Juli Adams

In Juli's Words

“I carry a sketchbook with me because when I am trapped in a situation where I might become bored, I have my book. It’s not that I feel like drawing all the time. It’s more that I just can’t sit still. A lot of the time I am tired of drawing. I would rather be doing housework or vacuuming my car. But the book feels good on my lap. I open it and smell its pages. I dig through my purse to find a pencil. I am drawing. Nothing interesting is happening. The critic in my head is saying ‘Who wants to see that? This is child’s play. You must get serious about this. Art is serious business.’ The little crease on my brow gets deeper.

But then I draw what might be a little girl with devil’s horns. She is holding a little dog. He has devil’s horns, too. Her contours are perfect. She is accidental and relaxed; stoic and prim. She is a simple sketch that I will keep because later in my studio, I will need something to work from. Something to get me started.

My studio is the size of a shoe. But it is a perfect little room to create in. There are canvases stacked on one side of my desk. They are all empty. But I am driven to work. I am convinced that I will get past the fear, the stomachache, the worry butterflies. But I keep working. I am after what is in my guts. What I know the moment before I fall asleep… that the second I let go, what comes out of me will be right. What comes out might be funny; it might be disturbing. My business is to let it out, to pay attention and learn so that I can become fluent in my own language.

I don’t believe in artist’s block. Working, for me, is a process. It is a relationship with myself. It is always growing, shifting, giving and taking. It demands that I pay attention to myself and to the world. What other kind of job can possibly be that for me? None other. Ever.”

Juli's artwork available for sale here.

Tim Biskup

Tim Biskup is a Southern California fine artist whose work has been shown worldwide, including galleries and museums in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Kyoto, Barcelona, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Melbourne.

Long recognized for his complex color and design theories and a decidedly populist aesthetic, Biskup has amassed a cadre of loyal fans and collectors. Recent years have seen the artist tend towards more complex, personal and conceptual work while maintaining a commitment to visual experimentation.

With a consistent output of original artwork, prints, sculptures, books and other editions Tim Biskup has produced a body of work that extends into the far reaches of the art and design worlds. In 2004 he opened Bispop Gallery, a small retail shop and exhibition space located in the Old Town section of Pasadena, California.

Tim has had work in publications such as: Juxtapoz, Artweek, LA Weekly, Vanity Fair, Vogue Italia and more. In addition, he has shown in galleries such as M Modern Gallery, Jonathan Lavine Gallery and Billy Shire Fine Arts.

Tim's artwork available for sale here.

Guy Burwell

Guy started his artistic endeavors as a child, creating prolifically since the age of 5. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, he started his commercial art career providing illustration for local newspapers, murals in nightclubs, and posters for underground rock clubs while working at a variety of record stores, fostering the early synthesis between music and art that permeates much of his current work.

"I love music and try to bring a personal angle to the images I create. I have a variety of drawing styles in my arsenal. I try to pick just the right style for the subject or project."

Moving to Portland, Oregon provided a more dynamic, progressive and supportive artistic landscape and his work flourished. Featuring original pen and ink work, his distinctive black and white posters were soon wallpapering Portland, advertising local and national acts for the many venues in the city. Local attention to his poster art brought a financially lucrative position designing big budget television commercials for Vinton Studios, the stop motion birthplace of Claymation. "I learned about satisfying the needs of advertising campaigns and art directors and how the process is laid out for working in that realm." Guy designed characters and content for commercials for M&Ms, Three Musketeers, Kraft, Chili's, Planters, UPS and a wide variety of cleansers, foods, and many other products. He worked helping design The PJ's television series and various television pilots before pulling up stakes and heading for Los Angeles for a year before making his way down the coast to lounge in the sun of San Diego before returning to the Pacific Northwest in late 2004.

His new devotion to painting has been bolstered by several gallery shows in the last year in San Diego, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Manchester, England, and a recurring annual outing in Portland, with additional shows along the way.

"My paintings and illustrations don't handle any serious topics in a head-on manner. Some of them have underlying currents that project my own skewed sense of humor on a certain topical notion. Sometimes they make wry comment on a social issue in the undercurrents of the piece. I try to go for 'fun' or 'cool' in my work and that seems to hit the right chords with my viewers."

Some of his clients include: DARK HORSE COMICS, NICKELODEON ANIMATION, DOC MARTENS, VINTON STUDIOS, LA WEEKLY and many more.

Guy's artwork available for sale here.

Kimmie Hutchins

Kimmie Hutchins, an Oregon native, moved to Portland in 2001 to pursue her artistic career. After the success of curating a small gallery she decided to venture out on her own. Her work is both sad and playful. Each image is simple yet sometimes disturbing. Currently a full time artist, Kimmie has steadily been building her body of work and her name.

A self taught artist, Kimmie has had many influences growing up and has always been drawn towards pop-culture and the ever expanding low brow art movement. Her work incorporates simple graphic scenes where sad girls and curious animals invite you in to take a look. In her previous works, dark-eyed characters lounged amidst huge fantasy flowers, rooms were wallpapered with adhesive alphabets, and robots and giant bees conducted mysterious transactions with a semi-autobiographical heroine in striped socks. She has spent the last several years perfecting her precise, linear style and playful imagery.

“I was always influenced by cartoons and animation growing up. Instead of watching for fun, I would sit in front of the T.V. and critique the animation itself. I loved that kind of stuff back then. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I still love that and consider it a legitimate form of art. I’ve also become enchanted by underground art, graffiti, and the ‘low-brow’ art scene.

I don’t believe that good art has to be traditional. It’s allowed to be fun, illustrative, playful and sad all at the same time. As a young artist, I have a chance to contribute to this amazing and still growing movement.”

As an emerging artist, she is beginning to make her mark. Kimmie has shown her work prolifically in and around the Portland area. She has also recently branched out, showing her work in small galleries in New York, California, Washington and Florida.

Kimmie's artwork available for sale here.

Jessica Johnson

Jessica, born in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and raised in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, has called many places home - from Beantown to Stumptown. Currently residing in the Portland area, Jessica has drawn inspiration from her many travels across the globe: jug bands playing bistros in France, live-in fishing boats in the heart of Hong Kong, one-ring circuses traveling through New England. Such things that make an adult remember childhood ambitions are what drive her to create.

Jessica works in many different media, but while studying illustration at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, she found her true artistic calling: scratchboard. Etching into layers of ink with the tip of her X-Acto knife which she wields with great precision, she is able to create full color illustrations bearing the texture and line work reminiscent of old woodcuts and engravings.

Her work has been hung in galleries across the country including the Bakalar Gallery in Boston, MA and the Girl Scouts Museum in Houston, TX as well as having been featured in various online forums such as Dayjob-blog. She is currently focused on illustrating for children’s books.

Jessica's artwork available for sale here.

Daniel Ng

INSIDE THE ARTIST'S MIND

LANDSCAPES

After seven years spent painting interior scenes, Daniel has introduced landscapes as a new genre. He adheres to the same technique to create these paintings as in his interior scenes.

His designs are inspired by shapes and patterns found in the natural world. As with his interior scenes, he continues to use bold, vivid colors. It is his own whimsical interpretation of each individual scene that sets his paintings apart from typical landscape painting.

INTERIORS

Daniel Ng's interior paintings are reflections of urban life. He is fascinated by views of everyday living, and uses the canvas to showcase his observations.

The subjects of his paintings are an assembly of modern décor. The unique perspectives are enhanced as a result of curved lines and foreshortened proportions. As you view Daniel's paintings, you will be drawn in by the perspective. The composition of line and proportion are pushed to the limits of distortion. The viewer will feel as though they are observing the composition through a “fisheye” camera lens. Each focal point is illustrated with movement and flow, creating a composition of geometric patterns. Bold, vivid colors are utilized on canvas, giving the subjects life and clarity.

TRAINING

Daniel grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. He started his art training as a fine art student at the University of Hawaii. Upon moving to California in 1989, he attended Cypress College in preparation for entry to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena; there he further extended his art training.

EXHIBITS

His paintings are exhibited at art festivals such as Sausalito Art Festival, CA: 2001 & 2002, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, CO: 2002, Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, CA: 2001 through 2007, and Art in the Pearl, OR: 2001 thru 2005.

Daniel's artwork available for sale here.

Claudia Porter

Artist's Statement:

At times I see images that are overwhelming, and I perceive the grandeur of my surroundings. Powerful manmade structures remind me of the intensity of mankind. Dense populations of people provoke sensations about being alive and being part of the moment. When I am in contact with these stimuli, I feel like I am part of a vast creation, and I feel compelled to record the moment.

These images make my heart race and cause my emotions to run wild. I am an observer of man’s creations and human interaction. Often times, I make sketches to remind me of structures or events. When I am painting in my studio I mix stored images, memories and emotions in order to relive the moment and record the experience for others.

Biography:

Claudia Delgado Porter was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in 1966. She began her art studies at the age of 7, and started showing her work at age 21. She studied graphic design at the University of the Americas, and later transferred to the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida where she received her Bachelors of Fine Art in 1998. Since 1998 she has shown her work in Florida, New York, Oregon and Puerto Vallarta; she has collectors in the USA, Mexico, Switzerland and Germany. Claudia currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

Claudia's artwork available for sale here.

Ron Rash

I know what you’re thinking. Is that his real name?
Heck yeah it is.

Ron Rash was born in the wild west town known as “The Biggest Little City in the World,” Reno, NV 1972. A descendant of sheep thieves in Scotland, Ron knew there was a better life. That better life was riding his bmx bike through casino laced downtown Reno, front side slappies at the local shopping mall, and drawing on his school books. After several years of this life, drawing remains as the one true constant. With this kind of resume what else could he do but become an artist.

His has been called “fun”, “goofy”, “cute“, “silly”, and was recently called “too edgy” by Reno Magazine. Despite being “too edgy”, Rons work is shown at galleries here and there and has been published in various capacities for the likes of Volcom, Tahoe Quarterly, Heckler Magazine, Invisible Skateboard Co., and Seymour Duncan guitar pick-ups.

After 20 years that have taken him from Reno to San Diego to NYC to Oakland, Ron is back in his home town of Reno, NV. When he isn’t painting, Ron can be found riding his collection of cheap bicycles, raisin’ hell with his 2 youngins, and his latest passion; teaching art through a variety of media and techniques to kids and young adults.

Spencer Reynolds

I grew up where the ocean is cold, rough, and the skies are often cloudy. The coast is mysterious and majestic; in my opinion one of the most beautiful places on the planet. My hometown was a modest blue collar place full of loggers and fishermen located on the Southern Oregon coast.

My older brother had a cheap foam body board made out of that Styrofoam used for ice chests; a cloth mesh encased the board holding it together. I dreamed of surfing this thing that closely resembled an ironing board. On my tenth birthday my parents gave me one of my own and also a life jacket (?). I still remember the rush of catching that first white water, riding it to shore and thinking "I must be doing 40 mph" as I slid up the sand.

By the age of thirteen my parents started letting me head to the beach with my friends. We would strap our crude foam boogie boards to our backs, hop onto hand me down bikes some with mismatched wheels and race to the water. We were first generation Southern Oregon breed surfers, embracing the little exposure we had to the 80's, neon t-shirt surfing culture. Our parents resisted buying us wetsuits thinking that surfing was a phase and we would grow out of it. We didn't care that our bodies turned blue from being cold, or about any other obstacles. Our excitement for this newfound thing was enough to keep us coming back for more.

The place where we ventured into the ocean was not a typical surfing spot. It was often a murky windblown shore break with waves coming from three directions. Surfing there was more akin to riding an angry bull, or maybe a pissed off goat (the waves we were riding weren't that big). Waves tossed us into the air without mercy and we loved every minute. Like bull riding we became familiar with how the wave bucked and quickly learned how to ride it as long as we could. But we were far from conquers, the wave had a mind of its own, and occasionally it would rear up to kick us off; our bodies resembling a cowboy getting bucked like a rag doll. We spent every possible minute we could at the beach challenging this mutant wave.

Out of these experiences my story was born. It isn't extraordinary; there are no tales of riding sixty foot waves or discovery of world class surf spots. The importance of sharing my story lies in my early excitement for my friends, surfing and the ocean. These elemental experiences I had in my youth are what motivate my artwork today. Child like discovery, beauty, and reverent joy of creation are abundant themes throughout my paintings. Surfing was a part of the catalyst for these life qualities I commonly portray through visual art.

Sally Stevens

Living Lines Collection:

Intricate lines, vibrant colors and more often than not, a shiny white eyeball make up over 100 different designs in this collection so far. First the eye is drawn and then quickly lines are branched off until the image starts to resemble some kind of animal. After the figure is mapped out, the spaces are filled in with Prismacolor Design Markers. Finally I redo the outline with a Deco- pen whose dark glossy finish enables the colors to really pop. A few whimsical flower scenes and colorful abstracts are also included in the collection, which I have been working on since fall of 2007.

Acrylic Paintings:

I began these paintings in January of 2006 right after the New Year. Bored after the structured life of living at home and going to school, I really didn’t know what else to do with myself once on my own. Although my roots go back to the pencil, I don’t map out the image first. The freedom that the brush gives is an interesting balance to the control that the individual piece naturally takes on. I find myself stuck between these two opposites for hours until the image emerges from the canvas. Most of these works are very colorful, energetic and typically abstract with identifiable objects that tell a story.

Watercolor:

My favorite part of the process is drawing the whole picture out in great detail so that it is more like approaching a paint-by-number. It than takes many hours of layering colors light to dark. The many layers of paint and water are added in a gentle manner that requires a lot of patience and a final vision that is constantly being worked towards. The hardest part about this medium is letting go of the urge to control the piece and skip steps towards completion. When this happens, the piece looks rough, overworked and doesn’t carry the soft attributes that most watercolors are admired for.

Education:

I have always enjoyed art, but never thought it would be something I would take on as a career. However, after several general studies classes at Portland Community College and a term studying Interior Design at the Art Institute of Portland, I have found that nothing satisfies me as much as my life as an artist. I am continuing my education at Portland State University this fall of 2008, and am hoping to acquire my degree in painting and drawing.

Sally's artwork available for sale here.