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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2015)
GRAB BAG book shelf • glimpse • wildlife • pop culture • words • q&a • food • fun Photo by Dani Palmer Eric Jensen stands beneath one of his creations, the halibut, in Morris’ Fireside Restaurant. Five Minutes With ... ERIC JENSEN By Dani Palmer EO Media Group Portland artist Eric Jensen’s work can be found hanging in Morris’ Fireside Restaurant in Cannon Beach. Much of it is wood-based and all done by hand, but Jensen is experienced in a variety of mediums. He studied sculpture under a master in Bali and taught sculpture himself at Portland Community College. He’s also taught art to at-risk youth. He’s done work for a wide range of clients, including a stone piece for the Chinook Indian Nation and a wood carving for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. And he’s available for requests. Jensen works from a studio in his houseboat, but those interested in seeing his art can take a gander and find his contact information at ericjensenart.com Tell me a little bit about your background. How’d you get started with art? I was always interested in art. I was very ill when I was small and so my father en- couraged me to draw. It just kind of grew over the years. What sort of art do you do? I’m all over the place. I did the halibut in Morris’ Fireside Restaurant. I work in various media. Wood, ceramic, synthetics. Anything and everything. When did you get in- volved with Morris’ Fireside Restaurant in Cannon Beach? I think it was 2001. I had made the crab on the other side of the chimney here, and I had it in the back of my van. I stopped by and spoke with Mr. Morris, and he bought it right out of the van. I’ve done four things for him. He’s great to work with. How many pieces would you say you’ve made over the years? Oh golly. There’s probably 44 images here in my port- folio, and this is maybe half of them. Are there any particular themes you enjoy working with? Not specifically. Al- though I get a lot of orders for animals, especially pets. I did a series of dogs hanging out of car windows in ceramic, and people just loved it. Some were portraits of their dogs, and some were just your basic German shepherd or weeny dog or whatever. I like ab- stract; I like figurative. I’ve always tried to diversify. I’ve mixed media. I did a sign with three different woods for a hair salon in Eugene. The hair was red cedar because the model was a redhead — the wife of the owner of the salon. And like many redheads, her skin was fair, so I made the face out of ash. I work in a lot of media, though, not just wood. What sort of clients have you had? It sounds like you’ve had everyday people for the pet projects and groups like the tribe for others. I’ve done work with both the Chinook Tribe and the Warm Springs Indian Reser- vation. I’ve done museum work. My artwork usually gets around by word of mouth. These days, I’m trying to appeal to architects. COLUMBIA BAR Painkiller By RYAN HUME Located in the old Eagles’ lodge on Commercial Street in Astoria, the Port of Call Bistro & Bar continues to expand its reach. With a revamped and expanded menu, the Port is now also offering food delivery. Though you will still have to come in for the booze, pool and karaoke, not to men- tion the North Coast’s only monthly poetry open mic, where you can kick back a shot of Fireball between stan- zas. One of the joint’s signature drinks is the island-inspired Painkiller, where you control the pour of the rum based on your self-diagnosed pain assessment. For example, a five on the pain chart will be nursed with a 2-ounce pour at seven dollars. And while the nutmeg itself offers its own numbing properties, it’s really the heavy dose of barrel-aged rum that will make you forget about all that holiday shopping. Ingredients: 1.5, 2, or 2.5 ounces of Pusser’s rum, or any similar Navy or dark rum, depending on your level of “pain” 1 part cream de coconut 1 part orange juice (pref- erably fresh-squeezed) 4 parts pineapple juice Ice Freshly grated nutmeg Directions: Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker until frothy. Pour into a pint glass, ice and all, then top with the nutmeg. —Recipe and story courte- sy of Stacy Lane, Port of Call Bistro & Bar, Astoria Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian A wooden sign outside of Albatross welcomes visitors inside on a rainy night. A G LIMPSE I NSIDE An occasional feature by MATT LOVE Albatross & Co. It was a dark and stormy night. A shot rang out — actually, a call for a shot rang out: a double shot of Black Velvet Canadi- an whisky. It was a Black Velvet Friday night in Astoria. Rain had taken over and ripped through our hearts and minds. I relished the feeling. It’s why I live here. It’s why some people can’t hack it. I had just completed teaching a writing workshop at the Fort George Brewery and walked down 14th Street with my associates. Destination: Albatross & Co., a bar. Inside, it took me all of five seconds to realize I couldn’t slake my thirst for Black Velvet in Albatross. This was not a Black Velvet kind of joint, nor ever would be until the end of whisky time. Instead, I ordered up some Burnside Bourbon on the rocks for myself and the associates. Burnside Bourbon, named after a mediocre Civil War general, a product of Eastside Distilling, dis- tilled in Portland. Yes, Portland distills whiskey. It’s a world gone mad for sure, but sometimes you must roll with it, particularly with Bourbon. I looked around the Albatross while I waited for someone to notice me wanting to order: the appointment staggered me: bricks, wood, and more wood, old wood. This is the most opu- lent rustic drinking hole in Astoria and all of the Oregon Coast. It almost feels like a movie set. I almost felt like a movie star in there. My drinks materialized. The pour was reminiscent of Burn- side’s generalship. That’s okay. This was a nightcap anyway. It’s not 1919 anymore in Astoria. I left the bar after 20 minutes of good talk with friends and a pretty decent whiskey. Outside, on the street, it occurred to me: Albatross is located next to Gimre’s Shoes, founded in 1892, the oldest family-owned shoe store in the Western United States. Talk about juxtaposition and the story of modern Astoria! I could buy a new pair of Hush Puppies from a real shoe sales- man and then walk 10 feet and order a boutique $11 Bourbon. I just might do that next time. Matt Love lives in Astoria and teaches at Astoria High School. He is the author/editor of 14 books about Oregon. They are available at coastal bookstores and through www.nestuccaspitpress.com December 17, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 21