A Piece of Oregon from the Land of Enchantment
The Santa Fe Art Auction recently concluded its “Art of the West” sale, highlighting the artistic legacy of the American Southwest and Pacific Northwest. Featured artists included Gene Kloss and Georgia O’Keeffe, with significant sales like Jerry Jordan’s “The Town of Eagle Nest.” The auction showcased a rich diversity in Western art.
Is There an Oregon School? Mid-Century Art in Eugene and Coburg
A trip to Eugene explored the Karin Clarke Gallery’s exhibition of mid-century Oregon artists, revealing complexity in their connections to the landscape. The visit questioned a cohesive “Oregon School.” Instead of a singular style, it highlighted various artists’ shared experiences shaped by their environments, emphasizing psychological engagement with the local world.
Stacks and Stories at the Portland Fine Print Fair
The 2026 Portland Fine Print Fair rebounded impressively, attracting diverse crowds and featuring a variety of prints from across the country. Notable contributions included contemporary works by Stefanie Hofer and linocuts by Allison Saar. The fair emphasizes the accessibility of print collecting, appealing particularly to younger, grassroots collectors.
In the Woods — Jennifer Foran at Multnomah Arts Center
Two years have passed since Jennifer Foran’s last solo exhibition at SideStreet Art Gallery. Her new show at the Multnomah Art Center both extends her artistic vision and departs meaningfully from her earlier work. Where Foran once captured grandeur—sweeping vistas of the Columbia River Gorge or the mysticism of star-filled skies—her new pieces turn inward.…
Painting the “Social Disease”: Maryanne Meltzer’s Artful Diagnosis of Alienation
In 1989, artist and scholar Maryanne Meltzer submitted a master’s thesis to the University of Texas at Dallas with a title that reads like a diagnosis: Artists Depict Alienation: The Contemporary Social Disease. For Meltzer, alienation wasn’t an abstract idea—it was a lived condition, “the spiritual malaise of modern Western society,” marked by “loneliness, estrangement,…
Rebellion, Reality, and the Art of Disruption
Ai Weiwei’s exhibit “Ai, Rebel” at the Seattle Art Museum explores the intersection of art, dissent, and the human experience. Featuring over 130 works, it highlights themes of authority, civil liberties, and cultural heritage. Through striking installations, Ai encourages viewers to question societal norms, reflecting on the nature of truth, freedom, and creativity.
Portraits and Perspectives: Exploring the Depths of Self-Representation
A new installation of the Connection Series at the Portland Art Museum provides an engaging and thought-provoking way to reexamine portraiture. By taking a step back and considering the variety of ways we see ourselves — and how others see us — we gain new understanding of our images. The concept of “we” includes not…
The Curious Case of Charles Christian Eisele at O’Gallerie
The July 14 auction catalog from O’Gallerie features an early Oregon painting by the little-known but intriguing artist Charles Christian Eisele. Eisele is briefly profiled in William Gerdts’ Art Across America: Two Centuries of Regional Painting (Volume III) where he appears among a dozen artists in the Oregon chapter. Christian Eisele, another able landscape painter,…
Abstract, Mystical, Western: The Art of C.S. Price
The Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Oregon, is showcasing the works of C.S. Price, an artist known for his expressionist style. His paintings range from vibrant Western scenes to darker, introspective pieces, reflecting a unique emotional depth. Price’s art transcends typical categorization, blending regionalism with modernist techniques, emphasizing spiritual essence over realism.
A Sense of Place, A Sense of Home– Otis Quaico at Russo Lee
Artist Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe’s first solo exhibition, “A Place I Call Home,” reflects his nearly eight years in Portland. Influenced by his West African heritage, Quaicoe’s works exude dignity and strength. The opening night showcased strong community connections, emphasizing Quaicoe’s place among the city’s creative scene, enhanced by shared personal stories.
Louis Bunce: A One-Man History of Modernism
When viewing a wall of paintings recently on display at O’Gallerie Auction in Portland, one could easily assume they were created by multiple artists. The works span a startling range of styles—still life, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism—executed in various media and painted on whatever surfaces were at hand. PDX travelers may already be familiar…
Ten Artists Who Painted Oregon in the 19th Century
The 19th century was a time of exploration, expansion, and profound transformation in the American West, and Oregon—with its dramatic coastlines, towering mountains, and vast wilderness—became a favored subject for artists seeking to capture the majesty and promise of the frontier. Though often overlooked in broader art historical narratives, many artists made Oregon the focus…
From Sunlit Peaks to Empty Tables: Two Portland Painters Reflect on Place
At the opening for his inaugural show with Guardino Gallery, recent California transplant Joel Briggs recounted an encounter about eight months ago with Donna Guardino, the late gallery owner. After an introduction by another gallery artist, Donna offered him a future exhibition on the spot: “How about a show next year?” That moment may have…
Oregon Art at Auction
There are many ways to engage with art. Among them is to interact with living artists, visit galleries, go to art fairs and shows, take classes, explore museums and just look at the art in our communities. Then there is the secondary market, which these days is primarily auctions, to some degree vintage fairs and…
Art Blooms at Rental Sales Gallery
As part of the Portland Art Museum, the Rental Sales Gallery nonprofit continues its tradition this Spring of showcasing the Pacific Northwest’s creative talent. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but several caught our interest during the April 25 opening. Even though it is an often-painted subject, City Glow by James Minden…
Art Amid Uncertainty: Reflections from the 2025 Dallas Art Fair
Can the contemporary art market offer a glimpse into the broader economy, or is it insulated from financial turmoil? We attended the 2025 Dallas Art Fair with these questions in mind. After a few years’ absence — during which we explored art fairs in Los Angeles and Seattle — we had the opportunity for a …
Sally Cleveland at Augen Gallery
Sally Cleveland’s exhibition “Wolf Moon” at Augen Gallery challenges traditional notions of landscape painting by emphasizing intimate, emotionally resonant moments rather than grandeur. Her small-scale works invite closer observation, revealing human presence within serene landscapes. Cleveland’s art encapsulates the beauty of the ordinary, proving that subtlety and depth can coexist in limited frames.
Boraz, Johanson and Group show — Art Log: Portland, March 2025
Here are four “go” shows for the month of March. At Froelick Gallery, Rebecca Boraz presents her debut exhibition, “Holding Space.” The concept emerged during the pandemic, a time when our awareness of personal space—whether alone or shared with loved ones—increased to the point of hypersensitivity. This theme resonates deeply in Boraz’s work as a…
A Journey Through Art and Identity in Dallas-Fort Worth
Spending two days crisscrossing the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a place I left more than two years ago, felt like a homecoming of sorts—one filled with art, nostalgia, and a reminder of why I left in the first place. While reconnecting with old friends, I made it a priority to dive back into the local art…
Craftsman Style Homes: Portland’s Architectural Heritage
The Arts and Crafts movement began in England, but the offshoot Craftsman style thrived in Portland. Early in the 20th century, Portland was booming! That’s apparent today thanks to the abundance of Craftsman-style homes here.It was a time when, Portland’s population skyrocketed. By 1920, the city had more than doubled in size, with new neighborhoods…
Not Just Another Flower Painting
In the history of still life paintings, the genre has always been more than the sum of its parts. In the golden age of Dutch paintings, earthly pleasure is in full bloom, but only ephemeral. Cezanne would direct us into the sensation of his objects rather than to the objects themselves. Even in America, the…
Seattle Art Fair 2024: A Vibrant Comeback Show with New Additions
We don’t have any experience with the Seattle Art Fair prior, but the 2023 edition was said to be a comeback show. If so, that speed of recovery was on full display this year as 25 additional galleries joined the fair at the Lumen Event Center. A steady crowd Friday seemed to have been dwarfed…
The Internet Thinks the Doorknob was Invented in 1878
Ask Microsoft Copilot or do a search and you’ll “discover” the modern doorknob was invented in 1878 by Osbourn Dorsey. Yet, I’ve lived in or been familiar with houses much older – going back many dozens of years prior, all of which had doorknobs. The AI response continues… “Before that, people used handles or leather…
A Few Furniture Finds
Recent sightings of fabulous furniture include a 19th-century mahogany game table with floral carving, a well-preserved secretary sold at auction, two machine-made 19th-century chairs and a functional GE Monitor Top refrigerator from 1927-1938. These items were found in Oregon, offering a glimpse into historical and aesthetic treasures.
Discovering the Work of Ruth Grover
Among many reasons to frequent Lincoln City is the Little Antique Mall. It is a polished agate among the pebbles of the Oregon coast. The inventory changes often enough to guarantee some surprises with each visit. Some finds include a stellar Hawaiian shirt, a floor lamp and art-nouveau shade from the 1920s (but bought separately),…
Three Holidays, Two Talks, and a Trio of Exhibits
With a trio of holidays still to look forward to, we initially made the rounds to the openings on First Thursday (also known as 1th). The holidays, “503 Day” (when the date coincides with Portland’s area code, that’s a holiday) Cinco de Mayo, and May the Fourth (be with you) were on the docket as…
Antiquing at Its Best
If asked to describe an ideal antiquing destination, it would be a small town with historic buildings and a dozen or more individually owned shops. Drive about a half-hour south of Portland, Oregon, and after some twists and turns you could come across a town named Aurora. The green fields, 19th-century buildings, and surrounding town…
Tao Bao – Antiquing in Xuzho, China; A Personal Experience
Hubu Mountain is outside of the South Gate of the ancient city Xuzhou, my hometown. Today it is part of the downtown core with 900,000 people. To call it a mountain is an overstatement. It is more like a hill, although you will break a sweat climbing up. Its commanding view has a perk –…
Eakins and Wiley at the Seattle Art Museum
In the recently reimagined American Galleries at the Seattle Art Museum, we’re presented with a monumental early 20th-century work by Thomas Eakins, hung beside a contemporary painting by Kehinde Wiley. William Smith Forbes is a long way from home and seems a bit out of place. Meanwhile, Anthony of Padua seems at ease. Forbes was…
Art Log, March 17, 2024: Fancy clubs, vinyl records, new museums and absurd ones.
Portland-based artists Sean McGonigal and Joanne Radmilovich Kollman made the New York Times recently. As former occupants in the Troy Laundry Building, they once had working space in what has now become a Portland branch of the exclusive Soho House. According to the article, Soho House positions itself as a creative space and features work…
Categories
Archives
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- December 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- November 2022
- April 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- October 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- October 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- November 2013
- October 2013
- August 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
