I went in to Portland this afternoon to listen to a lecture and an artist talk. In the White Stag building, the U of O's Portland campus in Old town., art historian
Glenn Adamson gave a free lecture co-sponsored by the museum and the University of Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts. Here is what DK Row of the Oregonian had to say "Adamson, the deputy head of research at the
Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is a challenging voice in the art world, championing craft as a force of its own, not a marginal practice on the art world fringe. His recent book, "Thinking Through Craft," articulated some of his ideas. Here's what Amazon.com says about it:
"At a time when technical skill has been widely dismissed or outsourced in the production of art, Glenn Adamson crucially adds an entire spectrum of handcrafted objects to the creative history of the post-war era. And at a time when theoretical frameworks have stagnated, these objects, in his hands, bring with them a fresh and sophisticated set of interpretive perspectives."
It was a dense and thought provoking talk and I will get his book for the local library.
After viewing two art galleries on the east side of town I went to a third 23 Sandy gallery to hear
Mark Tompkins speak on Mixed Media Pitfalls and Rewards of doing the Unexpected. It sounded good to me and right up my area of interest. I learned when I was at B Roger's gallery enjoying Michele Bieler's fine show that Tompkins is a black and white photographer and poet. not that related to how I think of mixed media. However I do enjoy poetry and and I did begin life as a photographer in high school. I'm glad I went as Mark is a talented image maker and creates moving visual connections with his poem fragments.
Here are two more of what I consider mixed media.
Small Pink 6x6
Small Blue Gold 6x6
These are two more in the series of now 15 plus paintings exploring the similar divisions of space and using different color palettes. they range from 6x6 to 24x24.
Thank you for reading and let me know what you think by leaving a comment.
Bruce
