Gary Hirsch Meet Your Monster When Gary Hirsch was growing up he had a lot of nightmares. On these nights he would sit with his father in the kitchen and draw the monsters from his dreams. They would stay up for hours and his Dad would help him name these creatures. Once his father leaned over and said, You know, if you can draw them, then you can also erase them. So he did and after a while the nightmares came a bit less frequently. He s been making monsters ever since. These days Gary s monsters are robots... painted on dominos. These little guys are designed to interact with the viewer, to give you outrageous compliments (Joy Bot), tell you how much you are loved (Love Bot), Help you be brave (Brave Bot), etc. It s all about the story they tell the viewer, they help you have a conversation with yourself. Of course the Bots don t actually talk, but something about them allows people to imagine that they do, and somehow this helps them feel better, and that is what makes them so much fun to make. Gary has shown his work in galleries, streets, and museums in Cleveland, Melbourne, Chicago, Seattle, and in his current home of Portland Oregon where you can see his large public works commissioned by the city. When not painting Gary runs a 12 person creative consultancy On Your Feet (www.oyf.com) that uses improv theater and visual art to help some of the world s most successful companies (Nike, Intel, Apple, Disney, and others) communicate and relate all while having a ridiculously good time. Held tightly in his hand are degrees in studio art (B.A.) from Earlham College and from Case Western Reserve University (M.A.E). Gary Hirsch 503-449-7269 www.oyf.com www.botjoy.com TEDX Talk
Michael P. Collins Experience Mr. Collins has always worked in manufacturing since he graduated from College in 1964. His most recent position was Vice President and General Manager of two divisions of Columbia Machine in Vancouver Washington. He has more than 35 years of experience in Manufacturing Art Interests Michael Collins has been doing scratch board drawing since 1977. He also works in pencil and pen and ink, or combinations of all three. Art has always been a hobby and he has never been interested in making a living with art. However he will sell prints of any of his art work. This is his first exhibition for the public. Also since 1977 he has written a large collection of poems and prose and some are on display in this exhibit Writer/ Speaker After his retirement from Manufacturing in 2004, he has concentrated on writing and his art. He is currently a writer for three industrial trade journals and writes monthly columns, blogs, and articles. Since September of 2007 he has written 324 articles and columns for 10 different trade journals on a variety of manufacturing and management topics. He also writes essays on philosophy, economics, and his many favorite science subjects. He has written 3 books on manufacturing: He is the author of THE MANUFAC- TURER'S GUIDE TO BUSINESS MARKETING" published by McGraw Hill in 1993 which is the first how to do it book on industrial marketing specifically designed for small manufacturers. He is also the author of SAVING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING published by First Flight Books in Chicago IL and the GROWTH PLANNING HANDBOOK published by NISTMEP in Gaithersburg MD. For many years his primary hobby and interest has been the geology of the western United States. He is currently finishing a book called Connections that explains how the geological forces that created the Western United States happened and how they are connected below the crust of the planet. He has done almost all of the illustrations for the book rather then use photographs. Most of the illustrations of the greatest explosive events were done in scratchboard and the book is full of his pen and ink drawings and maps. MPC MANAGEMENT 503-669-4968 Email mpcmgt@comcast.net
Peter Schmidt The art that I create derives from various strands of my personal experience and values. Religion and spirituality have been major influences and interests in my life, and much of my art reflects this (Three samples below of commissions from church congregations) My calligraphy has also been inspired by, and often reflects, religious themes. The Psalms have been especially inspirational. Below are renditions of Psalm 98, Psalm 34, and Ecclesiastes. I have also made wood block prints, which I began making when we lived in Asia. The Japanese are masters of this art, and I was intrigued with their skill and output. In all of my work, I am committed to using media and material that do not impact the environment. I strive to use a minimum of materials and many of the materials have been recycled. Peter Schmidt, born in 1942, completed a BA in 1965, an MA in 1971, and a MDiv in 1970. He has taken classes at PSU, PCC, and Oregon School of Arts and Crafts. My carvings and calligraphy have been shown at several shows in the Northwest. Contact: Peterschmidtus@yahoo.com
Judy Jacks
John Smith Life to me is one big emotional experience. It s what I feel, that I relate to the most. The joy I get from listening to a piece of music or the pain of loss are all emotions that I am constantly curious to visualize. What do these emotions look like? How do I visually express them honestly? For example, depicting loss is one challenge, but to express the feeling of loss is where the real challenge lies for me. And sometimes it s not what I feel that I want to represent, but what I perceive my subject might feel. All of this entails a constant self scrutiny during the process of creating. I am constantly asking myself if I am making a picture look good as apposed to my real intension to make it feel right. It can be too easy to rely on technique and follow the end of my brush and losing sight of my goal. The seduction of a well executed brush stroke that takes away from the honest intent can be an easy thing to succumb to. Trying to maintain the integrity of purpose can cause me to re-do a piece an infinite number of times. Each time I call on a primal impulse to guide me. And if I m lucky it answers.
Harry Groth For the past four years I have been working on mixed media geometric constructions. These pieces are assemblages of found objects that I alter in an attempt to generate multiple new meanings. I have always admired the richness present in old surfaces and try to incorporate that quality into the constructions. Prior to 2007 I had also been doing mixed media work, but it was of a larger scale starting with painted images on board to which objects, often neon, were attached. My images were usually colorful musicians, birds, sports scenes, and abstract forms. I consider myself a process artist and find the joy is in the building of a piece. Once I needed to have a tuba flattened and found a municipal steam roller operator who agreed to run over it. The road crew so enjoyed this that they all demanded a turn. The result was wonderful but much more disassembled than I had planned. I believe that making art is best when it is exciting and full of surprises.