Craftsmen know their work, the ins and outs, the customs and traditions; they know the lay of the land. The good news is you can tell a good craftsman by their work. As a young history worker I inventoried a donation of hand tools used to build the wooden ships of old. The toolbox was […]
WHITE LOTUS BEACH CAMP: LIFE IMITATES ART
February 17, 2025 by
My wife and I found White Lotus this week, which is about right for us. This time we’re only five years behind. The family scenes make me laugh, not so much her, but one struck me hard: The kid sleeps on the beach at low tide in the first season. What was so funny? The […]
FINE WHINE FROM CHEKHOV’S DOG
December 22, 2024 by
“Why are we worn out? “Why do we, who start out so passionate, brave, noble, believing, become totally bankrupt by the age of thirty or thirty-five? “Why is it that one is extinguished by consumption, another puts a bullet in his head, a third seeks oblivion in vodka, cards, a fourth, in order to stifle […]
PORTLAND PARK BLOCKS IN DECEMBER WITH DOG
December 12, 2024 by
The Portland Park Blocks, the south side, deserves a good look this time of year. Call it a learning moment, my dog did. Who’s a good girl. We started at Portland State University to see what the youths were up to.
OREGON ART PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES
October 31, 2023 by
Art people live in every state, every country. This map shows state size based on population. Oregon looks pretty small compared to New Jersey. What follows are Oregon art people.
YOUR LAND, MY LAND, OUR LAND
August 3, 2023 by
Your land is more than the surface under your feet. Go ahead and put ‘No Trespassing’ signs everywhere on a plot of dirt, but it’s still not enough. Why? Because it’s not your land, or my land, but our land. Here’s how I figured it out:
REINVENTING ARTISTS AND ART IN TIGARD
May 22, 2023 by
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.
RIGHT TIME? YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU MISS IT
April 27, 2022 by
“The right time is when the time is right.” It’s that simple. And it goes by in a blink. After that the timing is all wrong. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a better feel for the clock?
GIFT GIVING? HOLD MY BEER SIGN
January 4, 2022 by
Gift giving is such a mixed bag of emotions. From the funny: “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, this is just what I wanted.” To the sad: “I didn’t know what to give you, so…” For reference, no one wants a beer sign after college, at least that’s the common adult thing. Beer sign […]
INTERIOR DESIGN: THE ART OF THE VERSAILLES WINDOW SILL
December 19, 2021 by
Interior design claims to have six modern styles. Six? I’ve got more than six styles in my garage before going in the house. But stepping through that door starts the real interior design challenge. Where to start? Since I live in a house with windows there’s only one question, and it’s not who didn’t washed […]
