Or, the saga of the murals (part 1.)
Well, it was a murally week. Sunday and Monday I spent large chunks of time creating my first "public mural": My friend Debbie (who had hired me to work on the exterior of her house) has this long side retaining wall at Failing and Haight (or as she says, Hailing and Fate.) She had been wanting a mural there, and I had talked already in a general sense about muraling, so we took a bunch of her leftover paints of all colors and spent Sunday and Monday afternoons, along with the brothers New (Chris and Alaska Bob) and Babs Adamski, creating and painting in a big explosion of color. I sketched it out in paint in one long shot and we went at the fill-in with a color-scheme we thought up as we went (but which has a logic and intent to it.) Anyway. It looks great. If I do say so myself.
And then Tuesday evening, it just so happened (although I didn't plan my mural to coincide with it) that the Portland Planning Commission was having a hearing on the Mayor's Proposal for Murals and public art. Which is a very long story, suffice it to say that it is almost impossible (under the current system) for artists to create legal publicly viewable painted murals in the city of Portland. Clear Channel has a lot to do with this. Research among yourselves. But along into this whole process and effort to make pulic muraling easier in Portland comes little old me. I went to an informational meeting on the Mayor's proposal last month and this tuesday I publicly testified, or at any rate gave a piece of my mind, to the assembled Portland Planning Commission. Because the Planning Commission is a body that sort of "signs off" on City proposals of a certain nature, including things that affect the visual space of the City, like the Sign Code, before sending them on to the City Council for final drafting and adoption. So anyway, are you still reading? 'Cause I ain't done yet.
What the the Mayor's Proposal does is take public art murals out from their absurd imprisonment within the strictures of the commercial sign code, and allows them to be created in all their glory and necessary size, but through a process of approval (one would hope perfunctory) by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC,) a regional committee that oversees, among other things, the selection and funding of public art commissions. They also had some dinky little grants to individual "artist-entrepeneurs" last year, but that's another story. So... the proposal, which will probably be passed, despite the vehement (and rudely delivered at the hearing) protests of Clear Channel Outdoor, is a definite improvement but also, to me, has some flaws. But whaddya gonna do. It's a big real world of give and take we live in. But I went to testify to the principle of artistic freedom. If you're so inclined (and still awake) here (in the extended entry) is the text of what I wrote and spoke at the hearing:
First of all I will say that I *do* believe the Mayor's Proposal is an improvement over the current situation, and my sense of realism tells me it is more or less a done deal.
So I really wish to just speak today on principles. I strongly believe that ideally, the creation of a mural should be something that is a simple transaction between artist and property owner. Not altogether ignoring community standards but not bogged down in an approval process either.
If in fact, as we all agree, or most of us, [and here a twitter of laughter because I was making an obvious reference to the officious Clear Channel lawyer who had preceded me], simple pictorial murals are not commercial signage, then requiring a bureaucratic approval and funding process through a culture council is superfluous and unnecessary. At least in Principle. And I'm standing here for the principle. And I think that most artists are basically libertarians when it comes to their art; we don't like dealing with bureaucracies, so i hope that the new process is built and implemented with the art itself in mind, to be as easy and open as conceivably possible for both artists and property owners, even if that means rubberstamping every mural proposal that comes along.
Because otherwise I believe that artists will continue to ignore the official channels (and even consider the mural review panel as nothing more than a censor board) and thus either not create murals at all or create so-called guerilla murlals, outside the bureaucratic process.
As an aside on that last point I would ask you to consider that there is a huge difference between a panel which selects one artist and piece from a competing array of artists, and a panel which exists to approve and fund *any* public mural *period.* In the latter case it is not a question of competition in artistic worth. And therefore if the panel does not does not approve every mural proposal that comes before it, it runs the risk of being a board of censors. I just offer this thought to you and the universe at large, even though as I said, I consider the Mayor's Proposal an improvement; and I hope that the Public Art Advisory Committee and the approval process really, truly, can foster and enhance the creation of *lots* of wonderful new public art in Portland.
[Anyway, that was that. I felt like I said basically what I wanted to. Clear Channel actually makes some similiar points (about the creation of what amounts to a censor board) but they do so only in the service of an interest in covering every square foot of Portland's exterior wall-space with commercial and advertising signage. Pretty much anyway.]
Awesome! Awesome Awesome Awesome! It was SO much fun. Omigod. I don't think I'll even bother with a description of all the highlights because it was like a continuous live-action highlight reel. The reffing was great fun,( people loved my gold lame (la-may) pants and home-made ref shirt), the teams were all superb, watching the sculptures come together was fascinating, the MC's (Bootsy Mylar and Bobby Sox) were stellar, the Sprockettes fantastic as always, March Forth Band a total hoot as always, my fellow refs Timo, Alicia (representing the Sprockettes), and Kathleen and Margaret (representing the Radical Cheerleaders) also stellar, the tschochke-girls alluring, the bartenders charming and tireless. Most of all it was great to see so many friends and acquaintances coming together (as, admittedly, we so often do in this town) to have a blast and do something worthwhile at the same time. Hey y'all: we ROCK! So many people to thank for making it happen. Claire D'Antoni as chief organizer-mind, Teri Peterson and Joanna Dyer the ROCK STARS for being the ultimate SCRAP uber-persons, Keri, Seanne, Kirsteen, Babs Adamski, Elizabeth, (sorry to those of you whose last names I don't know offhand), Jess Firestone, Bruce Orr, Carye Bye, Dan "White Trash Batman" guy, Timo of course, all the other board members who also volunteered a bunch of their time, Carol, Squid, Tuesday, Heather, Dave, all the others I don't know the names of, and hey... how about me? Can I brag for a sec? I selected and transported to SCRAP about 2/3 of all the scuplture materials (i.e. everything from the Rebuilding Center and Wacky Willy's, thank you both a ton!), attended three of the tschocke-making parties, picked up the recycling containers, and came up with this year's theme, "Flight." Actually I thought up several possibilities and Bootsy and Bobby (Joanna and Bob) selected from them in secret. The rest of my list was: "Monsters in America", "The Underground Emerges", and "Revelation." I liked "Revelation" best but Flight worked out fine.
Now I'm at work on my first ever "public" mural. It looks great. Collaboration with Debbie DeRose, Chris and Bob New, Babs, and others on the side of Debbie's long retaining wall at Failing and Haight. Check it out.
Almost too busy to sleep, except that I end up collapsing at about 1:30 AM. Last Sunday was Car-Free Day Street Fair, I helped set it up starting at 7:30 Am, later in the morning helped master Puppet maker Bruce Orr transport his puppet making supplies to the fair, then spent most of the afternoon making (under Bruce's tutelage) a super-cool bike puppet/monster with a chomping mouth. Also had the gleeful fun of prining handmade postcards on a little letter-press and a gocco printer, courtesy of Carye and Melissa and the IPRC. Later during take-down I rode with several others in Jeff Bernard's flatbed truck, standing up in back as we flew across the Fremont Bridge under the most dramatic skies I've ever seen in Portland.
The fair was organized and shepherded to success by Sara Stout. Great job Sara, you are a rock star!
Selected and picked up a load of Iron Artist materials at Wacky Willy's today. Gonna be a blast. Again, be there, Saturday 9/25 3:30 to 10:00 PM, Disjecta, 116 NE Russel. The weather is set for great. Didn't I promise it would be?
I have a showing of painted ceramics up at Madrona Hill Cafe, corner of N. Ainsworth and N. Greeley, open Thursday thru Sunday until 2:00 PM.
Need any housepainting done? I'm in that mode right now. I do pretty decent job of it. No job too small, free estimates.
I know its banal to talk about the weather, but this is the wettest and coldest September in the Northwest that I can ever recall. Septembers are usually fairly nice and summery around here, actually the best month for backpacking trips and such. But this year, well, they're talking about a 5,000 foot snow level right now. Which is fine if it helps the glaciers stay healthy. I hate the thought of climate change causing the glaciers and alpine zones of the Cascades and Rockies to disappear, which is what they say is happening. I'm a mountain geek. Not in the scaling mighty cliffs sense but in loving the mountains and the weather and the woods and ridges and all that. Being out in the real world. If you know me that's not news. I just need to reiterate it sometimes. Portland's a great town but the grid of pavement and structures is always alienating no matter how well designed or gussied up.
But I'm here for the people and all the fun stuff they do. Like Iron Artist. Next Saturday, September 25, 3:30 PM onward at Disjecta, 116 NE Russell. Surely you've heard about it by now but if not: a sculpt-off in which teams of artists will compete to make the best sculpture from a pre-selected (partially by me) pile of materials. Also music, beer, carnival games, sexy performing troupes, beer, and general glee and mayhem. It is a benefit for SCRAP (School and Community Reuse Action Project) and admission is 5 to 20 bucks sliding scale. So pony up and have a blast! I will be a competition referee. I will be ruthlessly impartial, though it may not seem that way to the teams I gleefully penalize or reward.
Cutting off Bigfoot's head was pretty gross but I knew I had to do it. I used my own buck-knife and a hacksaw from the garage. I took all the blue-ice packs from the freezer. We had one of those chest freezers; Dad stored venison in it when he was still motivated enough to hunt. He took me along most years, so I had actually learned all about cutting off animal heads from an early age.
Beheading Bigfoot was much weirder though because it didn't seem so much like an animal. The face was something between a gorilla and a human. As I cut I wondered if they had a language. I wondered all about where they must hide out, if they had families, if they mourned their dead, and if they might come looking for a lost loved one. I must have been in a sort of numbed state of shock up to that point because suddenly I was terrified. Bigfoot was real! Really, actually, totally real! Nocturnal prowling primate giant of the dark Cascadian jungle. Real, and beautiful, I now saw. Beautiful and sacred, probably gentle unless provoked by an outrage like the dismembering of a loved one.
I made one last hack and the head came free. Blood everywhere, stench of Sasquatch musk. Tears streamed down my face. Terror, love. I heaved the head into the ice-chest, picked up the chest and stumbled down the mountain. They tell me the tears saved my life. The tears and the love and regret they could feel in me.
Well it was an interesting weekend. Bookended by mind-blowing performances by one of the greatest singers on the planet. Diamanda Galas: how to describe her? She was in Portland as part of the festival of Time Based Art. She had two performances, friday and sunday nights, of completely different material. I went to both. Friday was "Defixiones: Will and Testament", an operatic lyric/vocal work about genocide and holocaust. Brilliant isn't strong enough a word for it. Sunday night was "La Serpenta Canta", a selection of songs from the American songbook: old R&B, country/western, and blues. There is no singer in the world quite like her. She sings with an operatic vibrato that goes from nearly sub-audible lows through full-throated baritone to piercing soprano. And she screams like no one else. Really good piano player too.
In between the Diamanda concerts I had a pleasant low-key weekend. Saturday night with a group of nice folks and a plate of pasta and dessert, watched "The Straight Story", David Lynch's touching G-rated depiction of the true story of an old coot who drives a riding mower 375 miles to see his ailing brother. Sunday I went on the "Pretty Dress Bike Ride" from Peninsula Park to Saint Johns. Not only were the dresses all very pretty, so was the route and the views (Thanks to Carye Bye for organizing it.) And they loved us at Pattie's variety store and soda fountain in Saint Johns.
Mark your calendars: Saturday September 25: Iron Artist. Russel Street at Disjecta. Be there.
The new Seattle Public Library. Even jaded old me was impressed. Was just in Seattle for a couple days, did several fun things. Walked the Discovery Park loop trail (an old standby in a park i used to volunteer pulling scotchbroom in. I love Discovery Park, former Army Base, now a mostly wild continual work in progress, not perfect, not Forest Park, but always plugging faithfully along towards an ideal.) Picked more blackberries for pie; went downtown and viewed the "Van Gogh to Mondrian" exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum; just because everyone else also loves Van Gogh doesn't mean I can't practically weep for joy at viewing his work too. Walked down to 3rd and Jackson and visited with my friend Sung, we went to the Asian superstore Uwajimaya and I picked up a bunch of colorful Asian candies and strange looking fruit sodas. Sung lives with members of the Infernal Noise Brigade, Seattle's awesome radical marching band, who instead of going to Burning Man this year traveled to New York to festively protest the Republicans. Heard colorful tales from bandmember Paul about being arrested and held en masse in a huge old warehouse with chemicals on the floor that gave everyone a rash. Apparently a class action lawsuit against the City of New York is pending.
Today before heading back to Portland I finally toured the new Seattle Public Library. Impressions as follows:
first look from outside: WOW!
Then upon entering the Fourth Avenue side (why do the doors look so closed even when open, and when the rest of the exterior is translucent glass?) a bit of initial disappointment in the lobby. Looks kind of small here, nice flooring off to the right though, and nice auditorium in the middle. Then up escalator to the 5th Avenue lobby. Ah, very expansive. Amazing exterior walls. Interesting seats: blocky soft plastic, like everything else very Euro-modern but at the same time reminds me of the 1970's. Lots of exposed concrete. Seems shabby at first in comparison with the sleek superstructure. Are there stairs besides this bright yellow escalator tube? Yes, there, a blood red stairwell. Leading to a floor painted entirely, floor, walls and ceiling, bright dark blood red. This floor is mostly hallways and meeting rooms. Never seen an interior like it before. Then up another flight, still wondering where most of the books are. Onto the escalator again, up thru glass walls where... the stacks at last! Several floors that slope from one to the next with more bookshelves than I've ever seen. Curiously cramped periodical reading area, then above it all an entire reading room floor, mostly empty of people but hundreds (maybe?) of seats at which to read. More great views out the glass walls. Lots of unexpected nooks and crannies. Everything, as I said, hyper euro-modern. But location signs hastily printed out and taped on the walls, like "oh, I guess people should know where things are." Presumably this will be fixed more permanently.
I have quibbles but all in all, I think it is an outstanding new library, maybe even world class. At any rate, nice to see my hometown get a public building done right (there have been many misses.)
I'm not at Burning Man this year, or maybe in a very far flung way I am. At any rate there is playa dust floating around the house because incredibly enough I just finished unpacking from last year. A milk crate filled with dust coated cans of food and other sundry items, a tube of sunscreen, a pair of gloves, etc.
I want to be in the forest right now. Maybe I'll bike over to Forest Park and take a walk.
Nothing big to report one way or the other. So how about a loose collection of minor events and observations? Yes, how exciting.
Stiiiillll waiting on the loan thing. I'm optimistic but have determined that the entire home loan industry is designed only to make money for individuals and institutions that already have it up to the ears, and does not, in its methods and structures, serve the actual interests of real people who no longer want to rent. Granted I will end up, ultimately, with my own little piece of something or other, but I'm annoyed and jaded by this whole process.
Hmm... y'know what? I don't feel like writing anything more. Just not in the mood. I've been that way lately. Sometimes I wonder how much of my moods to reveal in this blog thing. I'm a very private person all in all. And then too, being male or something predisposes me to not reveal what's really up inside, even to supposedly close friends, let alone a wide public forum. Of course there's an anonymous ease to this sort of writing, but even so, I am programmed to put the best face forward. Hey folks, its me! Upbeat! Engagingly observational! A real charmer! Old ladies love me! What more do you need to know? All that other dark and messy stuff... DOES NOT EXIST IN ME. I AM ALL SUNSHINE AND TWITTERING BLUEBIRDS! Got it?