This is the first of a series of interviews of the artists, designers, architects, and musicians that live in the South Waterfront neighborhood. The interviews are conducted by Zara Logue - a Portland-based designer, John Ross resident, and member of the Art, Culture, and Science committee.

The first interview is with Jerry Inscoe, an artist, designer and competitive cyclist who lives in The John Ross.

(Zara Logue) Give me a brief history of your background - birthplace, upbringing, when you started making work, what you do for a living.

(Jerry Inscoe) I was born in Washington DC where I was raised till I was in my early twenties. As a kid I lived with my Mom and my Auntiemame (Grandmother) on Wisconsin Ave just across the street from the National Cathedral. My Auntiemame (named so because she was kind of eclectic like the character Roslyn Russell played in the movie Auntiemame) was very much into art and the social lifestyle of a city woman. She collected modern art and modern furniture and encouraged me to be artistic at a young age. Honestly, I don’t even recall having that many toys to play with as much as I did have colored pencils and sketchbooks. So I always drew as a kid to pass time. As time moved on my Mother and I moved around a lot, always in the DC / Virginia area but I always ended up in a different school district. Making new friends became a bit of a chore so as usual I kept my nose in my sketchbooks. Those early years were spent drawing Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons as much as possible. When Battlestar Galactica aired everything switched over to drawing vipers and cylons. And it went on like that for years. Just drawing what I saw.

I don’t think I really concentrated on making “work” till high school art classes. Most of what I did was modern or abstract…probably inspired by what I saw in my Auntimame’s house as a kid. In 1985 I started doing graffiti so I could have something to do since my Mom worked two jobs. With no parent at home during the night…I had full reign of the streets. In the early ’90s I moved to San Francisco and met up with some old school graffiti writers out there. A few of them were in to doing this really abstract and organic style of graffiti, and I found myself really attracted to the idea. I’ve been in that genre of the subculture ever since. In 2001 I had my first solo gallery show at The Compound which is located above Just Be Toys in Old Town Portland. I had made a few canvas pieces for group shows in previous years but I had never had to create a whole bunch of work for a solo show. The show was a huge success for me. I sold everything on the walls and was even commissioned by Mark Parker (of Nike) to create some artwork for his office. The success of that show led to many other shows and helped me realize just how lucky I really am as an artist.

I currently work full time for a major Northwest retailer as a Visual Merchandiser, which includes a lot more than just fussing with mannequins all day long. There’s not a whole lot of artistic ability needed to do my job but when I first started doing it sixteen years ago it was all different. The ‘display crew’ (as it was called back then) designed, built and installed all the window displays. Over time that creative outlet was taken away and now we’re basically a carbon copy of companies like Gap, Inc.

To compensate for the change I’ve tried to take up graphic design a little bit. I’ve learned that it’s a profession that isn’t as easy as it looks and totally takes a visually creative person of a different sort. I’m more of the kind of artist who is good at doing his own thing and not trying to think up something clever for someone else. I’m not sure what kind of artist that makes me. I’ve been lucky enough to do some stuff for companies like Burton, Nike and Nordstrom as well as a bunch of little things for friends and others. I enjoy working on the computer and teaching myself the programs but I don’t have the time to really buckle down and make a living from it.

(ZL) Do you consider yourself an artist or a designer? How do you connect to or deny those categories in your work? Do you think those kinds of categorizations even matter?

(JI) I would consider myself an artist before I would consider myself a designer. However, I draw a lot of inspiration from graphic design, web design, industrial design and architecture. I’ve found that I really connect with clean and simple images, very color-blocked images. There’s just something about design that I find very inspiring.

Categorizing art is a way for people who aren’t artists to put artists in their place. I think an artist is an artist, no matter what genre they fall in to. I’ve recently become really interested in typeface design…mostly cursive script. A new font called Burgues was just released and it’s amazingly beautiful. The time and energy that must have went into the design of that font has to be immense. I designed a font myself of just my regular handwriting and the work that went into it took a while…and it’s as simple as it gets. I can’t imagine doing something complicated.

(ZL) Graffiti seems to be where you got your start in terms of making your work public. Do you still consider yourself a graffiti writer? What role do you think graffiti plays in culture now that it’s been mainstreamed?

(JI) I still identify as a graffiti writer but I no longer partake in the actions that would label me as one. When you spend 22 years of your life connected to a subculture - even when you leave that subculture behind - you’re still going to be involved somehow. For me, it’s to be aware of my environment around me. The writing on the wall, the stencils and wheat pastes. And within the last ten years the mainstream has latched itself on to graffiti writing as a way to connect with folks. Even when an ad has a subtle hint of graffiti, it stands out to me. I haven’t yet decided if it’s a good thing or a bad thing for the subculture of street artists but I do know it’s opened doors for (graffiti) writers to become graphic designers and web designers. This has helped lead the way to amazing publications of books and magazines related to street art and of street art/graffiti. These books aren’t just images on a page bound together, the books themselves are pieces of art.

(ZL) How did you end up in the South Waterfront?

(JI) I’ve always lived in a city environment since I was a kid. I’ve learned to be very comfortable that way. My wife Rachel and I saved up to buy our first home by moving out the suburbs to save on rent. When we had enough for a down payment on a home we realized we couldn’t afford a modern home like we wanted or something close in to the downtown Portland area so we bought where we could. We got lucky and bought in an upcoming area and the value of our home rose over a five year period. When we saw what was happening in the South Waterfront we really liked the idea of a modern development that we could be a part of from the ground up. The more information we got on the buildings planned for the area the more we wanted to be a part of it. We looked into the Meriwether buildings but all in our price range were sold out. So we put our name in for any info on new buildings being developed. We got some mail about the John Ross building and the opening day sales and we were one of the first in line to buy. It’s great to see the area grow slowly and to be a part of that.

(ZL) What’s the best/worst thing about living here? Has the neighborhood influenced your work in any way?

(JI) For me the best thing about living here is its location. I feel like I live downtown without the hassles of living downtown - the traffic and the noise. I have easy access to most points in the city by hopping on the streetcar and if I feel like a jog on Council Crest I can take the tram uphill! There are some things that bother me but they’re mostly personal. There’s not much the community can do about them - the community has no control over the kinds of vehicles people drive or the laziness behind some folks’ recycling habits. I just hope that living in a green community will start to rub off on people and the efforts of a few will pay off.

I haven’t created any work since moving here but I have played around on the computer with design using elements from the neighborhood. Nothing I’ve saved or anything…just playing with the tools that come with the software.

(ZL) How can people find out more about your work? Are you represented by a gallery, have any upcoming shows, a website?

(JI) Currently I have no representation or website. About a year ago I decided to take a break from creating work due to a stagnant rut I was in. I hope to get back to creating pieces again soon as art is one of my biggest passions. I constantly doodle and sketch ideas so thankfully I have a stash of ideas tucked away so when it comes time to work…I’ll have a good head start.

Our own Linda K. Johnson and this month’s guest artisit, Adam Kuby, had a great interview in the Willamette Week this week regarding the Acupuncture Project.  Please read it here: http://wweek.com/editorial/3419/10668/

20/20

ART, CULTURE & SCIENCE
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Entry by Marla Doll, Umpqa Bank and committee member

From my third floor balcony on the south side of Meriwether West, I am absorbed into the pedestrian energy and flavor of Pennoyer street by proximity. Even in the winter, with views of Dana Lynn Louis’ light installations or the recent red carpet party I oversaw from my perch last month, the thoroughfare is alive year-round.

It’s spring and summer, however, when the pedestrian-scale street really comes to life. During those months the sing-songy noises of bikers, runners and random passers-by, conversations between neighbors, dogs playing, the annual art exchange and the occasional live band playing below at Bella Espresso fills the air. The festive energy spills into my space through an open balcony door and I can imagine I’m in any city in the world.

Turning my attention to the view and the architecture, however, there is no question I am in a unique setting.

This spring we will all enjoy a newly remodeled Pennoyer Street and surrounding area, thanks to the green vision of developers Homer Williams, Gerding Edlen and Thomas Hacker Architects, Inc.

It’s been fascinating to see the landscaping take form between my building and the Atwater. Now that it’s all in place I wait, in eager anticipation, for the newly planted River Birch trees to show their leaves and the smaller plants to thrive and bloom over the next few months (if weather cooperates).

Interested in learning more, I contacted the exterior project architect with Thomas Hacker Architects, Inc. (www.thomashacker.com), Nick Hodges, for more insight into the creation and implementation of ‘my new front yard’…

The following interview (conducted by email) is an exchange between Nick and I.
Q. Landscape, both man-made and natural, is such a strong element in the newly forming South Waterfront area. What kind s of questions did you ask w hen defining how the design will integrate with the rest of the community?
A. Every side of the site for Atwater Place has conditions that make it unique. River Parkway and Gaines have a reasonably close relationship in that both are more traditional street sections with sidewalks, street trees, curbs and two-way traffic. With that in mind we worked to establish a traditional pedestrian oriented street edge for the building. Pennoyer and the waterfront edges have a completely different set of conditions. Pennoyer as a “green street” is a pretty incredible asset for the district and we worked very hard to orient the building in such a way as to enhance what that notion. By pulling the tower portion of Atwater Place to the south, we allowed the plaza to spill out and open up onto Pennoyer. The east side facing the river is a wonderful space that will only be improved upon once the park area gets developed. In the meantime we oriented a significant portion of native landscaping and bioswales that soften the edge of the building as it meets this future park.

Q. Is this a particularly difficult or elaborate design compared to your other projects. A. This is a relatively new project type for Thomas Hacker Architects and creating some fun and challenging design problems. Personally, I was most excited with understanding the scale of the buildings and how the exterior materials went together. In particular, the unitized curtain wall system provided by Benson Industries was probably the most exciting aspect of the project for me.

Q. What is your favorite element of this particular design? Least favorite? (either from a design or development perspective). A. I am sure in time there will be things I might have done differently.

Q. Is there anything interesting going on that we, as residents, can not see? Something behind the scenes or under the cement that would be of interest? A. As you know and most residents would know, all parking is located underground, including the plaza area along Pennoyer. All the landscaping of the plaza along Pennoyer is located above parking.

Q. How much on-going maintenance will occur in order to keep everything running smooth and green? A. This building is similar to the other buildings in South Waterfront. Upkeep is always important and ongoing.

Q. Are you happy with the final result? A. We are very happy with the results and hope the district feels the same way.
As always, your comments are welcome. -HM

Did you all make it by AiR yesterday?

I happen to be out of town at the moment, but a reporter at large (thanks Mike) described what he saw on his visit to the studio yesterday during the making of a traditional sand mandala. The artists were a group of seven monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India. (see photos)

He are his comments:

…the whole thing is pretty cool. They fill those hollow metal rods
with colored sand then run the other rod over the top, causing minute
volumes of sand to come out of the tip, painting as they go. You can
see the tupperware containers in the background, all full of
different colors of sand. Tonight (Tuesday) at 7 they finish it and clean it
up, passing out small bits of it to those in attendance. #

I find it very interesting and quite an honor that monks from India were inclined to visit our artist in residence studio to recreate a traditional meditation piece… and thought I would do a bit more research into just what it is they were doing. Here is what I found.

Mandalas
The Tibetan mandala is a tool for gaining wisdom and compassion and generally is depicted as a tightly balanced, geometric composition wherein deities reside. The principal deity is housed in the center. The mandala serves as a tool for guiding individuals along the path to enlightenment. Monks meditate upon the mandala, imagining it as a three-dimensional palace. The deities who reside in the palace embody philosophical views and serve as role models. The mandala’s purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones.

The Sand Mandala
Mandalas constructed from sand are unique to Tibetan Buddhism and are believed to effect purification and healing. Typically, a great teacher chooses the specific mandala to be created. Monks then begin construction of the sand mandala by consecrating the site with sacred chants and music. Next, they make a detailed drawing from memory. Over a number of days, they fill in the design with millions of grains of colored sand. At its completion, the mandala is consecrated. The monks then enact the impermanent nature of existence by sweeping up the colored grains and dispersing them in flowing water.

How Mandalas Heal
According to Buddhist scripture, sand mandalas transmit positive energies to the environment and to the people who view them. While constructing a mandala, Buddhist monks chant and meditate to invoke the divine energies of the deities residing within the mandala. The monks then ask for the deities’ healing blessings. A mandala’s healing power extends to the whole world even before it is swept up and dispersed into flowing water—a further expression of sharing the mandala’s blessings with all.

That’s all for now folks. As always.. comments welcome.
HM

Speaking of design… Those who attended the Second Annual South Waterfront Tour of Homes certainly got an eyeful. From Rick’s castle in the sky, to Billie’s fresh lime green and white John Ross cabana, and the stunning, art-filled red and black Krage penthouse; tourists admired finishes, noted details, evaluated differences and took in the range of diverse home environments created by neighbors of the South Waterfront.

I found comments and comparisons exchanged at Umpqua’s Home Tour after party quite intriguing and got to wondering if participant’s impressions were as diverse and personal as the residence’s themselves.

Here is the beginning of what I hope to become a rich compilation of thoughts, by us, about the homes that make up our community.

I invite you to send in answers to the following question:
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE HOME ON THE TOUR AND WHY? (If you were not able to attend the tour, feel free to comment on other SWF homes).

Here are some of the responses I’ve received, including my own.. I hope you will participate but sharing your thoughts via a comment to this blog or email.

* Rick Miller’s Castle in the Sky was my favorite experience on the tour.. not necessarily because the home is designed in my personal taste, but because I admire the owner’s ambition and passion to bring his vision for something extra-ordinary to life. I appreciate the meticulous attention to detail, orderly (walk-in) closet, rich fabrics and materials, and massive furnishings that even the largest adult could get lost in like a little kid. I loved that his place felt rich in stories and history, despite the buildings infancy.

I would like a weekend locked in there with a Jane Austen novel and good bottle of merlot! - Heidi McBride

* The hospitality shown by those who opened their homes to us was most impressive. The hosts were charming, welcoming, and gracious. Also impressive was the level of high art on display in each of the stylish residences. The tour provided an opportunity to view the different perspectives and views of the stunning, surrounding architecture and urban landscapes. My thanks go out to the resident hosts, Peggy Pusch, Umpqua Bank, and Neighborhood House for providing us with this wonderful opportunity. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
- Christopher Paillé, Atwater Place

*WEll John and Kathleen have my vote hands down. Lots of People? I liked last yrs better…
- anynomous

* (I neglected to clarify I was speaking of the Home Tour when I asked Carol name her favorite home and why, but loved her answer all the same).
The home that is the favorite for Rog and I is here at the Meriwether. Having a beautiful view of the Willamette River, Mt. Hood, the gorgeous sunrises, Ross Island and all of the creatures that fly and/or swim by is wonderful. Calms my soul! And, being an old Chicagoan, easy access to downtown Portland is ideal. Love that streetcar. I really like the closeness of our neighbors, too. For the most part, they are active, interesting and fun people. We have it all here. One more very important advantage that our SoWF neighborhood has is our easy access to OHSU’s Center for Health and Healing. Rog and I spend much of our mornings at the gym there. Keeps us feeling alive.

The home that was great as it was filled with our four kids was our home in Salem. It was very modern…all steel, glass, and cedar. It was located on a slight hillside among the trees. We had all sorts of little wildlife that frequented us since we were just a block from the Willamette River. We had a nice view of the State Capitol when the leaves dropped and opened up the sights of the downtown.
- Caryl