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Dismal Nitch Polyphemus Moth and Bookends
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present two exhibitions this September: Dismal Nitch Polyphemus Moth, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Justin L’Amie, and Bookends, a group show featuring a variety of functional bookends.
Justin L’Amie | Dismal Nitch Polyphemus Moth
The works in this exhibition are inspired by a gift to the artist of a Polyphemus moth. The moth was found at the Dismal Nitch rest area, a cove in Washington along the lower Columbia River, notable as the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s last campsite before sighting the Pacific Ocean.
Over the next couple of years, L’Amie made many drawings of the moth and credits these drawings with helping him find excitement, meaning, and inspiration from the natural world. Also during this time, he began falling more in love with different kinds of art and artists: Japanese prints, Morris Graves, Odilon Redon, naturalist drawings, folk art, early manuscripts, and codices. These artistic influences have shaped L’Amie’s practice through the years as he renders flowers, moths, birds, insects, and creatures of all kinds into his compositions with a dexterous hand and gentle sensibility. The works are a reflection of his fascination and adoration for the natural world, capturing its tender resilience in both beauty and darkness.
Bookends
Books continue to be treasured for the knowledge they contain and as objects themselves. September seems like a perfect time to add bookends to your collection. Our exhibition Bookends is a group show featuring conceptual and functional bookends ready to hold your favorite books.
Participating artists Anna Gray + Ryan Wilson Paulsen, Iván Carmona, Jodie Cavalier, Nan Curtis, Marjorie Dial, Jess Perlitz, and Joshua West Smith each created a set of bookends reflecting their practice, point of view, and use of materials.
Each bookend is made from a variety of media—ceramic, steel, wood, and concrete, as well as more unconventional materials like crayons and beans. The works reference steadiness, the weight of loss, the closeness of friendship, landmark events, and things that hold.