If asked to describe an ideal antiquing destination, it would be a small town with historic buildings and a dozen or more individually owned shops. Drive about a half-hour south of Portland, Oregon, and after some twists and turns you could come across a town named Aurora. The green fields, 19th-century buildings, and surrounding town names make you think for a minute you might have made a wrong turn and ended up in Ohio or Vermont. A town like this is a delightful find anytime, but particularly when it’s filled with antiques. After moving to the area in 2022, the first mention of the town of ..read more

In the recently reimagined American Galleries at the Seattle Art Museum, we’re presented with a monumental early 20th-century work by Thomas Eakins, hung beside a contemporary painting by Kehinde Wiley. William Smith Forbes is a long way from home and seems a bit out of place. Meanwhile, Anthony of Padua seems at ease.  Forbes was a surgeon back in Philadelphia and in 1882 was arrested for buying cadavers stolen by grave robbers. At trial, Forbes explained that physicians were required to have a thorough knowledge of anatomy, and yet laws made it impossible to obtain a sufficient number ..read more

Portland-based artists Sean McGonigal and Joanne Radmilovich Kollman made the New York Times recently. As former occupants in the Troy Laundry Building, they once had working space in what has now become a Portland branch of the exclusive Soho House. According to the article, Soho House positions itself as a creative space and features work by local artists to be enjoyed by those who can front the $1,950 annual membership.  According to The Art Newspaper reporting on a recent survey, there are more museums and related organizations across the country than the number of Starbucks and McDon ..read more

Spring is in the air. On Thursday, the night was dry and warm, a welcome change to greet visitors of the First Thursday Art Walk in the Pearl. It couldn’t be better for a group of young girls, most still in their team jerseys and shorts, coming from a winning match, jumping into Laura Vincent Gallery. They were there to see their coach Paul Xavier Rutz’s exhibition, with many pieces that capture themselves in action. A few blocks away, Augen Gallery features works by Portland native artist Sally Cleveland. Most of her works are small humanized landscapes on paper. Rooted in realism, Cleveland ..read more

The signs on the airport luggage carts read “Welcome to friendly Los Angeles.” For sure, the City of Angels is its own kind of place with some degree of “friendly.” With warm sunlight and palm trees, what’s not to like? Yet navigating LAX and seeing traffic crawl over the concrete freeways, you realize life here isn’t easy. And if the car doesn’t drop you off in the right spot, you can accumulate quite a few steps on your tracker trying to find the door to the Convention Center. Other things set LA apart. In San Francisco or in Seattle, one dealer shared, people ask you a lot of questions. In ..read more

Was it just me or was I noticing more chandeliers visible from the sidewalk? An article in The Atlantic, Why Rich People Don’t Cover Their Windows, may have the answer. It seems “Americans who earn more than $150,000 are almost twice as likely to leave windows uncovered as those making $20,000 to $29,000,” according to a study for the U.S. Department of Energy (it’s not a trend that’s good for the environment or heating bills). While it may be more prevalent recently, the article traces the trend all the way back to the 1990s. If it’s so, it’s all for show. Maybe the real trend lately is for s ..read more

Was it just me or was I noticing more chandeliers visible from the sidewalk? An article in The Atlantic, Why Rich People Don’t Cover Their Windows, may have the answer. It seems “Americans who earn more than $150,000 are almost twice as likely to leave windows uncovered as those making $20,000 to $29,000,” according to a large 2013 study for the U.S. Department of Energy (it’s not a trend that’s good for the environment or electric bills). While it may be more prevalent recently, the article traces the trend all the way back to the 1990s. If it’s so, it’s all for show. Maybe the real trend lat ..read more

At least two significant portraits of George Washington are being auctioned this year, one by Gilbert Stuart from the Met. I was thinking of writing a lead something along the lines of “deaccessioned portrait of slave owner offered for sale.” Later in the day, President Biden gave a speech at Valley Forge, launching a campaign for his re-election, and to save democracy. At the climax, he talks about a painting in the Capitol. I believe the painting the president referenced is General George Washington Resigning His Commission by John Trumbull. It depicts the scene on December 23, 1783, in the ..read more

For the first exhibition of 2024, Sidestreet Arts Gallery features a power duo: Jeanne Steffan and her husband Tom Skelly. After they moved from sunny southern California, they immediately fell in love with the natural beauty in Oregon. “California has beaches too. But here, the beaches are just wow,” said Jeanne, in front of her painting of Thor’s Well, a popular destination in quant town Yachats. From afar, the crashing waves splash over the canvas, with gossamer lightness, against jewel-colored rocks. Upon closer examination, the rugged rock formation is made of thick impasto. I immediately ..read more

New Year’s Day is a good time to take down the Christmas tree — out with the old! It’s not convincing that you have to keep it until the Epiphany – trees have nothing to do with it. New Year’s is also a time for “in with the old” and so the year both ended and began with a trip to the Oregon town of Aurora known for antiques. McLaren Auction Services held an auction preview on December 31 and a New Year’s Day auction. The lots included several impressive furniture and decorative arts items with one of the top lots being a carousel ostrich.  This handsome marble “turtle-top” table was lab ..read more