Every time I turned onto Interstate 205, I saw a new art installation on a small, triangular patch of earth near Foster Boulevard. I would catch the glimpse of stones carefully laid out on the ground spelling “Father.” I would see children’s toys clinging to a stick poking out of the ground. Stuffed animals sat in a circle, holding a meeting. Sometimes I would drive around the block, park at 7-Eleven and walk over to take pictures of the constructed dioramas.
My parents are artists, and I grew up in New York City going to museums and galleries. I recognized the genius and humor in these sculptures right away.
One time when I stopped to take photos of the ever-changing sculptures, I finally met the artist. He was sweeping the ground around his creations. He introduced himself as “Shorty” and told me that this little plot of dusty ground was to be known as Shorty’s Corner. He said that the land was owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation and that the agency periodically destroyed and removed his artwork. He just giggled and said he always got right back to work making new ones.
I told him I admired his art and would come back sometime soon to give him copies of my photos of his work. He went right back to sweeping debris off of his earth-canvas and arranging rose petals and pinecones around a 10-foot-long inscription of the word “Jesus.”
Over the next three years, from 2015 into 2018, I loved seeing Shorty’s art pieces. How beautiful when he filled a heart with rose petals. How dedicated when he carefully wrote out “Jesus” in white painted pinecones and golf balls. How funny when he made a pink-themed uterus sculpture out of a bicycle wheel, a pink yard, a pink Magic Pony and a fuzzy pink stuffed uterus. How fun when I found one of the photos I gave him in one of his pieces of art. His work always had a sensitivity to color, shape and pattern. And he clearly had a sense of humor.
Some artists go to art school to study how to make art. Some artists are self-taught. There have always been people who, without any formal art education, make fantastic creations. This “Outsider Art” is refreshingly creative and free-spirited. There is the famous homemade sculpture in Los Angeles called Watt’s Tower. There is a sculpture garden in Ellensburg, Wash., called Dick and Jane’s Spot.
I believe that Shorty’s work by the freeway was a Portland treasure. Unfortunately it is no more.
I made Shorty some calendars with photos of his works for the 2018 new year. He enjoyed one and said he would send the other to his mom. At the beginning of 2019, I self-published a book about him called “Shorty’s Corner.” But I was unable to find him to give him copy. I heard that he was not well and that he was no longer camping near Shorty’s Corner.
If anyone knows where I can find Shorty, or his friends or relatives, please contact me at sarakirschenbaum@gmail.com so I can give them a copy of his book.
The book “Shorty’s Corner” is available for purchase on blurb.com.