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Cityscapes

Opened telephone directory in booth with graffiti on glass and portion of metal phone cord on right.
Bolted door and glass windows of gun shop with reflections, rain smears, decals and NRA sticker.
Wooden fence with particle board against it, bare tree behind, and graffiti on left building.
Mural of city skyline on side of building facing plot of grass with wooden fence behind it.
Bleachers along school field, small two story building, and pickup truck.
Tennis court surface with net, snow and ice, and foot tracks.
Garden shed with marks from damaged wood mimicking shape of shrub branches next to it.
Empty bench in front of dugout fence of baseball diamond with bare tree branches overhead.
Plastic shelter cover with leaves on top and branches viewed through it.
Bridge viewed through bare branches of trees.
A smiling face and a mouse pained on a wooden fence and lit by rays of sunlight.
Covered parking lot mural of carhop scene featuring young couples and vehicles.
Tree containing cardboard boxes next to chair leaning toward wall with graffiti stating, “I have been everywhere looking for you.”
Long wet leaf-strewn driveway bordered with tall shrubs with house in distance.
Rock in pond with long late afternoon shadows and reflection of bridge on surface.
Surface of industrial parking lot with pieces of debris and large puddles.
Two posts in empty lot of in front of industrial building.
Narrow brick building with window that contains oval designs.
Post and tree trunk beside cement structural supports of bridge.
Wet sidewalk, parking lot with puddles, and building with Chinese lettering on its side.
Graffiti on garage door with light fixture above and plastic tubing in weeds below.
Parking lot drain in front of puddle reflecting trees.
Parking strip with rock, leaves and puddle reflecting tree.
Mural of sheep in parking lot with broken concrete and discarded tire.
Defaced glass of bus shelter with out-of-focus tree and buildings in distance.
Mural of barbershop behind utility pipes and boxes next to building’s door.
Snowman with outspread stick arms facing sculpture of bending tree along river with bridge in background.

While making Familyscapes I began a second project exploring Portland, Oregon. As in Familyscapes, I found myself drawn to places where multiple forces are at work, and not necessarily in planned harmony. Urban infrastructure, architecture, public art, nature, graffiti, and quirky additions by anonymous people weave together in sometimes surprising and sometimes beautiful ways. This is city life.