July 15, 2017
FOREST FOR THE TREES NORTHWEST (FFTTNW)
by Troy Lovegates and Paige Wright
In the late 80s Troy Lovegates started to notice the graffiti on Toronto buildings “that would magically appear overnight.” Decades later, and now living in the Bay Area, Lovegates wanders the world collecting images and experiences, and painting portraits of ‘stolen souls.’ He told Athen B. Gallery “I like faces that have time imprinted on them.” While many observers assume they are homeless, for the most part they’re simply weathered, hard working people, unposed and captured on the sly. For Portland, Oregon’s 2015 Forest For The Trees festival Lovegates painted this ‘soul’ looking out over the intersection of SW Stark St. and 12th Ave in collaboration with Portland ceramicist Paige Wright who added the jawbone sculpture in the lower right. Artist and teacher, Wright is founder of The Wright Clay Studio. @troy_lovegates @thewrightclay @ffttnw