Painting Portland's forgotten history
November 17, 2014
Talented artist Gabriel Liston brings to life a forgotten part of Portland’s water history in his beautiful art exhibit, Get All That Is Coming To You.
Liston’s inspiration comes from Lafe Pence, a lawyer, miner and congressman from Colorado. Pence attempted to claim water rights in Northwest Portland from 1905 to 1908. His scheme involved using water in Guild’s Lake. The project was environmentally and economically disastrous, and Pence fled Portland.
Liston’s art exhibit is a narrative that takes viewers on a trip through time. Black and white oil panels relate to the controversial history surrounding Pence. Large canvases illustrate Liston’s personal journey finding Pence’s water sites, and painted panels show what the sites look like in present-day.
Get All That Is Coming To You is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC). One of RACC’s services is providing project grants to local artists. Their mission is to enrich the greater Portland community with diverse artistic opportunities.
The exhibition runs through December 13th at Froelick Gallery. Visit RACC’s website for more information.
Froelick Gallery
714 NW Davis St.
Tuesdays – Saturdays 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Photo courtesy of RACC.