Seattle, WA to Baker City, OR

DRIVE FROM SEATTLE, WA to BAKER CITY, OR

We departed Seattle with clear skies and dense, cumulus clouds marking our path across Washington State and into Oregon.  The drive was surreal with snow capped mountains, sunlit valleys, glimmering waterways, and colorful patchwork fields. We landed for the night in the historic mining town of Baker City, Oregon, once the largest city between Salt Lake and Portland.  The small downtown still emulates its historic past in its old stone buildings.  To our surprise, we passed a museum and art center as we entered the town, the latter in what was once a Carnegie Library built in the early 1900s.  Tomorrow, we continue our drive over the surrounding mountain range to Sun Valley, Idaho.  Until then we leave you with the magnificent drive of the day.

Around & About Seattle

AROUND & ABOUT SEATTLE

Mt. Ranier

The morning brought a beautiful vista of snowcapped mountains surrounding Seattle on the east.  In the far distant, we could see the infamous Mt. Ranier holding court over the skyline.  It was a gift to see such beauty on our last day in Seattle. With the rain at bay, A. Paul & I headed out to explore the more distant neighborhoods of Seattle.  Our first drive was to Fremont across the Aurora Bridge.



Fremont Troll under the Aurora Bridge

The Fremont district, self-declared as the "center of the universe", is one of Seattle's most eclectic neighborhoods. Up to  1891 when it was annexed to Seattle, Fremont operated as an independent city, which today continues to exert its own identity. The district  is often called the "Artists Republic of Fremont" as it hosts numerous public art such as its iconic troll crouched beneath the Aurora Bridge and a controversial statue of Lenin in the heart of its downtown, salvaged in Slovokia by a local resident teaching at the time of the fall of the communist goverment.   The Fremont Arts Council hosts several events through the year such as the Summer Solstice Parade and the Troll-a-ween when the Fremont troll mascot is dressed up for the occasion.

We continued our travel eastward to Bellevue, WA, one of the fastest growing cities in Washington.  The highway bridge we crossed to Bellevue provided a magnificent view of a monochromatic sky over the water; it was simply stunning.  

downtown Bellevue

We pulled into Bellevue just in time to catch a bite to eat in downtown and enjoy Bellevues contemporary highrises. Centrally located in Bellevue, is the Bellevue Arts Museum,  www.bellevuearts.org/, emphasizing the arts of Northwest regional artists.  Established in 1975, the BAM collections and events continue to expand in its newly built location (2000) in downtown Bellevue.

Frye Art Museum

Back in the car, we headed southeast of Seattle downtown to visit the Frye Art Museum.  The museum is based on the collection of  German/Iowan descendants Charles & Emma Frye.  The Fryes founding collection, the only collection viewable during our visit today, consists mostly of 19th-20thc European paintings.  The collection is a somewhat young collection with a strong emphasis on rural, figurative & portrait works.  http://www.fryemuseum.org/

After viewing the works at the Frye, A. Paul and I continued southwest towards West Seattle and Alki Beach, a peninsula jutting out in the Puget Sound.  Along the way, we passed the ports of Seattle, taking in all the activities and manmade structures of the port.  Once at Alki, we were greeted by a cormorant posing for us atop a pylon, illuminated against a backdrop of the Seattle skyline.

We headed back to prepare for our night out at Dimitrou's Jazz Alley, where we had a delicious dinner accompanied by the sounds of the McCoy Tyner Jazz Quintet.
The McCoy Tyner Jazz Quintet featured McCoy Tyner (piano) Bill Frisell (guitar), Gary Bartz (saxophone), John Patitucci (bass), and Herlin Riley (drums).  It was a wonderful way to say farwell  to Seattle.

Tomorrow, we head out to Sun Valley, Idaho making an overnight stop along the way.  We expect to be in Idaho by Sunday, barring any weather delays.  Until then we hope you enjoy the images of the day.

Seattle: SAM, Pike Place, & Pioneer Square

DAY in SEATTLE

Pike Place Market

City Fish Market

Seattle is a walking city and every corner and neighbor-hood has
something to offer its visitors.  Whether it be a museum, gallery, or marketplace, Seattle is simply an artsy place.  Walk into Pike Place Market and colors are bountiful.  Each row of fruit and vegetables have been placed just so to lure passerbyers.  Fish are expertly  tossed and juxtaposed on ice; musicians serenade the crowds as they pass through the space.  Cross the street from Pike Place and one has an array of ethnic food stalls from which to choose a tasty good to accompany a cup of coffee from the original Starbucks.    Once the senses are stimulated and stomach is satisfied, stroll a block south to SAM, Seattle Art Museum,  for more visual delights.

SAM, a 150,000 square foot contemporary facility on the west side of Seattle, opened in late 1991 as part of the downtown revitalization.  The realization of the museum is directly associated with the initial vision and art collection donation of Dr. Richard Fuller who created Seattle's first museum in Volunteer Park, which today is Seattle's Asian Art Museum.  A purchased ticket provides entrance to both SAM  and the Asian Art Museum.   In a recent effort to continue  preserving  and enhancing the arts in the community,  SAM partnered with  the land conservation organization and opened, in 2007,  Seattle's Olypmic Sculpture Garden which is freely opened to all who visit it.
On the first Thursday of each month, Seattle's art venues,  including the SAM, are free to the public in celebration of the First Thursday Art Walk. http://www.firstthursdayseattle.com/   Given today is the first Thursday,  A. Paul & I took full advantage  of the free day  of art, starting at the SAM.

As soon as we entered the museum, we were captured by the installation of several laser-riddened cars hanging from the ceiling.  An escalator ride up to the third level and we were immersed in several galleries of modern & contemporary arts, as well as an extensive collection of Native Art of the Americas.  The fourth level, again accessed by an escalator, brought us to African,  European & special exhibits.  Though the European collections were small they were diverse and offered support of most of the major early art movements. The African arts collections were impressive as were the special exhibits.  Images of several pieces of the SAM collections are shown in the slideshow below  http://seattleartmuseum.org/

L-R: Kerry, Amanda & Marge

On our way out, we had the great pleasure of meeting 91 year old Marge Weismsman, who was a docent at Fuller's original museum and has lived in Seattle all her life and Amanda Theel, a student of Seattle Pacific University who is studying art history.   Both were gracious and enthusiastic about the arts and our trip to their city and museum. Thank you to both of you; we very much enjoyed meeting you.  

A few blocks south of SAM and we were in the heart of Pioneer Square, historic downtown Seattle.

Pioneer Square

http://www.pioneersquare.org/    It is here where many of Seattle's galleries and art studios were preparing for First Thursday Art Walk.   For those who have never visited Seattle,  Pioneer Square was Seattle's city center which burned down in the Great Fire of 1889.  The buildings seen today were erected soon after the fire and built upon the ruins of the old city leaving a maze of subterranean passages and shops below ground level.  Here one can find art studios, galleries, bookshops and the likes. 

After visiting several of the galleries on the street level, we headed underground to see what was brewing in the underground art venues.  Unfortunately, where we were, there was an issue of flood water in the shops so most of the studios & galleries were closed to us.  However, the experience of walking the mazes were undeniably intriguing.

Artist at Glasshouse Studio

Back on the street level, we dropped into the Glasshouse Studio and watched the glassblowers at work.  Sadly, we noticed several empty storefronts and one gallery owner confirmed that many of the existing galleries in the area were holding on by a thread.  As we departed Pioneer Square, the rain came down with a fury so we made our way back to the hotel via several shops to wait it out.  The rain subsided just long enough for us to grab a bite for dinner at the Palace Restaurant and take in the lights of the night sky.

Tomorrow, we head to Fremont District  and hopefully to Bellevue, east of Seattle, to check out the art scenes.  In the evening we plan to take in a bit of Seattle's performing arts at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley  http://www.jazzalley.com/  before leaving Seattle on Saturday morning for a two day drive to Sun Valley, Idaho. 

DAY IN SEATTLE



Portland to Seattle

DRIVE TO SEATTLE FROM PORTLAND VIA OLYMPIA



Portland



leaving Portland



entering Washington



A. Paul & I set out today for Seattle.  We knew that there was a storm slamming the northwest coast so we opted to head directly up Highway 5 via Olympia to our destination.   As we set out, the rain was already falling in Portland,  still we took a last spin around the city before heading out. 

The rain stayed with us most of the drive giving us a few glorious respites with teasers of blue sky once we passed over the interstate bridge spanning the Columbia River.  An occasional cascading waterfall added to the vistas along the highway.

Just outside of Olympia, the rain came full strength accompanied by hail then cleared just long enough for us to stop for lunch and make a quick tour of the state capitol square. 

State Capitol Olympia, WA



Seattle Skyline



As we rolled into Seattle, the skyscapers illuminated the skyline against a clear sky.  Once we settled in, A. Paul & I took a stroll down to the waterfront, enjoying the lights of the city.  Tomorrow, we head out to Pikes Market and explore the galleries in historic Pioneer Square.

Portland Art Museum & the Pearl District

ART IN PORTLAND



"Autumn" Gustave Courbet

 Though there are several museums throughout Portland, the Portland Art Museum, founded in 1842,  is the oldest in the Pacific Northwest and offers an extensive collection to its visitors.  The museum's 42,000 objects, 90% being part of the museum's permanent collection, are housed in two connected multi-storied buildings that comprise over 100,000 feet of exhibit space; one building being fully dedicated to contemporary and modern art.  In addition to the main center for the arts, the museum is connected to the Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts and the Northwest Film Center.

In the main gallery, there are four floors offering special exhibits, Asian Arts, 19th-20thc European & American Art, and  strong holdings in Northwest and Native American Art.   In the adjoining Jubitz Center, the four levels consist of NY & Paris schools, Impressionism, Minimalism, Post-1960s and Contemporary Arts.  It is an impressive museum and very well curated. http://www.portlandartmuseum.org/   A slideshow of several works from the museum's collection are included in this evening's blog's slideshow.



L-R: Herschel McGraw, Susan Hodge, & Kerry
in front of D. Slader's work at Gallery 903



After several hours of viewing works at the museum, A. Paul & I drove to several of Portland's neighborhoods, stopping to take in galleries in the Pearl District.    It is here that we met gallery owners Susan Hodge and Herschel McGraw at Gallery 903.  The gallery is part of a collaborative space, shared by three businesses related to the arts.  The work on exhibit at Gallery 903 is diverse; reflecting a strong urban influence.  There are several emerging artists among the gallery's stable of well established artists.  The painting by David Slader in this image is an artist of special note according to Susan .  The artist is a proclaimed,"Digestive Expressionist"  The owners at the gallery would be more than happy to explain this to you.   To see more of this artist's works and those of Gallery 903's other artists, visit http://www.gallery903.com/ . Thank you Susan & Herschel for your time and hospitality.

Following our visit through the Pearl District, home to one of the nation's premier art & crafts festivals on Labor Day Weekend,   http://www.artinthepearl.com/   A. Paul & I traveled across one of Portland's nine steel bridges spanning the Williamette River to the "more colorful" Hawthorne District.  Upon our return back across the bridge, dusk was approaching, creating a phenomenal reflection on the river surface and backdrop to the cool steel bridges.  The effect was incredible and beckoned to be captured in images,and are included in the slideshow.

For anyone who has interest to travel this area, Portland lives up to its reputation of being a city with a small town feel.  Its mass transportation and one way streets make it easily navigable for visitors and the city has so much to offer.  Though we leave tomorrow for Seattle to try to beat the "new" storm, we know there is so much more to visit here (the World Forestry Center, Classic Chinese Gardens, Rose Gardens, and more);  we will have to come back to spend more time on a future trip. 

We bid you all a safe day tomorrow if you are under the winter attack and will catch up  once we settle in Seattle.  Until then, please enjoy the art and city images.

Lincoln City to Portland, Oregon

LINCOLN CITY to PORTLAND


Lincoln City, OR



The strong gale winds throughout the night gave way this morning to tumultuous waves crashing along the coastline in Lincoln City, Oregon.   As A. Paul and I pulled away from Lincoln City,  the gray somber sky and rain followed us the entire drive up the northwest coast to Cannon Beach.  At times the rain drenched landscapes were eerily moody and other times serene.

Michael Tieman & Kerry at
Haystack Gallery
http://www.haystackgallery.com/

When we pulled into Cannon Beach, we visited with bronze artist Michael Tieman at the Haystack Gallery, who gently suggested that we might want to continue on our drive as early as possible if we were heading to Portland as the tunnel over the pass was scheduled to close early and there was an expected snowstorm on its way. 

M. Tieman bronze

We took a quick look in the gallery and took Michael's advice and moved on, as it turned out just in the nick of time.  As we began heading east, the trees became cloaked in mist and then the snow began and it didn't stop until we were just outside of Portland, where the snow finally changed over to rain.  It was a slow but visual journey but we are both glad that we are tucked in safely in Portland.  Tomorrow, we head to the Portland Museum of Art and to explore the diverse districts of the city.

As an aside note, we definitely would place Cannon Beach on a future visit list as the town is exceptionally quaint and ideally located along the coast.  The town strongly supports its art venues, with most of the galleries being members of the Cannon Beach Gallery Group.  You can view these galleries and events calendar at  http://www.cbgallerygroup.com/

A quick congratulatory note to our Cortile Gallery artists who have been hard at work in our absence.  Several of our gallery artists were selected in the juried member show and the white line print exhibit  currently showing at the PAAM Museum.  http://www.paam.org/   Congratulations to you all.

DRIVE LINCOLN CITY to PORTLAND

Coos Bay to Lincoln City, Oregon

ARTS ALONG THE OREGON COAST

BROOKINGS-HARBOR to COOS BAY

Kerry (L) & Sandy Bonney (R) discussing
fish rubbings at the Signatures Gallery

"Albert Handell" pastel by
Sandy Bonney

In addition to the scenic drive along Oregon's coastline,  A. Paul & I have visited several art venues.  Crossing over from California, the first town along Oregon's coast  is Brookings-Harbor. It is in Brookings that we met artist & gallery co-owner Sandy Bonney at the Signatures Gallery. The gallery features a number of artists, some with well recognized and or acclaimed names in pastel work and production work.  Sandy's own  pastel work, "Albert Handell", a tribute to the acclaimed pastel master, was recently featured in the Artist Magazine , earned recognition in the Pastel Journal Magazine's juried competition, and will be featured in its April 2011 issue. Alongside Sandy's work, there were a number of limited prints of  Drew Struzan's personal work.  Struzan is most known for his poster creations of Indiana Jones & Star Wars  but his private work is a distinct genre of great appeal. http://www.signaturegallery.com/  

The town of Brookings also offers an artwalk every Saturday and has an active art center, the Manley Art Center & Gallery, which offers accredited workshops in various mediums. www.wildriverscoastart.com/ 

Along the way to Coos Bay, we noticed several local artist studios and galleries that were closed at this time of the year. Most of the venues appeared to represent ceramics and wood scultpures interspersed with glass studios.

COOS BAY to LINCOLN CITY

Before leaving Coos Bay this morning, we attempted to visit the Coos Art Museum, Oregon's third oldest museum, http://www.coosart.org/  but found it closed so we continued our journey along the scenic coastline, taking in the subdued views of the rainy day.  On this portion of the coastline, there were numerous expansion bridges crossing over pastel hued landscapes.  Around each bend were clusters of rain drenched birch, cypress, and pines that gave way to crashing waves over rock formations. In short, the drive was stunning and awe inspiring.

As we approached Gardiner, Oregon, we were enticed by the bronze sculptures outside the Tsunami Gallery.  We simply could not resist stopping to find out about the work and name.   Gallery owner and bronze sculptor Mack Holman stated that the name Tsunami Gallery was derived not by a castastrophic natural event (last one hitting that area was in the 1700s) but rather by the process of which he acquired and restored a 100 year old crumbling building. 

bronze by Mack Hokman

The exhibit space of the gallery was filled with mostly local artwork along with Mack's bronze works.  Interestingly, Mack confirmed a story that was also related to us by Sandy Bonney in Brookings about the showing of figurative works.  Both artists/gallery owners stated that figurative works have only recently begun to be accepted for public viewings.  That the showing of figure work, in the past,  would often be accompanied by protestors.  Over time, however,there has been greater public acceptance of the showing figurative work. 

Though there was not a website for the Tsunami Gallery, one can reach Mack at mackfoundry@aol.com for information about his bronzework and foundry.

Kerry (L) with Ken Hartwell (R)
President of the Yaquina Art Association

A. Paul (L) with Solveig Leslie (R)
at Yaquina Art Center

The afternoon was coming to a close but we made one more stop before buckling down in Lincoln City.  In the historic downtown section of Nye Beach at Newport, A. Paul & I discovered a little treasure trove of artists and their works at the Yaquina Art Center & Gallery.  We were fortunate to meet up with Ken Tarwell, President of the Yaquina Art Association, who provided us the background of the Association and introduced us to several of the artists who were working  upstairs.  The Association is a non for profit organization who through fundraising events, such as the sale of artworks by its member artists, offer classes and workshops to the community.  Ken is very active in teaching children the arts through various mediums in addition to creating his own watercolor artwork.   Upstairs, artists were actively busy creating textile works and several were working with a process loosely based on encaustic principles whereby the artist uses crayons on special paper placed on a warming table.  One of the artists, Lila Passarelli, introduced the techinique at the Association and Ken has incorporated its use in his work with kids attending the association workshops.  With little encouragement, A. Paul sat with artist Solveig Leslie and created a small painting which he left to her. 

A. Paul with Solveig Leslie

The energy of the group was so positive that we simply could not leave without first taking an image of the entire group of artists. Lto R:  front row  Charter member Jeannie Cloe, Charlotte Carter, Elinor de Sosa, Lila Passarelle, Solveig Leslie, and Alma Leon.  Back row R-L: Jill Keck, President Ken Hartwell, Mary Young, Shirley Steinhauer, & Ann Nicholson.  Thanks everyone for your hospitalility and great energy. Keep on being creative.  http://yaquinaart.org/  



We popped in to to see the Association's gallery neighboring the art center before heading off to Lincoln City, our final destination of the day.  Tomorrow, we continue our drive along the coast diverting to Portland for a day or two then back out to the coast.  I leave you with images of the soft hues of this beautiful gray rainy day.