artful home evan b harris

The Artful Home: Evan B. Harris

Lady Bird ... Tea Party

I've always had a thing for folklore and fairy tales -- and no, not

the kind where orphaned princesses trill melodically while they toil,

aided by cute little rodents.

I mean the darker, unsanitized, not-fit-for-bedtime-stories kind. The

pre-Disney versions, where the wicked stepsisters' comeuppance

involves having their eyes plucked out by vengeful birds. The kind

where stupid little piggies are actually devoured, with sinful relish,

by seductively sinister wolves. The kind where young girls wandering

alone in the woods discover within themselves a brute savagery to

rival their predators'. (Have you ever read any Angela Carter? Oh, but

you must.)

So it was with great anticipation that I visited the Anatomy of

Folklore show at Oakland's consistently impressive Johansson Projects

this weekend.

Though it's a joint show with San Francisco sculptor Lawrence

LaBianca, I was there to see the paintings of Portland, Oregon-based

Evan B. Harris. (Is it just me, or is Portland a hotbed of interesting

art these days?)

White Whale and Shells

In Harris' imagined world, young girls (and a few boys) reside in the

bellies of seemingly innocuous woodland creatures, wolves' breath

warms innocently sleeping children, tree branches and roots spring

from various body parts, whales swallow mermaids whole, and songbirds

nest in women's hair (sweet enough, except that the hair is attached

to what appears to be a disembodied head).

As his bio says, "Born among the briars and brambles in backwoods of

Medford, Oregon, Evan Benjamin Harris ... dove into the recesses of

his own imagination and embraced the fables and folklore that

fascinated him. Now older, things haven't changed much. The stories he

created as a child are still present in his paintings."

Take a look:

Cuts Keep Growing

The Hare and Her

Hearts, Home Is ...

Redwood Waves

Birds, Birch, Hands

Tea for Birds

Regiment of the Hive

Scottish Deerhound

I'm no art critic -- I confess that I really don't have a clue about

the deeper meaning of Harris's work. But I find it oddly beautiful,

strangely fascinating, and darkly magical.

And though Harris's original paintings, priced from $475 to $1,450,

are just a wee bit out of our budget, I'm happy to report that his

work can be enjoyed in more affordable ways as well:

Harris's mural at Portland's Ace Hotel

Belly of the Bears print, $30 at Tiny Showcase

"Birds of a Letter" Stationery Set, $5

The Wurst Gallery Tote Bag, $20

Pssst -- I also hear that Portland's Office PDX store and gallery has

a few reasonably priced small pieces left from Harris's last show

there. Email the nice folks at Office for more info.

Anatomy of Folklore will be at Johansson Projects through January 5.

Click here to see more of Harris's work.

Posted by Leah at 8:32 AM