Portland’s September First Thursday Gallery Openings
Sep 6th, 2008 by Brad
We’ll start off this month with a bit of abstraction and then work our way into a variety of appropriations and repurposing. Also I’ve decided to post even more photos that aren’t in this main posting go to the very bottom and click read more to see those.
On with it…

Michael Knutson, Bipolar Coils II
Michael Knutson‘s paintings are at Blackfish Gallery (420 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR) this month. Michael is an Art professor at Reed College. This show has wonderful geometric abstractions that one can explore for a long time. There seem to be a lot of different things happening, I’d find trails and objects and then they’d transform. These are by not means simple tesselations.

Michael Knutson, Crossing Oval Coils XI
When preparing to write this I looked as his website, and in fact he does consider many many levels. You should really check out his posting “Anatomy of a painting“. Where he states, “all of the shapes are intentionally unique and eccentric.” And then shows you all of the spiral, triangles, Red Yellow and Blue Stairs, cubes, and more in a cool online graphical from. Eva Lake posted the following video interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0IXNB_qArg
Sean Healy has a show “Life in Black and White” at Elizabeth Leach Gallery (17 NW 9th, Portland OR).

Sean Healy, Security Blankets
As his artist statement says, “…Healy continues his exploration of forced socialization, and the confinement inherent in mainstream society. He specifically focuses on the ways in which the social norms germinated as a teen feed into one’s outlook as an adult.”
Another artist using cut structures/shadows is Victoria Haven. PDX Contemporary Art (925 NW Flanders, Portland OR) hosts a two person show. I focused in more on Victoria Haven’s work. Victoria is the 2004 recipient of the Betty Bowen Award. Below is one of the cut structures
and one on paper. This, for me, the most powerful of the work on paper. It had a balance of tension, energy, and form…

Victoria Haven, Split the Difference
At Pulliam Deffenbaugh is a group show, featuring Hildur Bjarnadottir, Diem Chau, Linda Hutchins, Jen Pack. I especially liked Jen Pack’s Green/Yellow Diptych. I remember seeing some of her work last year, I think. One of the very interesting pieces from then was “Monolith.”

Jen Pack, Green/Yellow Diptych
Hartman Fine Art (154 NW 8th, Portland OR) has another fine show this month. It features the work of Mark Steinmetz.

Mark Steinmetz,
I really liked Mark Steinmetz’s “Knoxville, TN, 1992”, for a better view of this image of a plant growing up through a crack that had obviously been run over by a large set of truck tires, but still manage to grow?, see: Hartman jpg of “Knoxville, TN, 1992”. His work is part of the MoMA permanent collection.
Blue Sky Gallery (122 NW 8th Ave, Portland OR) has two shows (as normal). One show is by Diane Cook & Len Jenshel and features many great works, sorry I could only get a rather bad image of my favorites below. As always if you really want to see the works you must see them in person.

Diane Cook & Len Jenshel, Boarder Patrol Entry Door, San Ysidro
Also showing is Todd Deutsch. I didn’t get any images from his photographs because I was too busy talking to him. I first met Todd at Photolucida in 2007. Check out his work!
Museum of Contemporary Craft (122 NW 8th Ave, Portland OR) featured a very interesting and engaging show called, “Manuf®actured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects” There is much to delight the eyes and minds for anyone seeing this show who has any interest in design. Cheers! This is a must see this month.

Manufactured at contemporary-craft - they don
The show’s statement says, “…Taking manufactured products apart and reconfiguring them in ways never previously seen, the artists in this exhibition are creating a new category of objects that operate between art, craft and design.”
This month (625 NW Everett St. #107, Portland OR) is featuring a group show “Changing States.” Another fine group show, which featured Roxanne Jackson, Paul Middendorf, Chris Held, and Damon Ayers.

Paul Middendorf, Swedish Nighttime
I was drawn to the installation work of Paul Middendorf.

Paul Middendorf, Joy Kill
also featuring large colorful constructions the the Raw Oyster Project.

Raw Oyster Project
Hilary Pfeiffer, show us her menagerie in a show called, “Natural Selection” at Ogle Gallery (310 NW Broadway, Portland OR).

Hilary Pfeiffer, Natural Selection
Come take a look at see what is growing changing, and adapting in the hot house at the gallery.

Hilary Pfeiffer, Natural Selection
“KEEP IT SLICK: Infiltrating Capitalism With The Yes Men at PNCA Feldman Gallery (1241 NW Johnson St, Portland OR) is part of the TBA Festival. They have a combination of manikins, slapstick videos, and various props and posters. Port said, “The Yes Men will also present a workshop this weekend giving insight into their methods and How to be a Yes Man.”

The Yes Men at PNCA
I’m going to start posting all images I take on opening night, so click below to read more….

michael knutson, crossing oval coils xi

manufactured, portland contemporary craft

manufactured, contemporary craft museum

sean-healy, invincible air (gallery view)

Hildur Bjarnadottir at pulliam-deffenbaugh

jen pack, green bikini

victoria haven, pdx contemporary gallery view

diane-cook len jenshel, border patrol entry door san ysidro

raw oyster project

pip gallery, sept-2008

pip gallery sept 2008

pip gallery sept 2008

art 323 gallery

carol benson, parachute

yes-men-pnca-2
and walking around I saw this scene:

Brad Carlile copyright 2008
To see other first Thursday images see Calvin Ross Carl’s blog: http://www.openwidepdx.com/
Thanks for namedropping OPENWIDEpdx. I love that we are both going around town and covering everything, yet oddly have not ran into each other.