Visual Arts Pairs Well With Justice

Visual art speaks justice. This rings true and was presented in a real way at last night's Portland Loves Cambodia 2^nd annual art show. 

Graphic designers from Nike and other influential organizations displayed their art designs inspired by the restoration efforts of child sex traffic victims in Cambodia. The reality of this crime is nothing to hide behind hushed words. This real tragedy goes on today at this moment. Children are being manipulated, stolen, bought and sold in locations all around the world, including the United States. Cambodia in particular has a reputation for such atrocities.  

This PDX event took place at Nemo Design off of Belmont in Portland. A DJ brought the magic of ambiance into the atmosphere playing a good mix of tunes, dazzling the senses of our ear drums. Raffle tickets were for sale at the door. This was no raffle to shrug a shoulder at, amazing prizes were won from local supporting businesses including Alladin Theatre, Stumptown Coffee Roasters; Pine State Biscuits, The Clymb; Modern Domestic, Bliss Salon; WTF Bike Shop, Enso Winery and many more. Free beer was donated by Widmer brewery, quenching the thirst of guests attending. Art was displayed and vibrantly appealing to the eye. The sales of all of the prints were donated to Transitions Global.

There are many organizations springing up to battle this violation that steals such innocence from the most vulnerable of victims. Many people are taking notice and the hope stands that many more will pay attention. A non-profit organization by the name of Transitions Global focuses primarily on the young girls rescued from child sex trafficking in Cambodia. The need is great in Cambodia and they want to be present to contribute their help. Transition's slogan is “Freedom Begins With A Dream.”

The Portland Loves Cambodia art show was a benefit that extended awareness and raised proceeds for Transition's efforts. It takes $1000 to educate one rescued girl for one year, all of the proceeds from this event went towards this development. It is amazing what a few inspired individuals can do to make a difference. Imagine if the majority of the world started to care. Imagine if we looked at each other as brother and sister... how would our perspectives begin to change.

The visual arts paired with justice, simply makes sense. The graphic designs displayed at the event were created to make an inspiring statement towards this cause. One piece was made up of black and yellow abstract designs and in the center is a contrasting blue eye. Below the image it says “Wake Up Dreaming.” Transitions Global keeps dreaming and continues to put forth tremendous effort to make a difference in these young girls' lives.

There are ways that you can make a tangible contribution. Visit Transitions Global to learn more about what they do and make a difference by donating or sponsoring a rescued girl: www.transitionsglobal.org. Another way to get involved is by physically traveling to Cambodia to see and learn for yourself; Transitions is hosting an upcoming summer 2012 engagement trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. If you are interested please e-mail info@transitionsglobal.org for an application. Also keep in mind applications for this trip are due by March 15, 2012.

“Every girl is sacred. Every girl deserves dignity. Every girl needs to dream. And no girl should ever be sold.” -Transitions Global

 Transitions Global: www.transitionsglobal.org.  Transitions Facebook

 Framed and non-framed prints contributed by the following artists:

Adam R Garcia (PDX)
Christopher David Ryan (Portland, Maine)
Jeff Rogers (NYC)
Mike Spoljaric (PDX)
Kalle Crafton (PDX)
Fiodor Sumkin (Paris, FR)
Leandro Castelao (Buenos Aires, AR)
Blake Gantz (PDX)
Ryan Caruthers (PDX)
Ryan Collier (PDX)
Cynthia Tuan (PDX)
Derek Kim (San Francisco)
Everett Vangsnes (PDX)

Written by Art Vigilante: Jenny Rose

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Empty Walls Begging For Color

Young Kosovo artists ready to embark on their own 1st Friday event for the first time.

In war torn Kosovo, after 10 years of rebuilding, the art culture gradually takes form.  Local art advocates recently traveled to Gjilan,Kosovo to view the birth of visual arts in a culture that once lacked the freedom of expression.

Young Kosovoian high school students are embarking for the first time into the world of fine arts.  Up until now they had never realized that being an artist was an option in life.  Many of them had never seen a single piece of visual art.

Drew Parsons, a local art curator with Drew-Jones Studio Art of Vancouver, traveled to Gjilan, Kosovo with a group from the Mosaic Church in Portland to observe this phenomenon.  Parsons described a city block full of coffee shops in Gjilan, one right after the other.  Inside the shops the walls are bare, not a single piece of visual art decorates the businesses to welcome in customers.  These are Empty walls begging for color.

On the far right: Drew Parsons. They are all holding work by Kosovo Artist Jeton Muja.

Parsons explained that Kosovo's students are just beginning to feel comfortable expressing themselves.  With less than a handful of theaters and only one art gallery, a lack of accessibility in Gjilan offers very little opportunistic settings for the growth of visual arts to seep into the culture.

Freedom of expression is a luxury that can often be taken for granted here in the United States. Local Vancouver coffee shops, libraries and restaurants would feel empty without the embellishments of art on the walls.  Art patrons may not fully embrace how lucky they are to have this free form of visual communication all around them because they are accustomed to its presence. 

 

Art is everywhere.  Art moves in a cycle and rhythm in nature.  Nature presents an elegant and perfected example of the visual arts.  Unfortunately, the natural expression of art can be covered and disrupted by unnatural acts of violence and war.  Kosovo has felt that heavy cloud for far too long.  However, the residue of this pain is subsiding and  individuals from Kosovo are finally able to see clarity apart from the wreckage.

Art revolutionizes the lives Kosovo's youth and empowers them to have a voice. Progressive change is in the works for Kosovo.  There is an art specific high school for students in Gjilan to explore and learn the skill of fine arts.  Also a visionary group runs a community center in Gjilan that encourages visual art expression.  In the community center they are creating a gallery space in which the local people may display their work.

Parsons taught an art class to Kosovo students.

Citizens of Kosovo have grown up with the fear and control of constant war.  Some know the pain through their parents’ eyes and as a result, many young people have learned to keep quiet. In this way, learning to communicate through art, for Kosovo's people, is like learning to speak for the first time.

Gallery 360 in Vancouver, WA is currently displaying art work by Kosovo students during the months of February and March 2012.  The Kosovo art pieces speak volumes of emotion.  One piece by a young artist, Albesa Aliu, shows a girl behind what looks like bars and the words "I want freedom" are visible.  The reality behind those words are real to the youth in Kosovo as they are seeking freedom.  According to Drew Parsons, Albesa Aliu expressed that she personally seeks freedom as a woman, freedom from cultural expectations on her gender. The call for independence seems apparent in the Kosovo student's artworks, they are pioneers in a new era.

Art piece far right done by Artist Albesa Aliu. " I want freedom"

Locals in the Clark County area are encouraged to visit Gallery 360 to view this work on display through March 24^th. The young artists from Kosovo are unique in the sense that they have little outside art influences.  They now have the freedom to tell their story through their art expressions.  They share with the world a glimpse of Kosovo.

For more information:

Gallery360 & Mosaic Arts Alliance

111 West 9^th Street Vancouver, WA 98660

www.gallery360.org   (360) 693-7340

Hours: Wed.-Sat. 12-5p.m.

Drew Parsons

DREW-JONES STUDIO ART

206 794-2397

drewstudioart@yahoo.com

www.facebook.com/drewstudioart

The Brave Take On Their Own Stories

"Black Portal / Don't Go Don't Go!"

2012

Acrylic and Spray paint / Panel

Artist Jared Tharp paints dynamic abstracts using vibrant color and geometric images mixed with a fusion of imaginative characters that take shape and personality in his own world presented on the canvas. The scenes in his work are both humorous and deeply thought provoking at the same time.

When viewing Jared's paintings I was intrigued by the outer worldly designs presented which begged my curiosity to take a closer look at the artist behind the work. There is an element of unguarded inventiveness that spills out through his work. Evoking my own imagination to create a story behind the scenes that I view, Jared's art does that. It inspires the viewer to ponder in wonderment.

 

There was really no beginning point of “becoming” an artist for Jared Tharp. He just was and is. As a child he drew constantly, infatuated with creating cartoon characters and whatever it was that developed out of his consciousness onto paper. He was this little machine, a drawing machine. He never questioned his constant need to create, it was just natural for him. His father is an artist and his mother is “nurturing as hell”. So Jared was set up with a dynamic duo of inspiring parents. Jared’s parents would express excitement and positive reinforcement towards his young work. His parents planted seeds of encouragement which probably plays a part in who he is today as an artist.

Jared's painting style has been an ever evolving process. He describes it as a “roundabout journey”. He began with a style similar to the “hot” comic book artists of the 90's. There was a time that Tharp aspired to be a comic book artist himself. After he completed high school he took a painting class at a junior college in Stockton, California. In this course he was introduced to the concept of making art just for the sake of making it.  Jared found himself going through a transitional period and was confused with his own sense of expression. He wanted to paint superhero like figures but felt that the professors wouldn't be pleased with that type of expression on canvas. During this time he remembers feeling like he was “pretending” to be a 60's abstract expressionist painter, it was a phase of finding his own feet.

A major turning point was when Jared discovered art by the likes of Jeff Soto and Barry Mcgee. Jared describes their work as “art that has a young nerdy appeal.” This discovery was revolutionizing for Tharp, it opened the door for Jared to feel comfortable expressing himself using his own unique style. These artists he looked up to gave him the confidence to be the artist that he wanted to be. A lot of stereo types exist in the visual art world and many replicas of style based on prominent art history influence and institutionalism of fine arts are presented as acceptable, but it is the brave and adventurous that take on their own story. It is a beautiful thing when an artist, like Jared, is able to step out of that box and truly find freedom of his own voice through his art expression.

It's interesting how artists are attracted to certain styles, we all have a unique sense of what is beautiful or enticing to our own eyes. Jared is definitely inspired by other artist's and has a natural affinity for 1980's aesthetics. Color is very important to Tharp. You can see this in action through his work. Eye catching and color saturated contrasting elements, evoking personality through his choice of shade. Jared often finds himself admiring a color combination from nature, such as a flower or a certain textile might stand out to him and then he uses that color inspiration for his paintings.

Jared mainly works with acrylic as his medium of choice. He is comfortable with it so he uses it. Nevertheless, the more he works and experiments with other mediums the more open he becomes to trying new things and the evolution of his art continues to keep taking shape.

"Art can take any form and it means something different to everyone.” Jared does not have a solidified opinion on art, he is a believer that we all have our own views and attributes. For Jared, art is a romance that he is in love with. It is something that has always been there for him. Jared explains: “Love for people and things come and go...but art stays.”

Jared Tharp finds it difficult to sum up his message as an artist. He feels that his work often expresses a lot of negative themes like paranoia, fear, disappointment or heart break. Yet with all of the deep expression in his work he also wants to share that there is a “fun” element to it as well and he wants his viewers to see the honesty and good nature in his work.

View more of Jared's work at:   http://jaredtharpart.com/home.html

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"Here Comes the Sun / Things Don't Seem to be Alright"

2012

Acrylic and Spray Paint / Panel

"Opposing Forces"

2011

Acrylic / Panel

"The Beggars"

2012

Acrylic / Panel

"Pipe Dream" / "Say It Isn't So"

2012

Acrylic and Spray Paint / Panel

VIEW MORE OF JARED THARP'S WORK:

http://jaredtharpart.com/home.html

Visual Arts In Motion: Where There Be Pirates, There Be Dancin!

Boom! The beat vibrated across the room over and again. Shuffle, stomp, move and cut! The dance floor in an urban warehouse studio was filled with energetic artisans as music beckoned motion. Film was rolling, the photographer was snapping and a great big ARRRR resounded as the pirates of the Rogues Guild and local pirate enthusiasts swash-buckled the day away.

The setting of the inner-city warehouse neighborhood on S.E. Madison in Portland, Oregon begs for some pirate action! At least that was the story on Saturday February 4th 2012. Early that morning Pirates from all over the local region gathered at A&G Center for the Arts to collaborate on their practiced dance moves and theatrics contributing to the "Pirate-Party Rock Video". Which was a choreographed dance video based off of LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem with the lyrics “Every Day I'm Shuffling.” Instead of the R&B Pop music scene that LMFAO portrays in their video, this unique group of vigilantes presented a twist on the popular song; it became a bunch of ruffian, shuffling pirates dancing in sync. “Every Day Swashbuckling!” was a declaration heard shouting from the mouths of pirate's throughout the day.

A sense of camaraderie in this sub-culture abounds. How many people in our society spend time collecting apparel for an authentic pirates wardrobe? How often do most people enjoy the past time of remodeling old pirate sail boats, mastering the skills of juggling and fire dancing, or enjoy a parrot as a first mate? A confident reply to those questions would be: Not too many of us. That is the quintessential element that makes this group unique and sets this counter-culture apart. They are sailing through their moments on the edge and living out their existence with adventure and imagination; literally, they are leading a pirate's life.

Often times adults forget the whimsical fancies of childhood. These scallywags, captains, buccaneers and mermaids all grasp the ability to reach into the “Never Land” days of childhood and refrain from letting go of that imaginative part of their youthful identity. As children we have all heard the classic story that portrays Peter Pan with concern that Wendy might grow up and forget, these pirates choose to never forget.

Randy Gardner

Across the country other pirate groups joined in solidarity with the Vancouver/Portland pirates, including a sea roving crew all the way from Canada known as The Jade Dragon's Pirates. Each participating group separately filmed their own version of the shuffling dance and the film editors will throw in together a finished product that will combine each location onto one video. The purpose is to share the enthusiasm and unity among the different pirate crews making a dynamic visual statement.

This event was hosted by Jeff and Rebecca MacKay of The MacKay Pirate Family, members of their Rogues Guild crew including Randy and Sandy Foster, Randy Gardner and Janet Hansen, as well as, some of their brethren from the local pirate community. The Rogues Guild is a leading group of pirates that believe in giving their time and  energy towards non-profit and compassionate work. Contradictory to the old tales of vagabond pirates pillaging and plundering, these spirited pirate's seek to promote peace . Along side the Rogues Guild swims the Rogue Mermaid pod. Some of the devoted members are pirates by land and mermaids by sea. Mermaids go hand in hand with pirate affairs, as ancient as the tales go mermaids and pirates have commonly been intertwined in the same genre of mysterious folk lore. The Rogue Mermaid website and Rogues Guild information can be found at: http://roguemermaids.webs.com/theroguesguild.htm, along with detailed information about the members.

As for now the dance video is on the operation table going through it's editing process. Look out for these vibrant desperado’s as they plan to attack the nation with a live flash mob dance. Keep your eyes peeled mateys Pirates be coming to town!

Jeff and Rebecca Mackay with film editor: Brett Caughie

Artvigilante Northwest: Advocating the arts in the PDX & Vancouver Region.
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Art Journal Website: http://artvigilantenorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/02/peace-is-something-that-resonates-as.html

Grant Caster

Left to right: Jeff Mackay, Rebecca Mackay, Andrea Curtis-Gibson

PEACE: The Declaration of a Child

 

 

 

 

The call for peace resonates as a universal voice and hope...this child was photographed by visual artist Bonnie Ailshie. The little girl was captured in a spontaneous pensive moment, she was not guided to give the peace sign, nor does she even understand what she was proclaiming... Yet, in the heart of every child is the pure sense of peace, the peace that many of us are searching for. After Ailshie solidified this moment through the eye of her camera she found strange similarity between this unplanned photo and John Lennon's famous shot where he is holding up his own call for solidarity. Now side by side the photo becomes a stunning statement to us all. Peace to you.

Blessed Beginnings
Photographer.

view more of her fantastic work at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blessed-Beginnings-Photography-by-Bonnie-Ailshie/153564524670743

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To submit your work on ArtVigilant Northwest click here

First Friday Vancouver's Art Walk

Winter's chill was in the air, scarfs settled cozy around the neck, moving from one warm gallery to another; out of the cold and into the glow surrounded by beautiful eye catching local art.

Vancouver Washington's First Friday Art Walk on February 4th invited the community to step out of their heated homes and onto the main streets of downtown. Many people gathered to soak in the visual arts while sipping wine in a relaxed environment.

The art displayed at each gallery presented a plethora of different mediums and styles, there was really something there for everyone. Art is not just the element of wonderment imagining how the artist was able to create the finished product. It is also an element of communication as viewers gravitate to certain pieces that seem to have a magnetic pull speaking specifically to an individual. The beauty of these gatherings often leaves a viewer with an impressed image that speaks to their heart.

Vancouver's art galleries are strong advocates for local art and invite you to share your work with them. Gallery 360 explains, "We call our selves the 'come as you are gallery'." They want local artists to have an accessible opportunity to display their work. Each month they accept new art works that go along with the monthly theme.

 

Aurora Gallery also offers opportunities for local artist's that are wanting to take the next step in getting their work out into the public eye. They also provide a quality framing service and help many artists complete their work with the perfect frame. It is pro-active to open the doors to underground or emerging artist's bringing fresh art to the communities eye.

 

You can view detailed information about both galleries on the following sites:
http://www.auroragalleryonline.com/
http://www.gallery360.org/

ArtVigilante Northwest is an online gallery, supporting the emerging artist using an accessible web format. I encourage artist's to send your work to artvigilantenorthwest@gmail.com. Networking your art is the first step in making your work known. Make Art News.

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Art Is What You See As Beautiful

The words art and vigilante join together creating a force that advocates the local arts in the Portland/Vancouver and surrounding region.  Thus I dub ArtVigilante Northwest as the latest art journal in the land of the Pacific Northwest web.  I only assume this, but with great confidence I proceed with my rhetoric.

I have been an artist from the moment I learned to squeeze a crayola in between my pudgy fingers.  My curious nature found pleasure in the images that would transpire.  Further encouraging my upward progression towards all things creative, all things expressive, all things beautiful to my eye.

Art is a challenging energy to put a box around.  In fact, I often find it down right ignorant to assume what is good or bad art.  Not to say that some people don't put a lot more time and effort and truth in their work and those are often the ones by the act of discipline that result in getting their work out into society and essentially are noticed. However, the cliche' phrase "art is in the eye of the beholder" stands true.  Art will always be elusive, the evolution of art holds no restraints. No true guide on how to saddle it.  To one person a particular art piece might seem unattractive and to another person that very same piece might bring tears to the eyes.

As a visual artist I seek to express my love for the local visual works of the artists of the Pacific Northwest.  Art is a powerful form of communication, often speaking volume without using any words at all.  Art Speaks News!