We could practically be drowning in sadness, between the Haitian earthquake, the heartbreaking plight and betrayal of the Afghan people, the disregard for life and health of Americans of all ages by powers that have made the undermining of health advice an ideological litmus test, and last but not least the relentless, uncurbed advance of climate catastrophe. I will have to fight against being sucked under, and decided the best way to do this is to write this week about nothing but uplifting, constructive or beautiful things right under my nose. Preferably all three.

I found them but a 15 minute drive away, early Sunday morning in Beaverton, OR. One of the consequences of being immuno-compromised is the inability to go to places where lots of people mingle, like Saturday’s Beaverton Night Market, an annual event that showcases art and crafts from many different sources. Luckily, some of Saturday’s creative output remained when I went over early Sunday morning,

with the only other people around some of the chalk artists, a professional photographer

and the hard-working clean-up crews.

What had drawn me was La Strada dei Pastelli, the work of a number of professional chalk artists loosely centered around a theme of portraits from diverse cultural backgrounds. It ranged from beautiful to whimsical to poignant, with impressive detail and above all a luminosity that momentarily replaced any dark thoughts. Mission accomplished! The artistic event was produced by 2D4D, an organization that “intends to empower, engage and advocate 2 D artists and those working on time-based creations (4D) to magnify collective social impact.”

“We believe that it is through our collective voice, works, and actions that the arts inspire, provoke, enhance, and contribute to the emotional and economic well-being of our region. 2D4D does this by providing free and low-cost classes, workshops, networking events, exhibition and performance opportunities each designed to expose the value, function, and necessity for social diversity and dialog. This is only possible by bridging interaction between the arts and non-arts communities to recognize that each supports the other.”

As luck would have it, two of the artists were already on site, touching up on their creations. Jessi Queen who hails from Atlanta, GA, traveled widely after art school and before the pandemic, and has been awarded numerous prizes for her portraits, nationally and internationally. She also does web design and the top of her website clarified her approach with two headings: ART: a question to a problem – see it. DESIGN: a solution to a problem – experience it. Her chalk portrait certainly allowed me to do both.

Jolene Rose Russell lives in Sacramento, CA. With a BFA from the University of California, Santa Cruz with an emphasis in painting and drawing, she has focussed on large-scale artwork for corporate, retail and residential spaces. Her passion, though, is still the chalk street art that she started out with. Her self-portrait emphasized the part of her heritage that is Scottish (the Russell Tartan included) with a nod to making the hair a bit more in line with the ancestral average. A 2019 trip to Scotland included vigorous hiking and obviously a lot of creative stimulation. I was struck not so much by issues of resemblance as by the sheer luminosity she was able to bring across even in bright morning light which tends to wash out some of the effect. Pretty amazing.

The remaining portraits I saw had to be explored on their own, with no artist there at the early Sunday hour. There was the Moon Goddess by Sharyn Chan from Santa Barbara, CA.

Placed right in front of the library, there was this beauty by Joel Yau, who lives in Marin County North of San Francisco.

And there was Jennifer Ripassa from La Mirada, CA, with patterns galore.

A very different landscape opened up next to the kids’ play area, which by itself had some nice chalk enticements.

A fairy-tale vista by Shelley Brenner, gnomes included, impressed not only with whimsey but also with some intense optical illusion. Drawn out in lengthened perspective, it shrunk to a perfectly proportioned, 3-D painting when viewed from the right angle.

This photographer wisely brought his own ladder, I made due with a rickety stump to document the effect. My ladder-schlepping days are over….

You, too, can book a pigment of your imagination by these artists, something I will remember should we ever have anything to celebrate again.

The work that spoke most closely to my own affinities as a photographer and immigrant, was a drawing of an old black&white photograph embedded in a suggested NW landscape.

Susan L. Charnquist is a Pacific Northwest artist who is sensitive not just to the history of the region but the state of its nature as well. Other Beaverton work (where she went to high school some years ago) that I had seen previously, attests to that.

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It was a quiet morning in Beaverton, and I wondered how a small town had produced or attracted so much talent. It often takes only a few dedicated, knowledgable and passionate people to get the ball rolling (and, oh, does Beaverton have them), but it takes so much more to sustain it, particularly during economic hard times and additional stressors like a pandemic. Now the heat, too. One of the two days of the Night Market had to be canceled due to the heat advisory, just think of the loss of revenue.

And of course Beaverton is not just putting on these outdoor festivals that are so amenable to introduce family and children to artistic ventures. The city has a dedicated Public Arts Program, that includes public art works, murals and revolving exhibits.

Currently under construction is the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, a $48 million dollar project in public-private partnership together with the Beaverton Arts Foundation that promises to be a world–class multidisciplinary arts center offering more access to arts, entertainment, and educational programming for residents and visitors. “It will be an arts and entertainment destination drawing from far and wide; a home for a variety of touring programs, professional performances, and a much–needed rental resource to regional arts groups. The Reser Center will offer educational and family programming in the visual and performing arts, and will host business, civic and social events.” Can’t wait to see it.

In the meantime, I wandered through the still sleepy streets, with the old and the new, kitty corner to each other, providing contrast,

and where Tattoo parlors, businesses and a Masonic lodge share a few city blocks.

The local flower shop is conveniently located across a funeral parlor, luring the Connors of the world with free roses, and showing a sensible approach to the times in other ways as well: just look at the heat proof plants on offer.

Beautification in back alleys and parking lots provided joyful surprises,

overlooked by one of the larger beauties of them all. The mural from the 2017 Forest for the Trees project is by Drew Merritt and called Portrait of Resilience – that title might be an apt description of Beaverton and its arts community as well.

Although, on the sidewalk, the small stuff for the short set still resonated just as loudly. No room for sadness on this Sunday morning, as was the intention.

Music today is by Paul Dessau who composed for Bertholdt Brecht’s plays, the Caucasian Chalk Circle included (I am not posting that because it is too much about war…) Here is his 2nd symphony.