A sunny Saturday found us in Portland to see several shows and a couple of our favorite artists. We drove straight to the new home of the Jewish Museum where there is a really lovely show of paintings by Henk Pander and mixed media pieces by former Oregon artist (now NYC artist) Esther Podemski. I urge you to see this terrific little show which has film clips, and a set of sounds that enhances the horrifying and beautiful subject matter. Podemski was the child of parents who escaped the Nazi death camps, and Pander grew up in the Netherlands during the German occupation. These works remind us of the immediacy of hideous acts, no matter where their place in history might be, and the gift of the artist’s eye to translate for us. I was particularly taken with this Podemski triptych, oil on panel…shadows seen from a moving train…
and this piece on paper…(apologies for these horrible photos)
When you get to Henk’s work there is that wonderful tension between absolutely horrifying subject matter and beautiful passages of pure paint…
You know the way life is? Everything all mixed up all the time? We stepped out of the museum still reeling from WWII and right in front of us was this…
On to the Pearl to Blue Sky Gallery to catch up with photographer Jamey Stillings who is showing his amazing series of photos of the building of the bridge over Hoover Dam…
Jamey is now living in Santa Fe, but grew up in Salem and was a student of R’s so it was fun to catch up AND to hear Jamey talk about his work…go take a look…
Out on the street corner again we found ourselves being haunted by Manuel…
but undaunted we headed to Laura Russo Gallery to catch up with Henk and see his series of big watercolor landscapes now on view this month…all of them painted outdoors on site…and they are BIG…stories of wind and rain enhanced the view…
And Manuel was still right behind us, even in the restroom…
We headed to Caffe Mingo for an early dinner and to hear about Henk’s current show in Florida (lots going on for him this month!)
On The Way 
This posting is so chock full for our to-do list. Thank you. And what a delight to see photo of Jamie Stillings and to know what he is doing. Looks so much like his father.
Thanks, Bonnie.
This has got to be Ed Stillings’ son, yes?
what a moving and wonderful way to spend a saturday. great that you share with us as you do. (nic & sloy)
Yep..Jamey is the son of long-time Salem activists Ed and Mary Stillings, both now sadly gone.