Red and Black Cafe – Portland, OR

We feature gallery showings by local artists that rotate monthly.  This page will list the artist for a given month, along with a photo or two, info about the artist, and a link to their website, if applicable.

Want to hang your work at the Red and Black?  Please send us an e-mail for month availability and our booking coordinator will respond promptly.

Thank you!

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July 2010: Adam Brock Ciresi

Recalling my youth, I remember standing up against the sliding glass window of our “town house,” staring at the apple fields that began just beyond the private community’s edge.  Early autumn was beautiful in New York, especially the deciduous trees, falling leaves of fire around the ripened apples.  I’d sit for hours with my water colors trying to recreate this incredible autumn scene, but to my chagrin it never looked even close to the real thing.  And just as the reality of disappointment would set in, a bi-plane would drone overhead, soaring for the apple trees.  It flew the length of the orchards several times, dropping massive quantities of some nasty looking substance, of which I later found out was DDT.  My mom told me that was what kept the apples safe to eat, but I couldn’t ever believe it… especially when she’d make me wash them twice over, and reprimand me of the dangers if I didn’t.  I remember thinking how lucky we were to have such a beautiful view of these orchards, but wished I didn’t have to see these pesticide bombs being dropped on a weekly basis for months at a time.  There was no escaping this ominous feeling, just as there is no escaping the malicious intentions of those who seek to commodify existence in a way which benefits no one but those of the autistic “elite.”

I was always inspired by my uncle’s paintings, seeing his renderings of nature and human life. They are beautiful to me.  I wish I could simply do the same… maybe spend some time in upstate NY painting fields and apple orchards… but those fields are now a lot of cluster houses, and the orchards are still covered in disastrous chemicals.  This is reality, and though disappointing, it makes us who we are.  It’s in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the places we visit, the things we wear, and the people we meet.  Our decisions to ignore much of this allow for the degradation of nature and social relationships.  I can’t say this is beautiful, but it’s what I see…   and from what I remember learning early on, is that the artist holds the responsibility of objectively observing his or her surroundings.

http://adambrockciresi.blogspot.com