Our thoughtless actions
Cut into the landscape of the future
As we carry the pain we inflict
Into our sanctuaries of the heart
To project them in anger onto others
Earth is crying out to our compassion
As her skin rips apart from all the hatred
And her beauty is ravaged by hurricanes
Of a corrupted mass consciousness
That is whipped into paranoia
By the war lords of the dark world
The ones who see only in black and white
The clear vision is blurred
By defensive spiteful rhetoric
The dust of ignorance is stirred up
By fear promoting fascistic ideology
Isolationism has replaced global humanism
No child left behind turned into
The nightmares of coming generations
There is a dream that rises
Above the path of destruction
A thought that creates possibilities
A word that fills itself with love
Action that proves the validity of faith
Humans that speak their truth
And dare to shine their light in the darkness
There is a vision that out of this mess we created
There will rise manifold lessons for us
Which we eagerly, gratefully accept and learn
There is a vision for a freedom for all
So that we at least didn't burn down our once
Respected values and dignity for nothing
There is a vision that those broken pieces
Lying covered in the dust will rise up again
To form a greater peace
A Peace from the Ashes