For them you’ll want to check out “The Naughty and The Nice” show at Filament Gallery in Portland, which runs through Dec. 22. This eighth annual holiday show features works by more than 20 artists in a range of media. Each artist in the show offers up between 10 and 30 pieces.
“It’s really a time when we want a lot of everything,” Jill Dalton says of the show at the gallery she owns with her husband, Ernest Paterno. “It’s a cash and carry sale, so we’ll replace the items as they sell.”
The show’s prices also are sure to please most pocketbooks, with artwork priced from $2 to $2,000. On the nice side, you can find beautiful blown-glass ornaments, candy canes, icicles and paperweights created by Paterno. Jim Crampton’s lovely burled wood boxes, business card holders and even a mystical looking lamp also fall on the genteel side of the show, as do Susan Winn’s meticulously hand-beaded holiday cards.
However, it’s easy to see the mischievous side in Heather Hagle’s aptly named “Naughty Monsters.” These loveable, pillow-like creatures made of felt, faux fur or sexy black vinyl could jazz up even the most mundane couch. Because of the button eyes, Dalton says “these are definitely toys for adults. I don’t know if it’s the children she’s appealing to so much as the children in us.”
Other items with an edge include Dalton’s own assemblage objects, such as “An Ideal,” which hints at cultural standards for women, and “Baby’s House,” where a soiled doll’s arm reaches out at the viewer. Paul Heckler’s whiskey and sake sets could certainly fuel the naughty in some of us, while Patti Sandberg’s two-headed ceramic birds conjure thoughts of the naughty deeds of industrial polluters.
Shedding light on this vast array of treasures, Lenny Kaumzha’s filigree light fixtures and candle holders (which cast magical shadows) and John Goodwin’s fabric covered lamps illuminate this festive exhibition.
“Our holiday show really reflects Filament,” Dalton says. “So there’s an aesthetic that the holiday show is in line with. We look for unusual, well-crafted, local work. Things that you just don’t find other places.”
So check your shopping list twice to see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, than head to Filament Gallery where you can stock up on gift items you won’t find at a your local craft fair.