Sandra Roumagoux on KBOO

Sandy Roumagoux has a show up at Blackfish right now - she's my guest tomorrow on Art Focus.

She was An Artist

I hadn't really planned on writing about anything so heavy as a mother, so this will be brief. Happy Mother's Day. When I first met my half sister, the shrink at the age of 30 (it's complicated), I told her about a friend who said "You're hung up on your mother." (We share a mother.) To which she replied Everyone is hung up on their mother.

Hmmm. Is that true? Mine did not want me (and tells me so) yet she gave me the essential path to who I am and what I love today: Art, which a capital A. She had a gallery with 3 other women during the 1960s (see us above) in Jacksonville, Oregon. Those were blissful days. I made my first paintings there. In a few days I am going back and we'll remember.

Golden Spot at Crossroads

Last night the Golden Spot print show opened in Baker City - at Crossroads, which is a Carnegie building. I have never been to Baker City and would like to go .... if anyone makes the exhibition, I'd love to hear about it.

Patrick Collier on KBOO

Listen to the interview here.

Tomorrow I have Patrick Collier on the radio with me. He has a show at Place right now. He also writes for Oregon Artswatch and other publications.

CAP Art Auction 2013

Boy and Girl by Gus Van Sant

Once again I am honored to be the Art Narrator of the CAP Art Auction, which is at the Memorial Coliseum tomorrow night. These are images from the live auction, including work from James Lavadour, Tom Cramer, Katherine Ace, Gus Van Sant and Sherry Wolf.

Brian Ferriso on KBOO

Listen to the interview here.

I am looking forward to having Brian Ferriso on Art Focus this coming Tuesday, April 16, 2013. He is the  Director of the Portland Art Museum. We are going to talk about art of course. Maybe spend some time down memory lane too, as we both studied at the Art Students League of New York.

Philip Iosca on KBOO

HANDY MAN I, 2013
records
180 x 71 inches

Above is a gorgeous installation by Philip Iosca at Fourteen30 Contemporary. He will be my guest on Art Focus this coming Tuesday, April 2.

This is my first interview in about a month. VOLTA was a sweeping event in my life, plus I now have a great day job. KBOO is fortunate to have Joseph Gallivan now contributing his radio skills to Art Focus. From now on we will share the show and alternate our days.

Art and Fashion

Thank you Art and Fashion.

So many shows I had years ago were not documented. It's a shame really because we were all more photograph-able then! So I am grateful for all the images and words now.

NY Arts Magazine

Thank you NY Arts Magazine for being included in Best of VOLTA NY 2013.

Cheap and Plastic

Thank you Cheap & Plastic for the great install shots from VOLTA.

Arte Fuse

Thanks to Arte Fuse for mentioning our booth at VOLTA NY.

Installation

Thanks to Mark Rabiner for stopping by the booth an creating this great installation shot. Here comes the sun.

Booth 2.39

I love this fair and feel like Cinderella. Meeting artists, curators and collectors from all over the world. And I love how frosch&portmann installed my show with a big orange target!

The Judd Montages at VOLTA NY

All of The Judd Montages came out of one magazine, left behind by the original tenant in an illegal sublet I had on West 56th. So the project in a way was finite; it could only come from one source. Altogether there were 17 pieces. This wall presents what remains of the collection, all at VOLTA NY, at booth 2.39.

Mercer

Here is my new address - at 82 Mercer.

The Goods

Target No. 14

So glad to be back to Old New York.

Last night I met up with a family who were my neighbors when I first moved here, mid-1980s. They gave me shelter often and became my NYC family. I plunged into the working life with a vengeance and on someone's advice, began to study painting at the Art Students League of New York. I still collaged but hardly a soul knew it. Well, she's back.

My working life often involved the beautifying of the female, whether it was through paint or drapery. Over the years I became well aware of how the woman herself - me included - was merchandise. I was especially sensitive to it when I tried to get a leg up in the art world and was often placed back (gently or not so gently) into The Goods corner. The Target above touches on these issues. It was always one of my favorites and will show at VOLTA tomorrow.

On My Way to VOLTA

Judd Montage No. 15

Over the next week I hope to keep it current with posts from VOLTA NY. Here is my page for the art fair.

Many many thanks to the Oregon Arts Commission and The Ford Family Foundation, who are funding the framing and other costs towards my trip and exhibition! And of course many thanks to frosch&portmann, my great NYC gallery!

Alien Boy, The Film

Finally Brian's Lindstrom's Alien Boy has hit the screen. The first public viewing was yesterday at Cinema 21. I say "finally" because I have been involved with this film before it was ever a film, from the day Randy Moe told me that the man in the newspaper, painted as a homeless crazy - but otherwise noted for a brutal death at the hands of the police - was our old friend Jim Jim.

A lot has been written about him, the life and the death, the music he inspired, the art that he made. As the film-making gained traction, my job was to organize fundraising parties and track down documents - posters, records, photos. Such a retrieval of the past was glorious and tough, as we all change and all stay the same. This involved countless exorcisms and sometimes with strangers. Many people told their story. By the time this film was released, I wasn't even sure if I could see it.

In this film we see via surveillance tape when the police carry him into a jail cell and when they carry him out, crying, pleading, bleeding. Then one of the participants recounts how Jim stopped breathing in the back of their wagon. He describes the thud, the sound which is his death. The police themselves showed us, via Lindstrom's film, what all the cover-ups and waiting and trials tried to hide or suspend, that moment of death which is heart breaking but necessary to reveal. I could barely stay in my seat.

But the strength of the film is not just the death of course but the life which belonged to Jim. It's the life of an artist. Lindstrom illustrates the illustrator, the man who would write comics, playing with text, Jim Jim's words, scrawls, poetry, drawings - like magic, the fanzines write themselves in the film.

Outside I ran into Randy Moe, who is instrumental in many aspects of the story (he also shot the above Polaroid). Neither of us felt any closure. In fact I felt like I carried a newly opened old wound as I quickly walked home.

This was all strangely magnified by some kind of police action right outside my door about an hour or two later. I heard many loud knocks and insistent shouts for entry. It sounded like a scenario of domestic violence but as I peeped through the blinds, I saw it was actually six policemen at someone's door. I held my breath as I watched them gain entry. When they eventually left, I saw how various neighbors all had the lights out, but peered into the darkness. To be a witness, especially after Alien Boy, can feel uneasy.

Rita Robillard on KBOO

Rita Robillard has a gorgeous show up at Augen Gallery now. She will be my guest on Art Focus this coming Tuesday.

(Full disclosure: I am no longer represented by Augen and this interview presents no dreaded COI.)

Michelle Ross on KBOO

Listen to the interview here.

Michelle Ross will be my guest on Art Focus this coming Tuesday. She is a part of the show at the Museum of Contemporary Craft We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live.

Kerry Tymchuk on KBOO

The next episode of Art Focus will feature a discussion on events and exhibitions on Black History Month at the Oregon Historical Society. I was just there to see a show on railroading in this town many decades ago. Great photos, clothing, video and audio. Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk will be my guest on the 29th.

Lavadour in Venice

Above is a photo of the artist James Lavadour, which I shot in 2007 in his studio in Pendleton, Oregon. Word is Jim will exhibit at the Venice Biennale this year! - in an exhibition titled Personal Structures.

Lavadour is Oregon's greatest painter. But he is also a great friend and advocate for artists.

Kelly Rauer and Samantha Wall on KBOO

Listen to the interview here.

Today a two person show opens at Marylhurst Art Gym - Weight by Kelly Rauer and Laid to Rest by Samantha Wall. They will both be my guests on Art Focus this next Tuesday, the 15th.

The last time I was at KBOO was a month ago but I am extremely swamped and fried. I have a day job, a good and necessary one. Life is change. We'll see how long I can hold on to radio.

In the meantime I am blissfully exhibiting all over. There is one more week to catch the Golden Spot Print Award show at PDX. Also, I have been invited to present a solo exhibition with frosch and portmann at the VOLTA art fair in New York in March!.... Am very excited.

BTW if you are in NYC, the Binder Full of Collages show at frosch and portmann is still up, closing on the 27th.

Golden Spot Award Print Exhibition

I wrote extensively about my time at Crow's Shadow here in this blog (the link provides info on the work and the writing). My printmaking residency was a Ford Family Foundation Golden Spot Award. Six artists participated in this residency - Pat Boas, Storm Tharp, Arnold J. Kemp, Susan Murrell, Jenene Nagy and myself. All of our works will show at PDX Contemporary Art for a couple of weeks, opening this coming First Thursday, January 3, 2013, 6 - 8PM. Hope to see you there if you're in Portland.

The Tree

The holidays often give me a special reason to collage. Entire series have begun with a gift effort, such as the Anonymous Women. I have a few women friends who have really helped me with this year and with this time of year in particular. This tree is for them. Thank you so much.