A Night in Japan
by Cori Willis
Three years ago, Misha Ashton set up an art show in her apartment building on Hawthorne during the annual SE Art Walk. It was her first attempt at selling her photography in any art show and her friends were out on the street with homemade fliers, screaming, “Come check out cool art!” “During the two days of the event, I made $420 and realized I needed to start selling my art at real events,” says Ashton, now a freelance photographer and graphic designer. Luckily that first show connected her with Douglas Smith, a once-local artist (he now lives in Seattle) deemed “The Chicken Guy” by Ashton due to the wood blocks he produces of chicken drawn on them. Smith told her about the Urban Art Network, the group that organizes the First Thursday Street Fairs in the Pearl District and soon she was setting up her work there. She now participates in roughly seven local street fairs a year, in addition to doing the monthly street fairs of Last Thursday on Alberta Street, and continuing to do First Thursday. She also sells her work in two boutiques in Portland.
On this years July First Thursday, Ashton plans on recreating that first art show which she held in her apartment building hallway, only on a much larger scale. Ashton has rented out The Cleaners, the event space connected with the Ace Hotel, and will be displaying her own work, as well as the work of three other artists - Brenda Dunn, a pinup artist, Jill Trinchero, a jewelry designer, and Brandon Draper, an abstract painter and local tattoo artist, there on July 3rd. All four plan on following a theme inspired by Ashton’s recent two-week trip to Japan, and debuting new and unique pieces of their work at the July show.
Asked how to describe her photographs, Ashton hesitates. She states, “I couldn’t really say,” so I refraised the question. ‘What do you like to photograph?’ I love to photograph broken-down, rusty junk. Driving around and coming across a big empty field with a totally dilapidated barn with shit around it and to me, that’s my dream. I can stay there for hours and just photograph everything and its so exciting.” That desire to photograph everything, including even things others might never find interesting, is what makes Ashton unique. She often finds herself lying on the ground, climbing into trees, creating her own personalized filters with magic markers, and shooting into the sun, a major faux pas for photographers. “To me, art is more about the way the artist sees something and being able to see something through their eyes versus how you see things every day,” says Ashton. “I like to take the world and change it.”
Dunn, who is inspired by flowers, tropical plants, and beautiful women, does not hesitate when describing her art. “My girls have a vintage glamour, with clean and modern lines.” Amanda Johnson, interior designer and long-time admirer of Dunn’s work, agrees, stating that Dunn’s style “is very much her own and she continues to perfect it with each series.” Dunn’s work is currently sold in ten local shops. She also does about two shows and one street gallery a month. Not only does she display her artwork all across Portland, but she also does freelance illustration for designers and apparel-based businesses. “I will probably start doing tattoo design and personalized pinups,” adds Dunn. “I get asked to do those a lot.” Though Dunn tries to do new pieces all the time, she only has a brand new series to display about once every three months. Ashton and Dunn are also currently working on a joint project of combining their graphic design and illustration skills to start designing wedding and party invitations.
Trinchero, owner of Lolabelle Designs, started making jewelry in college for fun with a friend. Her small project has turned into an online business. She now makes earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, in addition to custom designs. Trinchero describes her work as straightforward. “I use stones that I think are beautiful and like to let their beauty speak for themselves,” Trinchero says. Trinchero loves to make pieces “specifically for someone I know or someone I admire, taking into account what would fit their style and body type.” Trinchero’s website offers admirers a chance to host their own “trunk shows,” a private jewelry show for parties or company functions. Trinchero will be creating Japanese-inspired pieces for the July show, but Lolabelle’s signature gift-wrap – a modern cherry blossom print designed by Ashton and tied with a brown ribbon – is already coordinated with the theme.
Brandon Draper has been painting for eleven years and studied art and color theory in school. He describes his art as using “intense colors and shapes to describe feelings and visions” he holds inside. His pieces could be labeled as abstract or impressionism. “I find inspiration from passion, music and organic material. There are many different shapes, structures and colors that can help abstract art create and redesign a different magical world,” Draper states.
Ashton and Dunn met Trinchero through Garment, a shop where Trinchero displayed her jewelry and Dunn owned and displayed her art when Dunn and Ashton were roommates. Last year, these three artists did First and Last Thursdays, displaying their pieces next to each other. Draper and Ashton went to school together and Draper has been participating in art walks and street fairs more and more over the last few years.
All artists agree that Portland is a great place to be if you’re an artist. Portland is “very supportive of the independent artists and the crafters and the “starving artist,” says Ashton. Ashton says it is rare to find a local coffee shop, restaurant or bar that doesn’t display local art. “I don’t know why it happens, but everyone here is into people being successful doing their own thing,” says Dunn, who works at Jam on Hawthorne, a restaurant that displays local artists and has also held a few art shows on its own. “There is definitely a market to be captured here. Being that Portland is very liberal and open, artists just "create" and are able to find a market for it,” Draper states.
Ashton feels that Portland’s art scene seems to be more about connecting with the artist, and being able to get the story behind a piece. In addition, it allows the viewers to ask specific questions of the artists. “I don’t keep secrets,” Ashton says. There are a lot of artists out there that refuse to tell people how they do their stuff, but for me, if I tell someone how I get the colours in my photographs or how I mount them on wood blocks, it doesn’t mean anything because every bodies eyes for how they see things is different.” Draper agrees with this collaborative art effort. “I feel people should work together to create a community rather than profit from others’ work.” For the July show, all four artists are working together to create a Japanese theme to draw people in.
Ashton is debuting her Japan photographs mounted as her other photography is on one-inch wood blocks in varying sizes. However, this time she plans to make them slightly different. “This show I’m doing a limited edition of everything. I’m going to do different sizes I’ve never done, and I’m going to incorporate pieces together as a series.” The other artists will also be debuting some new pieces, as well as ones exclusive for the July show.
“I have done Asian-inspired pinups for a few years,” says Dunn, who also mounts on wood blocks and has been drawing for most of her life. For this show, she says, “I am thinking of doing pinups in elaborate kimonos with floral work all over the garments, as well as Japanese tattoo art on Asian pinups.” Dunn mounts her pinups on wood blocks as well, a trait that drew her and Ashton to one another when they discovered their similar style at a First Thursday Street Fair.
Trinchero plans on creating a new Japanese collection using bright colors, such as red, orange, and yellow. She also plans on incorporating the “nature I envision when
I think of Japan, especially fish and coral.” Draper will follow Japanese styles, culture and colors. “After researching the history of Japanese art, I have created many pieces utilizing the utopian views and cultural colors to describe my vision of Japan,” states Draper.
Ashton hopes the interesting theme and variety of artwork will make the show in July a success. She wants the work “to be something new and exciting, both for people that haven’t seen us before and people that have.” Ashton comments that both Dunn and Trinchero have a large following and she is hoping that this show will expose their individual admirers to other artists they will like. In addition, she feels having a small show will help make the art more personal for those that come. “It’s nice cause we’re not the same kind of artists and we’re not inspired by the same types of things, but I think our art can be intertwined together,” says Ashton.
The show will offer wine provided by Clyde Commons, which is affiliated with the Ace Hotel.
Misha Ashton (www.mishaashton.com)
Brenda Dunn (www.pinupbrenda.com)
Jill Trinchero (www.lolabelledesigns.com)
Brandon Draper (www.myspace.com/draper_art)
Urban Art Network (urbanartnetwork.org/pdx)
Ace Hotel, The Cleaners, Clyde Commons (www.acehotel.com/portland)
