North Pole Studio

August 27, 4-7p

 935 SW Washington Street

art by Joni Smith

Join artists from North Pole Studio for a celebration of color and art

Live art-making. Watch artist Dan Tran create new art pieces from a Woonwinkel-esque still life out on the sidewalk.

Original art on display. View artist Joni Smith's colorful work, featured in our sidewalk gallery space.

Art to purchase. Shop original art + brand new prints by North Pole artists Dan Tran, Joni Smith, and Annie Rose Macer.

Sweet treats. Grab a donut. HeyDay is popping up with Asian-American-inspired donuts, which are the subject of one of Dan Tran's limited edition prints.

More neighborhood fun. It's West End Wednesday, so after you've soaked up the art, hop over to another spot in the neighborhood.

Featured artists:

Joni Smith (b. 1955) is a prolific self-taught Portland artist who has been drawing since childhood. Over the course of her 60-year art practice, she has filled hundreds of sketchbooks. For Joni, art is a primary communication tool. She has an extraordinary creative practice, sometimes drawing for over eight hours each day, often regardless of place and circumstance. Art-making is inextricable from Joni’s life – she creates in her art studio, from her living room, and even within the restrictions of a hospital room. Joni’s process is kinetic and expressive. Seemingly guided by intuition, she draws in fluid yet deliberate strokes while making instantaneous decisions about color as she adds layers to create each form. In 2021, Joni began utilizing an upright drafting table and tabletop easel, allowing her to access large-scale paper from her wheelchair. To date, Joni’s collection encompasses an ever-evolving collection of small and large works which vary in form and feel but are linked through her energetic use of line and color.

Dan Tran (b.1986) is a multimedia artist who works across origami, drawing, painting, and ink. Dan is known by his family and community for his resilience of spirit, which is reflected in the joyful, color-rich way he captures often heavy and complex subject matter. Through his paintings, Dan interweaves his passions for cooking, flora and fauna, historical events, popular culture, and politics to form a body of work that celebrates global culture and brings awareness to social injustice. References to Vietnam are often woven throughout Dan’s work through an ongoing exploration of personal identity and homage to his culture of origin. Dan’s recent works reflect his concerns about contemporary politics, including the election, war in Ukraine, and more. His well-researched collections capture a wide variety of materials relating to each theme, including cultural icons, everyday citizens, regional and traditional food, and objects and places of significance. Additionally, Dan enjoys still-life painting and life drawing and is affectionately known as a Renaissance man.

Annie Rose Macer (b. 1984) is an indigenous Mayan artist born in Boca del Monte, Guatemala whose work is characterized by a deep passion for pattern-making and a natural affinity for color. Annie Rose began honing her skills in childhood, drawing inspiration from Tibetan influence, creating intricate mandalas. This early exposure to symmetry, repetition, and vibrant hues laid the foundation for her distinct artistic language, which weaves together organic forms with geometric precision. Her art explores subjects that evoke personal joy, including the beauty of nature, organic materials like flowers, animals, landscapes, and a variety of line-based motifs. She merges these elements into visually dynamic compositions that celebrate both the abstract and the representational. Annie Rose's creative practice spans multiple mediums, including painting, drawing, and cut paper collage. She often repurposes discarded materials, such as paint swatches and painted paper, transforming these humble materials into thoughtful works of art. Her most recognizable pieces are her large-scale "paper quilt" collages, where she meticulously layers hand-cut shapes to abstract significant subjects, imbuing them with new meaning and visual complexity. These works demonstrate her talent for combining tactile processes with bold, striking color palettes, resulting in pieces that are both visually captivating and full of emotional resonance. Through her innovative use of materials and her ability to translate personal joy into visual form, Annie Rose Macer invites viewers into a world where patterns, colors, and organic forms harmonize to reflect both cultural tradition and contemporary artistic exploration.

North Pole Studio supports careers in the arts, and exists to increase opportunities for artists with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities to thrive as active members of the arts community. Learn more about North Pole Studio>>