Storm Tharp: PICA

STORM THARP
High House

The placement of things
The breeze from an open window
A clear day
A still life
The re-assurance of what is joyful
The demanding nature of a devoted studio art practice yields
not only treasured and prideful moments, but also neurotic
darkness and an exhausting grind to your body. The failures
are part of the discovery, yet these days can weigh on you.
When you enter the studio, it is sometimes hard to embrace
this knowledge and muster your defenses.
Whereas the way a song fills a room, or the way curtains
blow through the doors of your back patio, these instances
illuminate—for a moment—perfect love. These masterpieces
of artfulness come to you without struggle. Such perfection
and emotional gravity inspire you to embrace your life and in
doing so, lightness is brought to your work.
—Storm Tharp

For TBA:10, Tharp will develop a body of work in residency over the summer. His art is representational — by both figurative and conceptual means — and expressed through a variety of media.

Tharp was raised in Ontario, Oregon, and presently resides in Portland. He received his BFA from Cornell University. His work was featured in the 2010 Whitney Biennial and has been acquired by The Whitney Museum of American Art, Albright Knox Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, Portland Art Museum, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and Reed College. He is represented by PDX Contemporary Art (Portland), Nicole Klagsbrun (New York) and Galerie Bertrand & Gruner (Geneva).

THE WORKS at
Washington high school, Portland Oregon
opening reception
thu, Sept 9, 8–10:30pm
Gallery hours
Sept 10–19
every day, 12–6:30pm
Sept 23–oct 17
thu–Fri, 12–6:30pm
Sat–Sun, 12–4pm
Free