Grunge City

Foulee Market watercolor on paper 2011

 Grunge City  
    Visions of South Seattle and beyond

Truck Repair
watercolor and gouache on paper
2010

Fortuna Cafe
watercolor and gouache on paper
2011

Beacon and Columbia
acrylic on wood
2011-2012

detail

Surplus Too
acrylic on wood
2012-2013

Hudson Warehouse
Acrylic on canvas
2011-2012

Vac Shop
acrylic on wood
2012-2013

Sun Mart
acrylic on paper
2010-2011

The Lodge
ink on paper
2011

beacon and columbia
ink on paper
2011

 On some occasions I like to only use sumi ink and water (left and right).  The ink allows for great tonal qualities that can evoke mood and feeling.  Watercolors on the other hand create washes and gradients of color, that blend to enliven an image.   Acrylic and oils give opacity, firmness and a rich texture.  I also like egg tempera.

Portland Warehouse
ink and watercolor on paper
2011

Last House in Chinatown
acrylic on wood
2012

Grunge City is a current  series of paintings based on interesting places in Portland and Seattle, particularly South of Jackson Street.  I began in 2011 to replicate images based on real places that captured my interest.The series is an extension of work previously made from 2007-2009 and are also perhaps an evolution from the viaduct series executed in 1998-2002.   This newer series of paintings reveal my growth as a painter, which has been an intermittent passion between kiln firings and sculpture.  I find a certain solace painting especially in the winter when the weather calls one indoors.   The clay often being too cold, and the outside being a little too wet makes one yearn for a sweater, a hot cup, and a warm bowl. With a paint brush in hand and plenty of patience, a picture will emerge that delights the senses. I look for interesting places and buildings with some wear.  These places reveal the fragility of time, and are a reflection of the now.  In the future, if these paintings survive, they may become a snapshot into our past.

Paintings in progress