Songs from the Treetops, group show curated by Harrell Fletcher

Statement

In these times of economic desperation, (or even just during the desperation of everyday life in general) it is understandable that people would find escape routes into alternate realities. For some people that is as easy to do as turning on the TV or slipping into a haze of web sites. The stereotype of an artist is a person who disappears into their own studio and self on a regular basis to appear later with the resulting art pieces for the general public to appreciate and possibly acquire. In my own work I've largely eschewed that approach in favor of direct interactions with everyday reality that often times doesn't result in the production of an object at all. But my past artistic interests come from more traditional cloistered retreats into personal moments of representing imagined worlds. I have a love for that kind of work, and though my appreciation for art in general has diminished over the years there are still examples that stand out to me as remarkable. In these cases I am glad that the artists didn't make the work solely for themselves and instead in one way or another have shared their unique views with the public including myself. In the work presented here at PDX, I have selected artists who specifically address the idea of constructed landscapes in various forms. I feel like I have been enriched by these artist's endeavors and in turn, want to share that experience with you. –Harrell Fletcher