January 25, 2019
CIAO VITO
by Tom Cramer
As a well established fine artist sometimes called the unofficial artist laureate of Portland and widely displayed in west coast museums, Tom Cramer is best known for his innovative merging of painting and intricate woodcarving, largely inspired by travel in India, Egypt, and Europe. To glance at his mural work one would never guess that they come from the same talented hand, but when Cramer quotes Picasso, “that art is what nature is not,” and goes on to say that “what is” bores him, you can begin to find common ground that becomes increasingly apparent as you study the detail of his designs. In the early 2000s as Portland’s Alberta neighborhood was still evolving into the hipster epicenter it is today Cramer painted this wall on NE 22nd Ave at Alberta St on what is now the @CiaoVitoPDX restaurant. @tomcramerart/