Gertrud and Otto Natzler at Museum of Contemporary Craft
It’s easy. We won’t have to stray far tonight to hit the high points of Portland’s First Thursday, when, as you know, the galleries stay open late with their August shows. Three spots in the DeSoto Building top our list for the night/month.
First up, we haven’t yet seen the show that opened at the Museum of Contemporary Craft on August 2, so first stop will be The Ceramics of Gertrud and Otto Natzler. She created these incredible forms, he developed a couple thousand experimental glazes and together they made 25,000 pieces, elevating vessel to fine art, and introducing modern European ceramics to America along the way through their LA studio and the classes they taught there.
“Alpine,” Robert Yoder, photo via Froelick Gallery
We’re also looking forward to seeing Robert Yoder’s Action Painting! at Froelick Gallery. Delicious vinyl and graphite collages from this Seattle artist aren’t paintings at all are they, but contain plenty of abstract action with a sometimes fractured, explosive surface, sometimes with twisted, falling flatforms. The Portland Art Museum just acquired a great piece of his entitled “Bank.” Now it’s your turn.
“New York Dolls”, Anton Perich at Augen
And you’ve seen many/most of these iconic photos before, pics of Edie Sedgwick, Joey and Debbie in bed, the Velvet Underground, but you’ll go see the new exhibition at Augen (716 NW Davis) anyway. Bande à part (band of outsiders) is an internationally traveling exhibition of work by photographers like Billy Name, Roberta Bayley, and Bobby Grossman (many more) who captured the New York underground scene in the 70’s and 80’s.
POSTED: August 7th, 2008 | AUTHOR: lisa | FILED UNDER: art | TAGS: art, ceramics, collage, exhibition, first thursday, galleries, museum of contemporary craft | No Comments »
It’s a kid-in-a-candy-shop moment for those with a love of the modern, the organic, finely crafted work that shows the maker’s hand. We imagine Jennifer June, who owns the new Hermitage (1024 NW 19th), is seeing a lot of people coming in with their eyes shining. Hermitage has a mix of sleek ceramics, jewelry, objects, and the most incredible selection of thrilling and idiosyncratic wallpaper. June brings to the shop a fine art background. “My approach in selecting designers is really about creating a story,” June says. “I look for pieces that are well crafted, conceptually driven, and have a unique take on the classic form.
This translates to quietly beautiful snowy ceramics from White Bike Ceramics, Paige Russell, and Mud Australia, Marije Geursen jewelry, handmade brushes from Sweden by Iris Hantverk, and goods from the design duo behind Boukhou Designs.
And her wallpaper selection is out of this world: incredible wallpapers from ferm Living’s modern organic prints to Erica Wakerly’s dynamic geometrics and the all-out lush and wondrous designs from Nama Rococo (above). Of the wallpapers June says, “It is important to me that the artist’s hand is present in production, meaning most of the designs are either block printed, painted individually, or hand pulled silkscreen. These prints are works of art and can be framed individually or cover an entire wall.” Find designs by Flavor Paper, Mod Green Pod, Louise Body, Palace Papers, and Jill Malek.
So is it named after THE Hermitage in St. Petersburg? Yes and no. June plays both sides of the coin. She’s refering to THE Hermitage which “famously houses one of the largest collections of art in the world,” and as June boils it down, “The most important thing I want to convey in my shop is that our homes should act as our own private museum.” But she’s also thinking of “the dwelling of a hermit.” While June may not be a hermit, she is, “decidedly a nester and perhaps that is what drew me to opening a home décor shop.”
POSTED: January 8th, 2008 | AUTHOR: lisa | FILED UNDER: art | TAGS: art, ceramics | 6 Comments »
Well, they ship all over, but they’re located right here in Portland at SE 8th and Clay. Look Modern has 7000 sq. ft. of mid-century (50s-70s) mostly Swedish and Danish ceramics, furniture, and objects. They’re open weekends only. We just like to look at the pictures. Mmm.
POSTED: December 16th, 2007 | AUTHOR: lisa | FILED UNDER: art | TAGS: ceramics, furniture | No Comments »