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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1982)
Portland Observer, M ay 6, 1982 Section II Page 5 Diciple has purpose in his painting H IH I by Nathaniel Scott It has been said that, "Th e gift of beauty lies in the eyes o f the behold e r," that "things come to those who w a it,” that "to m o rro w is a dream that leads me onward,” and equally so, that " I ’ve been to the mountain top and seen the promised land." Johnny D iciple— painter, artist, sculptor, singer, traveler and East Coast native— paraphrased those sayings while telling about some o f his 100 paintings— paintings which represent the struggle o f one indivi dual’s search for "purpose.” " I know that I have a purpose—a purpose in life ," he said. " A r t is a part o f it.” D ic ip le ’s "p ic tu re s ,” as he calls them, are "stories” with easily iden tifia b le names. And usually the closer you get to my paintings, he said, "Th e more you see.” Indeed! A t the Coffee M an (811 N .W . 21st Avenue), where five o f his paintings w ill be on display through May 10th, one can trace his search for ’ ’ purpose” through "L e a vin g M e d fo rd ,” " T h e A u to bahn,” and "Free A t Last. Free At Last,” and come away with wonder ment about what this man's purpose might be. There are five paintings adorning the wall by the telephone, clustered in haphazard fashion, and through Artist Johnny Diciple and friand. his interpretation o f "Free At Last, Free A t Last," one gets a glimpse of the “ purpose." way to an understanding o f his "Free A t Last, Free At Last," he quest for "purpose." said, "is my clothes flying in the air. D iciple said his only form al art All o f my possessions.” When all o f training was in high school, “ when I your possession are taken away, he first started doing oils. A ll o f my added, "you are totally free.” paintings are basically o f real things Free to venture to A u N atu rel but, sort o f abstract. The ’stories’ (215 S.W . 6th Avenue), where more come out o f me in a lot o f different o f Johnny Diciple's pictures adorn ways. In a lot o f ways they are me the walls. because they represent the subcon Again the titles are easily identifi scious.” able: the “ Ides o f M arch ," (a water D ic ip le said there are a lot o f color o f John L e n n o n ), " S o m e things in the w orld that are going where Over The R a in b o w ,” and wrong and that he would like to re " O n A Clear Day (you can see for write some o f those things. But, he ever).” But the mood changes and hastily added, " N o w is not the the veil o f uncertainty begins to give tim e.” And (he artistic nature began r-. ! to unfold as the painter,the artist, the sculptor, the singer and the trav eler began to weave the color o f blackness into his scheme o f things. H is " p ic tu r e s ,” i f not his " p u r pose,” began to take fo rm and shape. " B la c k is d efin itely a part o f it (my paintings) because I am black,” he said. "Y o u have to go out (o f the black world) and embrace and then, let the blackness come o u t.” T o emphasize his p o in t, he touched upon a mural he did for the Everett Street Service Center which deals w ith alcoholics and people with problems. " I t shows that there CELEBRATE^ are lots o f other worlds out there and all you have to do is break o u t.” Diciple’s "breakout” is a mixture o f give and take. A mixtuire where by "blacks take from and bring to the neighborhood” experiences o f the world. And equally so, they do not feel "a lie n a te d or iso lated ” when they venture from the "neigh borhood.” " I would like to take kids out o f the neighborhood and travel to the Renaissance F a ir in Eugene, the Bumper Shute in Seattle, the Satur day M ark et and other such places and expose them to the outside," he said. " I think in the neighborhood there is a lot o f fear o f the outside.” A ccording to D ic ip le , a lot o f people are hung up on stage one: Blackness. " I am black. You know I am black. So why do I have to keep saying it? Let’s get on with the busi ness. There is so much talent in the neighborhood that no one is getting to see until it’s a shame.” D icip le presented a couple o f works to the M e tro p o lita n A rts Commission in hopes o f obtaining a grant to do some things with "kids in the neighborhood.” Thus far, he has been "turned down.” Neverthe less, “ I ’ve taught art in pre-schools, summer program s and other ventures. I try to teach the kids that everything around us is art. And if you let you rself be open to the world, the world will definitely give you a reward.” Johnny D ic ip le — the m an, the artist— doesn’t like to sell his “ pic tures” and always feels as though a piece o f him has been lost whenever a transaction is made. Though his quest for "purpose” lim its him to "eight paintings a year,” the show ing at A u N a tu re l through the month o f M ay, which will present at least 20 o f his paintings, should give fu rth e r insight in to the m a n ’ s “ purpose,” a “ purpose that taxes the imagination as one tries to tell whether "O n A Clear Day (you can see fo re v e r),” is a p aintin g or a photograph. W H «er W/477 Diamond wedding rings from Stevens & Son. A very special way to celebrate very special commitment. JbiwJk Proftittona! Approval Sennet No Im ereti • No Down Payment 10 Monthly Payment t L loyd Center 194-2101 Jam ten Beach 693-4926 S a le m 364 2224 HAROLD WILLIAMS - knows our community A wise man does not wait until election time to become familiar with the needs of our community. W e endorse a man that is known and respected by dedicated men and women throughout Christian, civil and political arenas. H a ro ld W illiam s. Thomas R. Vickers, Chm. Portland Phytaxis Chapter Thomas J. 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