Party at the Art Museum (02-26-11)

My participation in a study of native French speakers at the Portland French Alliance won me two tickets to the Portland International Film Festival Wrap-up Party at the Art Museum last night. It took me a while to convince Moso to brave the frigid cold and go with me, but the minute I got there, I was bored out of my mind. The place was full of old people dressed in black sipping wine and looking smart. The music was okay, if one likes reggae or calypso (I prefer Techno), and Moso got to talk with the marimba player.

So I resorted to watching people for a while, then decided to do this sketch. It was a challenge because people were dancing or moving from table to table the entire time, and there was a need to keep everything is perspective (larger in close-up; smaller in background). I didn't have the time to work much on the band.

Moso and I drove by KBOO on E. Burnside afterward. It was well past midnight and excruciatingly cold outside. There was a lot of activity in the vicinity of the Jupiter Hotel and, totally baffling, we saw some young women, scantily dressed and probably drunk, walking barefoot on the iced-up sidewalks...

Party for I [Heart] Art: Portland (02-25-11)

A fun party at PNCA to celebrate I [Heart] Art: Portland, an organization that provides professional development workshops for craftspeople, in conjunction with Etsy.

 The huge amazing cake was made by Bakery Bar; for the principle, I had to get a second serving... But the best treat was the Red Velvet Cake made by Isaac Watson, so delicious that I had to get a second slice of that one as well...

Sing-Along Messiah (12-17-10)

Valérie and I went to Central Lutheran Church for the Annual Sing-Along Messiah, directed by Diane Syrcle this year. It was great, and everyone clearly enjoyed singing the Hallelujah Chorus!

I like the fluidity of this sketch.

Elton John/Billy Joel Concert at the Rose Quarter (02-10-10)

We went to see the Face to Face Elton John and Billy Joel concert at the Rose Quarter stadium. After hearing Gary play their music for the last 29 years, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about going; but this concert was so fabulous, I was won over by the great music and the performers' showmanship. Great time.

 

This is a view of the stadium from where we were sitting. The music was so loud, I was glad we weren't sitting any closer...but it sure looked like the people at the front of the stage were having a blast.

Some sketches of Elton John, Billy Joel, a few band members and screen backdrops.

 The sketches above are of the audience near us. I drew Christopher (top right middle), Valérie (second at lower right) and Monica-Sophie (edge of page on lower right).

I found the souvenir paper sign on the way out of the stadium, near a table where T-shirts and Polo shirts were respectively being sold for $40 and...$60! What a rip!

Annual Community Messiah Sing-Along (12-18-09)

This year again, we went to the Messiah Sing-Along at Central Lutheran Church. I sing Alto, but mostly follow the melody... so it was easier to just listen and enjoy Händel's gorgeous music (a German name NOT pronounced "Handle," but Hen-del"...).

I really like these few sketches; they are representative of the variety of people in the audience and how engaged they were in singing. The last sketch is of my daughter Valérie, with her sister Julia to her right (not visible).

"Daires" Rehearsal at Bridging the Gap Night (02-05-09)

I dropped by Cleveland High School and went to listen to the top Choir rehearse (J. is a member).

Crystal Ballroom (01-25-09)

The Crystal Ballroom was open to the public in celebration of its 95th anniversary, so J. and I went to just look around.
As it was, the violin player in the group featured when walked in the 3rd floor ballroom was a girl J. knows from Dragon Boats.

PDX Collective (01-25-09)

After reading an article in the Mercury, J. and I went to check out the PDX Collective Sale at the Ace Hotel on Sunday. I wanted to see what type of clothes were sold in local trendy boutiques, like Le train Bleu, Moxie and others.
Really cool and great stuff, but $200 for boots on sale, that's just, uh, not my price range, -budget-wise, I'm more like a Target Clearance shopper,- not cool, but I still like looking at cute stuff even if I can't buy it.

I did a quick sketch of the shoppers.

Rose Festival Meeting (01-24-09)

J. had to attend an informational meeting organized by the Rose Festival Association because she applied and for the Rose Festival Princess program and was found eligible to participate.
I think it's great to see J. continue what seems to be a family tradition at this point, since both sisters M. and V. had also applied when they were high school Seniors.
This is a perfect opportunity for a young woman to learn to be confident, to talk in public, and to have a chance at representing the city.

I was late to the meeting due to a prior engagement and barely had time to start this sketch before the meeting was over.

Update: See the article in the Portland Mercury about how it unfolded...

Wordstock: Lynda Barry (11-09-08)

Alas...Wordstock is over.
I managed to escape from my obligations today and go to the Convention Center this afternoon. I had a great time walking down row after row of booths and tables hosted by small presses and other vendors who deal with the printed word.
My main reason to go was to see Lynda Barry, and she was worth the trip. She was shorter than I expected, wore cat's eye glasses and a big red and white polka dot headband wrapped around her head and tied into a knot on top. She laughed a lot, sang funny songs, and was natural in an I-don't-take-myself-seriously way that was both humbling and very real at the same time. (I'm afraid I don't make much sense here. What I'm trying to say is that her unguarded manner endeared her to the audience.)
I had purchased her new book (full of drawings!) and had been given a big ad poster for the book. As I approached the signing table, with my sketchbook, the poster and the new book in hand, wouldn't you know it? The Powell's guy-in-charge made some grumbling sounds to the effect that people should one get only one thing signed...event though he hadn’t said a word for the people before me.
Once at the table, if I was going to get only one signature, I wanted it in my sketchbook. She drew a monkey on the page across from the drawing I had done of her, and then offered to sign the new book and poster also. She was really cool and friendly. I showed her some of the Maxine comics from my "Maxine on the run" blog and gave her a card with the address for the website.
Lynda Barry: A+++

Wordstock: Poetry Slam at the Bagdad (11-06-08)

Wordstock, the annual fun book event in Portland, started on Thursday with a Poetry Slam at the Bagdad Theater, which I attended as a volunteered. This was a perfect opportunity: I had never been to a Poetry Slam before and I wanted to do something in conjunction with Wordstock.
I helped set program booklets and pencils on tables in the auditorium and ushered people in, encouraging them to move to the front of the theater. The Bagdad Theater (it seems that I have been there a lot lately) soon filled with a merry crowd anticipating to have a great time.
When the emcees (performers from Good Sista/Bad Sista) asked for volunteer for judges, I jumped at the opportunity. I didn’t know who the competing poets were, not had I ever heard of them, so that made me eminently qualified and impartial. I got to sit in the second row with a paper pad and a Sharpie marker, to rate poems by Anis Mojgani, Karen Finneyfrock, Buddy Wakefield, Jodie Knowles, Derrick Brown, and Tara Hardy. When ready, I, along with the four other judges, waved my scores high over my head, in turn cheered and booed by the audience. It was a blast!
The whole thing was a lot of fun, and the poems were amazing! Scoring them was difficult; how can one reasonably rate someone’s words and feelings, expressed as performance art? But some poems “spoke” to my heart, and they are, in no particular order:
- Tara Hardy: poem about sand
- Karen Finneyfrock: poem about the Statue of Liberty
- Anis Mojgani: poem about his talking to a little boy on the bus
- Buddy Wakefield: poem about his anxious mother
- Jodie Knowles: poem about (I think) her brother
- Derrick Brown: the poem about a schoolyard fight, mimed by Anis Mojgani (with the help of Buddy Wakefield, the latter supporting the former as he reenacted the author falling down from a blow, then standing up again); this group performance was amazing.
And after it was all over, I picked up the remaining booklets and pencils.

Cleveland High School Choir Concert (10-30-08)

Some experiences are so enjoyable they are difficult to describe. We went to the Choir Concert at Cleveland High School tonight, and once again were treated to a great, great concert.
Despite a challenging first year, Sam Barbara, the new choir teacher, has really done wonders with the kids. It was a tough job stepping into long-time CHS choir teacher Steve Peter's shoes after the latter's leaving, but Sam has grown into the position, even winning "State" for the last two years.
Of course, I may be accused of being enthusiastic because my daughter J., -in the drawing, she's the girl between the two young men wearing top hats,- is in the "Daires" Concert Choir, but regardless of J.'s (charming) presence, it was a nice feeling to see the auditorium full of people, and to hear these talented young people sing, and to find them equally good at early medieval songs, African songs, gospel hymns or plain sappy love ballads.

Ralph Nader at the Bagdad Theater (10-20-08)

Ralph Nader came to speak in Portland several years ago and was impressed enough by his message to vote for him in 2000. Still bruised over the last two elections, I had just about made up my mind that I wouldn’t pay attention to his candidacy this time around. Everyone said the stakes are too high.
Originally a Hillary Clinton supporter, I was very irritated when Obama didn't choose her as a vice-presidential candidate, despite Biden’s extensive...blablablah…record, etc. In addition to having some residual grudge over the Hillary issue, I wasn’t thrilled by Obama, since issues that matter to me were never mentioned in his speeches, but I was resigned to vote for him, although, really, the whole process has been a drag and I’ve been getting to the point where I couldn’t care less. When it comes to politics, I think that one must be either crazy or out of his mind to want to be president anyway, so anyone running for office in today’s climate is suspicious (case in point: the last eight years).
When I heard that Ralph Nader was coming to Portland, I decided to hold off my vote until I heard his speech. After a mix-up at the Denver airport, which made him miss a connection to Eugene, Ralph Nader barely made it to Portland on time to speak to a full house at the Bagdad Theater. Nader, always a great speaker, gave numbers, statistics and facts off the top of his head. It was really impressive to see him go from one point to another, and to give a speech with substance and devoid of fluff. No surprise he has been kept off the debates: he may have called attention to issues plaguing the country, such as poverty, low wages, lack of insurance, corporate greed, etc.
It was refreshing to finally hear points that I care about brought up in Nader’s speech, which had for the most part been left unmentioned by both Democrats and Republicans: military and corporate withdrawal from Iraq, national health insurance, the reduction of military budgets, a national minimum wage, solar energy, crackdown on corporate crime. Thank you, Mr. Nader for having some clear objectives.
Unlike past elections, I filled out my ballot early this time, and dropped it off at the elections office the day after the Bagdad rally. I know the way I voted will result in some people feeling like that they have the right to lecture me about how my vote is going to count for the other guy, etc. I heard it all in 2000. Don’t blame me for voting for a person with integrity and principles. Blame the Republicans who voted for George W. Bush in the first place. And if Obama doesn’t win, people ought to look at the corrupted election process, not at my vote as the reason.

Busy last few days attending cultural events (10-18-08)

In the last two weeks, I have seen Art Spiegelman at the Bagdad Theater, Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics at Portland State University, Paul Theroux, also at PSU, and Ralph Nader at a political rally at the Bagdad Theater.
I am going to post my thought about each event, along with the sketches I made, if any, in my sketchbook. Note that if any of the personalities drawn signed the sketchbook, the scanned image will have been doctored in Photoshop to remove said signature, for privacy reasons.

Paul Theroux at Portland State University (10-18-08)

The world changes, and the travel writer rarely revisits places he may have written about, but in "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Railway Bazaar, his latest book, well-known travel writer Paul Theroux tells of his returning to places he documented in "The Great Railway Bazaar" in the 70s.
Theroux's visit to Portland State University was the main event of PSU Week-End. As soon as the doors to Smith Ballroom opened to the general public, baby boomers and PSU alumni ($10) and students ($5) filed in early for a chance to get a seat close to the center of Smith Ballroom to hear Theroux.
His speech to a full room with nary an empty seat, was somewhat disjointed, like, say, it was a speech he may have prepared for a generic college graduation, but reworked for the old folks (Class of 58) who were sitting at the front of Smith Ballroom, eating a $125 lunch served by PSU Catering services, -and based on the food served by at the English Department’s “Meet and Greet” event a couple of nights before, a frightful prospect if there ever was one.
Despite the many conversational-style pauses and hesitations in his delivery, Theroux told interesting anecdotes, confirming that a travel writer would certainly experience the unusual during his trips.
I was particularly thrilled to get him to sign one of my favorite books of his, “The Collected Stories,” and, of course, my sketchbook.

Mike Richardson (Dark Horse Comics) at PSU (10-16-08)

Portland is home to comics giant Dark Horse Comics. Company founder and owner Mike Richardson recently made a generous gift to his Alma Mater’s Library: a collection of Dark Horse comics to be used for research purposes. Consequently, and in conjunction with PSU Week-End, Richardson gave a presentation to an attentive audience in packed Smith Ballroom, about how he got into comics and how he founded Dark Horse Comics, the evolution of trends in comics, etc., taking time to answer questions afterward.
The audience mostly consisted of male geeks or nerds in their late twenties to mid-thirties, the type with jet black hair, torn grey hoodies, and ill-fitting dark blue jeans and Converse shoes, people that one would picture as staying in dark basements, playing video games, who came up to the surface en masse for the occasion.
As soon as the Question/Answer session was over, I ran to the front to talk to Richardson. He was friendly and very approachable. I showed him a sketch I'd done of him in my sketchbook and he graciously signed it, telling me an anecdote about once signing another person's autograph album in Italy.
For a long time after the room had emptied, fans were still patiently waiting in line to talk to Richardson. Each and every person who had been waiting got to talk with him, and, like I had been able to, tell their story, and engage in a conversation in which he actually participated, listening, telling anecdotes, giving tips and information.
What a contrast with the other one (the Superstar).

Art Spiegelman at the Bagdad Theater (10-09-08)

Despite a lack of proper lighting in the Bagdad’s auditorium which resulted in only his silhouette showing in the dark space, Art Spiegelman, author of "Maus" graphic novel, gave a great and very interesting presentation about the evolution of the comic genre and its influence on his early life, illustrated by many images from his new book.
However, the book signing session afterward soured my positive initial impression of the author and of the event. Totally jazzed up by the presentation and pleased with myself for getting my 15-year-old to attend, as people were still filing out of the auditorium, I marched straight to the Powell’s table in the lobby and, without a second thought to such matters as whether I could even afford it, bought a copy of the new book, telling myself it was a bargain, on sale at the event for $19.95 rather than the regular $27 retail price. But that was to be the end of my elation.
While waiting in line for the book signing to start, daughter J. told me how enthusiastic she was at the prospect of meeting the quasi-legendary author of “Maus”; she was hoping to get his autograph in her notebook. Sometime around then, one of the Powell's Books employees managing the event announced in a loud voice that "Mr. Spiegelman" would ONLY dedicate the new book. I was disappointed to then realize that we wouldn’t even get an autograph in our well-worn copy of “Maus.”
I asked the Powell’s guy-in-charge if I could bypass the autograph in the new book I’d bought, and which was pre-signed anyway, and get Spiegelman's signature in my sketchbook instead? The Powell's guy said that he wouldn't even entertain, let alone pass on, any request. I could tell J. was disappointed. Not only had we paid $5 a person to get in the Bagdad Theater, but it now looked like, to even get an audience, one had to have a new book to present, a book which was looking less desirable by the minute. I started having regrets for making a foolish purchase.
As always lacking any sense in these situations, rather than return the book right then, I stayed on, waiting in line, like a dummy. There was something very strange about the set-up: the Master sitting at a table midway up on a level part of the ramp to the second floor of the Bagdad and we minions, waiting in line at the bottom of the ramp, until a Powell’s employee motioned for people to walk up the ramp, one by one.
I showed Spiegelman the sketches in my sketchbook, but not wanting to get a refusal, I didn't even bother asking for his signature. He was a short, harried-looking bearded man with huge thick glasses; he looked fragile and nervous at the same time, like a gruff post office worker or a stamp collector, or someone who stays indoors all the time. As Spiegelman hurriedly scribbled my name in the new book, I realized that, gosh darn it, I now couldn't even return the book for a refund anymore. Our one-minute meeting over, J. and I both walked out of the Bagdad, totally disappointed and already jaded about the experience.
And as for the book: spare the expense; it's very thin, even skimpy, filled with a lot of Robert Crumb wanna-be stuff from the 70s, and the essay at the end is equally disappointing. Looks like I’m going to post it on eBay.

Party in the Street at People's Food Coop (ca. 09-08)

A few weeks ago, I was walking home from downtown and, walking down 21st, I happened upon a large street party at People's Food Coop. The farmers' market was winding down, to make place for square dancing. It was fast getting dark. As I walked up Brooklyn holding the dozen farm-fresh eggs I'd bought, I thought that it's nice to live in a lively neighborhood with a large variety of people and interests.