Tag: write around PAM

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Write Around PAM: Melodie McDaniel

Morganne with Ebony. Melodie McDaniel. 2017. Photograph, archival pigment print. 33" x 44". Black and white photograph of a young Black individual posing on a tall black horse in a field of short grass in front of a light cement brick building with a palm tree to the left. The tall, thin rider is wearing black riding boots, jeans, a light colored t-shirt with undecipherable letters on it, and a plaid shirt tied at the waist. The rider is laid back in the saddle, back arched across the back of the horse, right arm gently extended holding the reins straight, and left arm outstretched, hand resting near the horse's tail along with the rider's ponytail of long braids. The tack has a simple design of thin leather straps and small silver buckles. The horse stands, left foot forward, head raised, mane blowing in the wind, with nose and mouth partially out of frame and slightly out of focus.

When was the last time you felt really free? In your body, in the space around you, in your mind? This piece by Melodie McDaniel offers a moment to notice, to reflect, and to celebrate those moments in our lives when we have been able to let go, to take deep breaths, to trust, and…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Katherine Bradford

Ritual, Katherine Bradford, 80 x 68 inches, acrylic on canvas. A portrait-oriented painting depicting figures gathered beneath a full moon. This painting is rendered in hues of blues and greens with hints of pinks and purples. At the center top is a round pale blue orb with darker shading on its right edge. A white cone of light depicted in light brushstrokes emanates from the sphere down to the ground, which starts about a fifth from the bottom edge of the painting. Here swimsuit clad figures gather in the light. Three wear black swim trunks and one at left wears a pink one-piece swimsuit. Their arms are stretched upward towards the light and celestial body or moon. A lone figure in black trunks stands at left and another stands at right with their arm over their head. The bodies of the figures are painted in blues and purples. Near the central gathering, tiny orange and bright blue dots are splattered around the group. A horizontal rectangle resembling a bench or bed sits to the right of the grouping. The sky above the figures’ heads is various shades of blue daubed and brushed on with pinks and purples bleeding through. They stand on green-blue ground, with brushstrokes visible.

As we officially welcome spring and the bounty of beauty it offers, we are also reminded to pause, to reflect, and to honor all that has happened since spring last arrived, and to make space for all that is yet to come. This piece by Katherine Bradford feels like a perfect companion to this time…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Fujikasa Satoko

Flow #1. Fujikasa Satoko, 2011. Stoneware with matte white slip. 26 ⅛ inches high x 27 inches wide x 23 ⅛ inches deep. This sculpture resembles a light, flowing fabric garment billowing weightlessly in the wind. The sculpture touches the display surface in two points. The contact on the right is small and pointed. The material appears to flow upward and outward to the left from this point. The material flowing to the left twists and unfolds into a large round billow that has a strong sense of movement. The material moving upward from the point flows up in a thin, vertical flow that twists and opens into a funnel shape with multiple layers unfolding along the outer edges.

Even though the official start of spring is still a week away, we can feel the shift in the season. This piece by Fujikasa Satoko feels like a perfect embodiment of springtime—bursting forth, flowing, bringing energy and light into our days. A celebrated Japanese ceramicist, Fujikasa transforms clay into astonishing creations that appear lighter than…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Azechi Umetarō

Titles offer insight into an artist’s vision and add layers of meaning to an artwork. Japanese printmaker Azechi Umetarō often took inspiration from his experiences mountaineering, as we see in this print, Yuki otoko (Man in Snow). He made dozens of woodblock prints of similar subjects. His human figures in the snowy mountains are often…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Thelma Johnson Streat

Monstro the Whale. Thelma Johnson Streat, 1940. 9 7/8 in x 11 1/4 in. Landscape-oriented wool tapestry. Orange rectangular tapestry with a cream line and tassels at the top and bottom. In the center a light blue oval fills the frame. It is outlined with thin white and blue lines on the outside and brownish shapes like mountains with a red line on top on the inside. A blue jagged line with a thin white line on top appears as waves across the middle of the oval. A large red whale fills the oval from top to bottom with it’s large head near the bottom, curved body in the center, and it’s small split tail at the top with the left edge overlapping the mountain-like border. The whale has a dark eye with white in the middle and an orange and brown border. It has a blue and brown line for a mouth. About one third down the whale’s body from the head are six small white circles in a line with gray threads extending in lines out from them. Near the tale the whale has three cream v-shaped lines with yellow and gray thread between them. Floating to the right of the whale is a brown oval with a dark brown center outlined by a thin cream line. Three feather-like shapes with teal centers and brown, cream, and red outlines protrude from the top of the oval.

This tapestry by Thelma Johnson Streat feels playful and inviting, and we’d like to use it as inspiration for our own playful writing this week. Streat grew up in Portland, studied at the Museum Art School in the 1930s, and is featured in the Oregon Encyclopedia. She was a dancer, singer, and painter as well…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Jacob Lawrence

Workshop. Jacob Lawrence 1972. 22 1/4 in x 17 9/16 in. Color lithograph on paper. Portrait-oriented brightly colored lithograph reminiscent of Cubism showing five construction workers. A young white man with brown hair wearing red overalls without a shirt smiles while sitting on the ground, right leg outstretched, holding a wood hand crank brace with a drill bit. A yellow plumb bob with a brown string lays over his leg. To his right a young Black man with short black hair wears blue overalls without a shirt and uses a hand saw with his right hand while holding an upside down hammer with his left. Behind him two older Black men work on either side of a wood plank that is being supported by a saw horse. The man on the left has large muscular arms and wears blue overalls with a blue shirt and a white hat. He uses a hand saw with his right hand while resting his left hand on the board. On the right, a tall Black man with short dark hair wears yellow overalls with a long sleeve red shirt. He holds the board steady with his left hand while holding a small tool close to his chest in his right hand. Behind him a tall Black man with dark hair wears gray overalls with a blue shirt. He faces away from the others, lifting a yellow and red beam and placing it in what appears to be a window frame. Through the window frame, gray landscape can be seen. Brown wood plank floors fill the frame and wood boards, screws, a blue level, and other metal tools are stacked on the floor at the bottom of the frame.

This piece by Jacob Lawrence is full of activity, of working and building, of creating something new. The energy of the piece invites us to engage with it, to put ourselves in the scene. What do we hear? What conversations are taking place? We invite you to spend some time imagining and then writing down…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Roy DeCarava

Hallway, New York. Roy DeCarava 1953. 12 15/16” x 8 5/8”. Gelatin silver print. Landscape oriented black and white photo. View down a long, dark, narrow hallway. The bottom half of the walls are dark black and the top half dark gray. At the distant end of the hallway is a narrow door that is closed. Above is a single white light with a dome cover.

Writing allows us to reflect deeply on our journey, as individuals, as families, as community. This evocative photograph by Roy DeCarava has appeared in two Portland Art Museum exhibitions that each considered the meaning of journeys and transitions in very different ways, one through African American art and the Great Migration and the other through…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Elizabeth Catlett

For My People, Elizabeth Catlett, 1992, two portrait oriented lithograph scenes from illustrated book. 15 ¾” x 13 ⅙”. The first has a gray background with areas of darker gray and lighter bubble-like spheres at the top. In the middle a Black individual with short black hair, large hoop earrings, a bright loose fitting white shirt, bright pink blazer, turquoise skirt, and black flat shoes dances with hands raised. Three figures shaded in gray surround the dancing figure. On the left, a Black adult wears a hat with a round brim, a blazer, a skirt, and flat dress shoes and has raised hands and an open mouth. Below, a young Black child with short hair wears a t-shirt, loose pants rolled at the bottom, and dress shoes while sitting on a step, leaning back and looking downward. On the right, an older Black individual with short hair and a goatee wears a flat brimmed hat, jacket, pants that are loose at the knees, and dress shoes and holds a small flask in the left hand. The middle figure is layered over the top of the edge of the other figures. The second lithograph has a tan background with a textured pattern resembling dust clouds. Two Black children fill the frame playing with a red ball. The child on the left is taller, has black hair pulled into three ponytails and wears a dark blue dress with large light blue spots. The child's left hand is raised, right hand is reaching downward towards the ball, bare feet are set apart, and the child’s face has a gentle smile with eyes and lips closed. The child on the right is shorter, standing one foot in front of the other, and has both hands outstretched towards the ball. The child has short dark hair and is wearing a blue and white striped shirt, a teal vest, a white undershirt, and yellow pants. The child’s eyes are closed and eyebrows are furrowed.

Elizabeth Catlett created these lithographs in honor of Margaret Walker’s seminal poem “For My People.” Rather than illustrating the poem literally, Catlett transforms Walker’s powerful words about Black experience into iconic images. Together, Catlett’s words and Walker’s text explore hope and despair, as well as the simple joys of life. Writing and visual art so…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Neil Meitzler

“Winter Rain” by Neil Meitzler 1972. Acrylic on Masonite. 22 7/8 in x 23 1/8 in. Square painting with strong contrasting colors and textures that give an illusion of 3-D space. A tan snow-covered mountain with a flat top and sharp edges extends from the bottom of the painting to the middle of the painting. Wispy white strokes cover the mountain. Sharp, thin gray clouds extend at an angle past the top left side of the mountain and drift into the thick band of solid white clouds above. A thinner band of bright white clouds surrounded by patches of dark gray clouds float just below the large white cloud. The rest of the horizon is filled with a dark orange glow as if the sun has just set against a solid gray plane. A smaller snow-covered mountain is barely visible in the distance.

Both visual art and creative writing can invite us into abstract thoughts, a chance to step away from the traditional narrative and into a different way of thinking, seeing, speaking. We invite you to spend some time in the abstract today, using this piece by Northwest painter Neil Meitzler as inspiration. “While our existence momentarily…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Fern Coppedge

“Little House Next Door” by Fern Coppedge. Oil on board, 11 ¾ in x 9 ¾ in. Vertical oil painting with thick broad brushstrokes with layers of color framed in a thick gold frame with two small gold lines near the corners on each side. A brown two-story house with a one-story addition to the right sits in the middle of the painting surrounded by five trees with long, bare, bending branches, and landscape covered in snow. A small snow-covered stoop extends past the blue front door which is flanked by blue windows on each side on both stories. The A-frame roof is covered in snow and has a chimney extending at the top on the right. The one-story addition on the right has a blue front door with a window to the right. On the right side of the building a large stone chimney extends past the roof and is flanked by two thin tall windows. Snow covers the yard which is bordered by a gray stone wall. A small bush stands in the corner of the yard. The gray and white sky is visible beyond the trees and a swath of dark vertical strokes resembles mountain landscapes in the background.

Many of us have likely gotten to know the streets we live on a bit better this year as we take walks in the neighborhood or spend time looking out our windows while we try to stay close to home and maintain social distancing. Or maybe life has shifted in a way that means our…  Read more