Above and below

Much of the art that you see around Portland is at eye level. But sometimes beauty can be found at great heights or under foot.

The quotes are carved into the bricks in front of Tiffany and Co.
The "Comic Faces" Are on the side of the same building.
Both of these works are public art projects commissioned by 2 different artists in 1991.

Along the stops for the new orange line max train are some stone poems.

And once your brain has had enough learning or reading ,you may enjoy the randomness of some small tiles in the middle of the sidewalk.

No matter where you look, you can find beauty. Enjoy a walk in your city by looking up and down ; and remember to find art in everything. 

FFTT following the painted brick road

This week I took a tour of some of the murals from the 2014 forest for the trees.  I followed the map from forest for the trees and found some more murals from this awesome public art project.

All photos courtesy of left eye photos. 

This year's artists did an amazing job and added some beautiful pieces to an already colorful city.
Check out these murals and more at www.forestforthetrees.com Here you'll find a video recap of the artists as they work and see more of their work world wide.

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Thurman(y) places to see

This week I took a tour down nw thurman st between 21st and 30th. This area of Portland is a little off the radar for many tourists but definitely worth a walk through.
The first stop on my journey was The Peculiarium. A museum of oddities, curiosities, and just plain weirdness.

Oh yeah ,and there's ice cream!  Because after participating in an alien autopsy, narrowly escaping spontaneous combustion (the guy before me didn't fair so well) ,and preparing for a zombie apocalypse, one works up an appetite.

Once I made it out of the Peculiarium; and lived to tell about it; I made my way to an open art studio Oko. It's a shared artist studio with art pieces to suit all tastes. All art is for sale and if you're lucky you can meet some of the artists.  I met Cheryl,  an artist that hand paints silk adornments.  Her work can be found at the Portland Saturday Market.  She gave me a quick lesson on silk painting with the help of her assistant, Holland.

Hotel Fairmont was the last place I happened upon.  This is one of the only structures that remains standing from the Lewis and Clark exposition. It has been used to film episodes of Grimm and pays a special nod to the rich history of Portland. 

That's why I love this city ,you just never know what you'll find around the next corner. 

Until next time.
All photos courtesy of left eye photos.

Rack 'em up

Portland is one of the friendliest cities for cyclists.  With so many bike lanes to get around it's almost the preferred method of travel within city limits. There are also times when a cyclist must park their bike. These artistic bike racks allow them to park their bike in style. 

 (Photos courtesy of left eye photos)

Bike rack outside of St. Cupcake

 "Cool car" designed by metalworks

 "Little fremont" 

Bike rack outside of bikeworx

The next time you're touring around your city on bike look for a stylish place to park your ride and see the art in everything.  

New mural by Faith47

 (photo courtesy of kickassthings.com ) 

I live in Portland and I am in love with all the crazy, eclectic, fantastic art there is to see. I spend my free time finding these visual treasures.
Here in Portland Oregon art abounds. Everywhere you look, there is something decorative or artful to see. This is a new mural that showed up in downtown Portland. It is done by an artist named Faith 47. This project was created as part of a public art exhibition created by the non-profit Forest For The Trees.
See your city as if you're a tourist and always see art in everything.