Ampersand - Gallery & Bookshop

We Now Have New Blog

2011-08-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Please take a look at our new blog here.

Strange Cities - Installation Views

2011-07-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

Our current show here at Ampersand features work by Portland photographer, John Ryan Brubaker. Titled Strange Cities, the photographs document his travels through Vietnam in spring, 2010. Less about a specific geography or type of people, the photographs instead record the tangled chaos, the wounded patterns, & the congested horizon, street & railway lines that comprise any strange city a traveler gets lost in. We have also published a book by the same title to coincide with the exhibition. You can purchase a copy in our online store here.

We'll be open late on Last Thursday this week.

OPENING PARTY SATURDAY JULY 16

2011-07-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

More info. & images here.
twitter & facebook

Recent interiew with Douglas Stockdale

2011-06-23T15:40:00.001-07:00

Douglas Stockdale recently stopped in & interviewed me for his blog, The Photobook, where he discusses & reviews a wide variety of photographic books. You can read the interview here. In brief, we discuss how Ampersand got started, the relationship between books & our gallery shows & the recent publication of our first book.

. . Limited Edition Show Catalog Now Available . .

2011-06-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ampersand is pleased to announce the first in what we hope to be a long list of books published by the gallery. Our Time is published on the occasion of an exhibition of watercolor paintings by by Dan Gluibizzi & features 47 details from the larger works featured here in the gallery. The book also includes an essay by R. Jay Magill, Jr. that offers insight & context to the prurient figures found in Dan's work. R. Jay Magill, Jr. is the author of Chic Ironic Bitterness & his second book, Sincerity, is forthcoming from W.W. Norton in spring 2012.

Our Time
Dan Gluibizzi
6 x 8 in., 93 pages, perfect bound
47 color illustrations
Printed & bound in Portland, OR

Edition of 100
10 signed with an original watercolor on 6 x 8 inch paper.

Purchase the book here.

.... Last Thursday at Ampersand: Dan Gluibizzi ....

2011-05-26T14:17:00.001-07:00

It's Last Thursday Tonight & we all know the skies are dull, the rain is falling & it's cold, but that's all the more reason to come check out the new show at Ampersand. Dan Gluibizzi's watercolors are vibrant, lively & whimsical. Above are a few shots of the install in the gallery. We've also published a special edition book for the show, limited to 100 copies that were printed & bound here in Portland. It's the first in what we hope to be a long list of titles published by Ampersand. Stop in & get one before the sell out!

Eggleston's Stranded in Canton tonight at Clinton Street Theater - Presented by Cinema Project

2011-05-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Portland's Cinema Project is screening William Eggleston's Stranded in Canton tonight & tomorrow (May 3 & 4 at 7:30PM) at the Clinton Street Theater. Ampersand will be there selling Eggleston's books, including Stranded in Canton, which features film stills & a DVD version of the film. We'll also have copies of the latest Eggleston book published by Twin Palms, For Now, which was edited by Michael Almereyda, maker of the film, Eggleston in the Real World.

10% of all sales will be given to Cinema Project to support their continued screenings of avant-garde cinema here in Portland.

New Shows Available to Purchase Online Shortly.

2011-05-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

We'll have the new shows photographed & available to purchase online later this week. In the meantime, enjoy the above views of the installation or go here & here for more information & images.

Dan Gluibizzi in June. Can't Wait!!!

2011-05-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was over at Dan's studio the other day
previewing work for his upcoming show
in June.

Opening Shots - 04.28.2011

2011-04-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for the opening.
Thanks, too, to Ninkasi Brewing Co. for providing the beer.
If you didn't have a chance to make it, the current shows will
be up through the end of may.

.............. Marks - Moles - Scars - Mugs ..............

2011-04-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

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New Shows Open this Last Thursday, 6 to 10PM!

2011-04-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

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Our May show at Ampersand features several antique cyanotype photographs of botanical specimens made by an anonymous photographer around 1900. Drawing its title from a penciled caption below one image, From the Winter Woods in part celebrates the emergence of spring flora & the promise of sunnier weather. The cyanotype printing process itself depends upon a chemical reaction between ultraviolet light, such as sunlight, & chemically treated paper. Specimens can be placed directly onto the paper, creating a silhouette effect, or a negative can be placed upon the treated surface to create a positive contact print, as is the case with these photographs. From the Winter Woods also celebrates the intersection of science & photography & the uncanny beauty the two create when joined together. The photographer who made these images was not only skilled with the mechanics of the camera & the chemistry of printing, he or she also had an advanced eye for the subtleties of arrangement. Looking closely, one sees specimen pins, pools of water cupped in leaves & a butterfly poised upon a blossom, small details that suggest an intent beyond a mere record of plant species. But this, too, is not ignored; each of the photographs is captioned with botanical names, yet so faintly it invites one to assume that this photographer was more concerned with the taxonomy of beauty.

More images here.

And check out our May Sideshow here.

Naked City - Weegee (Arthur Fellig)

2011-04-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

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A new addition to the photobook inventory at Ampersand, Weegee's Naked City. A classic among documentary photobooks, Naked City includes a forward by William McCleery, text by Weegee & a jacket blurb by Nancy Newhall. Outside the tabloid shots of disaster, death & despondency, we also get Weegee's voyeuristic record of lovers, peddlers, singers & sophisticated ladies. Though certainly with its share of chips & tears, it's uncommon to find a copy with a dust jacket, let alone one that is in exceptional condition. The book itself shows little external wear & is clean inside. The book is delivered with a protective jacket cover.

You can purchase this book here for $295.

"The same camera that photographs a murder scene can photograph a beautiful society affair at a big hotel."
--- from an interview with Weegee.

Listen to the entire thing here on These Americans.

Raymond Meeks Exhibition Ends This Weekend

2011-04-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Our current exhibition, photographs by Raymond Meeks,
ends this weekend. It's beautiful out; why not come up to
Alberta street, see the show & follow it up with a mint julip
at the Whiskey Bar.

Click here to see installation views.

.. Don'ts of Photgraphy - Design of Enlargements ..

2011-04-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

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From our collection of

drugstore processing envelopes.

cowboys, bent & broken

2011-04-20T14:15:00.001-07:00

A find from the weekend.
(one for the collection)
Dated January 1918, Los Angeles.

Check back periodically in the next
few days to see other photos found
this past weekend at the photo show.

..... All Image Photo Show in Emeryville, CA .....

2011-04-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

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Above is a selection of images we'll be selling this Sunday at the All Image Photography Show in Emeryville, CA (which is more or less Oakland). For those of you in the Bay Area, stop by to look through thousands of photographs offered by 50+ dealers. Go here for more information.

Stop! Look! Laugh!!

2011-04-10T15:58:00.001-07:00

circa 1940s. We have four sets here at Ampersand.
Each set has approximately 25 cards. Just $18.
Stop in to look or email inquiries.

Raymond Meeks - Installation Views

2011-04-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Our April show features work by photographer Raymond Meeks. The photographs in the above installation views were taken in spring & summer 2010, some here in Portland, others in Logan County, Ohio & Central City, Nebraska. They are presented in the context of a letter Meeks received from his father-in-law during that same period, which you can read here. Meeks lives & works in Portland. In addition to books published by Nazraeli Press, Meeks has published several limited edition artist books & journals.

View his website here.
More information & show images here.

Dan Gluibizzi at Ampersand in June

2011-04-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Dan Gluibizzi stopped by the gallery this morning & we made an initial select for his upcoming show here at Ampersand in June. Dan recently moved to Portland from Brooklyn & we're very excited to present his first solo exhibition here in town. Titled Our Time, the show will feature a large selection of Dan's more recent watercolor paintings, all derived from anonymous digital photos people post on the web. At surface his work is bright & whimsical, but it also makes you think twice about the rampant exhibitionism we see proliferating on the web. In this, it fits so well with many of our preoccupations here at Ampersand --- the interplay between found materials & voyeurism; the invasive nature of photography & the viral way that images can spread on the internet; the symbiotic link between pedestrian visual culture & art, etc.

New Show Opens on Last Thursday

2011-03-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Raymond Meeks
Goat Run Sycamore

Opens Last Thursday, March 31, from 6 to 10PM
Drinks courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Preview images here.

Ampersand is pleased to present a show by Portland photographer Raymond Meeks. Goat Run Sycamore brings together recent work & a body of photographs Meeks made while traveling Goat Run Honey Fork Road in Logan, Ohio during summer, 2010. Reflecting on the nature of this place, Meeks writes, "The road is like a religion I've returned to even as I'd sworn away any devotion to a prosaic, unbroken landscape and uninspired sky." The photographs are presented (were perhaps even made) in the context of a letter Meeks received from his father-in-law that summer. In it he describes a dream he had about Raymond's photography & the realization that dream inspired. It's a realization that inadvertently & aptly describes the dilemma a photographer faces while making work. "That was when I realized that Ray Meeks was given a talent," his father-in-law writes, "but only took pictures to primarily please his own eyes, and should be taking pictures to please other people's eyes and hearts. Based on that idea, I thought that you should take pictures of all types. (black & white, color, sepia, even put pictures on tee shirts.) To please more people. To go more places and take more pictures. But while you are taking those pictures, always keep your eye out for that perfect picture that belongs strictly for you."

Raymond Meeks is a photographer & book maker inspired by collaboration with writers of poetry & short fiction & the merging of visual & word narratives as metaphor. He has recently focused his efforts towards making artist books & journals in response to his immediate surroundings. Among these publications are nevermore (2008), middle air (2009), who will stay (2010) & amwell (2010), the last of which was also published by Nazraeli Press as part of their limited edition Six by Six series. Meeks has three other books published by Nazraeli, including Doctrine of an Axe: One Picture Book #54. His work has been exhibited in Paris, New York, Santa Fe, Atlanta & here in Portland at PDX Contemporary. Meeks lives & works in Portland, Oregon.

Drink Smoke, Flanders by Chris Milliman

2011-03-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Chris Milliman's latest photobook documents a typical day of cyclocross racing in Flanders. A mix of color and b&w photographs, the book rightly suggests that the heart of cyclocross is as much in the spectating as it is in the racing.

8 x 8 inches
24 photos
2011, edition of 90
$25

You can purchase a copy from our web store here.

19th Century Beetle Prints by Lizars

2011-03-10T18:06:00.001-08:00

Coleoptera
19th Century Beetle Prints

Our sideshow in March features a selection of antique natural history prints dating from 1835. Of the many hand-colored steel engravings printed by William H. Lizars for The Naturalist's Library, the beetles, in our opinion, most provoke the awe of both one's eye & imagination. Bound together in the order Coleoptera (which itself is a beautiful word), beetles constitute roughly 25 percent of all known life-forms & it's estimated that as many as one million species exist. Beetles, then, rightly serve as a perfect metaphor for the seemingly infinite variety found amid universal creation. Cut in finely detailed lines & colored with the simplest of strokes, the prints themselves exquisitely illustrate the visual complexity of just a few coleopterous insects.

$95 in archival frames
$55 unframed

10% off in our web store through 03.17.
Use promo code BEETLE0317

Take a look at other examples here.

Porsche 70-79

2011-03-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

(click image to enlarge)

Dug this out of a box at the antique

show this weekend. Check back periodically
this week; I'll be posting other finds.

Reading this Saturday at 7:30PM

2011-03-04T16:00:00.001-08:00

Reading at Ampersand!
Saturday, March 5 at 7:30PM
Drinks courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Join Ampersand for a reading by Jamie Iredell & Mike Young.
Presented by BookSlut & Future Tense Books, the reading will
be hosted by Kevin Sampsell & we'll have plenty of free beer
from our good friends at Ninkasi.

New Show Opens Thursday - Vintage Lobby Cards

2011-02-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

Sights Unseen
Vintage Lobby Cards, 1950s to 1980s

February 24 to March 27, 2011
Opening Party on Thursday, February 24 from 6 to 10PM
Free Drinks Courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Our March show features a selection of vintage lobby cards from the late 1950s to the 1980s. Curated by Jacque Boyreau, the show is a tangent of the recent SuperTrash exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. The show also coincides with the BAM Beer & Movie Fest here in Portland, which runs through April. In an age when being persuaded to see a film is often linked up with a trailer viewed on a smartphone, it's hard to imagine a time not long ago when the impulse to see a movie could be triggered by the frenetically controlled design of an 11" x 14" lobby card. Usually issued in sets of eight, lobby cards jumped at you with a mix of jumbled embellishments, punchy one-line quotations & suggestive illustrations, all calculated to convince you that the film in question (or this exhibition, for that matter) was truly something worth seeing.

Check out the BAM Schedule here.
More preview images here.

New Books Inventory ... Winter Hours

2011-02-03T13:38:00.001-08:00

We've been on hiatus here at Ampersand with the whole blogging & social media thing. Sometimes it makes sense to just step away from it all & January, a month of hibernation, seemed the perfect time to do it. But here it is February & great books keep pouring in. Above are a few we thought were worth sharing, a couple new titles & several shop favorites that work as a kind of ballast for all that is good in the shop (in other words, books we repeatedly look at & love).

in list form:

Henry Darger
Irving Penn - Small Trades
100 Pictures - Richter
Frida Kahlo - Her Photographs
Ghosts - Aira
Dave Hickey - Air Guitar
American Photographs - Walker Evans
Becher - Coal Mines & Steel Mills
Kodachromes - Christenberry
Hetherington - Infidel
Invisible, Covert Operations & Classified Landscapes - Trevor Paglen
Taryn Simon - Contraband
Zwelethu Mthethwa - Zwelethu Mthethwa

One other thing: Ampersand will be closed Monday & Tuesday through the slower winter months. Otherwise, we're here everyday from 12 to 6PM (often earlier or later). Or by appointment.

Love is Not Dead, Found Polaroid Photogrpahs

2011-01-09T16:27:00.001-08:00

Our January show features sixteen found vintage Polaroids taken by an anonymous photographer, likely in the 1980s. Put plainly, they whimsically chronicle the love making of two desktop skeletal anatomy models. The Polaroid camera has always been a useful tool for the amateur erotic photographer intent on maintaining his or her anonymity. In this case, we see the handiwork of a possibly bored yet mordantly active imagination. Assuming he or she wasn't just killing time, the photographs by this unknown photographer seem to suggest that love is not dead, even at its barest.

View & purchase photographs here.

New Show Opens Tonight from 6 to 9PM

2011-01-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

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More information & preview images here.

Not quite Julius Shulman, but cool nonetheless

2010-12-30T13:41:00.001-08:00

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original vintage real photo postcards.
circa 1910s

(from the ampersand collection)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T10:45:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who helped make
2010 such a great year for Ampersand.
Here's to an even better 2011 for all!
Merry Christmas.

We'll be open until 6pm today (Xmas eve).
Closed Christmas day. Open Sunday 12 to 5PM.

. . . snapshot Santa

2010-12-21T14:40:00.001-08:00

Original vintage snapshot, circa 1980s
Merry Christmas

Christmas in Finland

2010-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ampersand is open today (Monday) until 8PM.
We'll be open each day this week from 12 noon to 8PM.
On Christmas Eve we'll be here from 10AM to 6PM.
Happy Holidays!

Publication Fair 2010 - Sunday 11AM to 7PM

2010-12-18T17:50:00.001-08:00

Hey all. Publication Studio & the Ace Hotel are once again hosting a Publication Fair tomorrow, December 19 at the Ace Cleaners. That's at the corner of SW 10 & Stark. Hours are 11Am to 7PM. If it's anything like last year (which I'm sure it will exceed) there'll be tons of print-related material to look at & buy. Ampersand will be there, too! Come check it out.

Poster design by Gary Robbins over at Container Corps.

delay (or not your typical Xmas photo)

2010-12-13T14:26:00.001-08:00

I'll be periodically blogging for GUP Magazine. They just published my first post, which you can read here. It more or less talks about Portland photographer Allan de Lay, who worked for The Oregonian back in the late 40s & 1950s. Either he had a great sense of humor or he just had a knack for being present at off-kilter moments, as suggested by the image above --- not your typical Christmas photograph. The images below illustrate the GUP post, which are quite small on their website, so definitely click on them for an enlarged view. We have several of Allan de Lay's original vintage prints for sale at Ampersand.

From the Archive - type faces

2010-12-11T13:48:00.001-08:00

"Allied typographers offer this little book of type faces as a quick reference guide for the busy ad maker. Shown here are only those faces contained in our type cases at this printing."

SOLD

December 9, 1922

2010-12-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

88 years ago, on December 9, Clifford Simpkins completed the last of 25 drills for a penmanship course he was taking in San Francisco. On view at Ampersand as a kind of readymade work of art, the drills are arcivally framed in brushed aluminum. They are now available to purchase from our web store. Check them out soon; they've been selling quickly.

Jefferson Hayman, Photographs - Opens Tonight

2010-12-04T16:10:00.001-08:00

Join Ampersand tonight for the opening of our new show, photographs by New York photographer, Jefferson Hayman. Above are a few installation views of his work. More information on our website.

6 to 9PM with free drinks courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Our New Show Opens Saturday from 6 to 9PM

2010-12-03T15:33:00.001-08:00

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More information here & here.

omit omit omit omit omit omit omit omit omit omit

2010-12-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

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A Little More Freedom
The Art of Penmanship in 1922

Opening Party this Saturday, December 4 from 6 to 9PM.
Free drinks courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Coinciding with our exhibition of photographs by Jefferson Hayman, our sideshow in December features coursework by Clifford Simpkins, also known as F. C. Simpkins. For a one month period, between November 9 & December 9, 1922, Mr. Simpkins submitted twenty-four penmanship drills to the Bureau of Education in San Francisco, California. Ranging from the rudiments of single letters & simple words to more primitive exercises in slash marks, circles & patterns, each of the drills portrays a student (his age is not known) intent on mastering the art of penmanship. We also see the voice of a helping hand, the laconic red strokes of the course instructor. Though economic with words, there is a kind of poetry to her guidance. She speaks of ease, softness & lightness, ideas which seem to culminate in a simple comment she makes on Drill No. 13, "a little more freedom." Of course, when first found, I was immediately captivated by the abstract graphic quality of these drills & imagined them framed & presented as art. But the more I studied their nuances, the less I could get that statement out of my head---a little more freedom. Apart from it's direct relation to the movement of Clifford's pen, what does it reveal about the world in 1922, when the quality of one's hand said a lot about one's character & station in life? Conversely, how does it apply our current situation in 2010, when the world seems more & more entrapped by the rhythm of computer keys & less set free by the fluidity of pen strokes?

$100 as framed (dimension of archival frame is 14 1/4 x 18 1/4 in.)

Holiday Hours - Seven Days a Week thru Xmas!

2010-12-01T16:02:00.001-08:00

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To accommodate your holiday shopping, Ampersand will be open every day through Xmas Eve, including Mondays. Hours are daily 12 to 7PM & 12 to 6PM on Sundays. Every Thursday through the Holiday we'll be staying open until 8PM (maybe later). In fact, every shop on Alberta street is staying open late on Thursdays. 'Tis the Season.

. . . . Interview with Photographer Kevin Wells . . . .

2010-11-28T10:15:00.001-08:00

Our November show ends on Tuesday. It features two series of gelatin silver photographs by Portland photographer, Kevin Wells. The first focuses on trash cans he shot in New York City in 1991. The second, which he shot in the mid-90s, offers a detailed look at weathered tires abandoned in the Arizona desert. To offer a counterpoint to these images, we're also showing a selection of 16 Polaroids he shot between 1990 & 2002.

Kevin & I had a chance to meet recently & talk about his work. We also looked through his portfolio of older images & selected 25 or so gelatin silver prints that are available to purchase. The images on this page are merely a selection. Follow this link to see more.

Myles Haselhorst - The work featured at Ampersand is typological in that you focused on certain types of objects, trash cans in New York City & abandoned tires in Arizona. On one level, there is a kind of face value recognition involved when viewing the photos (this is a tire, this is a trash can), but I'm guessing when you made the images you were seeing a lot more. If you had an ideal viewer looking at the work, what more would they be seeing beyond mere recognition?

Kevin Wells - It’s true that there will be face value recognition with the objects in the images, but if someone spends some time with them and recognizes the beauty that I saw when I made the photos, that would be exciting. To that end, when exposing the film and creating the prints, I took care to capture, and then render as much of the detail in the scene that coalesced to produce the aura of beauty that initially inspired me to photograph it in the first place. In terms of light and design, I was careful to frame graphically interesting compositions, and utilize the light in a way that will hopefully hold a viewer’s interest if their first reaction is, as you said, “Oh, a trash can, a tire.” If the cans had been photographed in direct sun instead of backlit, you would lose the mirror image effect and the lovely silhouette of the can, and if the tires had been backlit you would lose the contrast of the sheen, gouges, rips and blemishes that make them so interesting. Lastly, I obviously chose richly detailed subjects to photograph. Not every tire has character that would cause someone to stop and wonder about its provenance, and not every trash can has such distinct personality as those wonderful, bashed up, wire cans from that short era in New York City’s history.

MH - These are gelatin silver prints made in the dark room. Is process integral to this body of work or would we experience them the same if they had been shot & printed digitally?

KW - As far as whether or not these images would have the same gravity if they had been captured and printed digitally, I’m pretty sure that they would. I had a wonderful time exploring these images in the darkroom, and that was my choice. I absolutely love silver prints; I’ve been printing my B&W images for over twenty years and I have my methods and materials in the darkroom that I know will get me to a specific place visually. However, I believe that with the quality of archival inkjet prints today, these could also have been printed in that manner and have pretty much stood up to the ones pulled out of the soup. I guess it’s just a matter of preference and what your particular skill-set is, but I wanted to see these on the wall as exhibition quality, silver gelatin prints. I think that for B&W images, silver still has an edge over digital and a creaminess that can’t currently be matched.

MH - Along those same lines, the trash cans were shot in 1991, almost 20 years ago, but most if not all had never been printed until now for the show at Ampersand. I'm really fascinated by this idea of delay. Can you describe what it was like to finally see them as prints? Why did you wait so long? Do you think it's important for us as viewers to consider this delay when viewing the work?

KW - I’m not sure that someone would need to give much attention the fact that the trash cans have been in a cardboard box for nearly twenty years, aside from the fact that they no longer exist in NYC. On a personal level, it was very exciting to rediscover them after so long and be able to say “Oh yeah, these are really cool, I’d take these same photos today.” I’ve been making negatives since I started shooting back in 1987, so as you can imagine my archive is immense. I was rooting around in some of this old stuff when I was considering what to show in your space, and these floated to the surface. I love the graphic nature of these photos, and I don’t know why I never did anything with them. Perhaps because I made them so early in my career, I moved on from them too quickly. I think that I printed one or two shortly after I shot them, but because I was a fledgling in the craft, I’m sure the prints are not much to speak of. It was a real treat to see them come alive for this show; when you and I were looking at the contact sheets together, I knew exactly what size they should be, and what the overall tone of the prints should feel like. It was as though I had been subconsciously percolating ever since I shot them, on how best to print them. I’ve had so much fun seeing them transported from the past into the clean white frames in your space.

MH - Coinciding with your show in the main gallery, we are showing 16 Polaroids you shot between 1990 & 2002. Were these done with an SX-70? What motivated you to shoot Polaroids? As with the trash cans & tires, these images show a lot of intent in their making, & yet what they convey is so different from the silver prints. This suggests that Polaroid film creates a very distinct record of the world. As a photographer, does this function as a limitation or a kind of freedom?

KW - The Polaroids were shot with several SX-70 cameras and a Polaroid 690 which I purchased in 1995. The Polaroid 690 is a contemporary version of the SX-70 (it was introduced in the early 90’s) with sonar focus and a built-in flash. It is an awesome camera and the 690 film was different than the cartoon-like SX-70 film in that it was a faster film with a much more neutral palette and a beautiful grain structure. I loved the experience of shooting Polaroids; I loved the cameras, the sounds they make, the immediacy of the medium, the photograph as an object, and the way that they freed me up to see a bit differently than with my film SLR’s. I had at least one Polaroid camera with me on all of my travels and I would inevitably return home with a film box full of what I considered to be treasures. I suppose that in many ways they serve as a visual journal of sorts because, for me at least, they are infused with more unabashed emotion than much of my more carefully produced work, or maybe it’s just more on the surface, (which may or may not be obvious to the viewer). I think Polaroid cameras have a simplicity about them which produces a very distinct aesthetic, and perhaps allows one to make work that represents more of a direct interpretation of what is simply ‘seen’ on a very basic level. Certainly, that is not to say that one cannot make images that are haunting and lyrical with this medium, but the beauty here is that it happens in the camera.

MH - As the gallery show closes, you & I have decided to offer a group of images you shot when working as a professional. The prints are somewhat small, as though snapshots, yet they’re very concentrated, almost like short, richly stylized poems. Can you give us a little background on them?

KW - Wow, “…short, richly stylized poems…” that’s about the best compliment that I could receive. Thank you. Perhaps you should be my new agent. The additional images that we chose are really quite similar in feeling to the Polaroids if you get right down to it. They too, are a journal of sorts, which just happens to be in B&W. Only two of the images were produced for a professional project (The two images of the man with the lantern were produced for Random House Publishing). None of these images are from a series, I’m not one to produce topical bodies of work. I simply enjoy making photographs that are quiet, nuanced and perhaps timeless. The subjects were accidentally found, deliberately seen, carefully composed, exposed and finally, printed.

MH - Well, in a way, I am acting as your agent. I believe in your work & can only hope that people really take the time to look at & study it. So, what's next? Are you working on any new projects?

KW - Well, I took a bit of a break from shooting for the past four years or so to explore some different things. I had been pretty singularly focused on making photographs for such a long time, that I got a bit burned-out. I’m starting to be more active with photography again, but now I’m seeing mostly in color and because of that, I’m learning how to be a better digital photographer. I’ve been noticing patterns in what I’ve been shooting lately and chances are, that will settle into a more cohesive body of work. There have been lots of photos of garbage and urban grit, so who knows, I’ll keep you posted. If anyone is interested I’ll probably be making regular updates to my blog.

Miss Pittsburgh, 1925

2010-11-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

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Green is the New Black

2010-11-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

(click images to enlarge)

I hope your Thanksgiving was as enjoyable as mine. Well, Black Friday is officially upon us. I won't go on & on about it, but should you choose to go out shopping today, please consider supporting small retail businesses. Larger chain stores will always be around, but the smaller, locally owned shops that make Portland so unique are more susceptible to the ups & downs of our current economy. Here today & gone tomorrow.

I happened to find these Green Stamps booklets earlier this week. Aside from their fantastic cover design, the books do say a lot about the history of consumer society. On one hand, they are a symbol of consumption: you buy more in order to get more stamps in order to get free products that you probably don't need. Amazingly, in the 1960s Green Stamps was the largest publication in the States, rivaling even the Bible. The Sperry & Hutchinson Co. issued more stamps than the USPS. Whether or not a sales ploy, the booklet's did encourage a kind of thriftiness, an awareness of value. More importantly, they encouraged over 35,000,000 shoppers to support local merchants where Green Stamps were distributed.

Ampersand will be open today from 11AM to 7PM (maybe a little later). Mention this blog post & get 10% off your purchase.

Camp Peary - In the Navy - August, 1943

2010-11-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

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Original vintage photobooth photos.
One photo with verso caption:
Camp Peary - Williamsburg, VA - August, 1943

Through the Eyes of Another

2010-11-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Ampersand has been on Alberta Street here in Portland for exactly two years now. The actual anniversary date more or less slipped by this past weekend without me taking much notice. It must have something to do with our ability as humans to take for granted those things that are most familiar to us. For better or worse, I spend a lot of time here, hours & hours sifting through old photos & documents, cataloging books, searching for that next great artist to show. At points it can all become a blur, so it was exceedingly refreshing to see Ampersand through the eyes of another. The above photos were taken by Nathan Strandberg the other day as he browsed the shop. Nathan & his wife, Katie Kirk, own a design studio called Eight Hour Day. They're currently in the midst of a year-long trip around the country, stopping here & there for inspiration & "scavenging for bits of vintage gold," as Nathan notes on their blog. You can check out more photos of Ampersand & several from their trip on their f lickr photostream. It's definitely worth checking out.

. . . . Thais Sanders Ballroom Dance Studio . . . .

2010-11-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

(click images to enlarge)

These sketches & clippings were drawn & saved by one Thais Sanders. Already torn from their original notepad, they were tucked away in the back of an exercise book she kept in 1932. According to a short note written in both French & English, "it was prepared as school home work while attending le lyce, Nice, France. Notes were taken during class lecture & put together at home." The notes themselves, in French, cover painting, sculpture & architecture & are supplemented by postcards & a variety of clippings. In other words, a thorough education in the arts. That aside, I'm more captivated by the idea of her small doodles, the suggestion of an obsession with dance, the idea that somewhere a whole cast of ballroom dancers spin about in frozen lines made of graphite.

New Snapshots at Ampersand

2010-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Above is a selection from several recent additions to the snapshot inventory available at Ampersand. As you can see, there's something for everyone, a little hunting & fishing, some roadside Americana, dirt bikes, tasteful nudity. All as found, completely anonymous & 100% vintage original. Clicking on any image will enlarge it. If you see something you want to buy, stop in or shoot us an email*.

*ampersandvintage@mac.com
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New Books - 11.11.2010 - All under $40

2010-11-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

On some website (probably eBay) I saw that there are only 44 days until Xmas. Even though I own a retail establishment & my livelihood depends on it, I've never really been one to cash in on the idea of holidays & their requisite gift giving. Not much of a capitalist, I guess. That said, I do remember how much I used to love getting books for Christmas. There's something exceptional about the feel of a book under wrapping paper; it's quite sensual in a peculiar kind of way. If you're inclined to give books as gifts, here are a few titles that might suit your needs, a mix of old favorites & a few recently published, each under $40. For the designer in your life, there are Rolling Paper Graphics by Jose Lorente & Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type by Kimberly Elam. For the photographer, The Mind's Eye by Henri Cartier-Bresson & Inside the Photograph by Peter C. Bunnell. For the lover of the esoteric, Drawings from the Gulag by Danzig Baldaev, Dressing for Pleasure (fetish wear!) by Jonny Trunk & Know Your Rodent by Ziggy Hanaor with illustrations by Thibaud Herem. (Just me, or are there some great names in that last run?) Lastly, for the lover of Gerhard Richter, we have Gerhard Richter: 100 Pictures.

"Hey Boy" Pabst Blue Ribbon

2010-11-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

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Vintage Pabst Blue Ribbon advertisement. Printed on the back page of a 1945 score card & baseball program for Comiskey Park in Chicago. Dated August 3, 1945. The White Sox played Detroit that day & beat them 5-0.

One From the Collection - 11.04.2010

2010-11-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge)

Three Swimmers
photographer unknown
circa 1920s
5 x 7 in.

I've owned this photo for a couple years now. Initially it was in the queue for framing, but never managed to reach that noble status. But I like it this way. Encountering it once or twice a year amid other images is like recalling a memory, a day at the beach, something that would lose its poignancy if experienced regularly. I think I was initially struck by the uniformity of their common gaze. It's possibly staged, but you really get the sense that they are looking at something further down the beach, right at the water line. I've always loved images like this, those that inherently draw your eyes to what is unseen beyond the frame, an invitation for imagination.

With each encounter I've noticed new details that were perhaps also at first unseen, but certainly influenced my initial impression. There is an uncanny balance to the few patterns in the image; the hats, worn by the girls with otherwise featureless swimwear, are align with the lower hem of the girl standing, who is bound by several simple but provocative lines. Of course, each of their hands also catch my eye & I am tempted to pick a favorite. It's the hand holding a wisp of grass, partly because the fingers are so detailed, but mainly because I can't help but feel that piece of grass against my lips. The best part of the image, however, is that blurry house wavering at the photo's edge. It seems to be part of some impending moment not intended for this image. It has the structure of incongruity, the shape & color of a premonition. And so I'm drawn back to their gaze, back to that something along the water line, which, if at all foreboding like the house, lends to the image something quite different from what's first seen.

Kevin Wells - Installation View & Webstore

2010-11-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

Above are installation shots of our current show,
photographs by Portland photographer, Kevin Wells.

Take a look at the entire show with an opportunity
purchase works HERE.

We are also showing several Polaroids in back gallery
that Kevin shot between 1990 & 2002. Take a look at
the show HERE.

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. . . x-ray stove polish

2010-10-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

Dug this out of a dollar box over
at the antique show this morning.

Kevin Wells - Polaroids

2010-10-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Our upcoming show in November features work by Portland photographer, Kevin Wells. In addition to the series of NYC trash cans & AZ tires, we'll also be showing a selection of Polaroids he shot between roughly 1990 & 2002. The above images are a preview of what you'll see. The opening party is Wednesday, October 27 with free drinks courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co. Of course, we'll also be open late for Last Thursday.

Spread the word & feel free to use the images (but please give Kevin credit).

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website

New Book Inventory : 10.15.2010

2010-10-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

Several great art, photography & design books came in
this week, many old favorites & a few new tittles.
Stop in at Ampersand for a closer look.

Penguin by Design by Phil Baines - $25
Egon Schiele: Drawings & Watercolors - $34.95
Dogs (a book of dog snapshots) - $15
Francesca Woodman (a longtime favorite!) - $75
The Pond by John Gossage (a beautiful reprint of this classic w/ intro by Gerry Badger) - $65
Type: A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles - $60 per volume
Posada : Mexican Engraver (amazing!) - $35
The Infidels by Marcel Dzama - $80
Man Ray: Unconcerned But Not Indifferent - $65
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy : The Art of Light - $55
Hiroshi Sugimoto - $125

not pictured -

Gerhard Richter : Volker Bradke - $29.95
G. by John Berger - $17.95
Africa by Sebastaio Salgado - $40

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. . . Photographs by Kevin Wells in November . . .

2010-10-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Above is a preview of our upcoming show in November,
photographs by Portland photographer, Kevin Wells.

Preview reception on Wednesday, October 27 from 6 to 10PM.
Free drinks courtesy of Ninkasi. We'll also be open lat for Last Thursday.

More information here.

newberry

2010-10-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

If you're in the habit of riding your
bike in the West Hills of Portland,
then you may recognize this.

from the Fall 2010 Cole Haan campaign shot by Todd Selby.

Margaret & Raymond - Portraits

2010-10-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge)

from ampersand collection

Alloy Data Book - Aluminum & Bronze

2010-10-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Alloy Data Book - Aluminum & Bronze
W. E. Johnson
Published & Distributed by the Frontier Bronze Corporation
of Niagara Falls, New York.
5 3/4 x 8 3/4 - 55 pages - circa 1940s.

"This book is prepared as an authentic guide to aluminum & bronze alloys & their wide field of usefulness in modern manufacturing. Frontier 40-E is the outstanding development in aluminum alloys."

$15 at Ampersand.

Preview Party. Spread the Word.

2010-09-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you that want to miss the Last Thursday* crowds,

we're having a preview party for the new show this Wednesday night.
Drop the above image into an email & invite all your friends.

*of course, we'll also be open late on Last Thursday.

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New Show Opens Wednesday, Sept. 29 6 to 10PM

2010-09-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Above is a preview of our upcoming show,
Dead Silence, 1930s Morgue Photography.

Preview Party on Wednesday, September 29 from 6 to 10PM.
Free drinks courtesy of Ninkasi Brewing Co.
We'll also be open late for Last Thursday.

More information & images on our website.

Ciba Pharmaceutical Products - Clinical Symposia

2010-09-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

Just got a stack of Clinical Symposia from the 1950s & 1960s in at Ampersand. Published by Ciba Pharmaceutical Products, Inc., they are notable for their peculiar medical illustrations & for their advertisements for such drugs as Ritilan, Plimasin, Doriden & Serpasil. Of the advertisements that feature photographs with graphic overlays, those that attempt to illustrate mental diseases such as severe depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue & forgetfulness are most compelling. A photograph of a woman amid a crowd is supposed to convey oversedation; an elderly man with his head against a wall represents confusion; a woman with a slack, blurry face portrays the drowsy side effect that Plimasin won't create.

Available at Ampersand for $8.

till death do us part

2010-09-16T12:51:00.001-07:00

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Never hurts to be prepared.
Vintage snapshot, circa 1940s.

your opportunities as a sailor

2010-09-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

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$15 at Ampersand.

. . . Simplicity Frocks

2010-09-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

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Eye-catching plaid, featuring
a new look in feminine detail.

Original folding pamphlet
3 1/8 x 6 1/4 in. - circa 1950s
$5 at Ampersand.

. . . . Pittsburgh Steam & Oil Separators . . . .

2010-09-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

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One of several booklets, pamphlets
& catalogs new to the shop. In general,
I've never been all that interested in the
use of steam separators on live and exhaust
mains, but the cover is pretty fantastic.

($5 at Ampersand)

. . . beautiful colors pleasing to the eye.

2010-08-26T17:30:00.001-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

. . . My Bicycle Booklet

2010-08-22T15:02:00.001-07:00

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My Bicycle Booklet
stapled book, 16 pp.
published by the Board of Education, Palo Alto, CA, 1941

available at Ampersand for $12

. . . Ektachrome Salmon

2010-08-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

. . . . The Black Pictures - Installation Views . . . .

2010-08-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

Above are a few installation views of our current exhibition, The Black Pictures by Santa Barbara artist Gail Pine. You can view the entire show here & purchase works here .

Gail Pine - The Black Pictures

2010-07-23T12:58:00.001-07:00

July 28 to August 22, 2010

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token.

- Edgar Allen Poe

The Black Pictures features twenty gelatin silver photographs that borrow their titles from the poetry of Poe & their mercurial, reductive substance from the missing stories of lost snapshots. They compel us to peer into the darkness of their surface & ponder several questions. Just what type of image is this? Is it antique or contemporary? What do the ghostly figures & luminescent landscapes have to tell us about daily fears & nightly dreams? "While I initially started with death lying thick within my brain," Pine notes, "after working on The Black Pictures the better part of a year, I came to realize that I was actually re-birthing these lost snapshots, creating new allegories, a kind of schism of sorts. Incestuous by their very nature, and reborn in the complete blackness of a darkroom, these snapshots have given birth to new, opposite variations of themselves."

View work from the show here.

. . . Ampersand Open On July 4 & 5 . . .

2010-07-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

. . Outdoor Film Screening with Cinema Project . .

2010-06-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, June 26.
Door opens at 9pm.
Films start at 9:45PM.

Suggested donation of $7.
Free Beer from Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Join Ampersand this Saturday at 9pm for an outdoor film screening on our back patio. This is the second screening of our summer film series. This time we're partnering with Cinema Project in presenting Movie Queen : Selections from the Women's Film Preservation Fund.

The Women's Film Preservation Fund is the only program in the world that works to preserve the cultural legacy of women in the film industry. Founded in 1995, their mission is to identify, preserve, and present American films in which women have played a significant creative role. This one-night only presentation includes That Man of Mine, a charming musical starring a young Ruby Dee and musicians from the all-woman jazz band, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Made by a small independent black company for black audiences, it was one of the first films to successfully counter its era's negative stereotypes of African-Americans. And from late 1930s Groton, Massachusetts is The Movie Queen, a rare example of the “see yourself in pictures” genre.

The Movie Queen by Margaret Cram Showalter [1939, 16mm, b&w, silent, 18 min.]
Print courtesy of Northeast Historic Film

That Man of Mine by Leonard Anderson [1947, 16mm, b&w, sound, 45 min.]
Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive

The 45 by Margaret Conneely [1960, 16mm, color, sound, 14 min.]
Provided courtesy of The Chicago Film Archives

New Show Opens Wed., June 23 from 6 to 10PM

2010-06-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Forgotten Memories
Paintings by Jhina Alvarado

June 23 to July 25, 2010

Preview Party on Wednesday, June 23 from 6 to 10PM.
Free Beer from Ninkasi Brewing Co.
* we'll also be open late on Last Thursday.

Our July show features paintings by San Francisco artist Jhina Alvarado. Working with orphaned snapshots long removed from the contextual meaning of family dynamics, Alvarado paints forgotten individuals amid an ambiguous white space rendered slightly opaque & dream-like by an overlay of encaustic wax. Cropped from the distractions of their original photographic environment, we are drawn to speculate on the characteristics & memories of the individuals depicted. The sense of unbalance & abstraction created by the white space of her painted environment is heightened by a thick black band that covers each of her figures' eyes. Here is a complex study of forgotten memory & lost identity that calls into question photography's assumed ability to isolate & accurately record meaning. Several times removed from their original identity & made even more anonymous with the loss of their eyes, Alvarado's figures beg to be remembered. As viewers we are given few details; their obscurity is near complete as though we, too, have black bands over our eyes even as we engage in the act seeing.

. . . it's raining - go to the Portland Paper Show

2010-06-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

A new addition to the bicycle photo collection.
Found it at the Portland Paper Show this morning.
Go check it out; it's open until 4PM today.
10000 NE 33rd Dr. --- which is very close to Ampersand.
Kill two birds with one stone.

. . . when in need of bandages

2010-06-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

. . . Outdoor Film Screening at Ampersand . . .

2010-06-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 19 at 9PM
Free Beer from Ninkasi Brewing Co.

This is a FREE event. Everyone is welcome (dogs, too).

Join Ampersand this coming Saturday for an outdoor film screening on our back patio. We are partnering with local film archivist & projectionist, Tom Robinson; he’ll be screening a selection of vintage beer commercials from his personal collection. We’ll have a limited number of chairs available, so feel free to bring blankets or lawn chairs.

. . . . 19th Century Hand-Colored Photographs . . . .

2010-05-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Photography from the Gallery Collection
19th Century Hand-Colored Albumen Photographs
May 27 to June 21, 2010

Our June show features a selection of beautiful hand-colored albumen photographs from Japan, circa 1880s to 1890s. Depicting tradespeople, market scenes & women clothed in magnificent kimonos, these photographs would have been exported to the West in ornamented lacquer albums or brought back from Japan during a voyage around the world. For most people in the West, separated as they were by vast geographic distances, such photographs served as the only visual record of life in Japan. Looking at the photographs today, the separation is now temporal & yet the affect is still the same---the exquisite colors, unfamiliar scenes & subtle details capture the imagination as though we, too, are aboard a steamer traveling around the world.

More images & purchase information here.

. . . Midget Mixed Paint

2010-05-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

One from the paint chip sample collection.
Published by W. P Fuller & Co.
Distributed by G. Orsi Co., Painters & Decorators
circa 1930s - 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 in

. . . sitting on Billy

2010-05-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

California Alligator Farm
Buena Park, CA
original vintage folding pamphlet
circa 1940s - 3 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.

SOLD

. Current Show Now Available to Purchase Online .

2010-05-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Above are details from anonymous drawings
in our current show, Trace Fantasy. You can
now purchase pieces from the show in our new
online store.

. . . Portrait Booth Project in front of Ampersand

2010-04-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

One of the best parts of Last Thursday during the spring & summer months is having Ryan Brubaker outside shooting Polaroids in front of Ampersand. Using a 1960s Polaroid Land camera with black & white film, his portraits combine the instantaneous singularity of Photobooth mugs with the whimsical foolery of souvenir arcade photos. You get an instant record of yourself, an object in your hands, proof of your existence, right there on the sidewalk. In this respect, he captures the magic of 19th century tintypes or carte de viste photos, when getting your portrait taken was really a thing to wonder at.

Each shot also yields its negative, a ghostly treasure that instant film manufacturers suggest you throw away. Above are examples from portraits that Ryan shot last night, both as negative & inverse positive.

Check out Brubaker's website here. He'll be out in front of Ampersand on May 15th for Art Hop on Alberta Street.

. . . Veins of Head & Neck

2010-04-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

(click image to enlarge)

It's Last Thursday. It's beautiful out. We're celebrating the opening of the new show at Ampersand tonight. Come join the party from 6 to 10PM; free beer from Ninkasi.

Above is an example of the medical prints we have hanging in the back gallery this month---surgical anatomy, circa 1900.

. New Show Opens Thursday, April 29, 6 to 10PM .

2010-04-28T16:08:00.001-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

Our new show opens tomorrow night---that's Thursday, April 29th.
Come join the party from 6 to 10PM --- free beer from Ninkasi Brewing.

Trace Fantasy
Anonymous Erotic Art from the 1960s
April 29 to May 24, 2010

Mingling the immediacy of pulp fiction illustration, the mystery of outsider art & the strange voyeuristic thrill of peeking at anonymous fantasies, our May show features circa 1960s drawings on tracing paper by an unknown artist. They were discovered in a box amid amateur erotic Polaroids from the 1960s, pinup magazines from the same period & unsigned manuscript pages of erotic pulp-like stories. At their simplest, they are tracings & sketches of the nude women that populated underground comics & girlie magazines of that time. However, looking beyond the whimsical, lesbian-oriented content of these drawings, there is something in the lines, the negations & the choice of color that suggests an intent above the mere recording of perversities. The lines are often wonderfully sensuous, the expressions comically striking & the layout is so perfectly random that it makes you wonder if this unknown artist ever created anything more than traced fantasies.

Above are sample images from the show. More here.

. . . people loose their heads

2010-04-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

Original vintage folding pamphlet.
Published by W. S. Shafer of Omaha, Nebraska
Distributed by The Farmer's Fire Relief Association of Butteville, OR.
3 x 6 inches - dated 1940

It's obviously in the best interest of an insurance company to encourage its customers to prevent fires. This boldly lettered pamphlet reads like a comic strip; it doesn't take much more than a glance to get the point. Heck, it's even got me thinking about my habit of smoking in bed (think I'll stop that) & lord knows I've got too much paper piled up in the basement.

Speaking of comics---the new show at Ampersand opens this Last Thursday, April 29. It features a selection of anonymous erotic art from the 1960s. Done on tracing paper, these works are tracings & drawings after the nude women that populated underground comics & girlie magazines from the same period. More information here.

Diana Mini Sale at Ampersand - 10% off & Free Roll of Film

2010-04-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Above are a few snapshots from a roll shot on a Diana Mini---scenes from Mission Street in SF, rhododendrons in the back yard, clouds & Mt. Shasta from I-5. With 72 possible photos using the half-frame option, zone focus & a compact size, this is a perfect walk around & shoot everything 35mm camera.

Starting today, April 24th, & ending late on Last Thursday (which is this week) Ampersand is offering 10% off & one free roll of film when you buy a Diana Mini.

. . . Accidents & Emergencies . . .

2010-04-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge)

Original antique medical print.
6 3/4 x 9 3/8 inches - circa 1910s

Available at Ampersand.
This is one of several medical prints
that are new to our inventory. Come
in for a look.

. . . Specimans of Type . . .

2010-04-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

New addition to the type specimen collection.

Specimens of Type Used in Making Rubber Stamps
Published & Distributed by the A. F. Cordray Company of San Francisco
6 x 8 5/8 in. - 16 pages - circa 1914

. . . Drucker ABC - I. TEIL : Die Farbe . . .

2010-04-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

(click images to enlarge)

Koshchlick, Herbert.
Drucker ABC - I. TEIL : Die Farbe (Printer ABC - Part I : Color)
Leipzig : Fachbuchverlag GMBH, 1952
Scans from the book, a copy of which we have at Ampersand.

SOLD

. . . see the thing you worship

2010-04-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

(Click image to enlarge)

A guest curation of sorts: a woman was in today & looked at every single snapshot in the 50 cent box, 1000 or more photos altogether. From that she culled out 20 or 30 possibilities (her word). Out of those she purchased six, which covered my afternoon coffee. Among her passes were the four photos above, a kind of typology that I love. The ant-sized people remind me of the recently published John Stezaker book, The 3rd Person Archive. Aside from digging out four photos that I will now keep, she also reminded me to look for subtleties. It's amid the seemingly mundane that we find things worthy of worship.

Poetry Reading at Ampersand - Friday, 04.02.10, 7:30PM

2010-04-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Portland publisher Future Tense Books recently released their latest poetry chapbook, Ok, Goodnight, co-authored by Emily Kendal Frey & Zachary Schomburg. To celebrate, Ampersand will be hosting a reading this Friday night, April 2, at 7:30PM. The line up will include Frey & Schomburg with opening readings by Pauls Toutonghi & New Yorker Justin Taylor.

From the Future Tense website: "Some people say the first Schomburg/Frey poems appeared during biblical times and that they were read with great joy on Noah's ark. Other folks date the appearance of these poets' duets at around 1978 or 2008. Regardless of their unknown origins, the haunting power, spare lines, and peculiar push and pull of these short poems add up to a
satisfying and surprising reading experience."

Word is that a Schomburg/Frey performance is quite an experience. To make it that much more of a party, we'll be serving free beer from Ninkasi Brewing out of Eugene, Oregon.

Show Opens Thrusday Night, March 25, 6 to 10PM

2010-03-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

In the past several decades, the role of photojournalism has extended beyond the confines of news media & entered the world of galleries & fine art institutions. More recently, in an age when reader-submitted photos & blogs are increasingly a source for news, the very credentials of photojournalists are being called into question. Featuring the work of ten world-renowned photojournalists, our April show suggests that in some cases photography as journalism does indeed deserve a place on gallery walls & that the rigorous ethical & technical standards of working photojournalists are something to be celebrated. The show also coincides with the launch of 52 Selects, a weekly offering of fine photography prints curated by veteran photojournalist & former gallery owner, Ken Hawkins. Acting as guest curator for this exhibition, Mr. Hawkins has selected photographs by Alan Berner, Rich-Joseph Facun, Greg Foster, Bill Frakes, Leah Nash, Scott Robinson, Ben Rusnak, Scott Strazzante & Bill Weeks.

Opening Party is this Last Thursday, March 25, from 6 to 10PM.

Join us for drinks, music & good times.

The new show next door at Together Gallery, featuring work by Mia Nolting & Mia Christopher, is also opening on Last Thursday.

Embrocation Cycling Journal -- Release Party -- This Saturday, 6 to 10PM

2010-03-19T11:49:00.001-07:00

The latest volume of Embrocation Cycling Journal has just been published. To celebrate, we are partnering with founding editor, Jeremy Dunn, in hosting a Release Party at Ampersand. Stop in this Saturday (that's tomorrow) from 6 to 10PM for free beer & music. We'll have several copies of Embrocation on hand; purchasing one (or anything in the store of equal value) enters you in a raffle for a variety of cycling-oriented items.

The new volume looks great. It includes photos by Chris Milliman & Dan Sharp; polaroids by Mary Arida; interviews with local frame builders & the founders of the SS Cyclocross World Championship; & articles about riding bikes in Nepal, building wheels, scandal on the pro-tour & a profile of designer James Selman.

To recap :
Where - Ampersand - 2916 NE Alberta Street, Suite B - Portland, OR
When - March 20th (tomorrow) from 6 to 10PM
What - free beer, good times, things to win, copies Embrocation to buy.

. . . new book arrivals

2010-03-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

New titles are always coming in, but this week I went on a bit of a spree & ordered several great books. Many are new to inventory; others are old favorites that come & go regularly. For the sake of ease, I've scanned portions of the packing slip. Please excuse the obscuring lines. I added a few notes at random. Out of the list, I'm particularly excited about the new Ed Ruscha book; the little album-like volume of photos by Robert Frank's father is great. The gem out of the lot is Summer Nights, Walking by Robert Adams. This new edition (the original was published in 1985) includes 39 previously unpublished images. The book's design & the photographs themselves are sensuous beyond description.

Sowerby, 1795

2010-03-13T13:15:00.001-08:00

(click image to enlarge)

One from the collection.
Original hand-colored engraving
by English naturalist & botanical illustrator,
James Sowerby. Dated 1795.

. . . source of new culinary enchantment

2010-03-12T17:54:00.001-08:00

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vintage promotional recipe booklet
2 1/2 x 3 5/8 in. - circa 1950s
distributed by Kikkoman International, Inc.
printed by Toppan Printing Company, Japan.

. . . detachment of the retina

2010-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

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vintage medical illustrations showing
diseases & irregularities of the eye - 1920.
we have 20+ for sale at Ampersand,
each mounted on archival mat & ready
to frame - $18.

. . . drawing

2010-03-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

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original amateur art, front & back
2 3/8 x 3 1/4 inches - date unknown.
found this among the papers of a French
Canadian family I recently acquired.

Kodak Finishing --- Great Falls, Mont.

2010-03-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

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Original vintage film finishing envelope.
20th Century Studio in Great Falls, Montana.
5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches - circa 1940s

The design & diversity of illustrations on old photo finishing envelopes is incredible. In many cases, the illustration is idyllic in one way or another---sublime scenery with foliage & setting sun or a stylized woman shooting some photo we'll never see. I love the above example for its bold simplicity. The silhouette decoration brings to mind folding medical illustrations by E. J. Stanley. The precise curve & contour of her mouth & lips perfectly offset the random rise of "Photos" on her torso. And the unadorned letters in KODAK FINISHING are so thick & simple that my eye jumps back & forth between the K & G as if they are dynamically embellished, which they are not.

. . . no monkey ever deserted his wife

2010-03-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

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Original illustrated wrappers for a booklet distributed in 1952 by the Aloha Cafe in Tijuana, Mexico. Unfortunately, the dictionary portion of the booklet is missing, but I'd say it's a gem nonetheless. Now the hunt is on for a complete copy.