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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2001)
HL2QQ1 ART Men of clay Continued, from Page l YOUR WILLAMETTE VALLEY FAMILY rn REAL ESTATE CO NNECTIO N A n 1 * i I s u p p o r t GALA c h o ru s e s ! Upcom ing concerts: * C o n flu en ce 1 1/1 7 @ C orvallis U nitarian (2 9 4 5 NW C ircle) 8 p m 1 1 /1 8 @ S alem U nitarian (5 0 9 0 C e n te r S t. NE) 4 pm ( 5 4 1 ) 7 5 8 - 1 2 3 4 x 211 CLARK HOUSE Sales Associate e-mail: clarkshouses@aol.com l v I l H j Inc. I f lab Ri.u ^ 575 MW 9 th Street • C o rv a llis . O R 9 7 3 3 0 egon Camera Everything Photographic We have ;i knowledgeable, friendly staff helping you find the right camera, binoculars, or photographic accessories. ln° Boarding & G room ing (or D o g s & Cats A ‘family’ owned and operated business since 1997. ? I 582 SW Adams Avenue Corvallis, OR 97333 www.oregoncamera.com "Individual Love and At lent uni (541) 753-2653 i p ” 720 SW Wake Robin Ave Corvallis, OR 97330 (541) 757-9089 Larry & Marlene McNeill oreqon drivesC1PIT0L The Beauty of.AllWheelDrive S A L E M ’S B R A N D N E W tu b a ta S i g natine ^f-aci&itif OFF MSRP ON ALL 2002 OUTBACKS IN STOCK! could enjoy a bucolic, rural life. Boy, did we get caught flat-footed,” he confides. Everyone who was in the Pacific Northwest at the time remembers 1992’s Ballot Measure 9 and the long battle with the Oregon Citizens Alliance. “1 went to a meeting in Salem and got deeply into queer politics for the next three or four years,” Smith says. He was elected to the board of the local N o on 9 chapter. “After we won, we struggled to find a new identity. We became the Coali tion to End Bigotry, hut the group never really found its legs.” Today, the organization puts on Salem’s annual Gay Pride events. The O C A contin ued to harass Oregon’s rural counties with 26 local anti-gay initia tives in 1993, and “I had been suppressing my queemess in the military,” he recalls. “I was completely sup pressed. I knew l didn’t like women, but I could not admit liking men.” We talk about how unhealthy the military is for gay men, how sad it is for people to hide who they are, sometimes even from themselves. Not surprisingly, Smith used alcohol to help deal with his unhappiness. “1 had a drinking prob lem,” he shares, frowning at the memories. “I was forced into counseling to save my career. Getting a handle on my drinking, 1 found out my real problem.” Sounding like a man at an Alcoholics Anonymous podium, Smith announces, “1 got sober and realized I was gay." He attributes his continued sobriety and hap pier life to AA. This all happened before “don’t ask, don’t tell,” so staying in the Air Force would have required even more self-censoring behavior than today’s policy requires, and the penalties were even more severe. So Smith left the military. “All that happened w hen 1 was 41,” he says. “Everything before the age This bronze fellow starts out as a clay man (inset) of 41 was survival. T here was occasional joy hut no happiness.” But then Smith says he met his partner, Tod Amidon. The furrow leaves his forehead, his broad shoulders relax, and his blue eyes bright en. Soon after they met, Smith discovered Amidon had an artistic side. “He was taking a course in ceramics, and he brought some clay home from his courses one day. 1 discovered 1 had a latent desire to try sculpture. Tod handed me a lump of clay and said, ‘Do it.’ ” The men lived in Long Beach, Calif., at the time and for the next few years enjoyed sharing sculpting as a hobby. mith and Amidon then decided to live out their dream of a different kind of life. They moved to Oregon in 1991 because they had h«_ard the state was a good place for gay people. “We bought a farm near Salem, thinking we S Smith helped fight back as a member of the Marion County and Kaiser Board Political Action Committee. During those years, his sculpting was on hold. In 1995, Smith discovered Chemeketa Community College in Salem was teaching bronze casting, and he took a course. “My interest kept growing and growing,” he remem bers. “As my skill developed, 1 began to recog nize that 1 had some actual talent. I began to wonder, ‘Could I do it professionally?’ " He soon tried selling his small pieces. “My passion is for male nudes. My nudes all have a sensual, erotic flavor. So I thought there might be a market for them among gay men.” In 1997, Sm ith tried the Gay Pride circuit. “I got a lot of lookers but not many sales. Gay Pride does not seem to he the atmosphere where people buy art,” he concludes. Still, he didn’t give up on a career as a pro fessional sculptor. T hen, in 1998, Amidon humped into a friend who invited Smith to work with 14 other artists in putting together E x p ire s 12/31/01 C al'.'l'l 1 I l M l cWUTamette On the comer of 25th & Mission. Subaru has helped stock our new store with over 100 new Subaru’s and is offering Rates as low as 4.9% for 60 months, and Great Leases. ({ )a ile y ^ r f v e r t is e r s APR ON 2001 & 2002 SUBARUS. On approved credit. Exclude« 2002 Imprezu At the corner of Mission and 25th in Salem. 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