‘Attack Mode’ to be on display in art gallery

The MHCC Visual Arts gallery will play host to “Attack Mode,” showcasing the work of Portland artist Charles Siegfried, starting the week of Oct. 3 and going through Oct. 27.
“For this series of work I have focused on American Nationalism, 1980s pop culture, the economy, and war machines such as remote controlled drones,” he said.
The 1980s had a particular draw for Siegfried, because he said his formative years were in that decade.
“The 1970s and 80s are my childhood, nostalgia I suppose. I remember Reagan claiming Ketchup was a vegetable, Boom Boxes, the advent of Hip Hop, break dancing, the 1984 Olympics, cassette tapes, Smurfs, the whole shebang,” he added.
“As a youngster I always wanted to draw, to get better at rendering the world around me. I wanted to create something of worth from myself. I am also interested in investigating the complexity of color,” said Siegfried of his decision to become an artist.
Born and raised in Portland, Siegfried is a self-described “person who paints and draws.” He estimates his number of pieces to be around 2,000, including “preliminary exercises, student work and gesture drawing.”
Time spent working on his pieces can vary from two and a half weeks to almost two years, but the majority take about a month or so, according to Siegfried.
Siegfried also has a spot in the Pearl District’s Blackfish Gallery. The gallery is owned and operated by local artists, currently with 28 artists, with at least one working during business hours.
“I showed at the gallery years back, and after grad school I applied and was accepted into the gallery,” said Siegfried of his acceptance into Blackfish.
“The gallery is artist-owned-and-run, so it works quite well for the artist members,” he added. “I have complete control over the content and subject matter of my work.  I have the freedom to explore and take chances in my art making.”
Siegfried is not only an artist. He taught a drawing class at Clackamas Community College during the 2010-2011 fall and spring terms. He has also taught various other art classes since 2006 at Washington State University at Pullman and Vancouver as well as CCC. He’s also taught at a transitional housing center in Portland from 1998-1999.
Asked about his motivation to teach, Siegfried said, “Simply put, I enjoy being in the classroom surrounded by people focused on getting better at art making. I really like to teach, to push students, to motivate folks to understand the world around them via drawing, painting, and design classes.”
When not working on his art, teaching art or pulling a shift at Blackfish, Siegfried likes to spend him time enjoying the gifts that nature has bestowed upon the Pacific Northwest.
“I like to draw and paint when I’m not working, though I really like to ride my very old mountain bike as much as I can. I also like to hike in the Columbia River Gorge and be out in nature. I enjoy hiking Dog Mountain, out past Stevenson, Wash.,” said Siegfried.  “I also like Table Mountain, though it’s a bit intense.”
In his resume, Siegfried listed lyrics from Raekwon’s “Guillotine (Swordz)”and George Jones’ “Things Have Gone To Pieces,” citing them as inspiration for his art.
“I am interested in the root causes of poverty, disenfranchisement, and rebellion.  I have these lyrics as my artist statement because they speak to the issues of today: Tyranny, Continual War, and Poverty,” he said of the lyrics.
“Attack Mode” will have a reception on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m in the Visual Arts Gallery.