Saturday, February 07, 2009

First Friday February 2009



I've come to expect First Friday art walks to provide better weather than expected and last night was no exception. Perhaps it's the cavern of Willamette street that moderates the temperature or maybe it's the excitement of getting out to mingle and observe the city at night. Whatever it is I have come to love that night to just walk around and take pictures.


The Karin Clarke Gallery was doing a show on the works of Christopher Perry. His work is most interesting not just for the color, imagery but for the creativity. His oils are clear and ...


...bright a little abstract and full of imagination.


Combined with the oil paintings are kiln-glass images set in a very cool mounting of his own design.


I'll give you a closer view next but first from a distance you can see the kiln-glass is suspended within a frame.

He uses a plastic "U" shaped piece held by a black adjustable pin to hold the kiln-glass art work between the edges of the frame perfectly in place. Another nice touch are little feet behind the frame to allow light behind the beautiful art work.


Here is an even closer look at his great framing innovation.

To get a better look at Christopher Perry's work click {HERE}


I walked over to the annex to see what was new there and found the really nice water color landscape by Jan Zach. I really like this piece and while I don't know the spot for sure it reminded a lot of the mountains in West Texas.


I then walked over to the Jacobs gallery but first took this second shot looking south on Willamette from the Hult Center.


When I walked into the Jacobs Gallery there was a huge crowd on the formal First Friday Guided Art walk tour. Among the crowd was my friend Vern listening to a presentation by ...


... John Holdway.


John's work included this series ...


... and this really cool work called "Three Oranges." I do hope I'm not the only person who had to think 3 uh! no wait 4 objects all oranges but two are half oranges. I love that bit of humor.

My favorite image by John was this one titled "Hosoi Vans." For those uneducated in the ways of skateboarding Christian Hosoi is a well known professional skateboarder.

"Christian Rosha Hosoi (born October 5, 1967) is an American professional skateboarder. Hosoi, along with Tony Hawk, was the most popular skateboarder for the better part of the 1980s. Hosoi started skating at five years old with veterans such as Shogo Kubo, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams as models."

John Holdway has a web site and you can visit there by clicking {HERE}


Before leaving the Jacobs Gallery I got one last picture of the really sleek light fixture.


Vern and I then walked over to the OPUS6IX Fine Art Gallery.


Back on June 24, 2007 I did a piece on Anne Teigen on my Art for the Soul blog (Click {HERE}) and it just so happened she was the featured artist at OPUS6IX in the back room of the gallery.


Her work is wonderful and it forces me to think and imagine a world of color and beauty...


... filled with style and flowing grace. Anne has a website like most artists. To go to her personal site click {HERE}


Vern and I then walked over to the White Lotus Gallery that specializes in twentieth century Asian art, with a strong emphasis on original prints,


They also have a very fine furniture gallery in the back of the gallery.


Since Vern and I allowed the big formal gallery tour it was not over crowded. The big group was estimated (by Vern) at about 120 people. I found the White Lotus a very relaxing space and I love the warmth of the brick walls.


Not on display for sale but in a corner of the gallery was this interesting valve configuration that I'm pretty sure was not art but very utilitarian.


I like the alley ways in this part of town and shoot pictures of them just for fun when I take the gallery tour.


The cardinal sin of photography is to get your own reflection in the works you shoot. I guess I' a big sinner.



I had parked behind the parking structure and went to the car because I wanted to get some downtown pictures then looking up I got this picture of the stairwell to a parking garage.


I drove over to the city bus hub for Eugene called Eugene Station it was packed with passengers waiting for the bus.


I didn't realize it but I was standing in front of the new Eugene Library. The library had this really interesting glass mosaic art piece I later found out was by John Rose.


I turned back toward the Eugene Station as the passengers were getting ready to load into the several buses ready to depart.


Walking to the station side of the street I got a picture of the new Rosa Parks statue. I'd heard about the statue a week or so ago and it was the reason I drove to this location.

"Rosa Louise Parks was nationally recognized as the "mother of the modern day civil rights movement" in America. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, triggered a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that reverberated throughout the United States. Her quiet courageous act changed America, its view of black people and redirected the course of history."


I looked back toward the station and noticed most of the passengers had departed then got a shot of ...

... the Eugene Public Library back across the street.

"the library design features a 164,000-square foot (15,236-square meter), cast-in-place concrete frame structure clad in brick, with underground parking. The building includes four elevators, a glass atrium, terrazzo entry and a 30-foot (9 meter) diameter circular staircase, and conforms to a number of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) guidelines. The structure also features extensive daylight and natural ventilation systems. Construction has made use of numerous recycled and nontoxic materials. Noteworthy art is incorporated both inside and outside the structure...



... beginning with artist Jim Carpenter’s welcoming bronze statue of city founder, Eugene Skinner, at the front doorway. The Library supports an informed community, lifelong learning and offers more than 1,000 free programs
and events each year."


With the station empty and it getting close to 8:30 when the galleries close I took off back to the Karin Clarke gallery to meet up with Vern and Renee for a cup of coffee and a dessert.


I hadn't been by Fenario Gallery. The artist on display was Malia Schultheis. Her work was outstanding and this one caught my eye immediately. It's titled "A Concept of Male."


Malia writes on the right side this image "Perception: The eyes met with light. Bend the unbendable; They fill the glass half empty while the desert quinches it's desire's wanting (Cerebellum). She shows the human brain pointing out the center of sight processing. There is a glass half full of water at the bottom of a hill in the desert. Much to ponder and skillfully presented. Her statement about all of her work is also very thoughtful.
"Making art brings me home. I passionately analyze the state of the world and painstakingly contemplate the invisible each day. Sitting down to do a piece gives me an outlet to communicate the abstract experience constantly inside me. My work gives my struggle to understand, a place to construct itself into the love imprisoned lines you see in my pieces. I enjoy oils on canvas and charcoals on paper. I'm learning to fully utilize my talent as a means ...as Rumi says... "to become consciously one with the Rose Garden."



Back at the Karin Clarke annex I ran back into Vern and there was an art walker with a really great hat. I asked her permission to get a shot of the hat but I had to run out to the car to retrieve the camera. She was kind enough to wait and I got this nice picture of the hat and one beaming young lady.


Since I had gotten her hat I though I'd have to get a shot of Laura's (The designated annex professional docent) shoes I must have thought I was a fashion photographer. Laura's shoes were really cool...


... here is a better view


Since I'm doing a fashion show I had to include this really classy guy and his traditional dress.


Finally Vern Renee and I went to Perugino's Coffeehouse Cafe. I got a bakalawa (Not like moms pecan/sugar receipe) made with pistacios and honey and a nice cup of coffee.


Vern and Renee split a grilled sandwich while we chatted about art and stuff then off we all went into the night. Vern walked Renee to her car and I gave Vern a rid home over some good conversation.

It was a very nice night after a wonderful early dinner at Outback Steakhouse for our friend Charlie's birthday. So for dinner it was Sharyn Sharon, Serena and Charlie.

No Scrabble

Quote of the Day
"All I was doing was trying to get home from work." ~Rosa Parks

2 comments:

johnholdway said...

Hi Paul
I just found your blog. Thanks for mentioning me.

John Rose said...

Hi Paul,
Okay- I was Googling myself, I'll admit it. But I just put up my revised website, and wanted to see how it was showing up in various word searches. There was your blog with such nice comments! Thanks!
John Rose

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©Paul Viel