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is an occasional journal of Oregon, from arts and books to public policy & transportation.
All content © 2006- by Alexander B. Craghead, except where otherwise noted.
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Sunday, January 28, 2007
Morning Rush, Portland
Labels: Portland, Watercolor
Morning Rush, Portland, 2007; watercolor on paper, approxamately 16 x 25 inches.
Here is the jumping off point. Me being me, I didn't quite paint it in weekly, zen-like meditative days as I had planned. Noooo. Of course not. Every electronic device was still up and running, there were papers tossed everywhere, and I couldn't even resist putzing around with a few work projects. And on a day off! If I had stuck to it the first day, it would have been down less than 12 hours later. Did the painting improve or suffer due to the pause? I am not sure, tho the clipboard did make little marks on the paper edges. So be it; they'll be safely matted out of view if (when) it is ever framed.
This is, of course, the jumping off point in a series for me. The first thought was to paint things that are "relevant" the my world -- whatever that is -- without being pandering, overly self-conscious, or overtly political. Good luck. Yet this desire has kicked me into thinking about works that I would not have once considered. Still, some guiding force must be in place, lest I begin to randomly paint all over the place, with no rhyme or reason. So I've decided to combine some passions, and make this a series on -- might you guess it? Route 99 West. Now you say, this is a painting of a MAX train crossing the Steel Bridge in downtown Portland. What bearing does that have on 99W? But do not forget, the highway once went down Harbor Drive, where the Tom McCall Waterfront Park is now. Then it dashed up over the Steel Bridge, up Interstate Avenue, and joined 99E -- the Grand Avenue / Union Avenue (later MLK Blvd) couplet -- at the foot of the present I-5 interstate bridge. So, indeed, the industrial cathedral that is the Steel Bridge was once part of the vital link that was 99W.
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