I went to the opening of Joe Feddersen’s current show Extended Family at Adams and Ollman in Portland. The main gallery space features Charmed, Canoe Journey, a fused glass installation comprised of individual symbols that we have seen him develop over the many decades we’ve followed his work. Visual symbols culled from his vocabulary of traditional Plateau designs  and layered with signifiers from contemporary living, images that we all experience daily. A variety of signs often overlooked but brought to the forefront by the artist: parking lot lines, electrical transmission lines, radioactive signs, railroad crossings, various animals, and signs for peace. This fused glass installation floats in front of the wall, gently moving as the air in the gallery changes, as visitors move in the space; simultaneously, the light dances on the individual elements casting a maze of delicate shadows. The subtlety and delicacy of this work is rewarding, with cross cultural references to graffiti culture and marks found in the distant past on rock cliffs and underground walls. Continue reading →