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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2011)
48 JUNE 17,2011 pridefiles It Takes Two W W W .JUSTOUT.COM pears it’s the emotional investment they’ve made to each other, and to their creative expressions, that have made the past 15 years work. “We’ve gone to therapy together, we’ve done it all,” Carrigan says, “W e’ve taken the extra step to keep our rela- tionship together. I t’s not easy. There are al ways those times where you have to make the extra effort. I t’s really been fun living my life with somebody who’s like me.” Carrigan’s ami Porter's work can be seen during their joint show, Symbols from a Col- lective Unconscious, at the Guardino Gallery (2939 Alberta St.) in the Feature Area and Window Gallery from June 30 to July 26. An opening reception is scheduled fo r Last Ihurs- day, Ju n e30, from 6 to 9 p.m. For more infor- mation, v isitguardinogallery.com. — R yan J. P rado Greg Carrigan, Tabor Porter, and art as an attitude In the evening head downstairs to Al’s Den for free, live nightly music starting at 7 p.m. and DJed music on Thursday-Saturday, starting at 10:30 p.ni. , . --------- TIL'S DEN— — . FRIDAY, JUNE 17 * ¥ POISON WATERS & FRIENDS 5:30 p.m. • Free • 21 & over * . * DJ SANTO 10:30 p.m. • Free • 21 & over SATURDAY, JUNE 18 DJ STARGAZER • 10:30 p.m. • Free • 21 & over * * “I’m influenced by Tabor. He really appreciates an object. He’ll pick up an everyday object and say, ‘Look at this!’ You’ll look at it, and it becomes a special thing, because maybe he sees the Wabi-sabi in it.” -GREG CARRIGAN MARTY DAVIS The new Zeus Cafe uses the freshest ingredients from local and * regional purveyors. For breakfast, enjoy items such as root vegetable hash and Carlton Farms bacon benedict with freshly baked crumpets. For dinner, try the asparagus ribbon and arugula salad, the Piedmontese flat iron steak salad or a salt-brick roasted Cornish hen. Pair your meal with classic cocktails made using pre-Prohibition methods or wines from an affordable list. Walking into the North Portland home o f Greg Carrigan and labor Porter is like entering an art museum and antique store in one. Carved wood sculptures, metal smith jewelry, paintings and found object dioramas adorn every available inch o f wall, tables and hutches and more are representative of a lifetime o f art. M ost o f the pieces are their own making; some are part o f their vast col- lection. But all o f it speaks to the couple’s resiliency in the face o f hardship. Carrigan, 59, and Porter, 58, have been together for 15 years, and met while both were involved with Quest Center— an inte- grative health center for people with H IV / AIDS. Both Carrigan and Porter are long term survivors and recovering alcoholics whose affinity for creating art emerged as a therapeutic element in their lives. “I came really close to death at one time,” Porter explains. “They gave me about six months to live, and I changed my whole idea o f life. The ego’s not quite as big a deal as it used to be.” Carrigan’s wood carvings take on more whimsical, cartoonish sensibilities, employ ing found objects and rusted metals, while Porter’s jewelry and wood carvings seek a sort o f reconciliation of religious accoutre ment and steam-punk aesthetic. Individu ally, the artists have shown their work at galleries like Cannibals, Guardinos, the Beet Gallery and beyond. Each, naturally, has his own muses, but it’s perhaps their mutual fondness of the other’s work that helps fuel not only their relationship, but their productivity. “I’m influenced by Tabor,” Carrigan says. “He really appreciates an object. H e’ll pick up an everyday object and say, ‘Look at this!’ You’ll look at it, and it becomes a special thing, because maybe he sees the Wabi-sabi in it. I love that. I try to put that into my pieces.” Carrigan’s daughter is expecting her first child July 4, and the next chapter o f being grandfathers has the two giddy. But it ap- OPEN LATE • P IZ Z A • BEER & WINE J - 6 2 4 E. BU RN SID E ^ 1 la m - 3am M-Th, ui 1 la m -4 a m Sa t-Su n FAC E B O O K / S IZ Z L E PIE HOT! SLICES 9 2 6 W. BU RN SID E Co m in g Soon! {/*
