adobar 3.2003 »
ART
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Artists at work
Peek behind closed doors daring Portland Open Studios
by
T
im o t h y
K
rause
E
very October, dozens of artists set out the
welcome mat for Portland Open Studios, a
self-directed tour that allows visitors
behind the scenes with painters, sculptors,
ceramic artists, metal smiths, glass blowers,
photographers, fiber artists and printmakers.
Art buffs can check out an artists workspace,
ask questions, discover work in progress and even
pick up an addition to their collections. In a
whirlwind adv ance tour, Just Out visited with four
gay and lesbian artists participating in this year’s
event and found Kith diversity and camaraderie.
Tucked away in St. Johns is the studio of
R. Keaney Rathhun, scientist by day and artist tor
life. He works among several media, alternating
between well-thought-out, K>ld and colorful
silk-screen printmaking and the go-with-the-flow,
sculptural collages of found objects.
In his most recent series of prints, This Parade
I Am, individual figures reflect aspects of his per
sonality and then join to fonn a central compos
ite that alone required 65 screens to produce.
Unlike intricate printmaking, however,
Rathbun’s sculptures are freeform and playful.
He often has more than one in progress, join
Larry C w ik, Richard Moody, Keaney Rathhun and Annie Meyer open up during Portland
ing shapely wcxxJ and found objects by metal
Open Studios
rods and epoxy glue before painting.
Most work is autobiographical, but Rathhun
tions,” she says. “It’s not scary. It’s a nonthreat
burner. Several such sentries hold their posts in
says: “Hopefully it’s larger than a specific, even
ening way for people to come in and see what
his garden, guiding his future studies in con
though it is very specific to me. I think the defin
an artist is doing. A lot of parents even bring
trasting texture.
ition of art is that it becomes a universal object."
their kids.”
What might not be immediately noticeable,
Which suits Richard Mcxxly, a retired ele
otems also appear in the work of Larry
though, is its evolution since Rathbun’s coming
mentary school teacher who still leads classes
Cwik, a photographer, visual artist and
out eight years ago. His early work was much
in ceramics for Kith kids and adults. This will
filmmaker who works from a downtown
more technical and exacting
be his first year welcom
Portland high-rise apartment. His totems, how
with hard-edge lines. “Now
ing Open Studios visitors
ever, are a series of three stacked, black-and-
there’s so much more life and
into his peaceful work
white images that relate to a central theme.
vitality,” he remarks. “It’s all
space near the Garden
One, for example, depicts the sun, a helmeted
about the journey."
Home neighkirhood of
head and a round piece of a Kiat—elements
Southwest Portland.
that he says “all relate to a higher level.”
or ceramics artist and
“1 really like the idea
His other major photo series is titled The
printmaker Annie Meyer,
o f people being able to
Visitor, a 20-year collection of pictures taken in
the journey has been
come into an artist’s
a number of Mexican cities.
equally dramatic. She works
studio rather than
“When you go to a place that’s very different,
in a sunny storefront studio
always seeing art as kind
your mind can be altered to some degree so that
on Southeast Clinton Street
of isolated in galleries
you see things very newly,” notes Cwik, who
and just returned from a
and away from the
embraces surrealism in Mexico. “The colors and
sojourn to paint in the
artist," he notes.
the way things are arranged there are just differ
French countryside. But that
A s a potter, Mixidy
ent. Gimbinations are unusual. For instance, you
picture contrasts with her
can see sometimes the most bizarre things when
often casts shapes from
roots as a Midwest kid turned
you’re just walking by. One time, I saw a
found objects that have
homeless Los Angeles teen
mannequin— a woman— with a neck brace in
an interesting texture,
who put herself through nurs
the window. Just the most glamorous mannequin
such as rtKks, metal
Stop by Keaney Rathbun’s place to
ing school in order to get a
you can imagine— with a neck brace."
springs and seed ptxls,
find appealing freeform sculptures,
credit card to buy art supplies.
The meaning of which he leaves to the
before building upon
including “ Adam and Steve”
Now only on-call as a
viewer.
them with additional
nurse, Meyer has time to explore her creativity.
clay. Then through paint and glaze, he works
“It an artist tries to say what to think, that
She works primarily with glazes on tiles, some
for a surface that plays off natural cracks and
defeats the purpose of creating art,” he states. “For
times painting and firing six times to create sub
crevices.
me, it’s expression and communication." J H
tle landscapes. But she also extends the theme to
“I really kxik at this as a whole process of
monotypes, paintings and drawings, often using
learning. You start making tacky little soap
P ortland O pen S tudios rum from 10 a.m. to
live models for figurative studies.
5 p.m. Oct. 11 and 12 on the east side and
dishes and then you go from there,” he muses.
Being a lesbian, she says, has given her much
More recently, Mcxxly has been stacking
Oct. 18 and 19 on the ivest side. Tickets are $12
liberty in her art. “We don’t have to follow all the
smtxith and shiny ceramics with nisting objects
for two adults (kids free) and include a map and
rules.... Having the guts to say 1 don’t have to
to create modern-day outd<x>r totems. In one, a
guide, available from area galleries, Art Media
have a traditional relationship, I don’t have to
stores and www.portlandopenstudios.com.
blue sphere shoulders what looks like a gas
have a traditional life— the more I do
that, the better it gets,” says Meyer. For
example, her original work centered on
hand-painted but functional tiles. Now
her art is more abstract, serendipitous,
odd-sized and getting bigger.
Meyer has participated in Open
Studios several times and appreciates
the opportunity to show others her
profession. “People come in and look
at what you’re doing and ask ques
Having just returned from France, Annie Meyer is reflecting fresh, new, countryside landscapes
T
C* Y S T A L ’I
G A Y €# L E S B I A N
SPINE-TINGLING
HALLOWEEN
BASHSSftS
Don’t miss this Ghoulish
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Fun Door Prizes! Costume
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Non-Smoking Dance Floor!
Dali»:
October 31, 2003
Time:
9:00p-l:30a
Location: Portland Metro Club
(formerly PPAA)
618 SE Alder
Cover:
$7,00
Tickets Available at:
H’s My Pleasure
|
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1
Blvd. & NE 64th
503-280-8080
Or
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7631 NEGIisan
503-262-7613
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