The City of Portland overlooked this rainy-weather trouble spot – discover why they may have caused the problem …

Long-time Lents Neighborhood resident Joyce Beedle put on her hip waders and cleared storm drains of debris she believes came from land owned by the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. Hours later, it’s still draining!

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
We certainly didn’t get the hurricane-like conditions predicted by the forecasters on November 12 – but many of the outer East Portland streets that are prone to flooding were again underwater for hours.

Police simply closed SE 92nd Avenue, between SE Foster Road and SE Division Street – a perennial trouble spot.

Foster Road floods, but not Johnson Creek
We were surprised to learn that Johnson Creek was flowing well below flood stage, even with the heavy rainfall.

Yet, for hours, all lanes but one eastbound on SE Foster Road, just west of SE 111th Avenue, was flooded.

“This morning my son couldn’t bicycle safely to school, because all of the westbound lanes, the turning lane, and one of the eastbound lanes were completely underwater,” reported long-time Lents Neighborhood resident, Joyce Beedle.

Calls it a ‘predictable problem’
By the time we arrived, the water had receded, and only one westbound lane – and the bike lane – were underwater. That was thanks to the intrepid Beedle.

She said she put on her hip-waders, grabbed a pitchfork, and pulled leaves and grass out of the storm drain grates. “It was clear to me that the City of Portland wasn’t going to do it,” she explained.

The water from the leaf-and-grass choked storm drains backed up – and also flooded SE 111th Avenue.

The worst part, she added, is that this flooding was totally predictable – and not because of problems with Johnson Creek.

“Two days ago,” Beedle noted, “the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services mowed the property they own along Foster Road. The storm water drains were clogged with fresh grass clippings and leaves. There aren’t any trees or grass near the storm drains. I would prefer that they take care of the property in such a way that traffic is not impeded on SE Foster Road.”

So, if you drove along SE Foster Road on Wednesday, please know that it was a neighbor who helped drain the water from the street, and provided you with a safer trip!

No homes or businesses were damaged due to the flooding.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Discover how and why these two SE Portland artists are giving this former gas station and coffee shop an entirely new – and delightful – appearance …

A board member of the non-profit Cafe au Play – located at Tabor Commons – Charles Heying prepares the exterior for painting.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The building on SE Division Street, across from Atkinson Elementary School, that started out as a gas station 50 years ago, and ended up being  a coffee shop that was actually an illegal drug dispensary, is a step closer to becoming a community center.

The former “Drive-thru Wake-up and Deli” is getting an exterior makeover as part of its transformation into the Tabor Commons Community Center.

“When you drive past now, you’ll see a colorful design covering three walls of the building,” said Paul Leistner, a board member of the Southeast Uplift neighborhood coalition. “The public art is a combination of geometric elements with garden and bird motifs.”

Sees building as a canvas
The design was created by John Early and Laura Bender of Site Painters, a local firm that’s been doing murals and commissioned public artwork for 25 years. You’ve seen their work around town – at the former Nature’s Market on SE Division Street, for example.

“We live in the neighborhood, and have been following the progress of this project,” Early told us, while taking a brief break. “This nondescript little box of a building seemed like the perfect place for community art treatment.”

Grant funds local muralists
Early and Bender created a design, and then prepared a grant application to the Regional Arts and Culture Council’s neighborhood mural program.

“Thanks to the support of the community – and in-kind donations from companies like Powell Paint Company – we were awarded the grant. Volunteers prepared the exterior by sealing, sanding, and priming the surface.”

SE Portland residents, and professional mural painters, John Early and Laura Bender transform the former drug-dealing storefront into a work of public art.

Center to create a ‘sense of neighborhood’
“This is our neighborhood – we love this area,” smiled Bender, as the husband-and-wife duo mounted the scaffolding to continue their work. “I like the idea of helping to create art that promotes a sense of neighborhood.”

When they’ve completed their work, Early said, they’ll coat the exterior with an ultraviolet-shielding varnish that will also help fend off potential graffiti vandals.

Working to fulfill their goals
Leistner reminded us that the main goal for the project is to create a community gathering place. “One way the Tabor Commons is achieving this goal is through partnership with a local non-profit, Café au Play,” he said “They’ll create a family-and-community-friendly coffeehouse program to support children and families, by nurturing connections among caregivers and empowering people of all ages to see themselves as both givers and receivers of resources.”

Community members hope to finish the building and site renovation this winter.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Area residents were worried when reports of a teenage girl being raped surfaced last week; see how alert Portland Police Bureau officers got the man they say is the perpetrator …

Usually Lents Park is a place of fun and recreation for families. Neighbors started getting worried when they heard a girl had been raped here.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A broad daylight rape on October 20 left the residents who live around Lents Park – in the area of SE 92nd Avenue and SE Holgate Boulevard – feeling uneasy.

“We have some bad characters running through there,” said Lawrence Brookmeyer, a retired Lents neighborhood resident whose house overlooks the park. “I hope they catch the guy – we’ll all feel a lot better.”

Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz told us that, based on information from an interview with the teenage victim, detectives believe she was walking through the park and saw the suspect crouched against a tree. The victim approached the suspect to ask him a question. As she walked towards the suspect he stood up.

“As the suspect stood up,” Schmautz reported, “the victim observed that the suspect’s pants were partially open and his penis was exposed. Before the victim could escape, the suspect grabbed and sexually assaulted her. The victim physically resisted the suspect, who walked out of the area after completing the assault.”

Schmautz said the victim was able to give police a detailed description of the suspect, and helped the bureau’s sketch artist make a drawing of the suspect.

Police say they suspect this man, 26-year-old Andrea Tito Pascua, is the one who sexually assaulted the teenager in Lents Park.

Officer checks transient camps
East Precinct Officer Rian Hamby got on the case and checked several locations frequented by transients in southeast Portland. His work paid off; three days later, on October 23, Hamby found his man.

“In the area of SE 87th Avenue and SE Powell Boulevard, Hamby found and detained 26-year-old Andrea Tito Pascua,” Schmautz said. “Pascua was later positively identified as the suspect by the victim.”

Pascua was arrested and charged with one count of Sex Abuse in the First Degree and one count of Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree in connection with the sexual assault in Lents Park, Schmautz stated.

This investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Mary Wheat at (503) 823-0885.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

How does one keep one’s neighborhood from looking trashed? See what these volunteers did – and how much money they raised for their association, in the process…

Neighbor John Bassett recycles his metal and gets rid of his junk – and also spends a few minutes helping Powellhurst/Gilbert Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair Elaine Medcalf organize a Dumpster.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Unlike almost any other grassroots local project, “neighborhood clean-ups” are specifically to help beautify sections of East Portland.

The Powellhurst/Gilbert and Pleasant Valley Fall Clean-Up was one such event.

“We do this to help our neighbors,” said its organizer, Powellhurst/Gilbert Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair Elaine Medcalf, as she closed the doors on a filled-to-the-brim metal recycling dumpster. “It also helps keep debris, trash, and unwanted appliances from being dumped off.”

Medcalf said there were seven sites open across Powellhurst/Gilbert, which is outer East Portland’s geographically-largest neighborhood. “One of our sites is on the border of the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood; they’re participating in the clean-up,” she noted.

At one of the sites there was a bulky waste Dumpster and a Dumpster for metals; at two sites there were a bulky waste Dumpster and a yard debris Dumpster; and at three sites there was a bulky waste Dumpster only.

“It’s great being able to get the trash out of the neighborhood,” neighbor John Bassett told us. “Especially out of my yard!”

Here’s some of the 19.7 tons of bulky waste that won’t be dumped in a park or along a road.

The results? Medcalf said the clean-up netted:

• Bulky Waste: 19.7 tons
• Yard Debris: 2.54 tons
• Metals: 4.3 tons
• Donations: $1,215.

Collection services were provided by Flannery’s Drop Box Service and Scott’s Metal Recycling. Tipping fees were provided by a grant from the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development, and Metro.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

It’s hard to believe the driver and passenger in this Nissan Pathfinder weren’t killed when he swerved off the road, bouncing and rolling down the dyke, and landing upside down at the edge of the Columbia River …

Officials say the pair were lucky to have walked away with hardly a scratch, after their SUV rolled, bounced and jolted down the steep embankment along Marine Drive – and almost into the river!

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Those wanting to commute using NE Marine Drive the morning of October 28 were disappointed to find it was shut down, due to what police describe as a drunk-driving mishap.

“At 8:03 a.m., officers were called to the 7000 block of Northeast Marine Drive,” reported Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz. “A Nissan Pathfinder driven by 39-year-old Carlton Cherry drove off the road and came to a stop near the Columbia River.”

Investigators determined that Carlton was traveling eastbound on NE Marine Drive when he veered into the oncoming lane, attempted to swerve back into the correct lane, and then lost control of his vehicle.

A Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division officer looks at the crumpled Pathfinder far below his vantage point on the Marine Drive Bike Path. You can see the wheels of the SUV in the lower right-hand corner of this photo.

A tow truck driver hands the vehicle’s keys to the traffic officer before the SUV is recovered. Perhaps this wouldn’t have happened if someone would have taken the driver’s keys before he got behind the wheel.

Crumpled SUV tells a tale
When we arrived on-scene, we couldn’t see the wrecked vehicle while we were standing on Marine Drive. After making our way carefully down to the bike path – about halfway between the top of the levee and the water’s edge – we then could see the crumpled vehicle lying at the water’s edge, next to an estuary. It the accident had occurred during the springtime, high-water months – the car would have been underwater.

The top, front, sides, and rear of the Nissan Pathfinder were smashed in. No wonder – we could clearly see where the vehicle had dug a foot into the earth just above the bike path. It apparently flipped and rolled across the path, continuing down across the jagged boulders on its way to the edge of the Columbia River.

Two wrecker crews arrived, trying to figure out how to recover the mangled SUV. They called in a third, “Heavy Recovery Vehicle”, to yank the vehicle up the steep, rock-covered embankment, so they could load it onto a waiting flatbed truck.

It took several tries to find a strategy – and a heavy-duty “recovery vehicle” – to pull the wrecked SUV up the steep embankment to the flatbed truck waiting on the Marine Drive bicycle path.

Only minor injuries sustained
“Carlton sustained a minor injury,” Schmautz told us, “and his passenger, 47-year-old April Brunson, was not injured. Carlton was transported to Emanuel Hospital for evaluation and has been charged with one count each of Reckless Driving and DUII.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Officials suspect her son of actually dealing the dope. But the question remains, doesn’t anyone check on kids in foster homes? Learn the answer right here …

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives say they could smell the pungent aroma of marijuana from outside this Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood home.

Story and photo by David F. Ashton
We wanted to make sure we had all of the facts before we brought you this sad, unusual story about an outer East Portland foster mother, 49-year-old Sherry L. Feightner, being caught this week with 11 pounds of marijuana in her home – some of it said to be drying in her foster son’s bedroom.

Child visit 10 days before pot bust
We asked Lauri Stewart, communications officer at Oregon Department of Human Services, how a large-scale pot packaging operation could go on, undetected, in a foster home.

“First, all foster homes are visited for ‘certification’ every 180 days – or every 90 days, if many children are placed in the home,” Stewart told us. “The most recent inspection of Feightner’s home was in August, 2008.”

Stewart added that caseworkers visit foster children at least every 30 days. There had been two visits on October, she said, the most recent on October 17 – just 10 days before the pot bust.

She wouldn’t comment on whether or not she suspected that Feightner’s son, 28-year old Michael Chastain was responsible for bringing the pot into the foster home.

“We did send [Feightner] a letter stating that her adult son [Chastain] was not to visit the home, nor have any contact with the foster children,” Stewart said. “This isn’t a suggestion; it is a directive in the form of a warning letter.”

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives snapped this photo of the suspected marijuana drying in the bedroom of a foster child. MCSO photo

Smelled the pot outside
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives, following a tip about possible drug activity at a children’s foster care home, conducted a welfare check 3626 SE 132nd Avenue on October 27, according to Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Paul H. McRedmond.

“Our detectives said they could smell a strong odor of marijuana while standing on the sidewalk outside the house,” explained McRedmond. “Upon ‘consent entry’ into the home, detectives said they found eleven pounds of marijuana in an upstairs kid’s bedroom, drying on clotheslines strung about the room.”

Detectives said they found 11 pounds of pot being prepared for sale in this foster home. MCSO photo

McRedmond stated that one of the detectives said the odor of marijuana within the house was “so strong it made my sinuses hurt”. Detectives added that they believe that the pot had been in the house for two days.

A nine-year-old male foster child, whose bedroom was next to the “drying room”, was turned over to Child Protective Services. A two-year-old female child left the scene with her mother; the 13-year-old foster child, whose bedroom was the drying room, was not at the residence at the time of the bust.

Whether or not she was actually dealing dope, 49-year-old Sherry L. Feightner was arrested and booked on multiple charges – some of them felonies.

According to McRedmond, Feightner was arrested booked on two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, misdemeanors; two counts of Child Neglect 1, a Class B felony; Possession of a Controlled Substance and Manufacturing of a Controlled Substance – both class-B felonies; and Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a class A felony.

Although he wasn’t supposed to be at the home, 28-year old Michael Chastain was taken into custody there on a Federal pre-trial release supervision program violation, and lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Here’s the story behind the summer-long scurry of construction activity on SE Division Street at SE 68th Avenue …

This auspicious group, ready to dedicate the newly-reconstructed Egtvedt Hall at Warner Pacific (WP) College, are: WP alum and Church of God pastor John Parker; Bill Jones, VP with Bank of the West; Steve Stenberg, WP Director of Facilities and Planning; Conner Peckham, Student Body President; Jim Teague, Chair, Board of Trustees and an alumnus; Andrea Cook, interim WP President; Jay Barber, President Emeritus; Wayne Peterson, WP’s CFO; Frank Harris, who is with contractor SD Deacon; Skip Spanaway, from SRD Partnership, architects; and, Ray Cotton, pastor of New Hope Community Church, alumnus and parent of a current student.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
People motoring east or west along SE Division Street have probably noticed a recent flurry of construction activity at SE 68th Avenue – on the campus of Warner Pacific College (WP).

In what Andrea Cook, interim WP president called “amazing work in a very short time,” the school’s Egtvedt Hall underwent a complete renovation. “Groundbreaking for the project was on April 3, and we got our occupancy permit on August 21.”

Although the turnout was light for the dedication ceremony, everyone at the ribbon-cutting ceremony appeared to be ebullient about the project’s successful, rapid, and timely completion.

Warner Pacific’s interim President, Andrea Cook, introduces the speakers at the building’s dedication ceremony.

Speeches accompany ribbon cutting
After introducing distinguished guests standing behind the dedication ribbon, the school’s interim President, Andrea Cook, said, “Now, our students will have a place in which they can feel proud, when they bring their families and friends.”

Jim Teague, an alumnus and the Chair of the school’s board of trustees, told how, in 1976, the impetus behind the construction of the original building was to have a place to host then-President Gerald Ford when he came to speak at their graduation ceremony.

In the foreground, newly renovated Egtvedt Hall stands ready to serve students, faculty, and the community, school officials say.

“That was our motivation then,” Teague told the assemblage. “The motivation [for the improvements] is really all about our students. We felt deeply that we needed a place to really host our community. This includes our students, our faculty, our alumni – and our staff, as well. What you see here, now, is a place that is all about community. Community is what Warner Pacific is all about.”

Representatives of the architects, contractors, and the school each took turns praising the project and offering up dedication prayers. With that, the ribbon was cut and visitors toured the building.

With a snip of the mighty scissors wielded by Cook, Egtvedt Hall is official open.

Will provide a ‘community space’
Greg Moon, the school’s Development Director, told us that Egtvedt Hall now provides the campus with a spacious dining room, a coffee shop, a student center, and a bookstore. “Additionally, faculty, admissions, the registrar, and the business and financial offices occupy the second story of the building.”

“The renovation gives students a place they can relax,” Moon said. “The dining room, coffee shop, and multi-purpose room are open and available for our neighborhood community to use. The building also houses our ‘black box’ theater and music rehearsal studios. We hope you’ll come to our events.”

Learn more about this unique SE Portland educational facility by visiting their web site: CLICK HERE.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

It’s not a reading lesson! Find out what outer East Portland neighbors learned about Asset Based Community Development, right here …

“Asset Based Community Development” expert Ron Dwyer-Voss leads the training held in the Centennial neighborhood.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Folks from many outer East Portland neighborhoods – all of them looking for ways to help make better their communities – attended a unique training session held at the Parklane Community Church last month.

The workshop’s organizer, Mike Vander Veen, told us, “‘Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)’ is not a program or solution, but rather a way of approaching community.”

Centennial Community Association chair Tom Lewis, and board member Patty Hicks, discuss ABCD concepts with neighbor Aimee Krouskop.

Focusing on strengths
While the attendees were involved in small group discussions, the trainer, ABCD expert Ron Dwyer-Voss, talked about the program with us.

“ABCD is an approach to engaging one’s community,” Dwyer-Voss began, “It’s based on the premise that residents and local institutions will get better results and by first considering the community’s strengths and assets, rather than the traditional approach of starting with the community’s flaws and needs.”

He said they refer to assets as “gifts” – gifts of individuals, the gifts of association, and the gifts of institutions.

During the workshop, neighbors learn to focus on the “gifts” in their community, instead of its problems.

Better communities from the inside out
Dwyer-Voss said he got involved with the ABCD concept years ago when he worked within very poor communities in inner-city Chicago.

“We realized if we just talked about food stamps, and welfare, gangs, and drugs – we would be overwhelmed with problems. But we looked around and saw some people who were good at taking care of kids, some who were good at cooking, others who were in voluntary associations that could be used to help the community.”
It was there, Dwyer-Voss said, that he saw how this positive approach helps communities build “from the inside out”.

Creating sustainable improvement
“The result of stronger connections between existing community assets is that it provides a stronger community,” noted Dwyer-Voss. “This helps people better deal with problems in a way that is sustainable over time.

“It’s not dependent on whether or not there is a government grant, or a nonprofit organization survives, or an expert is available.  Instead it’s sustainable because the community is controlling it.”

Participants in the ABCD workshop learn that the process can help them solve outer East Portland’s problems on a long-term basis.

Ongoing meetings
If you’re interested in participating in on-going ABCD discussions, these monthly sessions are held at the East Portland Neighborhood Organization offices. Contact Vander Veen at (503) 823-4550 for more information.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Just how old was the document from which Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish read, supporting his decision to deny industrial development? You might be surprised to learn …

Golfers at this year’s East Portland Chamber of Commerce tee off at the northern edge of Colwood National Golf Course, located next to Portland International Airport.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
At a regular session of the Portland City Council a couple of weeks ago, the commissioners decided – once and for all – whether the Cully Neighborhood’s only green space, Colwood National Golf Course, would be bulldozed for industrial development.

To the chagrin of neighbors near the airport, owners of the 138-acre property located between NE Columbia Blvd. and Portland International Airport had hoped to sell the land to a developer who wanted to build an industrial park.

Because a hearings officer rejected the plan, Haertl Development Company, the applicant, and Colwood Partnership, the property owner, sought to appeal the decision, and took their case to the City Council.

The Portland City Council met at City Hall to decide the fate of Colwood National Golf Course.

Commissioner Fish quotes report
When the vote was called, Commissioner Nick Fish said he’d like to reread information he’d voiced during the earlier hearing on the topic.

“I want to read briefly from the following report,” Fish began.

“And I quote: ‘The remaining great landscape feature of the City is that of the Columbia Slough which borders the eastern part of the city on the north. The region is low and distant from the city and seems to be at present comparatively valueless for any other than farming purposes. It is therefore to be hoped that a much larger park, of the meadow type, than can elsewhere be afforded, will gradually be acquired here by the city.'”

He continued quoting the report, “No other form of park has been proved so attractive and so useful to the masses of the people as a meadow park, particularly where there could be associated with it long stretches of still water as a landscape attraction and for boating purposes.”

Commissioner Fish tells the City Council that honoring Olmsted’s vision is a “historic opportunity”.

Says century-old report stands up
After reading several more passages, Fish concluded by saying, “I’m quoting from the 1903 Olmsted report which addressed the question of the possible use of the land adjacent to the Columbia Slough. We have a historic opportunity through this vote to honor the vision of Olmsted, over 100 years ago, to maintain the current designation of open land – and, in my judgment, to correctly apply the law to the facts before us.  Aye.”

Mayor Potter abstained from voting because he’d missed earlier meetings on the subject – and so the rejection of the industrial plan was upheld at the City Council session on October 22. As a result of the decision, Colwood National Golf Course will remain as it is.

For now, the property will remain a duffer’s delight.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Across Portland, this special cultural event helps art lovers ‘pull back the curtain’ to see how artisans create their magic. See what we discovered, visiting five SE Portland studios …

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Spending an afternoon at a museum or art gallery admiring the work of artists who have passed on years, even decades, ago may appeal to some. But thousands of Portlanders annually spend one or more weekend days on a self-directed tour of 98 artists’ studios, during Portland Open Studios.

We didn’t have to travel far to meet five fascinating artists, all located in SE Portland, who opened their studios to the inquisitive, as part of the tour a couple weeks ago.

Brooklyn’s Madeline Meza Janovec says jewelry-making is just one of her creative talents.

Madeline Meza Janovec
4504 SE Milwaukie Avenue
www.mmjanovec.com

Janovec is well-known in the art community – she’s ensconced in the yellow building on the corner of SE Holgate Boulevard and SE Milwaukie Avenue, in the Brooklyn neighborhood.

“I first moved to Brooklyn in 1966,” Janovec says, taking a break while working at her jewelry workbench. “I’ve lived in three different buildings in this neighborhood over those decades.

“I do jewelry, prints and paintings,” she explains. “I’m not just the jeweler; I’ve always been involved in all three forms of art for my entire career.”

Janovec says she uses recycled metal objects and stones (not gems) to create her elegant jewelry. “Many of my materials have had a ‘former life’, and suggest to me what they’d like to become.” The idea, she added, is to transform them into jewelry, yet allow them to keep their character.

What she likes about being on the Open Studio tour, Janovec says, is letting people see how her art is created. “I enjoy sharing my creative process. There is ‘magic’ involved in making art; we create ‘something’ from a ‘nothing’.”

Sellwood’s Marcy Baker both practices and teaches her artistic techniques.

Marcy Baker
1500 block of SE Rex Street
www.MarcyBaker.com

“I live and work here in Sellwood as a painter and a printmaker,” Baker told us when we visited her home studio. “I work in acrylic paints.”

The professional artist of 20 years said her move from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Portland, about seven years ago, has influenced her art. “I just feel so hydrated here; I love the moisture and all the trees. Moving here brought more botanical imagery into my art.”

She also showed us a large hand-operated device. “It’s a monotype press used in the printmaking process that applies oil-based etching inks on paper. I combine printmaking with the painting processes and many of the elements of collage.”

In addition to being a professional artist, Baker said she teaches monotype and collage at Multnomah Art Center in Multnomah Village.

Baker says the Open Studios tour is “a wonderful way for people to feel that they’re welcomed into the artist studio to connect with the artist and her process. And, it’s a great way for artists to connect with people who love art work.”

Sculptor Samuel. H. Soto is laminating wood he’ll carve into a work of art in his “ground level” loft. He’s also known as painter Thomas Soule. Confused? Read this!

Thomas Soule & Samuel H. Soto
632 SE Haig Street
(503) 341-8571

After watching the two-story, rectangular building being constructed just off SE McLaughlin Boulevard a few years ago, we’ve always wondered about the use of the structure. That is, until the Open Studio tour indicated this building contained the studios of artists Thomas Soule & Samuel H. Soto.

“We built it as a place to live and work,” Soule explained. “I lived in a loft, but I couldn’t continue living there because I made too much noise. So I decided to build a ‘loft on the ground’ – so here it is. It’s a two-story building similar to a loft.”

When we naively asked about his counterpart, Samuel H. Soto, Soule smiled and said, “I do both sculpture and painting. Thomas is the painter, Samuel is the sculptor. The name is an anagram; the names represent my two different ways of working.”

The painter, Thomas Soule, talks with visitors to his ground-level loft and gallery.

When painting, Soule explained, he begins with a blank rectangle. “In a way, it determines how the painting turns out. Sculpture is a whole different activity. There’s no predetermined sort of location; space is handled in a totally different way.”

Showing us first his acrylics, then his sculptures, he added, “For most artists to create in both media, their work looks similar. In my case, the two different kinds of activities produce different styles of art.”

The artist, who said he’s also been a teacher and worked in computer graphics, said he likes the Open Studio concept because, “When people come here, they’re here to enjoy art – not just drink wine and eat cheese. I get an interesting variety of people who come to visit.”

Clinton Street’s Annie Meyer uses a monotype press to transfer the image to paper.

Annie Meyer
2507 SE Clinton St.
www.anniemeyerartwork.com

Although it’s been a couple of years since we last visited Annie Meyer’s studio and gallery, she welcomed us like an old friend.

While she considers her art the work of a painter, Meyer said she works in three media: Monotypes, paintings, and ceramic tiles.

“I’ve drawn the [human] figure since high school, and I’ve been doing landscapes since about 1995,” Meyer explained as she prepared to make a monotype. “I just love what I’m doing, and can’t imagine doing anything else. To have a life where one is making a living doing what they love is the very best thing one can do.”

Meyer shows how she first creates her painting on a block of acrylic, before she makes the print in her press.

Meyer explained that her monotypes are one-time prints. Using her fingers, as we watched, she created an image on a piece of Plexiglas using a special kind of paint. She then placed the Plexiglas face up on the bed of a press and carefully positioned paper over it, and used the press roller to transfer the image to the paper. The result was an original print.

“I really enjoy the Open Studio tour – I get to show visitors my art process, just like I showed it to you,” Meyer said.

If you’ve visited a high-end poster shop, you’ve certainly seen Allan Stephenson’s work on sale; but he says he loves talking with art lovers who visit his home-based studio.

Allan Stephenson
3800 block of SE Clinton St.
www.allanstephenson.com

When we walked into his basement studio, we listened as Stephenson told a visitor how the idea for a painting, a print of which the guest had purchased, had come to him. He graciously signed the print for the guest.

“I’m a landscape painter, and I work in oils and acrylic and pastel – all three media,” Stephenson told us. “Most of my work is used by designers, consultants and publishers. A lot of my work becomes published as posters.”

Asked how art became his vocation, Stephenson said, “There was never any other option for me. I drew from when I was a kid onward. When you realize what your strengths and weaknesses are, you go for your strengths.”

That strength, for him, was being able to easily draw and sketch scenes that are recognizable. “Since day one, I’ve been an artist. I’m not saying I haven’t worked the odd job here and there when I was younger, but I’ve managed to be professional artist all my life.”

The best thing about his profession, opined Stephenson, is having control over one’s time. “There are two things in life: Time and money. You can usually only get one or the other. The downside of being an artist is sometimes one doesn’t have the money, but what one does have is the time to organize one’s life as we so choose.”

Stephenson said he was also enthusiastic about the Open Studio tour. “A lot of people are intimidated going to galleries. They feel silly asking questions in a gallery like ‘What’s the difference between an oil and acrylic?’

“Whether my visitor is one who enjoys art – or is a student – people feel comfortable asking questions and exploring the process of art at my home.

“Here, they get to learn the stories behind my art.”

And once again next year, on the Open Studios tour, you’ll have the chance to do the same.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland Nooz

It looked as if this driver tried to pass a stopped bus – by bouncing up on the sidewalk to pass on the right. Officials say, he apparently hit the gas instead of the brake. See why it was fortunate no one was killed …

Witnesses say they can’t figure out why the driver gunned his engine – and tried to pass the stopped TriMet bus – on the right!

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
There weren’t any serious injuries in a bizarre wreck that took out a utility pole in the 6400 block of SE Holgate Boulevard on November 3. But, the accident totaled one car and damaged a truck.

Once on-scene, we learned that an eastbound TriMet bus stopped to take on passengers just after 10:30 a.m. Witness Bill Farr told us, “I was stopped behind the bus. The driver of a red car in front of me was impatient, he pulled out and passed the bus. Then, this other car drove off the street, right beside the pickup, and took out the pole.”

Was this driver trying to pass on the right – using the sidewalk? That’s what it certainly looked like, to witnesses.

Roof rack saves passenger
“We were stopped behind the bus,” said eyewitness Ilia Morozov. “In my mirror, I saw a car driving quickly up. Before he hit our truck, went like he was going to pass our truck and the bus on the right side. But there is no lane – just curb, and grass, and sidewalk. He ran right into the pole.”

Morozov said when the utility pole toppled; it landed on his truck “My dad ducked down, like the pole would crush us. But the roof rack on our truck saved us.”

Although the accident looks serious, no one was injured, police say.

Driver confuses car’s controls
The official word on the wreck came from Portland Police Bureau Sgt. Brian Schmautz. “The collision occurred when 81-year-old Norbert Paul Kent inadvertently applied the accelerator instead of the brake as he approached some vehicles stopped for a TriMet bus.”

To avoid the stopped vehicles, Schmautz added, Kent drove up onto the sidewalk. He missed the first car but sideswiped the second and then hit a pole on the sidewalk.

“Kent was cited for Careless Driving. No one was injured in the collision.”

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

See the fun we found at several Halloween celebrations this year …

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Lots of treats, and few tricks, highlighted the [three] Halloween events we attended this season.

Westmoreland Union Manor hosts party
As they have in years past, the Westmoreland Union Manor welcomed trick-or-treaters to their facility with a long table, laden with candy.

Peggy Lewis, Joy Irons, and Mary Lou Combs welcome guests to Westmoreland Union Manor on Halloween evening.

Inside the Manor, master magician Bob Eaton entertains a crowd that included many kids – such as butterfly Ariel, and good witch Tara.

“Inside our great room, the Manor’s entertainment committee also put on a party, featuring master magician Bob Eaton,” reported the event’s organizer, Mary Ann Muldoon. “It’s our way of welcoming in our neighborhood community, and providing camaraderie for our residents.”

Woodstock Community Center’s spooky soirée
This second annual event was a combined effort of the Woodstock Community Business Association and Woodstock Neighborhood Association.

“We started off with a story-time at Woodstock Library,” explained the event’s organizer, Gina Ballard. “Then, kids trick-or-treated their way west along ‘Candy Corn Lane’ (a/k/a Woodstock Boulevard), here to the Woodstock Community Center.”

Here, welcoming visitors to the second annual Halloween event at the Woodstock Community Center, is event organizer Gina Ballard.

The Krill family – Robin, little Amalea Krill and Jim – work on Halloween crafts at the Woodstock Community Center.

Upstairs was a room dedicated to making seasonal arts and crafts. Downstairs, volunteers made sure even the littlest kids won candy prizes while playing the offered games. The Center’s kitchen counters were laden with healthy treat – like sliced apples, crackers, and cheese.

And she wasn’t alone in this year’s effort, Ballard pointed out. “Twenty-five volunteers pitched in to make this event fun and safe for everyone. I think it’s great that many of our helpers are young people, including Read College students. It’s really wonderful to live in a neighborhood that cares about community.”

This little Woodstock bee, Ryan Dash, tries the ring toss game, with the help of volunteer Josh “Bobo” Hobson.

Decorations at the Woodstock Community Center let families know that they were in for a fun, not-so-spooky time.

By the end of the evening, the Community Center had welcomed about 375 people to the community event; about 200 of them were children.

The LifeHouse Church was another major sponsor,” Ballard said. “And, we really appreciate our business sponsors: UPS Store, Otto’s, Laughing Planet, First Cup, Papaccino’s, and Hair Styles Unlimited.”

Lents Harvest Festival provides food, music and fun
On the lookout for more fun, we made our way out to the Harvest Festival put on by the Lents Lutheran Community, at Pilgrim Lutheran Church on SE 92nd Avenue, north of SE Holgate Boulevard.

“Welcome to our wonderful sixth annual Harvest Festival,” was how we were greeted by one of the event’s organizers, Jean Ferguson.

The Muller family and friends come to party at the Harvest Festival.

One of the Lents event’s organizers, Jean Ferguson, serves up a hearty meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

Kids were playing games; “Laughing Moose” – the event’s musical professor – was playing and singing tunes; and everyone was enjoying a hearty Italian dinner.

Couples, families and groups drifted in and out of the celebration throughout the evening, Ferguson said. “The idea is to provide a very safe and enjoyable place for the community to gather.”

“Professor of Music” Laughing Moose (also known as Bruce Kjeldsen) jams with his little buddy, Aspen Bouma at the Lents celebration.

Caleb and Eliana Eby enjoy the Lents Harvest Festival.

Judging from the warm, friendly atmosphere that prevailed there, they succeeded.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News