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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2009)
OREGON S GAY/LESBIAN/Bl/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE AUGUST 21 2009 |7 fà BRIAN MARKI FINE ART AND FRAMING O wner: B rian M arki Years in Business: 15 Address: 2236 NE B ro a d w a y St. W eb : w w w .b rian m arki.co m MARTY DAVIS At Brian Marki Fine Art and Framing, art aficionados can still catch the monotypes o f lesbian artist Annie Meyer and the fused materials o f gay artist Chuck Sites, part of August’s Gallery Artists Celebrate Summer show. As owner Brian Marki describes Sites’ process o f apply ing encaustic to glass and mounting it on metal, he adds, “A lot o f macho stuff was involved in this, so the gay stereotype o f being light and fluffy just doesn’t exist. That’s one thing I love about Portland— over and over the gay stereotype is blown out o f the water.” In Marki’s opinion, Portland’s art scene is like a pyra mid, the base layer a “frothy alternative space” teeming with amateur artists. He says his gallery fits “just below the blue chip and above the alternative space.”This approach trans lates into a variety of art from G L B T and straight profes sional artists based locally, nationally and internationally. Brian Marki sa/s the local re ce ptio n to art "speaks well a b o u t the soul of P ortland '' “Being gay, o f course I love representing gay artists; there’s a fair amount o f very accomplished ones in town, but I can’t say that I actually go out seeking gay artists,” Marki says. H e’s noticed a shift among young G L B T professional artists. “It’s not the same; they don’t identity as closely as they did before,” he observes. “They identify professionally first and then sexually: ‘I’m a writer, an artist, a musician and I’m gay.’” Marki considers his gallery— situated on N E Broadway among pubs and cafes— an inviting, neighborhood space with a down-to-earth, European flavor. Part o f the shop is dedicated to framing. Framing helped put Marki through art college, and it’s also helped get his business through the recession, as art sales have suf fered. But July brought an uptick in business that keeps him hopeful. Portland’s love o f art is ond o f the reasons Marki and his partner moved north from the San Fran cisco Bay area. “When we came to Portland, we couldn’t believe it,” he says. “Everybody had an original piece o f art. It speaks well - J en ny F ur n iss about the soul o f Portland.” CAFÉ NELL Owners: V o n a n d D arren C r e e l/ Years in Business: I Address: 1987 NW K e a r n e / St. W eb : w w w .G a fen ell.c o m Nestled in the bustling, college-town hustle of Northwest Portland, where buses dare to roam, and everybody knows your name, Café Nell hums with an afternoon lunch rush as owner Darren Creely darts in and out o f the kitchen and dining area. Creely tends to customers, opens doors for patrons and appears confi dent and collected. Creely has good reason to be chipper. He, along with his husband Van (the couple wed in Canada), opened Café Nell in August 2008, and together have generated a healthy modicum o f business in less than a year. The theme o f the café is definitely freshness. Creely explains that the ambiance o f an American version of a French brasserie has helped cultivate a customer base that expects fresh foods at any time o f day. “Nothing is frozen,” says Creely. “Everything is fresh. We have a freezer that holds ice cream, and it only holds a couple gallons o f ice cream. Even our French Fries are done fresh two or three times a day.” While Creely doesn’t admit to a signature dish for the café just yet, the pommes frites must be high on the side-dish scale, as bowls overflow with the stringy starch goodies on almost every table. However, the fare focuses on fresh Northwestern cuisine, presented in a laid-back French atmosphere. Want eggs any time o f the day? You got it. “Our menu’s very price-conscious as well,” says Creely. “We have a $10 entrée along with a $29 entrée. We have a little something for everybody... That way you can still have this experience at any price point.” Café Nell also produces a savory, fresh ground turkey burger, and the café holds the distinction o f grinding all o f their meats in-house— an impressive feat given the size of the operation. “With restaurants this small, usually 50 percent o f the food would be frozen coming out o f here, but it’s not,” says Creely. “We work closely with all our purveyors to make sure we’re always getting fresh product delivered daily. That way we can really produce a fresh menu. The bad side is that sometimes we do run out o f things.” One bad side in a sea o f good sides? Pass me the pommes frites! - R yan J. P rado S ’ ? V . ~ v* g f ? * ■ ' * '/ "* «4 ¿.J < '»**.* _ te g # **•» r (I to r) C afe Nell s new kids on the b lo ck Van a n d Darren C re e l/ serve up fresh cuisine with a smile BUSINESS PROFILES CONTINUE. ON 18 Patricia Schaller, A a r o n ’ s W ine C e l l a r v S j . Pet Reader and m P i a n o B ar GRAND OPENING Pet Services YAMAHA PIANO X W o u ld n ’t it be g re at to have a pet sitte r SPECIALIZING IN MARYHILL WINES & MICRO BREWS who can ac tu a lly talk with y o u r p e ts? • Pet communication • Pet sitting • Dog walking • Complimentary reading for new clients Patricia a n d Stu Sc h a l le r With 3 0 years of experience and love for all pets. w w w .petreader.com 503-593-9601 Wine Retail * ^ _ Small Plates LIVE M U SIC »■ L in e P ia n o by W k s ih m «* ip ia n is t i T u n is ., F ri .,S a T. at 5 rsi to m i p n k h i 503 . 777.2092 322 St 82nd Ave . Portland. OR 97218 At the 82nd Street Plaza (Between Stark & Burnside)
