The artist’s eye often develops after early years spent in nature. Painter Kirk Weller’s biography describes a boyhood spent catching snakes and climbing rocks.
“I was born in Grand Junction, Colorado at a time before interstate highways. A 15-minute drive away, the Colorado National Monument was a wonderland of red sandstone, pinyon, junipers and vistas of 100 miles to the north and east. From ages 3 to 9, I and my one-year-older brother, caught lizards or bull snakes bare-handed as we scampered along rimrock precipices. On a different day, on the Grand Mesa, there would be walks through spring-fed glens filled with quaking aspen, bordered by sweeping valleys dotted far below with turquoise lakes. This was what the world looked like. Now painting from my mind’s eye, this was where my painting career began.”
See Weller’s show and others at Art + Design on 9th, which is like a progressive dinner party from 5-8 p.m. with different hosts and artists at each stop along the way. Likely no dinners to be had, but there will be plenty for the eye to feast on.
It could even feel like the First Thursdays of the past, when gallery stops were a bit more serious-minded. But there will still be fun and Willamette Valley wines to enjoy on 9th Avenue tonight, between Northwest Couch and Glisan streets.
Among the list of 13 participating galleries and design shops are Laura Vincent, Elizabeth Leach, the Black and the Waterstone galleries. Home interiors retailers Hive, the Joinery, Light + Home and Ann Sacks also will throw open their doors to visitors.