Preview: First Thursday
If there is a common thread to be found within this month's visual art offerings, it is this: The young will rule the day. Several galleries are showcasing (or at least including in their line-up) a small posse of recent art-school graduates. This trend could potentially lead to an infusion of fresh vision, which would be a real treat for the Portland art viewer hungry for something new. The following is a list of gallery shows that promise to be a part of a delectable First Thursday tour.
Disjecta Gallery director Bryan Suereth and curators Angela Corvi and Nicol Driscoll kick out another fine effort with a print exhibit, featuring the work of five, local printmakers. Participants include Alex Lilly, who reveals a pointed political stance within a series of Intaglio prints. PNCA graduate Steve Orlando creates a quieter mood with a selection of Portland riverscapes. Cheyenne Sawyer delivers large-scale, canvas, ink-jet prints, and Edward King and PSU graduate Amy Donnelly display a group of image-based etchings. 116 NE Russell, 335-6979. Opens Jan 3
Froelick Gallery introduces Kris Hargis. The 1998 University of Kansas graduate presents Blakely, an exhibit of still life and portrait paintings. Hargis' style marries various impulses--collaged paper and sanded layers of paint combine with rough rendering to create a cast of wide-eyed figures that beg for the viewer's sympathy. Changing Stages is an exhibit of paintings by another young artist who has recently arrived in the Rose City: Victor Maldonado graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 2000. His exhibit of brightly colored paintings at Froelick work from the premise of the stage--devices such as the curtain, sets, eaves, foreground, and background, all work to reveal and conceal his actors. The work is inspired from a list of themes, such as family photos, Catholic icons, and folk art. 817 SW 2nd, 222-1142. Opens Jan 3
Whimsey II is a continuation of the last month's crowd-pleasing exhibit at Elizabeth Leach Gallery. The group show features work by an array of regionally and internationally known artists, including familiar kitchen objects cast in resin by Portland artist M.K. Guth and paper piñatas by Patrick Holdenfield. Katherine Aoki advances a discussion of women's roles in society through an intriguing blend of advertising formats and cartoon-like drawing. Portland artist Cris Moss is best known to a local audience as the savvy organizer of the "Donut Shop" exhibitions. At Elizabeth Leach, he presents his own work in an untitled installation, created after a year of graduate study in New York. 207 SW Pine, 224-0521. Opens Jan 3.
Through the exhibit Introductions, Pulliam Deffenbaugh unveils three emerging talents. Heather Larkin Timken received her BFA from Cornish College in Seattle in 2000. At PD, she displays a series of graphic, Japanese woodblock prints. Bay area artist Kris Timken captures the landscape around her through the lens of a pinhole camera. The result of this investigation manifests in a collection of vivid color abstractions. Wesleyan graduate Matthew Landkammer rounds out the youthful bunch with a series of sparse paintings. His canvases employ acrylic bands of color, which quietly work to establish a subtle horizon line.
