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Swap Meet

5/1/2013

A few of us assemblage artists met at Gallery 6 PDX for a swap meet on Tuesday evening...trading away some of the unwanted stuff that we'd ordinarily use in our own projects for new stuff. There were only seven us at the gallery, but we all seemed to make some good trades.

A few photos of some of the treasures that I brought to the trade:

At the gallery:

The new treasures that I brought home (as if I really need more stuff!!) :

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Cafe Hibiscus...Good Eatin' Review

4/25/2013

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Three of us had lunch yesterday at Cafe Hibiscus (14th and Alberta St.). I've never actually done a "food review" before, but this place deserves all kinds of rave reviews! If you live in the Portland area, check out their website here and their menu here (I think their menu may be undergoing some changes before long, but the food will basically remain the same), and then make a reservation for lunch! Reservations seem to be a good idea anytime...this place is quite small...only six tables inside and a few small tables out on their patio. This was my first time eating Swiss cuisine...it was amazingly good! We ordered three dishes off the menu (skipping the posted specials) and decided to eat "family style" where we shared everything with each other. We were pretty full when we left...and we left feeling like we were a part of the family, especially after getting to meet and greet (and thank) the two chefs in the back kitchen.
I captured a few photos of our food (after we had already started the process of sharing):

We plan to go back and work our way through the menu. Check out the Hibiscus reviews here on yelp.

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Business in the Yard

4/24/2013

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The transformation of the backyard is now complete...the overgrown English laurel is gone, and the new fence (replacing the old fence that blew down quite some time ago) is finally in place! It looks much better, and there's more privacy with a secure yard for the new puppy coming in June.

There are cherries forming on the four cherry trees, but in the past, actually getting to eat those cherries has been tricky...the birds and raccoons seem to take them before they're even fully ripe (maybe my new fence will do a better job of keeping out the raccoons this summer). I've actually been considering chopping down those cherry trees and getting them out of the backyard.

On the other hand, the raspberries are a clear winner. They take up a side portion of the backyard, and for some reason, the wildlife leave the berries alone (they're too full from the cherries). They grow extremely well in this Oregon climate.

The banana trees are very quickly coming back to life. At this point, they look rather lanky...it's unclear (to the untrained eye) what kind of plants they actually are at this point of their growth. In another month I'll have a full tropical banana jungle gracing my front yard with baby bananas showing up in August. There seems to be some element of "luck" in getting these things to grow well...I just happened to get them in a perfect patch of soil.

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Nesting Eagles

4/21/2013

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I now regularly watch a fascinating live streaming video of a nesting pair of bald eagles located in Minnesota. The two eggs have just recently hatched, so it's easy to now get a good look at the babies, especially during one of the many feeding times during the day. I generally leave this cam screen open on my desktop so I can check in with the latest "nesting events" anytime I'm near my computer. The streaming cam link is here and the link for the latest captured videos directly from this nest is here. While watching this afternoon, I captured a few stills...the eaglets as well as both of the adults together on the nest during a feeding time:

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Resurrecting the Old #1

4/17/2013

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I've got several old assemblage pieces that I "didn't" toss away/deconstruct, etc., in my latest studio cleaning...this is one of them. This one from a few years ago, originally made in an old wooden salad bowl was "repackaged" the other day, being placed into an even larger bowl with a round glassed frame glued onto the top (by the way, those old wooden salad bowls, big or small, are great for assemblage work...they are available at almost any thrift shop). This piece needed to be enshrined under glass in such a way. It now invites the viewer to "come in" and take a much closer look.

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Assemblage Show

4/6/2013

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Artist, Jenifer Renzel, is showing her latest assemblages at Gallery 6 PDX through the month of April 2013. I got her permission last night (opening night) to take several photos for my blog. Her boxes are rich, detailed, and VERY theatrical!

Jenifer, who drove up from California, will be back in Portland on April 30. Liz Cohn, owner and curator of Gallery 6 PDX is planning a "swap meet" that evening, from 6 to 8 PM. If you are an assemblage or collage artist in the area you might be interested in this event. Bring two boxes, one of them filled with paper, found objects and other raw materials that collage/assemblage artists might use (those things that you've been wanting to get rid of or trade for something new!). Bring a second box to help carry away your newly traded treasures. I plan to be there...I've got "stuff a-plenty" left over from my days of gleaning at the city dump...especially lots of those old x-rays which I don't know what to do with.
Jenifer shared this new (new to me) assemblage artist with me last night...check out his work here...Ron Pippin.

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Cog and Pearl...NYC

4/3/2013

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I've been selling my work at Cog and Pearl for the last three years...a great little gallery in New York City. I've just recently shipped them eight mixed media assemblage pieces which should be available in another week or two. Most of this work was created from the materials (trash) that I gathered while working with my art residency, the Glean Program, at the Metro Transfer Station (the city dump).

If you live in the area, stop in and give them a visit!

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Engine Blocks In Your Living Room

4/2/2013

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1. Coffee tables made from old engine blocks!

2. Old discarded wooden pallets!

3. Electric guitars from old skateboard decks!

4. Lifelike sculptures made from discarded plastic bags!

5. Upcycled cufflinks!

6. Glass light bulbs!

7. Furniture from weapons of war!

8. Shipping containers!

9. Bike chain sculptures!

10. Sculptured trash!

11. Beer bottle temple!

12. Electric oil can guitars!

13. Creative industrial pipes!

14. Book carvings!

15. Rubber tire cases!

16. Old TV dog bed!

All of these creations (and more) can be found at one of my latest favorite websites...RenewPurpose! Great ideas!

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Trashing Old Art

4/2/2013

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I've had a growing pile of "old art"...assemblage work that I've made through the years...work that hadn't sold...work that I seemed to love at the time, but have pretty much lost interest in at this time. For the last few days, I've been "cleaning house," getting rid of the old art, while keeping some of the valuable objects that went into each piece.

So, after a couple of long sessions of de-construction, I ended up with this pile that will go directly in the trash...probably destined for some landfill in another part of the country.

The good news is that I've got a great new collection of "stuff" to work with...all of it taken from "old art" ready to be brought back to life in "new art."

In going through this process, I've been wondering what other artists do with their old art? Certainly, we all must end up with that work the never sells...that eventually just takes up room in some back corner closet. I really enjoy the task of bringing a re-vision to a piece, which is easy as an assemblage artist since I have the luxury of saving those individual objects that I may want to use once again in some other way. Maybe some artists have that big bonfire in the backyard....with a few s'mores on the side.

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