April O'Connor | Portland, Oregon Cityscape Artist, among other stuff

New Work

April — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:33:06 +0000

I had such a positive response to the pink-purple-magenta pieces I did for this year’s Love Show (both have sold) that I’ve expanded that color scheme into a series. These are the first two of the expansion- there are 4 more coming. The stars and some of the windows glow in the dark; when you turn out the lights, there are people still up in this little world. These are available for purchase at my etsy site:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/purplespideroconnor

Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria

April — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:48:58 +0000

I’m very much looking forward to this show with my friend Chuck E. Bloom. I have immense respect for his surrealist work, and was honored when he invited me to share the show with him.

For this show, which opens Saturday, March 13th, I decided to play with the idea of monochrome. I love what I’ve seen of paintings in this style, but have yet to try it, myself. There are four series within the series- blue, brown, red, and green.

Get information on Lunar Boy Gallery here.

Custom Work

April — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:29:33 +0000

These are pieces I have painted especially for individuals, couples, and families. I can do this for you, too. You can choose background color and style, as well as have anything written as graffiti on the buildings. I can also add more of or omit details such as clothes lines, broken windows, or water towers to suit your liking. Size and dimensions are other options. Please use the “contact me” button to inquire about commissions.

Big 100 Art Show

April — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:23:48 +0000

BIG 100 ART SHOW

Friday, December 11th, 6pm-11pm. ONE NIGHT ONLY!!!
100 artists, twenty 8″ by 8″ pieces each, everything $30.

Olympic Mills Commerce Center Gallery (107 SE Washington). click for map

Benefit for Oregon Public Radio and KBOO Community Radio.

I’m grateful for this opportunity to try some new things. The surfaces were provided, so I have to make everything from scratch. Considering the time restriction and set price, it’s not reasonable to put as much time into each piece as for the work you’re familiar with. This gives me the opportunity to try out some new ideas and looser styles. I’ve been having fun with this limitation-turned-freedom. I have nothing to loose! It’s like a sketchbook I can sell.

UPDATE Total success!! All 12 of my cityscapes sold within two hours!

Collage

April — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:53:05 +0000

I create mixed media collages and assemblages to represent my home, myself, a state of mind, or a theme. My collage series is new- I did the first one in January of 2008. That piece was inspired by an article on collage in The Artist’s Magazine from the previous fall. I sent a letter to the editor in thanks for the article, along with a photo of the collage. The magazine not only printed my letter- they published the image of the piece, too!

I’ve since completed many more, and I’m gathering items for additional pieces. Each of them focuses on many small details of a larger idea. The first one, The Ongoing Saga of 1220, is about remodeling our 1890 home, and the concomitant inspirations & frustrations. Industria focuses on the dirty job that is manufacturing, and provokes one to think about how messy it is to make something shiny and new. Some of The Stuff in my Head is a visual to-do list and map of my mental musings. Bike is inspired by my love of the bicycle that’s developed over many years of bicycle commuting. Garden highlights the joy and wonder that I find in our yard. Currently in the making is Ballet, which pays homage to the remarkable things that the human body is capable of- strength and grace with precise and delicate movements. Upcoming pieces will focus on birds, fish, travel, and art. Each is or will be between 20×30″ and 24×36″ and include paper, metal, acrylic paint, acrylic media, found objects, photographs, plastic, paper, rubber, ink, and fabric on canvas.

Linocuts

April — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:50:30 +0000

Earlier this year I took a class in linocutting, and found it to be easier, more complex, and more fun than I’d thought. I was inspired by my first success, Bike & Chain, and continued the bike theme to a series of 5. I also tried a cityscape, experimenting with a possible combination of these two media.

“Broken Wing” Assemblage

admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:02:16 +0000

Here’s my newest assemblage: Broken Wing. She was inspired by some late night mental wanderings while on heavy pain killers, shortly after having dislocated my elbow (which I don’t recommend, by the way).

Portland shots

admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:59:16 +0000