ARTISTS AT WORK. Area artists will open their studios next month during Portland Open Studios 2008, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of artists in their workspaces. The tour, held during two weekends, features the work of 98 artisans. Pictured are "Final Judgement" (left), an oil on canvas piece by Sabina Haque, and "Lonely," a watercolor painting by Tien-chu Loh. (Photos courtesy of Portland Open Studios)

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #38 (September 23, 2008), page 16.

By Josephine Bridges

An unprecedented 10 percent of artists participating in Portland Open Studios 2008 are Asian, too many to do justice to in one article, yet not surprising given an inclusive organization such as Portland Open Studios. In this first of a two-part series, we feature five artists using a representational style, whose work depicts things we recognize from the world we live in, imbued with each artist’s particular vision of that world. We focus on two artists appearing for their first time in Portland Open Studios, then provide a brief reminder of some old favorites, as well as some non-Asians whose work has been influenced by our neighbors across the Pacific. Artists working more abstractly will be featured next week.

Sabina Haque, the daughter of a Pakistani father and an Ohio mother, spent her first 18 years in Pakistan and has lived all over the United States since. She came to the U.S. to attend college and decided to stay. "I wanted a sense of greater independence from my cultural background," the artist explains. In art school she learned to work "big and muscular," yet she filled her six-foot canvasses with intricate motifs from many traditions. "My art has always been a mixture of popular culture and icons from Christian, Hindu, and Muslim faiths," she concludes. "Holy Intersections" contains excerpts from both the Bible and the Quran, and "Rebirth" combines Hindu and Christian symbols. A large multimedia installation called "Muslim American Woman" includes "mummies wrapped in the language of stereotyping, which is how we will be remembered if we don’t change our ways."

Tien-chu Loh, who describes himself as a "transplant from Hong Kong," also mixes artistic traditions in his Chinese brush paintings: Gonbi, a detailed and methodical style of painting, and Xieyi, a freehand approach emphasizing the brushstroke. Influenced not only by his Chinese heritage but by four decades spent in this country, Loh experiments. He uses a color to signify an emotion, something that would never be done in traditional Chinese brush painting, or works toward the edge of abstraction in a piece called "Splash," of which he says, "There’s nothing Chinese to speak of." Tien-chu Loh began painting only five years ago when, fortunately for us, he decided he liked his first attempt and began to study with several local teachers. "Practice, practice, practice," he says. "I use classes as an opportunity to do that."

Ming Wei, making his second appearance in Portland Open Studios, is one of Tien-chu Loh’s teachers, and he’s no stranger to mixing his influences either, with Chinese brush paintings of both his native China and the country he lives in now, the beauty of which he is inspired to capture. Daniel Ng, also in his second year, works in bold acrylics, both in his intimate interiors and his majestic landscapes. Shu-Ju Wang is a veteran of Portland Open Studios whose work crosses and recrosses the boundaries of representational and abstract art.

Because Asia is directly to our west, its aesthetic can’t help but influence Oregon artists. Amy Stoner borrows elements of Chinese brush painting in her encaustic (wax) paintings. Anna Todaro’s fantasy figures are reminiscent of Japanese anime. Jan vonBergen’s prints have roots in Japanese costume and text, which stem from her residence in Japan.

In this issue we’ve visited only a few artists. We could highlight other painters, potters, printmakers, and weavers throughout the metropolitan area. Portland Open Studios isn’t just one kind of art; that’s its specialty. With 98 artists, Portland Open Studios introduces us to 98 different ways of making art that we can watch. And that’s not all. New this year: most artists’ studios are open both weekends — that’s October 11 and 12 and October 18 and 19 — so art enthusiasts can cross the river either weekend. Prefer to let someone else do the driving? Portland Open Studios has partnered with EcoShuttle to provide selected tours to many artists’ workspaces.

The 2008 Portland Open Studios Tour Guide — which includes two tickets for all days (children under 18 are welcome and free), a 2009 calendar, a map to the studios, and contact information for all participating artists — is available at Art Media, New Seasons, and other shops listed at <www.portlandopenstudios.com>, and still costs only $15.00.

"This year’s artists are a microcosm of all the ways we can make art — including some we never even thought about — and you can actually watch artmaking in progress," says publicity coordinator and participating artist Bonnie Meltzer. Represent your diversity next year; artist applications are due March 15, 2009. Check the website for directions after January 1. To learn more, call (503) 285-3131 or e-mail <info@portlandopenstudios.com>.