Artist Statement

Found paintings from a changing landscape

This work serves to document the landscape of NE Portland. However, my original intention was not to make a comment about the urban evolution of this neighborhood as it goes through a process of "renewal." I was interested in photographing the beauty of old crumbling buildings. I love the layers of paint and materials that form rich textural images. The marks that people have placed on these building create their own abstract paintings. These images are forever in flux and are changed by each stroke of graffiti, each poster, each layer of paint. As started to photograph these sights, I noticed that not only does the painting change, but the building themselves are being torn down. Many of the images in the show are from sites around Portland that no longer exist. In my visual examination of the history of these structures, I found that I was also documenting a rapidly changing landscape.

My Process:
My work starts with traditional color photographs that are scanned. The images are printed by an inkjet printer and are made into an acrylic gel-transfer. The gel is then adhered to a wooden panel or canvas. Once this dries, I add paint to highlight some areas and subdue others. Then I meticulously paint the edges to match the photographs.

Liz Obert