Blue Sky at Blackfish

Palmarin Merges’ #livedrawing brings color to a dark December.

Blackfish Gallery looks like a second-grade classroom this month—one folding chair, a blue metal desk and a wall of about 20 small squares painted in swirls of egg-yolk yellow, fresh-grass green and bubblegum pink. The prints look like they're made with that kids' machine that spins paper while you squirt paint on it, trying not to make everything brown by being overzealous.

Chickens Huddled Chickens Huddled

But while Palmarin Merges' Recent Works is sunny and almost juvenile, the artist is meticulous. Inspired by aboriginal walkabouts and ancient Australian mythology, she draws detailed patterns of white lines on the neon squares, capturing moments from her walks around Portland with her beloved dog Barney. The tiny dot patterns, zigzags and leaf patterns could be abstract Batik textiles, but you'll see familiar city sights in the outlines of Chickens Huddled or Rhododendron Dreaming, too.

Coffee Journey to my Belly is a chartreuse, sunflower and magenta square covered in what looks like petri dish sketches from science class. It's a happy meditation on downing caffeine, the acidic and rainy experience most grown-ups in Portland can relate to. Contrasted with December's somber exhibits—the specter of Death at Froelick; deserted grayscale prints at Blue Sky; riot cops and flaming war planes at Right Side—Merges' bright pops of color, if simple, are seductive and refreshing.

Coffee Journey To My Belly Coffee Journey To My Belly

Recent Works is essentially a community craft project. On First Thursday, the one-person desk was stacked with papers that looked like a take-home exam and prompted viewers to write down a description of their homes. People took turns—an octogenarian in a three-button sweater, two teen boys, a schoolgirl in pink galoshes—while Merges, who's hardly taller than the smallest participant herself, fluttered around collecting the papers and hugs from visiting friends.

Unlike most exhibits, this one will transform over the course of the month. Merges draws new Works at the little blue desk a few days each week. Inspired by the stories that First Thursday patrons penned, she sketches stars, lines and swirls on her painted squares and Instagrams them as she goes. You could fault @palmarinprints #liveart for trading curation for crafting, but that feels a lot like taking away recess.

SEE IT: Recent Works is at Blackfish Gallery, 420 NW 9th Ave., 224-2634. Through Jan. 2.

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