November is traditionally an odd but good month for art viewing in Portland. The month is short but prime for those who collect so the galleries usually roll out a heavy hitter or do something very experimental.


Anne Appleby, Gentian June 18, 2016

For my money Anne Appleby is the best abstract painter in the Northwest and one of the top tier artists on this side of the continental divide. Drawing from color in nature her luminescent works show how deft her surfaces are with pulsing energy and life. She is our Matisse and so poetic. Mind you, I've split a desert with her but looking at her work is exactly the same... tough, life affirming and intelligent all at the same time.

But That Was Then | November 1-26
Reception: November 3rd 6-8PM
PDX Contemporary
925 NW Flanders



Sean Healy, Roil (2016)

Sean Healy is one of my favorite artists in Portland and recently finished a big commission at the University of Oregon. His work deals with masculinity and manual labor and the social ergonomics of that kind of enterprise. Still, somehow his shows at Liz Leach's Gallery are never installed terribly well (big pieces orphaned in corners and not in a poetic way etc.) so I'm curious to see how his latest "Gut" fares. *Update: Gut looks like Healy's most accomplished solo show in Portland... it has "edge" yet is well laid out and concise.

Gut | November 3 - December 30
Opening: November 3 | 6 - 8PM
Elizabeth Leach Gallery
417 NW 9th



Una

The revitalization of the Everett Station Loft Galleries continues as artists are losing their spaces in other parts of Portland and Una is the latest to open up shop.

Whats more they are specifically focusing on, "people of color (POC), queer, gender non-conforming, and feminist artists." Portland's loger standing institutions can be very quiet and conformist... focusing more on craft and delicacy than challenging the status quo. Check out Una by crossing Broadway and check out their inaugural show.

Una gallery
Grand Opening: November 3rd 6-9PM
328 NW Broadway #117