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About Portland Oregon…

I was in Portland, Oregon for a conference on Visual Communication in June. (Yeah, it’s almost August; yes, I’m that far behind). I just have to post about the whole darn city, it’s so great. Normally in any given town I only find about three shops that truly appeal to me… in Portland, there are whole neighbourhoods filled with them! Indie bookshops, Powell’s Books (the mother of all second hand book shops), vinyl record stores, vintage clothing, antique stores specializing in the weird, artist-run galleries, more artist run galleries, craft and art museums, restaurant patios, and multiple brew pubs. And it’s pretty affordable to be a tourist in, with good public transit, almost as many bicycles as Amsterdam, and cheap eats.

Normally we post on specific artists here on Drawn, but I’m going to praise the whole city, because a supportive city helps the arts flourish – and Portland seems to have done a great job of it. The civic planners and the artists deserve credit. I didn’t get to all the arts districts, but the Alberta Arts District really works well. There, you can find places like Together Gallery, and Monograph Bookwerks, which specializes in fine art books. The photo above MIGHT be from Together’s back area… it had a great selection of zines and other DIY… I didn’t do the greatest job of keeping track what I photographed. Maybe someone can confirm??? I also loved Ampersand Gallery, which has vintage ephemera, art books, and a lot of things related to photography.

If I were American, this is where I would go live and draw….

Below: street art on Alberta Street.

  • Taylor J.

    Yes yes yes. I visited recently (I live in L.A.) and was delighted to walk into Reading Frenzy, talk to the guy behind the counter, get some serious advice on how to self-publish a book, and find multiple samples of work created by a publisher right across the river from Downtown. And now I'm back in L.A. and can't find even one publisher! I heart Portland! (I was there in June too…it was hot and there was no rain…we were spoiled, you and I.)

  • http://www.airlieanderson.com Airlie Anderson

    Great post! Looks like Portland is a town full of inspiration. Time to visit with a sketchbook!

  • Alberto S.

    Don't live IN Portland, live in Vancouver, WA which is right across the river. It's much more livable (Oregon property taxes are extremely high). Not only that but Vancouver, WA is the American HQ of Wacom!

  • http://tumblr.luclatulippe.com/ Luc Latulippe

    I absolutely concur! I've only been to Portland once, two years ago, and I can't wait to go back and spend more time there. It's an artist's dream-city!

  • j-j

    just moved from los angeles in may. Loving p-town

  • http://www.tangerinepuppet.com/ Tangerine Puppet

    I had a similar experience walking through the back streets of Prague except their book shops also often featured a bar which I can't complain about. There is something of William Egglestone in your photos, well done.

  • Jaleen

    Thanks!

  • http://www.wardjenkins.com Wardomatic

    Oh, Jaleen, if you just contacted either S.Britt or myself, we would've loved to have shown you around our wonderful town.

  • ChrisP

    Ummm…Portland's…uh..terrible! And it…uh….rain's a lot. Who would want to live here…I mean, there! Seriously though, as an “invader” of 7 years I've come to think of this town as home, more than anywhere I've ever lived and it's endlessly inspiring from every corner. But I'm sure no one else would ever like it…have I mentioned it rains a lot!

  • Joey

    The down side of living in Vancouver is awful commutes over one of the two crowded bridges to Portland and being considered a bridge and tunnel person by people who live in an over grown town. People of Vancouver are not the people of Portland.

  • Philip

    Portland natives are sick of people moving here.

  • Graham

    Your top image is definitely Together Gallery's zine and mini-comics area.

  • Ronnie

    Please, nothing personal but I have lived in Portland since 1984. I went to Art School here and have lived all of my adult life here. It is a wonderful city, come visit but please don't stay.

    Because Portland is all the things you describe, it is a haven for artists and creatives. Let me tell you, there are no jobs here. The economy sucks here (like everywhere) and because there are so many artists there is no “art” work. You can't spit in Portland without hitting 10 unemployed creatives.

  • Jaleen

    Thanks!!!

  • Jaleen

    Hi, that's a really important point. I had the same experience when I lived in Victoria, BC.