This past Sunday Auntie Bridgett and I made a return visit to the Mt. Tabor Art walk. We drove rather than bussed this time, because there were other things to do later on.
First we visited Jo Brody, a jeweler, painter, multimedia artist and all around fun person. We looked at all her neat stuff and talked like old friends. She and Bridgett were having so much fun, comparing notes and geeking out at each other’s art!
Jo’s husband, Mark Brody, is one of my favorite artists on the tour. He makes bright, inventive mosaics that just inspire my brain! This new piece, that looks like a topographical map, is built on a piece of slate. Amazing.
This year he has shifted to these wonderful pieces with burnt wood that can be stained and sculpted. Such wonderful stuff!
We wandered down to Coquine and got some sustenance, then headed back up to David Ross’s house to enjoy his paintings of bunnies who play musical instruments and go out to celebrate. I didn’t take any pictures, but we bought some cards!
We also visited Dennis Anderson and his bright oil painted street scenes, and Jo Ellen Rademucher and her inspiring abstract expressionist paintings that were full of layers and speckles.
By this time, we were wearing out and wanted to head home. My brain was so full and happy!
Portland, like any big city, has some problems. Too much traffic, people sometimes stealing cars and things, and sometimes, very loud motorcycles. But Portland is also a lot of fun.
Portland is famous as a bicycling city. We have greenways that have low car traffic and work like highways for bikes. We have bridges that are only for bicycles, people, and trains… no cars! But I’ve lived here almost four years and I’ve never seen this……
One answer to the parking problem!
This is a tiny old house just across the road from the entrance to our Lone Fir Cemetery. It has been fixed up by the young family that just moved in, and I’m guessing they let the kids choose the stickers on the new planter!
And, even as some businesses are closing because of the pandemic, some are opening!!
This is a new shop in Belmont, just down the block. It sells all sorts of ‘spooky’ things…. dolls with scary eyes, jewelry that looks like bats and skulls, and Ouija boards. There are posters of Vincent Price that Auntie Bridgett really likes, because of his spooky movies.
This is someone’s delightful outdoor shelter, down on Market Street. It has seating, a small fireplace and delightful shade, all made of cement, mosaic, tree branches, and old wine bottles. It is a work of art you can sit in! I love coming across these jewels. They are just part of what makes Portland special.
I can’t wait until you can come visit and see all our nifty things!
Last Thursday, we went to an event called “Last Thursday Art Walk.” It happens on the last Thursday of every month during the summer, up on Alberta Street, about three and a half miles north of our house. They close off about 7 blocks of Alberta Street and people set up tables, booths, musical instruments, or just themselves, to sell, sing, dance, see, and be seen.
We went into some some galleries first, with exquisite assemblages and ceramics, paintings and sculptures. These were very well organized and air conditioned, which was welcome in the hot evening. We spent lots of time looking at each and every piece, but I didn’t take pictures, because artists are touchy about that.
Then we stepped out onto the street, where there was no traffic. This was sort of like the Hawthorne Street Fair a few weeks ago, but also really different. The street being closed to traffic and full of tents was the same…everything else was different. That had a ‘doing business’ sort of feeling…friendly, but there for a purpose. This felt more like friends getting together to hang out, make music, enjoying each other’s music and weirdness.
10 year old rock stars
And weirdness there was. Belly dancing, drum circles, people dressed in costumes and posing like statues, and kids playing rock and roll were there, as were t-shirt shops, ice cream carts, and tarot card readers.
There were also some very talented musicians playing great music, while jugglers juggled in time to the music. Amazing.
We walked all the way west, (into the sun again!) and back east, ending at O’Leary’s Irish Pub for a cold drink and dinner. The cider and Guinness were welcome, and the fries, grilled cheese sandwich with caramelized pear, and roasted brussels sprouts were exactly what was needed. While we sat, we watched the people passing by, which is always the best show ever.
Mural of the Vanport Flood in 1948
Another thing that made the fair so much fun was getting to see Alberta Street. There are so many murals on the outside walls, where the artists don’t mind if you take pictures, and since there was no traffic, I could take pictures without being killed. I have included quite a few here.
Circle of Life mural
After we had seen, listened, laughed and eaten, we walked back to the car and headed home. Portland has so much to offer, I just can’t keep up! I may need to take a break tomorrow. But I will be back soon.
P.S. And of course, there were mosaics. Maybe so many people make them because the tiles last so well in the rainy winters, or maybe because it is fun to turn broken bits into art, but there sure are a lot of them around! And I LOVE it!
This will be a short post today. I have a story idea in my head that won’t let me think about much else. But I wanted to share something I have noticed about Portland ….mosaics.
You know I love mosaics. I make mosaics. I teach my students to make mosaics.
Student mosaics
A Mosaic in Progress
There is a lot of public art in Portland, statues, murals, and fountains for playing in. I have posted pictures of your cousins and Auntie Bridgett with statues of deer and lots of other public art. Even some of the buildings are like art. These are all public art, as in, paid for by public money. I respect this, and love it. I like that my tax money goes to make art that I enjoy.
Buckman School Mosaic in Public
The Calico Room Mosaic
The other kind of art that everyone can see is privately funded art that is in public. The Buckman School, in our neighborhood, decorated their retaining wall with mosaics made with donated tiles and dishes. The Calico Room restaurant in East Portland advertises with a wonderfully modern cat mosaic.
These are interesting, pretty pieces of art that we walk by all the time and get to enjoy. They help me see things differently. They inspire me to make my own art. I am grateful for the creative people who share their art with all of us.
“Tell them, dear, if eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.” Emerson
Dear Liza 