While some Portlanders may fuss over our long, rainy months, visual artist Josh Gates never does.
“Growing up here in the Willamette Valley I’ve been accustomed to and am really comfortable with the wet, rainy climate here to the point where it feels like home,” he says. “One of the things that I want to do is draw attention to the many different varieties of weather patterns and rain here and the different ways in which they’re beautiful.”
That love of rainy weather and a deep connection to Portland’s neighborhoods inspired Gates to create his painting series, “Words for Rain,” while he studied art at Portland State University.
Lisa Jarrett, associate professor of community and context arts, mentored Gates at PSU. A veteran artist herself, Jarrett remembers his eagerness to hone his painting skills.
“Josh was and is an incredible artist to work with. It’s hard to think of another student who has the particular combination of generosity, kindness, tenacity and just like dedication to the projects that he embarks on,” she says.
Jarrett also notes that Gates’ ability to render small details on canvas is what many people are drawn to.
“Portland is a city built of small neighborhoods and we have intimate relationships with the neighborhoods where we live. Josh is able to capture the characteristics of a particular neighborhood and if you live there, you very much recognize your community.”
Artist Josh Gates stands in front of his paintings in his Portland studio. The paintings are all part of his series, "Words for Rain" which depicts Portland cityscapes drenched in rain.
Steven Tonthat / OPB
Painting rainy Portland
On a cold, cloudy day during the height of the pandemic, Gates strolls along Southeast 82nd Avenue looking for inspiration.
With a camera in hand, he stops at the corner of Southeast 82nd at Market Street to snap a photo of the surrounding buildings against the gray, overcast sky.
His focus isn’t on the physical buildings, the cars on the road, or even the people with umbrellas avoiding the rain drizzles.
“Sometimes the way the light is striking something in front of me is captivating and I need to take pictures of it to remember how it made me feel and then go home and try to capture that on canvas.”
He’ll then turn those photos into intricate paintings of iconic Portland landmarks like Powell’s Books and the Tilikum Bridge and drench them in moody gray tones, and drips of rain.
“I love feeling that I’ve captured something utterly familiar to someone I’ve never even met, especially in my Portland’s scenes,” he says.
Art as activism
While Gates’ work mostly focuses on Portland’s rainy scenery, sometimes he uses his art to explore and amplify social justice issues.
His 2018 series “Ghosts of Albina” examines the history of Portland’s redlining practices and the demolition of buildings in the historically black Albina neighborhood in North Portland.
The paintings consist of current buildings or fields in Albina overlayed with white outlines of buildings that previously stood in the same spot.
“A lot of those paintings used superimposed imagery to tell a then-and-now narrative and a lot of folks were responding to those paintings in some cases by realizing they had no idea what used to be at a certain corner or maybe an area like at North Williams and Russell,” he says.
His teacher, Jarrett, adds that these types of work can be appreciated both as art and also as social justice statements.
“These paintings function as monuments, in a way, and are testament to things both here and gone and how those things that we can’t see anymore are still affecting what’s in the here and now,” she says.
Artist Josh Gates superimposes the outline of sleek high-rise buildings on what was once LV's Twelve22. The painting is part of his "Ghosts of Albina" series, which examines the history of Portland’s redlining practices and the demolition of buildings in the historically black Albina neighborhood in North Portland.
Courtesy Josh Gates
The artistry of ASL
Gates lost most of his hearing when he was a child, but grew up learning to speak. He does have some trouble hearing people, especially if he’s in a large, crowded room.
“The fact that I speak and I don’t sound deaf to people makes it a bit of an invisible disability,” he said.
He’s also painted hands forming various letters in the American Sign Language, or ASL, alphabet, which are especially meaningful to him.
These paintings serve as his way of connecting with the Deaf and hard of hearing community and showing that ASL can be a beautiful, expressive language.
“The hands are capable of literally communicating in language. We may have forgotten that sign language is a language. Also in my case are the tools with which I make my artwork.”
Ultimately, Gates simply hopes his paintings evoke a sense of belonging across all of Portland’s diverse communities.
“The way that the light might strike at a certain time of day or in a certain place and noticing something like that that resonates with them in their own lives. And that’s something I feel is really special to me about the visual life that I create.”
Painter Josh Gates concentrates on a new piece of art. His work portrays Portland cityscapes drenched in rain.
Steven Tonthat / OPB
Where to see his art
Keeping to his community roots, Gates has shown his work at small local exhibits like the Red e Cafe Gallery in Southeast Portland, the web-based Socially Distant Art exhibit, and at No Wave Coffee in North Portland.
Next, he’ll be showcasing his work at Cosmic Bliss Ice Cream in the Pearl District as a part of July’s First Thursday event.
In October, Gates will show more work as part of Portland Open Studios, a collective of artists committed to sharing art throughout Portland’s neighborhoods.