This year’s senior art majors—all 18 of them, each concentrated in ceramics, drawing, graphic arts, painting, photography, or sculpture—are as eclectic as the art pieces they premiered at this year’s show: a giant unfired clay hand splayed out on the floor, fingers curving slightly toward the ceiling, the palm crossed with new cracks where the clay has dried. An unmarked door opening into a doorway jammed with brightly colored ink sketches on ragged snippets of paper. A mixed media booth containing a book of color-coded collages, covered in red ribbon and lit by a single bare lightbulb; a giant charcoal drawing of a slightly deranged looking owl, only its eyes rendered in color; a full frontal naked portrait of a man wearing a devilish mask; a naked woman crouched on the floor, her long hair flowing toward the floor, just brushing the head of a seated dog; pears with their skins unraveled, climbing up distorted ladders.

The journey from concept to creation to, finally, display, began for most seniors at the end of their junior year. Guided by regular meetings with advisors, teachers, and peers in their concentration, students navigate their pieces from the earliest concept stages into production and, finally, after many months of adjustments, into preparation for display at the Hoffman.

The senior art show premiered at the Hoffman Gallery last Thursday, April 6, to a large, voracious crowd—the largest crowd by far of any opening at the Hoffman this year—that swarmed the entrance and devoured the available food.

“It was so crowded it was almost hard to even view the art. I thought it went really well, though—a beautiful variation of things going on,” said Garrison Doctor (`06), a drawing concentration art major with three large charcoal sketches in the show: “African Elephant,” “Bateleur,” and “European Eagle Owl.”

“I wanted to present these animals in a way that we’re not used to being exposed to them, in a way that would be more of a ‘hit you in the face,’” he said. “Wildlife art gets such a bad rap, and deservedly so. Romanticized, cheesy genre, tasteless genre—but this project is supposed to present wildlife art in a little bit of a different way.”

Gerry Swanson (’06)’s detailed, twisted tree drawings deal with nature from an entirely different angle; Swanson’s drawing “Dichotomy Tree,” is a representation of Swanson’s father.

“This one has the place falling on him, and then the figure coming out of the tree and the root—that’s basically my Dad and his addictions, his drugs, the collapse,” Swanson said, explaining that he took off last spring to help his father recover from a drug addiction, and that the time spent there—though it inspired all of the work displayed in the show—had taken an incredible physical toll on him coming into his senior year.

“[This year] has been one of the most physically and mentally challenging things I’ve ever been through,” Swanson said.

The year was an entirely different sort of challenge for double art and English major Hanna Zipes (’06), whose four pieces—pastel and paper collages—combine her love for self-portraits and animals.

“One of the things that’s undeniable about me is my relationship with animals. I knew that I had to do at least my first big project about animals, and it was something that had to be done in my life. Debra [Beers] really taught me the importance of self portraits, and we definitely did a lot of that in drawing—it’s funny, because you’re so used to seeing yourself that you don’t see yourself. You don’t. The way light hits your face.”

Senior Yuke Wang (’06), with his six charcoal portraits (himself, his parents, a friend of his father’s from 20 years ago when he attended Lewis & Clark, the director of the International Students office, and Wang’s first college roommate), no doubt spent a large amount of time contemplating just that. Working off photographs, he has created a series of detailed portraits of these people’s faces, mounted on bright paper with tiny, intricate symbols and lettering in the background.

Wang explained that he drew his inspiration both from a sneaker show he saw in Beijing entitled “Sneaker Pimps,” where artists had transformed vintage Nike tennis shoes into works of art through the addition of graffiti art elements, and also by studying ancient Chinese Tang dynasty graphics and symbols during a recent trip to China. Last year Wang also worked with the Portland based advertising firm Weiden/Kennedy, designing a t-shirt for Nike: black, with the words “New York is Fearless” written on it in silver Chinese script. All of these experiences, he said, inspired his work in the show.

Senior Laura Content (’06), whose incredibly intricate drawings of her own homemade bakery items—hot cross buns, cherry coffee cake, a poppyseed ring cake—are a confectionary delight for the eyes. Content baked each of the items herself in her small apartment kitchen.

“I would spend all day baking the bread—yeast bread, so it had to rise. Then I would spend hours over the next few days drawing it quickly, before it dried out. When when I ate them…I thought, I remember this piece, because it had taken me so long to draw each recipe,” Content said. She explained that it was great to be able to combine two of her loves—drawing and baking—into one project.

One of the most interesting things about the senior art show, as compared to a typical gallery show, is that there is absolutely no theme running through the pieces. Doctor’s owls stare out into the room across a set of partially connected canoes that have been suspended from the ceiling. Kerry Barnes’ (’06) fully nude self portrait beams out from another wall close by. Annie Goodsill’s (‘06) mixed media doorway stands slightly ajar, giving just a glimpse of the layered sketches inside, next door to Gerry Swanson’s distorted, elongated trees.

This year’s seniors, likewise, bear little resemblance to each other in terms of interests and approaches, save one thing: almost all of them will take next year off to explore their own art, apart from school assignments and the rigorous demands of the senior project.

“There’s so much pressure put on the senior project, it’s the culmination of your artistic career at Lewis & Clark,” Doctor said. “Next year...it’s about exploring possibilities.”

And so they will.

Congrats, seniors.
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by Sarah Moon

Portland City Grill

Portland’s night life can be exciting and adventurous, but when in need of a relaxing night to wind down from a long day, Portland City Grill (PCG) offers everything you need to sit back and enjoy a late night with friends, family, or significant other. The Happy Hour menu includes anything from California roll sushi, Caesar salad, and Thai lettuce wraps, to burgers, fries, and Dungeness crab cakes-all below the price of $3.95.

Located on the 30th floor of the U.S. Bank Corp building on fifth avenue, the large windows display a beautiful view of downtown Portland, running alongside the Willamette River. It may be difficult to find seating once you arrive, but you can grab a drink at the bar and breathe in the piano music playing a few feet away-and the pianist even takes requests! The atmosphere of the restaurant caters to your occasion; the dim lighting offers a romantic setting for dates, but also a casual feel for those who are out with friends for the night-so dress in a cocktail dress, suit and tie, or jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops.

The main drawback may be the service. Because the nights get pretty busy, the drinks and food don’t get served as quickly; however, the friendly smiles and service do make up for the delay. Also, there is a $2.50 per person minimum beverage purchase.

I highly recommend this restaurant for its selection, pricing, atmosphere, and quality of food. If you drive, there’s free parking with validation, or the trimet can take you right to its front steps. If you’re 21 and looking for a relaxed night filled with delicious food and beautiful scenery, make your way to Portland City Grill to fulfill your needs.

Happy Hour Hours: M-Sat 4:30-6:30, M-Th 10-12, Sundays 4pm-close

111 SW Fifth Avenue 30th Floor
Portland, OR 97204
(cross street- Ankeny)
503.450.0030

McCormick’s Fish House

McCormick’s may have one of the largest selections for happy hour menus in Portland. A 1/2lb. cheeseburger is just $1.95, the shrimp and scallop ceviche is $2.95, and the bay shrimp spring rolls are $3.95. Prices do not exceed $3.95, and include other dishes such as the chicken salad wrap, habeñero and roasted red pepper hummus, Two Willapu Bay oyster shooters, true cod fish and chips, and much more. With a $2.50 beverage minimum, you can enjoy a night of inexpensive, delicious food.

McCormick’s has set aside a small cozy area with a fire place on one end of the restaurant for happy hour customers. If the night were to be busy, the seating would take hours because of the shortage of space; however, the seating was prompt on the weekends because of the lack of customers. But don’t be fooled by the empty tables; McCormick’s offers wide selection in food and a comfortable place to enjoy your meal.

The food was served quickly but the service was mediocre. As the waitresses came to the table, they seemed rushed and impatient. They weren’t the friendliest, but they got the job done.

I recommend McCormick’s Fish House for its wide selection and lively atmosphere, despite the mediocre service. Just twenty minutes away from campus, you can enjoy a relaxed and comfortable night at the Fish House.

Happy Hour Hours: M-Sat 3-6pm
M-Th 9pm-12am
Fri, Sat 9:30pm-12am
Sun 4-6, 8:30pm-12am

9945 SW Beaverton Hillsdale, Beaverton, OR 97005
503.643.1322

by Stephanie Beechem

SB: When did you decide to become an art major?

HZ: I decided to become an art major after taking a class with Debra Beers, freshman year. Everybody should take a class with her, I’m serious! She basically changed how I see the world—when you learn how to draw you learn how to see things differently, and it becomes less about drawing for me at least than about seeing. I remember walking one day around the campus, and I realized I was drawing everything with my eyes, and that’s when I realized the impact she had on me. And then I took another class with her senior year, and then I was like, I have to take every class I can with Debra, so I guess I have to be a drawing major.

SB: So you’re an art and English double major?

HZ: I’ve always known I was going to be an English major—my parents are writers, and it was like, You’re going to be an English major and what else?

SB: I definitely knew I wanted to be an English major when I started college.

HZ: I feel like a lot of English majors know coming in…I mean, you can’t be anything else, some people have to write and have to read.

SB: So how did you start preparing for the senior show?

HZ: We started talking about it last year, and I definitely started thinking about it then. This summer I collected lots of images…pictures that I took myself, pictures from the Internet. It was a lot about keeping a journal about the different ideas that were important, and since you’re going to spend so many months on it, it’s important that you have plenty to work with. For me, it was fitting all the ideas in and making them cohere in one piece instead of doing ten.

by Jonathan Frochtzwajg with Stephanie Beechem

KLC Radio presented its 19th annual concert, Sunburn, last Saturday in Stamm Dining Hall. Decorated with caution tape and signs warning of impending danger, Stamm played host to seven bands over the course of the evening: Quiet Countries, Books on Tape, The Robot Ate Me, The Whips and the Whistles, Dagger of the Mind, The Hunches, and Dead Moon. The Photo Atlas, a Denver-based band scheduled to play, was forced to cancel when their van broke down in Utah.
The concert began at 5:00pm and saw sparse audiences through its first two acts, Quiet Countries and Books on Tape. The performance of Quiet Countries, a Portland one-man band that deftly uses a slew of gizmos to create engaging, beautiful electronic music, was unfortunately seen by only a handful of students. Attendance picked up slightly for Books on Tape, another one-man act that graced Sunburn with its unique, erratic brand of dance music. The irritating performance of the one musician who makes up The Robot Ate Me drove some of the building audience away with his awkward stage presence, high-pitched caterwauling, and jarring sound.
The Robot Ate Me were followed up by the Shakesperean power metal band Dagger of the Mind, fronted by the sleek, mohawked, tight-pants-wearing Jason Simms (‘08). Dagger of the Mind and The Whips and the Whistles both won their spots at Sunburn via Rugburn, a concert/Sunburn tryout intended to separate the wheat from the chaff of student bands. Since the two bands were the only two bands on the lineup, they agreed to a draw and were both allowed to play during Sunburn.
Later, The Hunches--part train wreck, part hopelessly cheesy romantic cruise--played an energetic set for a full crowd. They were followed by Dead Moon, whose drum set was a neon-colored, spray-painted, acid-eaten wonder with a Jack Daniels bottle taped to the top. The set was unusual and well-attended, and Jack Daniels was, as always, a fitting end to the evening.