SOUTH WATERFRONT
PORTLAND OREGON

This is the second in a series of interviews of the artists, designers, architects, and musicians that live in the South Waterfront neighborhood. The interviews are conducted by Zara Logue – a Portland-based designer, John Ross resident, and member of the SOWA Art, Culture, and Science committee.

The second interview is with Billie Buford, a painter who lives in The John Ross.

(Zara Logue) Give me a brief history of your background – where you were born, where you’ve lived, and how you ended up in the South Waterfront.

(Billie Buford) My husband and I were both born in the South but because of his job we‘ve lived all over the country. We lived in Singapore for three years before retiring in Portland seven years ago. We moved here to be closer to family. We had a house in the southwest hills before deciding to downsize. We also wanted to be a part of a more urban setting and be near public transportation.

(ZL) Can you describe your work? Are you a painter? A printmaker?

(BB) I do both. I make monotypes but I also mount prints on a painting surface and combine the two.

(ZL) Your work has a lot to do with color. All painters do, I suppose, but you seem to have a sensitivity for it-you‘re a colorist.

(BB) Yes, color is important but it is often intuitive. I‘ve been asked to do commissions with specific colors and I‘ve never accepted because it doesn‘t feel like something you can force. I‘ve also been told I‘m a designer. I do think I have a strong sense of composition, although I usually start out with a mess and keep honing it down to a more refined thing. I’ve always felt like a frustrated architect. I guess there are two ways you can work: make a mess and organize it or start out with a plan and mess it up!

(ZL) Your paintings definitely have a graphic quality. Do you feel there is a relationship between art and design?

(BB) Maybe people like me would have been good designers, graphic designers. Mainly, I‘m interested in simplicity. I‘ve simplified my life, my surroundings, and my work has simplified as well. I love abstract art. I once had someone at a show tell me, “I think your work is very cerebral.” I think art can be cerebral or emotional-I‘m definitely on the cerebral side.

(ZL) What or who are some of your influences? Are you influenced by living in the South Waterfront?

(BB) I‘m a bit of a clean slate when it comes to art because I don‘t have a background or degree in art or art history. My degree was actually in business administration. I‘ve always been attracted to minimalism and abstract art even before I knew much about it. Two of my favorite artists are Robert Rauschenberg and Richard Diebenkorn. One of my favorite quotes is from the artist Louise Bourgeois. She once said, “I don’t feel I have to explain or defend my art to anyone.” I think that‘s true, you have to do what comes out of you.

I‘m not necessarily influenced by living in the South Waterfront because my studio is elsewhere but you can‘t help picking things up from your surroundings.

(ZL) Where do you make your artwork? Would you be interested in artist studios here in the South Waterfront?

(BB) I have a studio over at ActivSpace (between the Pearl District and Nob Hill). I take the streetcar there, usually three times a week. I used to have a studio attached to the house before we lived here but I like having a separate space to work in. I go into another zone when I‘m working. I wouldn‘t mind having some workshops here in the neighborhood, though.

(ZL) What do you like most/least about living in the South Waterfront?

(BB) I really enjoy the people here and meeting new people. There’s a great sense of community because everyone is new to the neighborhood- it‘s very different than moving into an established neighborhood of homes. You do have a little less privacy than in a home (motioning toward the wall of windows in the living room) but it’s a trade-off for the views.

(ZL) How can people find out more about your work?

(BB) I‘m represented by Caplan Art Designs. It‘s an art consultancy run by Amy Caplan. I‘ll have a show at the Daily Café in the Pearl in December but until then people can see some of my work on her website http://www.caplanartdesigns.com/CAD_files/Buford.htm.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 8:48 am and is filed under Art & Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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