REINVENTING ARTISTS AND ART IN TIGARD

Reinventing artists is one way of saying, “Wow.”

You read about photographers and writers, see their work, and buy something they made.

It’s different when you meet them in a setting outside a museum, gallery, or library.

They are real people, which is easy to forget when you hold their work.

Possession is one thing, history is another.

To actually see the sort of people who spend hour after hour making their work better is an affirmation.

But an affirmation of what?

Do they have the same reaction to ‘So What’ as you?

Not when they make the effort to get out in front of their audience, which is what happened at Tigard’s Art Weekend.

Picture Greater On The Ground

When a photographer brings enthusiasm to their work, when they bring exuberance, you can be sure it’s not a mistake.

Reinventing artists show how their work is an extension of their personalities, their experience, their answer to ‘So What.’

It jumps off the wall.

In the large mix of pop-up artists showing their work, Picture Greater stood out for a couple of reasons.

This is one:

This is the other:

You tell me how you don’t stop and take a good look around.

Charlie Sandbo is there to answer questions about his work.

I had a question that I kept to myself because I like doing the work for an answer.

During a recent stay in Hawaii I snorkeled for the first time in warm water.

For the first time I saw the incredible vitality of life below the sea surface and came away astounded, amazed, and making plans to do it again.

The variety of fish right in front of my face was shocking. The shock deepened with the possibility of losing all of the beauty to global warming and changing sea temperatures.

It was a view that needs to be shared to be appreciated.

It’s also the same feeling I had looking at Sandbo’s work. The intricate beauty of nature is a testament to evolution, and a warming that nothing is permanent.

You may want to start taking pictures for your personal archive, pictures that look like Sandbo’s, but it takes time.

Time is what reinventing artists is all about.

We see their work and everything stops.

In addition, Sandbo’s work also generated $100 for Bethlehem House of Bread, the local food bank.

A Writer In The House: Donald McEwing

In a gathering of pop-ups for textile artists, jewelry makers, along with beautiful flowers and vegetables, I found a writer.

With the Midshelf String Band playing Long Black Veil by Johnny Cash in the background I stopped to chat with Mr. McEwing between customers.

Me: How’s business?

McEwing: Better than I would have guessed. I had a great day in McMinnville yesterday and thought today would be slow. It isn’t.

Me: How did you come to write speculative fiction?

McEwing: I graduated from Northwestern with an English degree and taught high school after spending six years in the Air Force on B-52s.

Me: That ought to be enough to write speculative fiction. I was Army, a medic, after failing to make the Army wrestling team.

I hung around longer than normal just to catch the writer-vibe.

Another vendor stopped by to say hello. They’d met the day before in McMinnville.

Call it a community.

If you like the idea of reinventing artists, look for them outside the Ivory Tower.

Look for them at Tigard Art Weekend, or elsewhere in the region.

Will you find the writer-vibe, the photographer vibe, and a music vibe?

Yes you will, and a chance to dance.

Did you say you don’t know how to dance?

This is how you learn. Dance with books, with photographs. Dance with music.

What’s the secret to dancing like no one is looking?

Getting started. It’s also the secret to reinventing artists.

And reinventing yourself. Make your ‘So what’ so you.