Holly Andres - Art Opening

I am proud to announce an upcoming solo exhibition of Holly's large scale photographic works. The work is premiering here in Portland on June 5th as part of First Thursday. Holly and I will be present for the opening from 6-9pm, so please mark your calendars.

This Thursday (6-9pm) -- 916 NW Hoyt Portland, OR 97209

We would love to see you there.

Here is an excerpt from the press release announcing the show:

Quality Pictures is pleased to present a solo exhibition of photographs by Portland-based artist Holly Andres. The exhibition will be her first at Quality Pictures. The show runs from June 5 - July 26, 2008. Holly will be present at the first Thursday reception on June 5 from 6-9 pm.

"Sparrow Lane" is the second major body of photographs produced by Andres. Her acclaimed first series, "Stories from a Short Street" was exhibited at galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. as well as at the Missoula Art Museum who acquired three works from the series. Andres' video work was included in the 2006 Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum.

The "Sparrow Lane" series is about adolescent girls who are on the cusp of acquiring forbidden knowledge - a metaphor for the precarious transition from 'girl' to 'woman'. The work is more playful and mischievous than the "Short Street" series while retaining some of the darkness and self referential themes from that work.

The photos reference rather recognizable iconography and use familiar and suggestive visual elements such as scissors, chrome flashlights, bird cages, and open drawers, doors and windows. Andres is interested in suspending any overt clues from the viewer so that they are encouraged to arrive at their own assumptions about what they think the scene is about. The body of work presents an elliptical narrative, a mystery, to encourage viewers to engage in and strive to solve along the way.

Kristin & Eric - Engagement Session

On Saturday afternoon, Holly and I travelled down to Silver Falls Park (Oregon's largest state park) for Kristin and Eric's Engagement Session. The park has a total of 10 waterfalls, each with their own unique characteristics. After photographing at the park, we went back to Kristin and Eric's house to capture some additional images of them in their gorgeously landscaped backyard. And no day is complete without a nice relaxing time in the hot tub.

To view the engagement slideshow, please click HERE.

William - Six Months

This past Saturday morning, I met up with Leah & Robert (and of course William too) over at the children's play area by the Portland Rose Garden. We met up for William's 6 month photo session. It was so neat to see how much he has grown in such a short period of time. Here are some of our favorites from the session:

Sarah & Kevin - Engagement Session

Sarah and Kevin just flew in from Boston the other day to spend the week wrapping up details for their wedding. We caught up with them yesterday afternoon for an engagement session. We had first met the couple back in August of 2007 at Mary and Brian's wedding. So we were quite honored when they contacted us to photograph their wedding. Sarah and Kevin are getting married this Sunday at the Northstar Ballroom.

Here are some highlights from the engagement session and to view the slideshow, please click HERE:

Waterfront Park

Irregardless of your political views, you have to admit that the presidential primaries have been a rather captivating series of events. Holly and I went down to the Waterfront Park this afternoon to watch Barack Obama speak to a crowd of approximately 75,000 people. Here are some photos from the event:

Cleo

Part of being a photographer is being an equipment geek. That's right... I love my gear. Each year, Holly and I pick up at least one substantial piece of gear to add to our mighty collection and this year it was the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS lens. This lens is a tank and it is phenomenal for photographing ceremonies. It allows us to photograph tight intimate details during the ceremony without having to even use a flash! I am so excited about this lens and have been lusting after it for a couple of years. Given the gorgeous weather today, I couldn't help myself from testing out the new lens by photographing the newest addition to our family -- Cleo the Blue Point Siamese cat.

Just a Matter of Time...

Ever have one of those friends in life who no matter how much time goes by it just doesn't matter? I met Rune Lind back in 1998 during my freshman year at Bard College in NY. I was studying photography and he filmmaking. We had numerous late night discussions about the similarities and differences between our chosen mediums, each of us intrigued by the other's creative pursuits. Then, after college, Rune continued working in NY and I moved out to Portland. We both knew that we would "make it" in our respective fields but just never knew to what extent. Every now and then I would search around on Google trying to locate Rune. I was able to find this project or that that he was working on, but no way of actually locating him directly. In the past couple of weeks, I opened up accounts on MySpace and Facebook for fun. You always hear stories about people re-connecting with friends from high school, college, and the like. Well, Rune found me through Facebook just the other day (nearly 10 years since we had first met). I knew it would be just a matter of time... We had an IM chat today and it was just like old times. Technology, the internet, all of what is yet to come -- it's just so amazing!

Rune is currently working as a director in Manhattan. To view a clip of his recent work, click HERE.


A photo of Rune showing that he is older and wiser!

The 2008 Portland Women's Film Festival

This Thursday (5/15) at 7pm at the Hollywood Theatre, Holly and Grace's film Nora will be screened. Their film was hand selected to be a part of this year's Portland Women's Film Festival. Here is an excerpt from the festival's site:

"The Portland Women’s Film Festival (a.k.a. POW Fest) focuses on the art and cinematic contribution of women filmmakers from around the world. Scheduled for May of 2008 and spanning four days, the roster of events will be comprised of exhibition of films made by women, moderated filmmaker panels, and filmmaker workshops.
The mission of the Portland Women’s Film Festival is to showcase the very best contemporary international independent films directed or co-directed by women, promote and create opportunities for women working in all areas of the film industry, and educate members in the community through filmmaker panels and hands-on workshops."

Elizabeth Dye - Spring/Summer 2008

Elizabeth Dye marked the release of her Spring/Summer line last evening with a fashion show at The English Department. Once again, Elizabeth pushes the boundaries of fashion with a bold statement in both color and design. Those of you who know Elizabeth's work will be very pleased. Make sure to check out her work: The English Department 1124 SW Alder Street Portland, OR 97205

Mission Mill Museum

The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill produced wool products from the late 1800s up until 1962. The mill is designated an American Treasure by the National Park Service. Walking the grounds of the museum, you are immediately transported to another place and time. There are an array of options for hosting a wedding celebration at Mission Mill. For example, The Pleasant Grove Church (1858) is the oldest remaining meeting style Presbyterian Church in the state of Oregon. It seats approximately 100 guests. The Spinning Room, located on the 3rd floor of the Woolen Mill, seats approximately 400 guests and has a wonderful view of the Mission Mill grounds. What a unique location to hold a wedding where guests are treated to a bit of Oregon history.