Dan Goodsell / Mr. Toast Art Show at Screaming Sky Gallery

Hey Portland! It's time to get toasty!

Mr. Toast at Screaming Sky Gallery this weekend!
Opening is Saturday, from 1-4, and Dan will be in attendance!

Pink Attitude: Contemporary Female Creativity

Compound Gallery's current show, 'Pink Attitude: Contemporary Female Creativity' features work from some of today's best female artists, including Fawn Gehweiler, Miss Kika, Candybird and more.

Show ends after this weekend, but you can check out the pieces online here.

Marshall Leggett

I've recently been introduced to the work of Marshall Leggett, a painter working in Portland. I liked so many of the paintings from his site that there's lots of them included in this post- check them out after the jump :)

I love his layered illustrations over newspaper, scraps, and pages from books. It really makes his characters take on all new personalities when he incorporates this collage effect. Plus, his characters are super cute and he has an awesome color palette. His work is really affordable, and I would bet that it won't be for long, so you should take a look at what he has available!

You can purchase his work through either on his website, or in his etsy shop.

Hut on an Island @ Grass Hut

Hut on an Island is a new group show at Grass Hut in Portland. The show features pieces done in collaborations between artists who have not worked on pieces together in the past.

Featuring: Spencer Hibert + Marco Zamora, Johnathan R. Storm + Dawn Riddle, Luke Ramsey + Jill Bliss, Zeesy Powers + Scrappers, Ben Jacques + Le Merde, Irana Douer + Betsy Walton, Bwana Spoons + Theo Ellsworth, Charlotte Walton + Fawn Gehweiler, Oliver Hibert + Owen Plummer, Maseman + Arbito, Shawn Wolfe + Kinoko, Howie Tsui + Apak

Apak : Roots to Fruits

Apak, Jen Corace, Justin "Scrappers" Morrison and a few others are exhibiting at Together Gallery in Portland for the show "Roots to Fruits".


Apak also has a new print set, 'Seasons' available in their Etsy shop!

Evan Harris : Death of a Decadent Shore

Portland's Compound Gallery is currently hosting 'Death of a Decadent Shore' new works by Evan Harris.
I love the nautical themed pieces and color palette in this show. There's some great affordable prints available online, as well.

Axelhoney

I first found out about Axelhoney (Melissa Contreras) a few years ago at Bazaar Bizaare. I bought a necklace from her that is still, hands down, my most favorite piece of jewelry. I get so many compliments whenever I wear it!
She's come a long way since then, and now her lovely paintings are gracing exhibits all over the place! She's part of a girl show at Compound Gallery in Portland entitled Ready Set Go, and she also has work up right now at the Hive Gallery in Los Angeles.
I was super excited to see that her necklaces are still available, you can get them in her Etsy shop, along with tees, prints, and her super cute little mooshee sculptures.

Junko Mizuno : The Kappa Show- ART!

Moshi Moshi just posted the pictures from Junko Mizuno's "The Kappa Show" which opened today. There's 31 pieces now available online, at really reasonable prices considering these are all originals. My favorites are the Kappa ladies- they are gorgeous! All the smaller pieces are acrylic on Japanese paper. Check them all out here.

Junko Mizuno "Kappa" at Moshi Moshi!!!

I really wish I could attend tomorrow's opening of Junko Mizuno's new show "Kappa" at Moshi Moshi in Portland!
I have loved Junko's art for years now, and have met her several times in person. She is absolutely adorable and it's hard to imagine how anyone so darling can think up such a theme as "Kappa" or think up some of the things in those amazing (yet a little distrubing sometimes) books of hers. If you can't make out the full meaning of "Kappa" on the postcard above, here it is:

What is "Kappa" ?
"Kappa" are water sprites in Japanese folklore, often depicted as tortoise-like humanoids with green skin,
beaked faces and shells on their backs. A cavity on the top of their heads is filled with water and is said to
be their vulnerable spot - when it's dry, they lose their energy and power. Kappa appear in a lot of
Japanese comics, animation, TV commercials, etc. They are loved by people as a cute character despite
the fact that they are rumored to drag humans into the water and pull out their guts through their anuses.

Yosemite Studiomates @ Grass Hut

I really want to visit Portland, and the two main reasons are Grass Hut (the gallery run by Bwana Spoons and Justin "Scrappers" Morrison) and Moshi Moshi.
I was looking at my friend Marty's blog, who lives in Portland now, and he mentioned a great show that is going on at Grass Hut. You can purchase some of the pieces online, here.
I don't know how I didn't know about it- Souther Salazar and Seonna Hong are two of my must-blog-about artists!


Here is the show info:
SOUTHER SALAZAR


ESTHER PEARL WATSON



MARTHA RICH


SEONNA HONG


MARK TODD


They all share a studio in Los Angeles county. And they are all bringing art to hang in a show at Grass Hut in June. This show is going to squirt amazingness into your eyes and hearts.


(All the work shown in this post is by Souther)

Moshi Moshi

I've been day dreaming about taking a little trip to Portland... and these photos of the newly opened Moshi Moshi store are making it awfully hard not to go!


Between the awesome shows they have in the gallery (right now the theme is Mr. T) and these cute little items in the shop, it looks simply wonderful!

Jen Corace

Motel Gallery in Portland is currently hosting "Overwhelmed" featuring the art of Jen Corace. Here are some of my favorite pieces from the show, which is now online.


Motel Press Release:
Motel is pleased to host our second solo exhibition for Jen Corace. "Overwhelmed" continues Corace's iconic narrative style with nine new (larger) works on paper. Employing dense, detailed motifs surrounding a central subject, these works explore tensions of perceived versus actual danger. Each composition is invaded by archetypes of peril, such as snakes, tentacles, tsunami waves and jackalope, representing physical and psychological landscapes that the subjects must negotiate. Elaborating on her established visual vocabulary, this collection exemplifies Corace's seductive line work, compositional skill, and narrative finesse. Simultaneously bearing a sophisticated restraint and obsessive excess, these immediate works flirt with visual and thematic paradoxes.