aprii 7.2000
S
tephen O ’Donnell is
self-obsessed, but in a
good way. He paints
delicate portraits of
himself having all kinds of
fun— more fun, in fact, than
he seems to have time for in
real life.
His new show at the
Quartersaw Gallery, where
he’s been showing for the
past five years, runs through
April 29. His paintings,
which he does in acrylic
with ultrafine brushes on
rather small boards and can
vases, can take a month to
complete.
“It’s hard on my nervous
system— the concentra
tion— and I don’t have very
steady hands,” O ’Donnell
explains.
He also works at a book
store four days a week.
“On my days off I work
all day painting, so I never
really have a day off,” he
adds.
But in his paintings he
Deux Chats en Taffetas Blanc
has some fine adventures. In
life not to paint,” he explains, the angst very
one especially glamorous piece, We Were Dane'
evident in his voice. “When I was a child I was
ing (I Was Never Lovelier), O ’Donnell paints
always told, ‘Oh, you’re so talented,’ but it was
himself as both Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
a mixed message.”
against a starry background, gliding across a
O ’Donnell says he feels obligated to express
polished floor.
his talent but is tom about becoming a com
Though many of his paintings have a surre
mercial commodity.
al quality about them, O ’Donnell says he is
“I figure I wasn’t given this ability for noth
“more influenced by film, music and history.”
ing....
1 have something to say— not a con
He particularly loves films from the 1930s, the
scious process— but gender identity is certainly
haute glamour era of Hollywood. To help cre
ate that mind-set, while he works he
often listens to French songs from
the ’20s and ’30s.
He’s also a Russian history buff,
and his current show contains four
works with that inspiration. In The
Grand Duchess Vladimir and I Admire
Her New Cartier Tiara, the artist gets
to wear the crown himself.
In his artist’s statement, O ’Don
nell explains why he paints himself:
“I consciously use the self-portrait as
a device to try to direct attention
toward the content of the work,
rather than to the identity of the sub
ject.”
Despite his obvious skill and
accomplishments, O ’Donnell is a
classic tortured artist.
Will the real Stephen O ’Donnell please step forward?
“I’ve been struggling my whole
Gay Friendly Travel
M aking Vacation
Dream s Com e
True!
‘R ealty Coot
S tu ff
Antiques &
Treasures
New
master
Portland artist
paints himself
into history and
other fun places
by
O r ia n a G r een
i
i
|V
a theme,” he
says, adding
that he first
tried doing drag
in the mid-’80s
as a once-a-year
Bird Call
fun thing.
In fact, most of the images in this show are
of O ’Donnell in drag. In Deux Chats en Taffetas
Blanc, he poses with his very shy cat, Gatito,
and in Bird Call he has adapted a costume he
wore to the Dada Ball a few years ago.
Bird Call is notable for another reason: the
dramatic use of red— or any strong color, for
that matter. O ’Donnell is a man of few colors.
The paintings in his current show are predomi
nantly black, white and ochre. He does own
tubes of other colors, “but they don’t get used
much,” he says. His tastefully decorated apart
ment and his wardrobe also reflect his dedica
tion to a neutral palette.
His muted color sense does seem to fit his
historical pieces quite well. In La Tempête à
Versailles, he floats dreamlike above the famous
French gardens in a sumptuous ball gown from
the era of Marie Antoinette. In White Berdache,
he’s decked out in a wasp-waisted gown with
impossibly pointed shoes, his hair swirled into
an extreme beehive while manly chest hair
peeks out from the bodice of the dress. (The
a real stereo store
for real music lovers
stereo
word berdache designates a North American
Indian male transvestite or homosexual who
was accepted in assuming the dress, role and
status of a woman.)
There is a lightness to these portraits, and
O ’Donnell has a decidedly droll outlook on
himself. “I’m trying to do humorous things—
getting the point across, but making it funny
makes it easier to swallow,” he says.
Still, there are serious undertones to these
pieces. “Underneath, it’s a reaction to the loud
ly conservative voices in this state, country,
world that have little respect for difference and
personal uniqueness,”
O ’Donnell explains.
The artist moved to Port
land in 1993 after 13 years in
California. He began revisit
ing his art, at first doing
pieces just for himself. Some
early work that he showed at
Quartersaw dealt with a lot
of childhood issues, another
period reflected the influence
of Mexican folk art. Now
he’s immersed in his fantasy
self-portraits.
So where do his ideas
come from?
“A picture just appears in
my m ind.. .all the stuff that’s
gone on in my life coalesces
into something,” he explains.
“Part of me wants to pull it
back so it’s not exactly real—
I’m not a realist, even
though I have a precise
style.”
O ’Donnell, who leads a rather solitary life,
admits he barely has time for a social life, but
he’s “working toward a more balanced me,” he
adds.
His paintings, which hover in the $1,000 to
$1,500 range, sell very well. But O ’Donnell is
quick to point out that it’s not about money at
this stage: “It wouldn’t be worth it as an hourly
wage."
He also does commissioned portraits,
though it’ll take patience to get one.
“I have a waiting list, because I haven’t had
any new work for sale since last August,” he
says, feeling the pressure to complete several
more paintings before his opening.
Here’s hoping O ’Donnell can find time to
live out some of his painted fantasies, or at
least take some time off!
■ S tephen O ’D onnell ’ s work is on display
through April 29 at the Quartersaw Gallery,
528 N.W . 12th Ave. Cad (503) 223-2264 for
gallery hours.
DO YOU THINK YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS
BEING TREATED UNFAIRLY BECAUSE OF BEING
GAY/LESBIAN/BISEXUAL OR TRANSGENDEREO?
W e 're available I d help resolve
conflicts o r problem s at work,
in housing, o r public
iTeriLynn Leu
accom m odation.
Travel Advisor
Confidential consultation
and m ediation services are
free of charge.
because music matters.
The C ity of Portland w ants to
503 - 313-2002
gayfriendlytravel.com
7&7Z SW Capitol Highway
Portland, OK 37219 • 505-240-6267
We a re lo cated In M ultnomah Village n ear
The frid g e . Call fo r d irection «.
help resolve discrim ination
2627 N.E. Broad way/Portland/ 280-0910
www.stereotypcMudio.com
problem s. For m ore info, call
Mediation Pilot Program ,
274-9886 a TTY 1 -800-735-2900
43