Portland

Ken Kelly painting at Portland Art Museum

Milton Wilson Painting at Portland Art Museum

Jesse Hayward Sculpture at the Oregon Biennial - Portland Art Museum

Spent the weekend in Portland and discovered that I'm more in sync with things going on there than I'am here in Seattle. I visited with Elizabeth Leach of the Elizabeth Leach Gallery, chatted some with Mary Ann Deffenbaugh and Rod Pullium of the Pullium/Deffenbaugh Gallery, and had a funny deja vu conversation with Charles Froelick of the Froelick Gallery. In each case the conversation just rolled like meeting up with old friends, and in some way, oddly enough, I felt like I could show with anyone of the galleries there. I haven't felt that way here in Seattle for quite sometime. It was really wonderful. Charles related a story to me that a client had been in the gallery earlier in the day, and when they both were at the back of the gallery they stumbled upon a box with Hollingsworth enscribed on it. The client asked, "Which Hollingsworth?", and Charles said, "Harold", just as a knee jerk, and then realized he meant Robert Hollingsworth, the photographer. It made both of us laugh, and found it oddly funny that I then show up a few hours later in his gallery space. I relate this story only out of the fact that I don't generally get even a hello from the local personalities here in Seattle. There seems to be, and again let me know if you think I'm talking out my ass, a big stick up the butts of some of the local Seattle art dealers. I know people who purchase artists works from out of state galleries just to avoid the attitude from some of the local dealers. Bad sign for you who show at a couple of spaces here and don't have representation from someone out of town, because there are collectors who avoid your dealers here.
Portland seemed charged with art dealing energy, The Time-Based Art Festival was winding down, the Oregon Biennial was in full force at the Portland Art Museum. I stood in line at the Museum for 15 minutes to purchase a ticket to see the Biennial, it put a smile on this cynics face! The show was good, and I discovered some folks that I'm keeping an eye on, Jesse Haywood, Shawn Records, Matthew Picton, David Eckard, and Brittany Powell all had outstanding stuff. It was also great to see a local museum supporting it's states artists with a catalogue, show, and stage for artists to get recognized for their efforts in a place often reserved for those who have slipped their mortal coils. Upstairs I made a pilgramage to see my friend Ken Kelly's painting that the Musuem owns. I also discovered an artist named Milton Wilson who I had never heard of, but liked very much. It seemed like walking into the undiscovered works of Philip Guston, or Adolph Gottlieb. Over all, the weekend was a success, enjoyed seeing folks I hadn't chatted with in a long time, and spending the latter afternoons and evenings with Lisa taking in sites and having some delicious food and conversations. I have Portland love right now...