bk creative news feed

Postcard for the Historic Balch Hotel

bkperspectives — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:28:13 +0000

Many of you have heard me talking about it already…I am excited to be working on a postcard for the lovely Historic Balch Hotel. It is a gorgeous hotel in sunny Dufur, Oregon that is just over 100 years old. It feels like hidden get-a-way and it is also in the middle of all sorts of wonderfulness…not far from the Columbia Gorge, Mt Hood, and Maupin where there is some amazing rafting on the Deshutes River. It is a perfect wedding spot as well, it is open, pretty, quaint, has an classy, cosy inmate feeling that is just right for such a family event. Well…I am tasked with trying to pack all this (at least the essence of it) into one postcard. Love it! Ironically, when I take photos of a place for my artwork, the practicality of what I need often overrides my desire to take compositionally interesting single photographs. But, a few nice ones can pop up, so I thought I would share this one that I liked.

Happy New Year

bkperspectives — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:50:43 +0000

This has been an amazing year. I want to thank all friends, family and colleagues for being so supportive, helpful, and inspiring. This year I worked the hardest I ever had in my life, but it made me realize that you can’t do anything with significance alone. I have received so much crucial help from so many people – I am extremely thankful. At this year’s end, I am reflecting on the success and lessons of the past year, how my past was an important bridge built to take me to the present, and where I’d like to go into the future. I can’t wait for 2012!Thanks again and I wish you all the best in the coming year.

In Willamette Week’s Holiday Gift Guide

bkperspectives — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:10:02 +0000

I am proud to be in this years Willamette Week’s Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide! You can also see it online >. The whole guide is really well done with amazing, locally made products. I recognize a number of the Printed products from artists that were at the Portland Bazaar organized by DesignSponge, which makes me even more flattered to be in the mix. For those of you still shopping, Sunday the 18th I will be at the Formal Holiday Artisans Fair on Alberta with cards, shirts and prints (more info>). Also my cards and shirts are on Etsy >. Those of you in Portland, it only takes a day to deliver a package to you! So, you last minute shoppers can make it happen!

Selling at Two Holiday Fairs

bkperspectives — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:59:56 +0000

Tis the season for Holiday Fairs!! There are so many going on, I can’t keep track of them all. But, I am going to be a two of them!

December 11th (11am-5pm): Crafty Underdog Sale at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan). They are going to have tons of great artisans, live music, cocktails, beer, movies…it is going to be a blast. Here is more info: http://thecraftyunderdog.com/2011/11/23/the-sound-line-up-is-on-for-dec-11th/

December 18th (11am-5pm): Formal Holiday Artisans Fair at the Acadian Ballroom (1829 NE Alberta St.). It is going to be an elegant affair with live classical music, holiday cocktails, wonderful handmade gifts….and I will be dressed up cocktail style. A rare sight indeed! (I still have to figure out what to wear). Here is the info: http://www.handmadenw.com/events/index.php

At these events I will have my Portland etchings, letterpress cards and silkscreen tee-shirts (with PDX Icons, Alberta and Hawthorne scenes).

All Free Admission!

Hope to see you there!

My Cards and Tees at Powell’s Bookstore!

bkperspectives — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:03:47 +0000

Well, so much has happened since Portland Open Studios, I have been too busy to post all that is happening. Portland Open Studios was a great event. I had fun opening up my studio, I met a lot of great people and made some great connections. Two of which have generated leads for custom postcard designs for two Hotels. The details are still in the works, but I will write more about this soon because these are really exciting projects.

Then, I contacted Powell’s Bookstore here in Portland to see if they would be interested in selling my cards and….placed an order and wanted them right away! So, they are carrying all three of my postcards and the holiday card. I am also in the process of getting tee-shirts printed with the same designs and they were interested in selling a set of those as well! So, as of today, Powell’s has my tee-shirts available at the Pearl District Location in the Orange Room in the Gift corner and they have my Post Cards in the big card section on the “Portland/Oregon” themed rack. I believe the holiday cards will be set up soon on a Holiday Themed rack in the same card section. This is just so exciting! I am printing other tee-shirt designs and they will be ready soon, so I will post more later about them and their availability. In the meantime, head to Powell’s!

Hot Off the Press!

bkperspectives — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:28:30 +0000

I got a spot in this week’s (October 12th, 2011) Willamette Weekly in the “I Made This” section covering my new Portland Postcards that just came out for Portland Open Studios. I can’t remember the last time I was mentioned in a paper! So, come check out the new work at Portland Open Studios this weekend. And for those of you who can’t make it out, I also have my new cards available on Etsy.

Portland Open Studios is this weekend!

bkperspectives — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:03:42 +0000

And the weekend of the 15th and 16th! From 10am to 5:00pm. So there is plenty of time to come over and visit! I will be showing my printing process, all my new work, my brand new letterpressed postcards and Portland holiday cards.

Also see other artists in their studios…watch any of 100 artists who paint, sculpt, draw, print, throw, carve, sew, and more. Learn more about art from the artists themselves. Read the PDX Open Studio’s blog for more information about individual artists and the interesting demos they have planned.

The $15 Tour Guide is a ticket for two adults, *children under 18 are free. I have Tour Guides available for sale, but also can be purchased online at www.portlandopenstudios.com or are available at all New Seasons, Art Media, and many other retail locations throughout the Portland metro area. To find your closest retail location, see http://tiny.cc/owhjr. The Tour Guide contains a map, a catalog of artist’s images (I am artist #57), coupons to many local retailers and a ticket for a raffle for some great prizes. If you would rather navigate the tour from your smart phone, then the Portland Open Studios iPhone app is your best ticket option. Studio navigation via Google Map, add notes for future reference and search artist by name or media all for the same price as a paper Tour Guide!

Hope to see you!

A New Print of the Hawthorne District

bkperspectives — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:48:20 +0000

Being a part of Portland Open Studios is giving me the push to crank out a few more new pieces and start editioning. I am really excited about this new piece from the Hawthorne District. When I compose a piece, there is always this challenge to compress an entire neighborhood into one piece. There is a long editing process, trying to pick the best images that work together in a scene but also help represent the personality of the area. The more I edit and peruse the images…over time, things start to just come together. The Hawthorne District is often very busy and has many cross-walks and pedestrians, which I haven’t depicted before in my scenes. I really struggled with this piece, but what amazed me is the opportunity to add this street-crossing aspect to the scene just popped into place all of a sudden. With a little reworking it perfectly reflected how I see Hawthorne.

Another Alberta Piece

bkperspectives — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:41:58 +0000

The Alberta District has so many great stores, restaurants, carts and events. And since I live near Alberta, it was the inspiration of my first scene. This new piece of Alberta was going to be a quick, small, charming piece of about 3 buildings but it just didn’t look right without more in it and the next thing I knew I was spending all sorts of time on it and it is as large as my first Alberta piece. Hopefully people like it (and Alberta) as much as I do because I still want to make a larger, more “epic” piece and I have all the workings for a Last Thursday piece. Stay tuned!

Candy Break on Hawthorne

bkperspectives — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:13:38 +0000

A couple weeks ago I walked up and down Hawthorne street here in Portland for the second time to take more photos of Hawthorne for a new piece. I have noticed that two, full, thorough trips are necessary to get what I need for material. The first trip really ends up being more of a scouting trip even though I do take a lot of photos. The second, I just go crazy taking hundreds of photos getting every angle of the street I can. While I was out I ran into Christine at the Chalk-let Candy Bus and she was nice enough to let me take a photo on the interior of her amazing candy bus where she serves a wonderful variety of candy – most of which brings back fond childhood memories. It made for a perfect Portland day out where there is always something wonderfully creative, and often yummy to enjoy.