LOCAL LEGENDS SHINE AT HOPSCOTCH
PORTLAND, OREGON
PSAA is thrilled to announce our participation in the “Walls Within” Mural Room at Portland’s new immersive art gallery, Hopscotch. Over the past two months, Portland-based artists David Rice, Francisco Morales, The Earwig, and Winston the Whale have been hard at work completing their inaugural murals at Hopscotch. From painterly to graphic, graffiti style to illustrative, each massive mural perfectly encapsulates the artist's style, allowing visitors a little slice of Portland street art in every visit.
David Rice’s mural, titled “New Topography” took his portrait style to new heights on a massive wall. In his smaller canvas work, David is known for his use of light that seems to magically illuminate and shadow every crevice of his paintings. He aspires to create works that exist beyond our physical world; his paintings often evoking a dream-like sensation.
“This piece is an exploration of identity through nature and man made elements. Exploring the diverse topography of what makes an individual unique, and how that makeup is always changing.” – David Rice
ABOUT DAVID RICE
The goal of David’s work is to create environments that exist beyond the parameters of our physical world. He often focuses on the themes of identity, as we see ourselves and as we are perceived by others. His work creates a new sense of nostalgia for the viewer. Something that seems familiar, but has yet to happen. The subjects blur the line between masculine and feminine, natural and man-made, the past and the future. His aim is to create new relationships between the subjects and viewer.
Francisco’s work as a Chicano artist is informed by the struggles and triumphs of their community. Francisco’s current works are an exploration of Chicano identity and the use of language as a tool of exploitation, specifically the language found in marketing and advertising geared towards the latin consumer. His work also celebrates the richness and diversity of Chicano culture, by breaking stereotypes and exploring new possibilities for the community.
“These policies and interventions have been major catalysts for people’s decisions to move North in hopes of finding better opportunities in the US. These migrations have created new generations of latines with one foot in two worlds. One being their collective heritage and history as well as their new identity as transplants to a new land and way of life. These migrations have also been met with discrimination and marginalization, as citizens of the US push back against the increase of peoples from south of the border. The discrimination received is oftentimes propagated by predatory language, imagery and products that are used to market to Latin Americans and Chicanos.” – Francisco Morales.
ABOUT FRANCISCO MORALES
Francisco Morales is a Chicano illustrator, designer and muralist. Whether through murals, installation, or design, Francisco wants to inspire, provoke, and ultimately transform the way we think about ourselves and our place in the World. His work seeks to subvert the dominant language of power and privilege, reclaiming it for Chicano expression, challenge the oppressive language of colonialism and white supremacy, opening up new spaces for dialogue and understanding. In the end, Francisco believes that the Chicano experience is one of hope and possibility. By embracing our past, and boldly charting a course for the future, we can create a world that is more inclusive and more beautiful than ever before.
The Earwig is a legend in the graffiti scene near and far. Their work is always fresh, with sharp crisp wildstyle letters that come from decades of practice and experience. The Earwig’s characters dominate walls in Portland and beyond. The Earwig feels most passionate about being connected to their environment, particularly being immersed in the chaos of city circumstances. They are very passionate about staying true to the root of whatever they do. Over the years, they have worked with numerous galleries, high profile celebrities, but the most important thing to them is staying connected to the local community via their art.
“The Oracle is your intuition that is a channel to your higher being. Know Thyself.” – The Earwig
ABOUT THE EARWIG
The Earwig is an illustrator, graffiti writer and muralist based in Portland, OR. Their preferred medium is aerosol, but they also work in acrylic, pen and ink, and digital. They specialize in unconventional style writing, glyphic modernism, and conceptual character design. Much of their inspiration comes from classic graffiti wildstyle and abstract three dimensional graffiti. The Earwig also draws inspiration from 1950’s-1980’s science fiction films and artworks.
On any given day in Portland you may run into Winston the Whale’s work. His iconic whale sticker can be seen all across the city and globe. Winston is known worldwide for his colorful and very sought after tattoos that incorporate crisp, clean lines, trippy visuals, and super colorful graphics.
He has expertly transferred this unique style onto the wall for his Hopscotch mural. With this piece, Winston the Whale’s intention was to represent the flow and interconnectivity between humans, nature and technology. Winston sees many parallels between the intelligence of nature, the human mind and computers/technology. They used shapes, movement and elements to pull those parallels together in one piece.
ABOUT WINSTON THE WHALE
Winston the Whale is a bonafide color fiend, bringing bold shapes and playful compositions to life with every color under the rainbow. Translating experiences and perspective to form, his work often nods at the joy and absurdity of life and the silly world we live in. Based in Portland, OR he spends much of his free time in the nearby forests and mountains connecting with “the wiggly ways of mama nature and the bounties she brings.”
ADDTIONAL PHOTOS
Photos: Sara Sjol