By Living Room Realty, September 29, 2023
Hello again! I am going to use this space over the next few weeks to highlight some of my favorite things from the last couple of months in the Portland art world. Portland was really showing off this summer with some really great shows from a variety of artists working in different mediums. While, I am no way an art critic…I am very much an art lover. In college, I minored in Art History knowing that was probably a safer option for my future but it has always held a very special place in my life. When I moved to Portland 15 years ago, one of the biggest reasons I chose to live here was because of how vibrant the culture was here. Portland is rich with art in so many forms and the evolution I have seen in my time here is inspiring.
Since I plan on writing a series of blogs over the next couple of months, I want to start with some of the shows that I had the pleasure of seeing at the local gallery, Chefas Projects. The owner of the gallery, Stephanie Chefas, has done an incredible job curating shows highlighting many local artists and others from around the country as well. Her commitment to showcasing local artists is truly important. With her very impressive background, she has nurtured so much talent from Portland. There were 2 artists that showed there this summer who left a pretty lasting impact on me.
The first show back in July was for Dan Lam (@sopopomo on IG). It was pure magic! It’s almost hard to explain. Her sculptures like melting candy and you just want to reach out and touch them but of course you can’t. I could have spent the whole afternoon there being completely mesmerized by it all! The colors are incredibly vibrant and the texture is so interesting. While, I have never seen her work before it sounds like this show was a bit of an evolution from past work. I am now a huge fan and hope to add her work to my collection at some point.
The second show was by John Vitale (@John.vitale.art on IG). To say that I love John’s work is probably an understatement. I have been a huge fan for a long time and last winter I decided it was time to make one of his pieces my own. John is the founder and the creative force behind The Killing Floor, a local skateboard company. John shows frequently as Nationale here in Portland and Chefas Projects. I will talk more about Nationale in my next blog. When you look at John’s work, you can’t help but get completely entranced. So much texture, depth, and strong use of color. His latest show did not disappoint. John recently moved to New York and while we will miss him here in Portland, I really can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. Here are a couple of pics from the show at Chefas Project and a photo of me proudly hanging out with my piece that I purchased at Nationale last winter.
