Jess Hirsch @ Tilde in February

Jess Hirsch
Pattern and Place
Gouache & Graphite on Paper

Tilde will host a 1st Friday Reception for the Portland artist Jess Hirsch from 6pm-9pm, Friday, February 5th. Pattern and Place is a study of heritage and tradition. For this show, the artist focused on the implication of emblems as the signs and symbols that represent a nation, in particular national animals. In conjunction with researching national animals, Ms. Hirsch also studied traditional patterns from around the world. The marriage of these two subjects results in the show Pattern and Place.

“I picked at random from the 192 Nations of the world and then sought out certain animals and regional traditions. I was moved by the history of facial tattoos in Northern Africa and applied the patterns to the Fennec Fox, the national animal of Algeria. I examined the wood grain inlay of Sri Lanka and adorned the Jungle Foul with those patterns and colors. The intimidating Russian Bear was decorated with the painted pattern of the Matryoshka doll. Each country presented an intriguing historical tidbit to enrich the series.”

Jess Hirsch lives and works in Portland Oregon and received her Bachelors in Drawing from Lewis and Clark College in 2007. She grew up in rural Minnesota swimming until the lake froze over and making movies in the woods. She set out for Portland in 2003 to be the near the mountains and ocean. Her work spans from delicate graphite drawing to large-scale sculpture. She is a co-founder of Homeschool, a nomadic art gallery based in Portland, and co-creator of the Portland Healing Project, a healing workshop series and online resource for artists and low-income families to find affordable healthcare through alternative medicine. When Jess is not sharpening pencils, she rides her bike, takes her precious Boston terrier to the park, and bakes scones.

Tilde
10 am – 6 pm, Tuesday-Saturday
12 am – 5 pm, Sunday
7919 SE 13th
in Sellwood