Never Retallack | Entertainment Editor
Nestled neatly in the neighborhood of Sellwood in Portland, Oregon is the Square Inch Gallery owned and ran by artist Gia Whitlock. The gallery showcases the art of five other artists that Whitlock knows including Gigi Reavis, David Frediman, Sharon Greenwood, Jill Mayberh and Kat Perkins.
The gallery had a grand opening in the summer of 2019, but didn’t have regular business hours until October of this year. Whitlock opens the gallery from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. on Saturdays.
To enter the gallery, you walk alongside a house, like one might go to enter the backyard, and when you walk through the door, the name Square Inch Arts couldn’t be more fitting. The cozy gallery is small in size, but doesn’t leave viewers feeling claustrophobic. The space originally was a waiting room for a chiropractor, but the brightly colored walls and eye catching art opens up the space, leaving a more intimate feeling.
Most of the artist’s work is in a specific spot, except for Whitlock’s paintings which are sprinkled throughout the gallery, this pattern creates a flow for viewers to follow easily. The art is for sale and quite reasonably priced, and for those who cannot afford a painting, there are smaller knick knacks such as postcards, puzzles, journals and small prints available by a couple artists.
The variety of art available is appealing such as mugs, paper cut outs, large oil canvases, realistic drawings, mixed media, embroidered hoops and several other pieces which leave viewers with plenty to look at in the quaint space.
Whitlock, who began painting in 2007, stated that, “I used to do intuitive paintings and try to have all these ideas, and they all just ended up like birds. I need to look at something.” I predominantly all her paintings are based off of flowers that she looks at, intermingling collage bits and other mediums to make it more than just a still life painting. Whitlock offers Paint Days at her gallery. Her studio is within the building of the exhibit, where those who are interested can pay to paint their own floral still life with Whitlock guiding and helping them throughout the process.
Whitlock says that, “The idea is to eventually have group shows, Sellwood has lots of shows throughout the year … I think it would be fun to bring some art in to those.”
Those who are interested in viewing art for free should swing by the cozy gallery at 1330 SE Malden St. in Portland, where sweet treats and tea are available while taking a look at the diverse art exhibited.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
