December Artist of the Month: Urban Retrospectives

It’s officially the holiday season here in Portland and we’re celebrating with Beth Kerschen as December’s Artist of the Month!!! We are thrilled to have her beautiful work on feature at the Crafty Wonderland shop during this busy, high foot-traffic time and encourage you to come check it out in person!  Her prints, postcards and bookmarks make perfect gifts for Portlanders and Portland-admirers in your life.

Beth is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses photography and printmaking to create her unique cards, prints and original work exhibiting the famous signs, bridges and buildings that make Portland so distinctive.  She uses a blend of photography and printmaking to create her images, combining images of well-known structures, skylines and signs around town to create layered, collage-like composite scenes.

Subtle and unpretentious, yet super imaginative with fine art appeal, Beth’s bridge series woodblock prints are often purchased as a full set to bring a Portland vibe to a particular room or location. For example, the famous Jupiter Hotel will be featuring Beth’s work next year, as well as using it to decorate the walls of their brand new guest rooms!  Read on to see what Beth had to say about that, and also her responses to a few other questions!

What are you excited about in the coming year?
I am really looking forward to doing a solo show at the Jupiter Hotel Gallery starting March 1st through May, 2018. This show is in conjunction with the grand opening of Jupiter Hotel’s new expansion called Jupiter NEXT (which is adjacent to the original hotel). My artwork will used as part of the guest bedrooms in this new, gorgeous hotel that will have amazing views of Portland. You can see the preview announcement of the new building and the guest rooms here: https://jupiterhotel.com/jupiter-next/

What books are you reading/podcasts are you listening to?
I just finished listening to the S-Town podcast and I am reading the Ender’s Game Series (called Endersverse) by Orson Scott Card. I love all sorts shows and movies, but I do love to escape into some science fiction. I might have answered this same question with a similar answer last time I was artist of the month! It is a big series to cover! :)

What is your favorite word or swear word?
My favorite word is “Dude”, as it can be used for any situation: to address someone, to swear, to show exasperation, to show excitement, to show seriousness, to show concern…it is all just a matter of tone. (Usually used more heavily around good friends.)

Do you carry an umbrella?  What are your thoughts on the whole umbrella thing in Portland?
I don’t carry an umbrella! I have always thought umbrellas were cumbersome (even before moving to Portland) and I always lose them by leaving them at my destination. Portland’s rain is usually fairly mild, so a good raincoat with a hoodie works perfect for me. I love wearing hats too, then my glasses don’t get dripped on. When I shop for a overcoat for dressy events, I really try to find a nice one with a hood…which is key even for dressier occasions. I don’t begrudge people that use umbrellas, but I find it funny that umbrella users in Portland are do defensive about using one because so many people in Portland are anti-umbrella…but I actually never, never see anyone using an umbrella!

Visit Beth Kerschen at her website, http://bethkerschen.com/ and come see what she’s got at the shop!