After a brief visit with Z&A to deliver the quilt we headed home and on to Silverton, to the Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian house known as the Gordon House. The house was built in 1963 after a design Wright made for Conrad and Evelyn Gordon in 1958 before he died. It originally sat on a site near the Willamette River at Wilsonville, and was moved in 2001 to The Oregon Garden to save it from being razed. It sits at the edge of the garden, nicely sited.
We’ve visited it several times over the years, but this fall R and painter Jim Shull curated a show of Charles Heaney paintings to hang in the house. Curators:
Evelyn Gordon was an art collector and had a large collection, dispersed at her death. As luck would have it collector Roger Saydack owns one of the paintings from the Gordon collection, and kindly loaned it to the Gordon House along with a vintage photo showing where it originally was placed in the house. It has been rehung in the same spot for this show…on the way into the kitchen…
In 2005 Roger Hull curated a show of the work of Charles Heaney at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, and wrote the definitive book on Heaney and his work…
and today he gave a few “remarks” (as we like to say)…
As the afternoon wound down, the early darkness made the paintings hard to see (of course the house doesn’t have gallery lighting) so Sarah Munro and Sue Horn-Caskey got inventive—Sue using her cellphone flashlight!
If you haven’t visited the house, it’s a beautiful drive to a beautiful place…and the bonus Charles Heaney show is up until November 30th. Better go take a look!
On The Way 
Sounds like a trip to Salem this month is in order….
I grew up ‘across the street’ from the Gordon House in Aurora. I didn’t realize it until I visited it with my kids for a Christmas Tea years ago when it was first moved to Silverton. I walked into the house and a flood of memories came over me; particularly the caramel apples we’d get every year Hallowe’en night. We used to corral our cows on their property when they escaped from our farm. Gordon House is such a treasure for our community.
aww…this is the sweetest ‘reply’, msfreemn1. caramel apples on halloween, corralled cows. you bet we will see this show. we love that house. (sloy & nic)
I always enjoy the stories of your adventures: you have a gift for putting together delicious days. I was excited to reserve Roger’s book on Charles Heaney from my local library. I am looking forward to learning more about this work after loving what you shared here.
best,
Magpie
Bonnie, I visited the Gordon House/Heaney Exhibit after seeing your blog post and regret not buying Roger’s Book! I am looking to buy all of Roger’s book (slowly) and hopefully autographed copies – do you have a recommendation of where I could purchase them.
Thanks so much,
Suzanne