Pernoctalian

Things that Go is the title of a children’s book that features various forms of transportation. The phrase also refers to transition, impermanence and the passage of time.

These paintings continue my observations of three themes: structures related to travel and transportation, the relationship between Portland’s constructed and natural environment , and moments of accidental significance within everyday routine.

Six years ago, my work documented an ongoing road trip that came to an unexpected halt in Portland. The road took on new meaning as my experience of Portland changed from a random and temporary destination to a place where my family, career and community began to develop. If I covered a hundred miles in a day, it no longer meant that I had found a new and compelling place to explore: it meant that mundane errands had taken me all over the city, and I would end the day exactly where I had started.

Well, maybe not exactly where I had started. The places we call home can be altered radically by unseen events. The social, cultural and historical forces that lead to a city’s physical transformation do not necessarily manifest as bulldozers outside the door. Some of the structures and places in these paintings seem unchanging and quiet, maintaining an illusion of stability. Some are already gone. Sometimes the sky gives the only clue that time is passing.