Most people who are familiar with my work and ramblings know I am a big fan of Portland artist, Hickory Mertsching. “Portland get out and support Hickory!” and “My friend Hickory is exhibiting at…” etc. etc., is a common theme in my artistic ranting, and not without reason.
I discovered his work last spring on the cover of the Dandy Warhols’ LP, “This Machine.” Great album (and you’re still cool Courtney… Sean Gordon Gothman, et al.), but the cover imagery containing an acoustic guitar, a hawk and deer antlers… at least I think they are; but being a city girl I won’t 100% commit here, and a reference to “Welcome To The Monkey House,” via a discarded beer can, brought to mind the ironic symbolism and skill of the Dutch Golden Age artists. The use of still lifes portraying man and nature always seems so egalitarian at first glance, but the more you study them the more you begin to understand; besides using an oil painting for an album cover is so ‘un-passe!’ At any rate, I immediately emailed the artist to let him know his painting reminded me of Mark Ryden meets Audubon, and somehow despite the awkwardly quirky comparison, a friendship was formed.
Hickory paints from life, both literally and figuratively. Juxtaposing the organic elements of nature –
rabbits, squirrels and other innocents, with rusty beer cans, discarded potato chip bags, and general refuge from our disposable, consumer-driven society, he makes a strong contemporary artistic statement; and yet the pieces are so splendidly and honestly rendered they would feel equally at home in your grandparents’ parlor (for those younger than Gen-X or Y it’s something old people used to hang out in), as they would in an L.A. hipster’s downtown loft…the art is that simultaneously disconcerting and comforting.
Hickory grew up in a log cabin near Lake Superior, Wisconsin. He describes the cabin as completely remote, "It didn’t have a TV or running water. If we wanted water, we had to use a hand pump." A talented artist since he was a child, he later went on to seriously study art at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where he earned a BFA in sculpture, before relocating to the northwest.
Hickory works in oils, creating the paintings by staging still lifes of objects rescued from thrift stores and garage sales. Antique tools and animal skulls share the basement studio of his Portland home, hoping to be reinvented onto canvas. He states, “I set out to create a peaceful contemplative setting, paintings that illustrate the relationship between man and nature, a reminder of our state of being and the simple aspects of life. Regardless of outcome the natural world is a presence beyond human control and I have great respect for that. I use formal qualities and objects of nostalgia as the prime vehicle to convey this idea.”
So thank you, “This Machine,” for not only introducing me to Hickory, but I am also looking forward to working with co-writer of “Autumn Carnival,” and Bauhaus/Love & Rockets musician, David J. on some illustrative projects for his play, “The Chanteuse and the Devil’s Muse,” to be re-released later this year; and you will no doubt read more about this remarkable northwest artist on my blog.
You can view his work at The Gallery at Jupiter Hotel and Pulliam Gallery in Portland, RiverSea Gallery in scenic Astoria, and most recently North Portland favorite, Beam & Anchor. As well, he has recently published 4 limited-edition archival series of prints, which I urge you to buy now while you can still afford them.
To see more, visit his website at
www.hickorymertsching.com, and if you’re a barn owl or
jackrabbit, introduce yourself. He is equally at peace with man and nature, and you could do worse than making his acquaintance. -30-
Images by Hickory Mertsching:
“Food Chain” oil on canvas; and
“This Machine,” The Dandy Warhols.
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