ART WALK OF SE PORTLAND, AESTHETICS AND SWEAT

It’s The Art Walk Of Portland, Not Breaking And Entering.

Art As Beauty.

My art guru suggested a Saturday art walk.

I had a week to think about it, but said yes right away. Art and walk both sound like a good time.

Art Walk? Twice the fun.

Ceramics, paintings, and all inside houses you’d ordinarily walk past.

Gifts Of Joy.

On this day you get to stroll on in and look around.

Birthdays coming up? Visiting out of town? Take something with you.

This is the stuff of legend, things you won’t find anywhere else. One of a kind excitement in the most unusual places.

Whoever you give one of these art pieces to will know you care about them.

Is it better than a mall shopping experience? If you need to ask…

The Wonder Of The SE Gallery.

The art walk for the art was everything hoped for.

The walking part even more.

After seeing work from artists and craftsmen, we passed by Langlitz Leathers.

This is THE place for riders to find the gear of their dreams.

If you don’t ride a motorcycle, the jackets still carry charm.

ZZ Top got their leathers there according to legend.

Like all good Portland baby boomer bloggers, I expected more than art in a room from the city.

Portland delivers in architecture.

Bubble gum pink palace on the high side?

Artistic vision of the highest order.

Makes you want to knock on the door and ask to see more.

For all that is unique, a block of sister houses is too fun.

Not row houses with a common wall, but classic block houses with front porches and wide streets.

This isn’t your Grandpa’s SE Portland. It’s a statement of classic permanence.

Like soldiers standing at attention, these are homes that make you want to salute back when you pass.

Just when you start feeling everything is tidy and tucked in, you turn a corner and see this.

You could call it the local Adams Family dwelling. I call it a work in progress.

Not a product of add-on hell, it feels like an artist’s vision of the perfect house.

You’ll never get tired of looking at it and every piece of material you find has a place here.

What are the odds of finding a Grateful Dead record collection inside?

If you want community, SE has it.

Front porches do that.

Want to see more of your neighbors? You will.

The tunnel effect of porch and pillar demands a big wave and a hearty “how ya doin’.”

Do these houses have art inside? Bet on it.

When you organize your group for a SE Portland Art Walk, remember these three rules:

1. You’ll be going inside someone’s home. Mind your manners.

2. It’s not a museum tour. Some of the artists turn their places into galleries without rearranging the furniture.

Instead, they surround stuff with temporary walls for hanging paintings.

3. If someone says, “We only have to last until three, then it’s happy hour” don’t wait until 2 pm to start.

Even if art isn’t your thing, you’ll still find something you’ve never felt before.

So relax. Put one foot in front of the other and go where they lead you.

Next Up: 2015 Old House Revival Tour.

From ahc.org:

With the ongoing struggle over old house demolitions, it has never been more important for us to demonstrate, to even the most skeptical, that older homes can be adapted to a 21st century lifestyle while  remaining true to original architectural style, historic character and charm.

Check it out and save the date.