Past Exhibits
Carlene Ireland
"Portland People and Places"
June 18th - July 29th, 2006
I was born back east and raised in Portland during the 1930s depression. During WWII, I served in the military, and later returned to Portland to become a secretary. Meanwhile, I married, and when our first baby was on the way, we purchased a house in NW Portland. Many of our neighbors were artists, inspiring my interest in art.
After my children entered school, I enrolled in a calligraphy class taught by Yvonne Bianco, which led to making personal Christmas cards. Josephine Cameron also attended and helped with designs; she suggested I enroll in her painting class. From then on, I was hooked. I have attended so many kinds of art classes at the Art Museum, PSU and PCC, I’ve lost count. All art classes were fun, but I loved oil painting.
After my husband’s death, I moved to SW Portland where I attended classes at PSU. One of my teachers was Laura Ross-Paul. She encouraged imagination which seemed to bring out the whimsy in me, inspiring me to paint garden fairies and mermaids. I also loved painting pictures of my family; whenever my son would send flowers, I would paint the arrangement and send the painting to him. Portland’s beautiful landscapes and bridges have inspired me to paint many scenes of the city.
My first show was at the YWCA, then Chapman School, PSU, PCC, Good Samaritan Hospital and American Plaza. Some of my paintings are in private homes in NYC, Florida, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Beaverton, as well as Portland.
