I Do Not Belong to the Sky
For the past two weeks I’ve toured galleries in an area of Portland called the Pearl with painter, curator, and Portland Community College instructor, Amy Bay. Each week one artist has stood out for me. The first week it was Ben Buswell who has a show at the Upfor Gallery called No One Above or Below which runs until May 9, 2015. When I walked through the door his piece “I Do Not Belong to the Sky” blew me away. It is a muted photograph of the ocean running along two walls and meeting in a corner. The piece ripples and bubbles, with repetitious patterns of slashing adding to the textural effect. Buswell uses the word embellishing to describe how he heats and incises his photographs. While fiber and mixed media artists use the term embellishing differently, certainly the manner in which Buswell treats his photos is similar to how they treat Tyvek with heat. www.benbuswell.com
