25 Saturday Feb 2012
Posted in Coffee art, Just visual, Modern Life
Tags
…and I don’t mean pot roast. There are always great shots left over, images that didn’t exactly fit into the discourse of the week, but that hold my attention anyway…here are a few from the week just past with no explanations at all…
24 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Architecture, Art work, Art World, Artists, City, Coffee art, Uncategorized
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Bruce West, Frederic Littman, Jack McLarty, Keith Lachowicz, Manuel Izquierdo, Pietro Belluschi, St. Phillip Neri, Wallace Park
First let me say that as a maker of things, I have long understood that “things” have lives of their own, separate from the life of the maker. Furniture, dishes, and most especially, art work. Thursday we spent the whole day listening to stories about art works and seeking some answers, and I can’t remember such an interesting day.
We began at the Keller Auditorium in Portland…
where R had arranged to meet Keith Lachowicz from RACC (Regional Arts and Culture Council)
to see a Manuel Izquierdo sculpture that is part of the city collection, of which RACC has oversight (tracking, moving, restoring and maintaining). The Izquierdo piece in question is the 1965 “Monument” which is currently being crowded by a food prep booth…
and at the other end of the makeshift restaurant, also a bit squished in place, is a nice little sculpture by Frederic Littman, Izquierdo’s mentor and teacher (and like Izquierdo, a European refugee from WWII)…(Izquierdo worked as an apprentice to Littman when Littman taught at Reed College, and later took classes from him when Littman moved to teach at the Museum School).
Keith spoke very interestingly of the problems of balancing the practical needs of a venue and changing tastes, with the actual works of art. He told us the story of a Bruce West sculpture (“Sculpture #1″, 1963) which had been removed from the Keller lobby, taken apart and stored in a rehearsal hall, unbeknownst to RACC. When this was discovered Keith made an effort to have the piece repaired and rehung in the large rehearsal hall where it really looks BREATHTAKING…
While we were there we noticed this Jack McLarty “altarpiece” and Keith closed it for us so we could see the painting on the wings…
Keith told us another story about the Izquierdo sculpture “Silver Dawn” of 1980, which had been sited in Wallace Park (NW 25th and Raleigh). Once on a grassy lawn, the parks department had made a dog run area around the sculpture, and the sculpture was being dented from the many thrown balls… until RACC relocated the sculpture in the park OUT of the dog area…
currently dog run on left, sculpture on right…
dog run, former sculpture site…
current sculpture site…
We now moved down R’s list of possible locations for Izquierdo sculptures, and struck out three times (business or bank had moved, or was no longer existing, etc.), but did come upon this fascinating story…at the Pietro Belluschi landmark building of 1948, the Equitable Building, now called the Commonwealth Building…
The lobby did NOT house a sculpture, but does have this lovely and original mural painted by Belluschi…
and here’s the reason why: Belluschi wanted the lobby to have an Alexander Calder mobile, but the building owner at the time did not like abstraction, OR the price tag….$4000…so Belluschi designed this Calder-like mural and, using house paint and hiring house painters, decorated the lobby for a mere $50. (I suspect the current building owners wish they had a Calder mobile in their lobby at this point!)
Next stop another Belluschi building, the lovely St. Phillip Neri Catholic church in Ladd’s addition…
and though we couldn’t get in to see the sculpture, we did admire the beautiful brick work of the church…
but really, we needed a coffee…and a rest!
23 Thursday Feb 2012
Posted in Art work, Coffee art, Modern Life, Recipes, Sculpture
Wednesday was one of those good solid days…early start, many facets, lots done. But first (and actually it WAS the first thing in the day), the pot roast. We, as a rule, don’t eat red meat (…well maybe the occasional lamb chop…), but R has had a hankering for pot roast. I have only made pot roast once in my life and that was after Linnea served it to me up in Port Townsend last spring, and it was sooooo good and so easy. Slow cooker, no browning, no..nothing at all really.
Pot roast (maybe about 3 pounds)…vegetables…packaged dry onion soup mix, combine and turn on cooker. It looks like this:
now go to uke class and play like crazy
…get a coffee…
and when you get home it smells sooooo good in the house…
so go take a walk at Minto…
come home and finish the red and white quilt…
read the NY Times…time for an early dinner and it is GOOD!
just in time to go hear Barbara Mahoney talk about slavery, statehood, and Asahel Bush (1824-1913), sponsored by Bush House museum…
…and get ready for tomorrow…another Manuel Izquierdo research day in Portland. As we left Portland last week we drove by the “Miller fountain” at Barnes Rd and Miller Road…Mardy was pretty sure this cast concrete fountain was Manuel…as yet to be substantiated by the scholars…stay tuned…
21 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Recipes
I ran into Sharon in Lifesource yesterday and she said she always likes recipes on the blog, so I thought I share what we had for dinner last night…a shaved Brussels Sprouts salad…YUM. I stole the recipe from Caffe Mingo in Portland and adapted it to our fridge and dietary needs…and I “mused” on sprouts a little as I cooked. We spent the year in England in 1979-80 and got truly addicted to Brussels sprouts (…good thing, as it was the only green vegetable available…) and then about March, they disappeared. The season was over. Of course here we can get them ALL the time, but I think the season is drawing to a close, so let’s eat some sprouts!
I’ll give you the whole recipe first, and then the visuals:
Brussels Sprouts…some…cooked about 3-4 minutes
1 pear, sliced thinly (the Caffe Mingo recipe used apples…also delicious)
I hard boiled egg, sliced thinly
some craisins (raisins made out of cranberries)
pear vinaigrette (Trader Joe’s has a great Champagne/Pear Vinaigrette)
shaved parmesan
(bacon optional)
The salad calls for “shaved” sprouts using a mandolin, but for safety-sake I don’t own one of those (I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my ukulele career, after all, by removing a finger tip…). Here’s how I proceeded:
Cook the sprouts about 3-4 minutes until cooked but still firm and crunchy, drain and run in cold water…add some ice
slice as thinly as you can (put on cutting board, start at “top” and slice down to stem end…
slice pear and combine with sprouts, craisins to taste, (and bacon if you have it and want it) and dressing…
serve on a bed of small lettuce and put shaved parmesan on top…VOILA! Yummy
19 Sunday Feb 2012
I guess you know I love to visit artists and their studios…always hoping for some insight I think…and often I get some. This picture came across my “desk” (HAH!) last week and I was pretty fascinated by it. This studio was in Salem, probably about 1900 or so, in a barn owned by artist Myra Wiggins and her husband Fred.
Myra was an early photographer, one of three members of the Photo Secession in Oregon (Sarah Ladd and Lilly White being the other two). She lived up on what we now call Gaiety Hill…She was Myra Albert Wiggins and her father was Joseph Albert, a banker. She was also a painter, studying at the Art Students’ League in NYC with William Merritt Chase. Her studio still resonates…you have to admit…
And late tonight my brother the photographer sent me a nicely contrast-ish version of the photo…(thanks Bru…xo)
17 Friday Feb 2012
Tags
Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, George Johanson, Henk, Louis Bunce, Manuel Izquierdo, PNCA, Portland sculpture
Wednesday was a long but fascinating day tracking down sculpture made by Manuel Izquierdo, R’s current “subject” (show coming at the HFMA in 2013). Our first stop was a warehouse where the collection of PNCA is stored. Included in their collection are some small clay sculptures recently donated to PNCA by Manuel’s estate. The nice Melinda Stoops met us there and we looking at all the wrapped things…hmmm….
well…
so R just started in…this one maybe…
and those…
measurements…??
and then maybe a picture so when they are re-wrapped, she can find them when borrowing time comes…
and since we were out near the airport, we decided to go to the Port of Portland building and look for a sculpture in their collection. When we got to the port the nice lady had no idea…it was lunch time…she’d call somebody. While that was going on, your intrepid reporter began prowling around, and found the piece in question in a conference room…
and while notes were being taken…
I continued to prowl and found this nice Henk Pander painting.
In another conference room I spotted a Louis Bunce oil “sketch” (1958) for the big mural at the airport…
But…we digress. So (after a coffee and my fave…Pearl Bakery tuna sandwich) we went up to Congregation Beth Israel to locate a piece called “Menorah” of 1996…buildings all locked, call boxes, secret clicking doors and finally…we found it…
Coffee time again and then off to the museum to revisit the nice show of Manuel’s work on paper curated by Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum, which includes this almost “encyclopedia” of images Manuel used over and over…
and FINALLY the day’s last event. Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson herself
introduced painter George Johanson who was a student with Manuel in the 50′s and then a colleague at the Museum school for years…good friend, fellow traveler. Insights abounded.
After a brief overnight with Mardy and Harry, and a yummy breakfast…
we took off for home…BUT…with one stop in Canby. R wanted to see a sculpture of 1995 that was supposedly at an apartment complex…here are photos of Manuel in November of ’95, installing the piece called “Whirlwind”…
but here’s what it looks like in 2012…
The internet is a marvelous tool, and this morning R had word that the apartment owner now has the sculpture at his home. Phew. Mysteries solved, time to practice the ukulele…
16 Thursday Feb 2012
Posted in Modern Life
After week four I’m pretty sure I’m not a brilliant player, but it sure is fun…especially with my “SNARK” that keeps me in tune…
“MY DOG HAS FLEAS”…and by the way, ukulele means “jumping flea”…(we learned this week from a classmate who lived in Hawaii for years that the slang for head lice in Hawaii is “UKU”…hmmm, too much information?)
14 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Celebrations
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13 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in Art work, Bonnie Hull, Quilting
So much creative stuff to do, so little time…learning “brushes” on the iPad,
sent off the little quilt for Baby Evelyn using left-over pieces of binding from the “Dwelling” project…
and she seems to like it…(awww..so cute!)
Today I have the Value-Village-sheet quilt on the design wall trying to decide if the zig-zags (I seem to be in a zig-zag mood…?) should be random or alternating…I think alternating…
and I was trying to finish the red and white “homage” (to last year’s red/white show at the NYC Armory) by Valentine’s Day…well, I MIGHT make it…today I prepared the binding to spur me on…
tomorrow back to the studio for some collage/transfer prints in process…
11 Saturday Feb 2012
Posted in Celebrations, Salem, Uncategorized
A big day at the university as Stephen E. Thorsett became the 25th president of Willamette University. Susan and I got there early to get a seat…
and the auditorium and the stage slowly filled with flags and scholars until Chaplain Charlie Wallace began with an invocation…
Many scholars and students, university presidents and tribal members, faculty and staff, friends all, gave the new president, Stephen E. Thorsett, lots of advice and plenty to think about in the year ahead…(he is in the crimson robe)…
while outgoing president Lee Pelton and former president Jerry Hudson were there to witness the occasion…
after songs and flags and good wishes, we took a peek at the campus all lit up for the festive occasion, including these small lights on rocks midstream…(I REALLY wish I had been there to see persons in waders or small canoes…!)
and a beautiful sunset…
