L.A.'s
Pancakes and Booze Art Show made its
way for the first time to Portland, Oregon last Friday March, 30th. This
event creates an out of the box collaborative art expose giving fresh underground
and emerging artists an opportunity to share their work.
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| $5 dollar door charge given to "Wonder Woman" |
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Tom Kirlin, founder of the
Pancakes and Booze Art Show, created this captivating gathering in L.A. about 4 years ago. Since that time it has grown dramatically and
he now travels bringing the exhibition to different locations around the United
States. He has hosted the event in Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Denver, Nashville, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas and now Portland,
Oregon. Kirlin plans to bring the show back to Portland this August and
then on-going every 3 to 4 months.
Kirlin's inspiration for this show was to create an art event reflecting an
atmosphere that stands apart from a typical art gallery showing. Kirlin
is often asked, “why the pancakes?” He
simply answers, “why not.” The food fair
offered, pancakes and booze, contrasts significantly from the usual wine
and cheese selection found at a traditional art show. The
pancakes not only make a social statement but are also responsible for enticing many curious guests to these parties. In fact, the show in Portland brought a
successful first event attendance of around 700 people.
The Portland P&B show made it's debut at the Urban Studio located in the hip and
happening Pearl District. Guests poured in from a growing line forming
outside the door from Davis Street. As patrons entered the large and open
studio, pumping rhythmic music was orchestrated by the DJ, welcoming everyone to
relax and soak-in the diverse visual art environment. Beer and cocktails were served, as well as
all you can eat pancakes slathered in syrup, chocolate and fresh fruit.
Guests wandered and mingled throughout the space exploring the vivid art pieces
covering the walls from top to bottom. In addition, artists came with
their brushes in hand creating on the spot masterpieces. The optical
stimulation of expressive artistic statements produced a feast for the eyes.
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| Fine Artist Christopher Kelleher |
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| Christopher Kelleher from Gallery CK performed a live painting at the show. |
Portlanders welcomed this show to their local art scene, and many of the
contributing artists claim that PDX has been in need of something like
this for a long time. There are countless unknown artists constructing quality visual
art that often gets overlooked in a big city like Portland. Kirlin feels that art should not be exclusive
to high brow events and elite sub-cultures in society. Kirlin wants this event to be inviting and he feels motivated to create an accessible platform for every-day artists to share their
unseen work to the communities around them.
The
P&B event in Portland displayed over 75 local artisans work. The art varied in style; something was there
for every palette.
Fresh Ghost Art, a Portland painter, shared his contrasting black and white geometric masterpieces. Artist
Sandy Peraza presented her work which combines an eclectic mix of graffiti, nature, and child hood nostalgia,
using her common color scheme of pink and black. Other creative individuals whom took part in the show
included graphic image designer
Chad Rea founder of
Ecopop,
Helvis Smith presented her vibrant in color work made from recycled paint; fine artist
Christopher Kelleher with his masterstrokes both detailed and thought provoking and also myself,
Jenny Rose, contributed some of my own abstract collection from my
"Birth of the Voice" series. An ongoing list of participating artists, artwork, and comments can be
found at the March
events page from last Friday's show:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/210734319013516/.
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| "Birth of the Voice: solidarity" - Artist Jenny Rose |
Tom Kirlin is onto something, he attracts hundreds of artists in popular
cities by inviting them to be part of this event, and the participating artists share the affair with their friends using the most effective advertising tool out there:
social media. Kirlin then provides a gallery type show with an attractive
twist and alluring ambiance; guests enjoy an entertaining night out and leave the event
wanting more.
Kirlin will be returning for another
Pancakes and Booze Art Show on August 31st, 2012. Due to the big hit reaction of the first show Kirlin will be extending the event to go on for two nights. There is an art call for local artists in the Portland area to participate in the next upcoming show. If you are interested in displaying your work or just want to attend check out the latest
events page on facebook.
For more information and a video of past P&B events visit: www.pancakesandbooze.com.
All artwork submissions for the August Pancakes & Booze should be
sent to
pancakesandbooze@gmail.com with name, city of the show, and
examples of work JPEGS and links only.
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ArtVigilante: Jenny Rose.
Photography by Randy Foster:
FosterPhotoGraphix. You can also stay connected with his work on the
FosterPhotoGraphix Facebook page.
