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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2007)
, juStOUt juNt 1» aan Photo contest winners hit us with their best shots by Jaymee R. Cut! and Malka Gaffen Travel category winner Robert B. Richter'» life rend» like a screenplay: Discontent food service A Midwestern native, Richter remembers traveling the route on many family vacations as a child. worker flee» Hollywood in search of a new beginning, Photography is the art of isolation, according to documenting hi» life «long the way. He ha» been Richter. A close-up of a flower or a well-composed a Portlander »Ince September. look at a dingy downtown neighborhood help fill This painter, who considers himself "career chal a scene with wonder. lenged," »ay» digital photography, Photoshop and "Both wonder at something in a questioning way I Photo have changed hi» approach to the art. He and wonder at how amazing things are. The world is »hoot» with the eye of a traveler and a newcomer, an amazing place," said Richter. often capturing landscapes. He also shoot» color fields, plants, flowers and other artistic detail subjects. This photo was shot shortly before leaving Los Angele» as part of an L.A. River series. Richter was He also has a painterly approach to his »hixning, probably because of his bachelor of fine arts degree from Otis College of Art and IX'sign. "I'm sure that's a big part of the reason I love digi moved by the "lonely looking" Route 66 sign that tal photography combined with digital photo editing captured his feelings about the city. programs," he said. "I've recently ceased worrying "Route 66 was a historic route noted for its scenic about whether the shot kx>ks ‘true to life' and now just beauty, and here we have this forlorn-looking sign massage it to look the way it does in my mind— being infringed upon by these very harsh elements," he similar to my approach in painting." said. Richter can be reached at rbrichterartfficomcast.net. Mission impossible: Ask a bunch of Just Out staffers to pick the best pet photo in a contest. A wet dog at the beach, a sleeping cat, a puppy playing with children. These are the images we had to con tend with. In the end, this shifty-eyed dog stole our hearts. The image is of photographer Rosanna Tam's 7-year-old Akita mix named Fuji (like the film). “He was just sitting there kxiking nt my friend," said Tam. "He’s kind of neurotic, so he’s very expressive.” A queer barista at Haven Coffee, Tam said it’s hard to he away from her dog. “1 took the photo a year and a half ago in San Diego, where Fuji still lives," she said. "But I get to visit him whenever Pm home." Tam began taking pictures after graduating from high school six years ago. "I’m obsessed with it, with finding angles," she said. "It’s how I remember thingsi" With her camera at the ready, Tam said she takes pictures of everything—people, bands, pets, etc. “I always have my camera with me," said Tam, who had an art show at Haven Coffee in January. Tam will have an art show in July at Matchbox Lounge, 3203 S.E. Division St. You can also see more of her work at www.rosnaps.com. tou«* Abstract category winner Ni»4 Haron confesses, "Burnt orange is my favorite color, and 1'm a texture whore." She textk a photo of this Buick parked on Southeast 28th Avenue and Division Street for those reasons. A glass artist who has begun experimenting with Polaroid emulsion transfer technique, Haron makes documenting society a common practice in her life. "1 shcx)t a lot of social documentary, what's going on in this crazy world," she said. Haron and her partner, Cathy Owen, run The Studio, where they make functional kiln-formed glass. They have donated pieces to charitable auctions for organizations Including Basic Rights Oregon and Equity Foundation. Originally from Malaysia, Haron has a special interest In American automobiles, from their kx>k to the politics of their industry. "1'm Interested in the automobile industry, from rhe American to the Asian market. It's kind of sad that it's gone that way. I don't know why people are not making those really gorgeous cars. I wish they'd make a comeback," she said. Though Haron doe» not own a muscle car her»elf, she can be seen riding her vintage Schwinn American Flyer through her Scllwixxl neighborhood. Her work will be displayed in November at Utopia Cafe, BOB S.E. Belmont St.
