Variable Creatives – Dear Liza

Dear Liza,

You know I love cheese! Sharp, stinky Parmesan and runny baked Brie and cool mozzarella… they’re all good. I even take pictures of it when we travel. Here is some Peppery Gouda smiling for the camera in Utrecht.

And last week, we found a new place to get some really good, imported, (if slightly expensive) cheese.

Auntie Bridgett and I bussed down to Variable Creatives to pick up the Robot Bookshop picture by Brian Johnson that we bought a few weeks ago and there, just across Alder Street, was the Cowbell Cheese Shop.

The shop is tiny, and the front is stacked high and wide with fancy sauces, sardines in oil, and dried pasta. It looks like an evening in Tuscany just waiting to happen.

I noticed the small fridge in the shop and the larger fridge behind the counter, holding pounds of cured meats and wheels of cheese, and my mouth watered.

The hand-written cheese list told me that theirs is not “sit in the shelf forever” cheese, but a rare and perishable treasure.

But….. the shop was full of people with long lists, the day was very warm, and it was time to head home with our art purchase. So now I have a place to shop for cheese and fancy fun food! Maybe for my birthday?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Auntie Bridgett and I took the number 15 bus down to the warehouse district last Friday to visit an art space called Creative Variables. This is a renovated industrial space that Mary Hlastala (yes, the H is silent) has turned into a gallery, creative meet-up and retail space.

The space is light and cheerful, thanks to open shelving, white walls and murals by Chemisa Kellogg.

The show we went to see was called Between the Pages, which featured about 15 artists. Each artist displayed a sketchbook and a finished piece of art, which was for sale.

Each sketchbook was so different from the others, and led so clearly to the finished art piece, that I spent a long time just staring, comparing, and getting inspired.

Sadly, I didn’t make note of all the artist’s names, but those shown here are my favorites. Mandy Arroyo’s gouache sketches of our old stomping grounds of Carmel and Big Sur were so well done they made us homesick.

I kept falling into the pages and seeing new ways of drawing things. This one reminded me of Cousin Kestrel’s characters, a sort of faerie fashion show.

Our friend Brian Johnson, who does a cartoon called “Robot of the Day” had his sketchbook there, and I got to see the development of his very human robots in Copic markers and micron pens. We bought this darling picture of a robot visiting a bookshop. Because, you know, bookshops.

On the other side of the space, tables were set up with markers, colored pencils and pens, and suggestions for drawing. I joined a fellow named Butter, who drew a wonderfully melty pizza. It was so much fun to draw and chat!

Auntie Bridgett added her pizza character and we drew until it was time to head off.

We walked the two miles home, enjoying the warm summer evening and the cafes and restaurants with people, music and conversation. It reminded me of all the reasons we moved to Portland, and of how lucky we are to be here.

Love,

Grandma Judy