Tuesday, November 30, 2010

This week at Downtown Artistry

We are in full swing now that it is December, it finally feels like the Holidays are upon us. And we sure are doing it up right!

This Thursday 12/2/2010 5-7pm will be the first of the Artists Demonstration Days, come take advantage of free parking in the smart park parking lot if you park between 4-6.  Watch Brian Fiore-Silfvast as he creates one of a kind work while you shop.  Looking at the image above it is hard to believe that this work is made out of Coffee, a PDX staple.  I know I am excited to see the process

Saturday 12/4/2010 grab the kids and head on down to The Greasy Kid Stuff Dance Party 3-5pm!!!!!!!
With the musical stylings of Belinda and Hova and sometimes the fabulous Georgia.
This is the type of music we all can enjoy old and young, crazy and crazier.  Belinda and Hova started the Greasy Kid Stuff Radio show in New York 15 years and go and by the luck of the gods have moved to Portland, yippee!  So come bring the whole family, and lets boogie!

As always we will have a kid craft table set up and a holiday photo area too!

Pop-Up Shop write up in The Portland Tribune

Portland Tribune Article about the Pop-Up Shops

Pop-Up Shops Map

If you are heading to downtown you should stop by and check out all the fabulous Pop-Up Shops, and here is the map that will get you there.  Pdx Pop-Up Shops Map

Saturday, November 27, 2010

{Alex Rauch} Art Insatllation


Barrière donnée  1 : Halo de Pores  2 : Synecdoche Mal Placé (Porte)
Barrier Given - 1: Pores Halo - 2: Misplaced Synecdoche (Door)


A barrier of some kind is given in all situations - fences, Campbell's Soup® cans, skin, ozone, puberty ect.  Barriers hold and limit space.  They are things composed of smaller elements e.g. bricks, cells, planks.  These given elements congeal into collections of grids or masses. 

With out closing doors to other interpretations – this cardboard wall functions to signify psychological and communicative break between people.  Once inside the store’s door this barrier’s door is open and when you enter the space you are inside me or yourself. 


Cardboard boxes are a symbol of transporting goods.  During the holidays they are specifically a signifier of gifts.  Boxes (often) equal gifts.  But all these boxes in this show have already been open and emptied.  This air gives the wall a literal lightness and an implication of feeling hollow.  They have transported our gifts.  The box wall is now a corrugated vessel consuming space – now a readymade re-gifting just for you (plural).

In Freudian terms the wall is the part of the Id that has resulted from influencing societal systems and the Ego is the organized part - convergences between semiotics and phenomenology. The Super-ego is playing both critically and morally.  Freud's barrier should also be thought of as protecting specific ego functions.   

There are sixteen different lights one in each of the sixteen boxes that create the Halo. I was raised Catholic.  I find dogma to be holyer than me.

Barrière donnée is an improvisational homage to Marcel Duchamp’s.  Below is Duchamp’s Chocolate Grinder shape is echoed in the halo.  And the back door with viewing hole is replicating the voyeuristic act of peeping but only leaving you with a tube or tunnel.  At least there is light at the end of it when the show is on.  As a bonus the daunting saw is there implying a slow and serrated bisection for the curious and patient viewer.

Good luck.

Alex Rauch





It has been really amazing watching Alex make art out of well... a pile of garbage. Barrier Given as I like to call it is ironic and deep at the same time.  If you haven't had a chance to sit and spend time with this amazing installation, you should.  The environment that it creates is like the ones in our childhood, those little places that were just ours, under the stairs, the tree fort, or in some cases the closet.  At the same time it represents our society, and the overwhelming need to consume, and where that will leave us.
It is not just a pile of boxes. Well done Alex, Thank you

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Downtown Artistry: take the "Blah" out of Black Friday

Downtown Artistry:  Taking the “Blah” out of Black Friday
Downtown Artistry
940 SW Morrison St
Thurs-Sat 10-7
Sun 12-5

We will be closed on Thanksgiving
Don’t let Black Friday be all about Big Box stores, unhappy children and gifts made abroad.  Come to Downtown Artistry, we will take the “blah” out of Black Friday.  You can plan ahead by looking at our Holiday Gift Guide, listed below.
We will have a kid craft area set up, so your kids can be entertained will you shop and relax, after all, you have been up since 4am and have bruises from all the angry elbows, you deserve to relax.  
Not only do we have local artful gifts, but letterpress wrapping paper and a variety of cards to complete all your holiday shopping, while reducing your carbon footprint.  
If you haven’t had time to get your photos done for the family newsletter yet, now is your chance.  We will have a photographer on hand to take those fun family photos, so wear you Christmas sweater, Santa hats, and your best toothy grin.

Gifts for dad and granddad

Encaustic tiles by Kelly Williams

Mixed media cityscape by Julia Gardner

70's inspired yearbook portraits

Yo-yo man by Anna Magruder

Cityscape framed prints

By Brin Levinson

Bike jewelry
Northwest photography

Gifts for your mom or grandma

Encaustic panels

Mixed media cherry blossom paintings

60's 70's yearbook inspired paintings

By Anna Magruder

Bronze bike charm bracelets

Frames decorated with vintage jewelry

Bird and resin mixed media necklaces

Urban jewelry with precious stones

Bird inspired earnings and necklaces

Kid gift ideas

Paintings and prints by childrens book illustrator Lisa Mundroff



Amazing stuffed "animals" by Art from the Heart

Super hero plaque by Anna Magruder

That perfect something for your BFF

Original encaustic panels
Mixed media resin bird painting

Cute


Awesome Earings by Loren Nosan

Multi color bike chain bracelets

By Velo Gioielli

Amazing glass
 Notebooks by Art from the Heart

Hand-painted plaques by Anna Magruder

Original prints by Jenn Feeney

Random gifts for that random person

The perfect gifts for the black thumb of the family
This adorable succulent is made of felt and can out live the deadliest of gardeners


And for the vegans and vegaterians on your list these wall mounted horns are hand-made with man-made materials.  By Nancy Ocegueda

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Fetaured Artist of the day: Anna Magruder





Anna Magruder,
an amazing up and coming Portland artist, with a flare for surreal portraiture art. "It is almost like Anna is painting the personality not the person". We have a few small original paintings, adorable little plaques, and a great selection of her reasonably priced prints. These make great gifts for everyone. My personal favorite is 1970's years book photo Anna's inspiration came from a collection of year books from the 60's and 70's this painting is unique because of it's texture. Anna painted small individual canvases with single portraits then sewed them together for a quilt like look. Each portrait is unique and the overall effect is gorgeous. Come to Downtown Artistry and get a chance to meet Anna Magruder's characters in person.

Friday, November 19, 2010

We love our neighbors!!!

The lovely people over at Bush Garden Japanese Restaurant http://www.bush-garden.com/ are so sweet, they brought us lunch on opening day, and Peterson's next door put up a great write up of the shop on their website http://petersonsportland.com/2010/11/14/downtown-artistry/ and the folks at Brooks Brothers are very supportive! Thanks everyone.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Grand Opening Today!



Grand Opening 12-5

With Live Jazz by Gentle Rain 2-5
Stop by and say hello
940 SW Morrison
See you then.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Downtown Artistry Opening Today!!!





Yesterday we had a press conference with Mayor Sam Adams. Channel 8 did a little clip about it News Clip

The the shop is open!
The hours are
Thurs-Sat 10-7
Sun 12-5

Nov 13th Open House 12-5 with Jazz Pop Trio, Gentle Rain playing 2-5, and refreshments
Dec 2nd Art Demo: Encaustic 5-7
Dec 4th Greasy Kids Stuff Dance Party 3-5
Dec 9th Art Demo: Prints 5-7
Dec 16th Art Demo 5-7
Dec 23rd Holiday Party with music by Autonomics 5-7
Dec 30th Farewell Party 5-7

Installation by:
Alex Rauch
Barrier Given

Mural by:
Krista Eddy

Window Display by:
Nancy Ocegueda

Jewelery by:
Loren Nosan
Julia Gardner
Brian Echerer

Photography by:
Andrew Ferguson
Justin Dupre

Paintings by:
Anna Magruder
Lisa Mundroff
Brin Levinson
Annie Meyers
Shawn Demarest

Prints by:
Jen Feeney
Nancy Prior
Micheal Kelley

Pottery by:
Melanie Gage

Encaustics by:
Kelly Williams

Frames by:
Jen Bodendorfer

And Gifts by:
Art From The Heart Artists

I want this to be a interactive art community meeting place, so come bring your easel, knitting needs and friends.

While you are downtown check out the other Pop up shops
Crafty Wonder802 SW 10th Ave
Flurry 750 SW Yamhill
we all have fun Holiday events planned so check out the link below and plan your holidays
http://www.travelportland.com/calendar_of_events/

SmartPark is even getting into the action:
Holidate with downtown
Free parking when you enter an SmartPark garage between 4-6pm on Thursdays in December