23 Sandy is pleased to present Wonderland featuring paintings illustrating the classic Alice in Wonderland by Portland artist Chris Haberman. Wonderland will be on display July 3-August 1, 2009.
Chris Haberman’s work often inspires the viewer to ask, “How did he come up with that?” The same question is often asked of Lewis Carroll when reading the Alice in Wonderland. The marriage of this particular artist with this particular story makes all the sense in the world. Who better to take Lewis Carroll’s anthropomorphic characters and morph them, yet again, into characters that stay true to their origin, but take on the definitive Haberman persona?
The classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, in 1865. This tale, full of literary nonsense, tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into an imaginary world of peculiar creatures. Alice in Wonderland maintains an enduring popularity with adults and children, having never been out of print, and adapted many times over.
Haberman is known for his intense, vibrant paintings that contain elements of whimsy, satire, and social consciousness. At first glance, Haberman’s work has an erratic quality, but his process is actually quite intentional. Haberman’s paintings reflect a complex conglomeration of images and words, enhanced by a masterly use of color.
Chris Haberman is a published writer, painter, musician, and arts activist native to the Portland area. He has been exhibiting here for the last seven years. Haberman uses repurposed materials whenever possible, which is most of the time, often allowing the original material to be exposed and become part of the painting. He was awarded the Tom Doulis Fiction award, the Wilma Morrison award for excellence in journalism, and is a member of the Academy of American Poets. Haberman is currently mentoring at Caldera, an organization that provides arts and environmental programs to underserved Portland youth. He will also be a featured artist on OPB’s Oregon Art Beat this fall. This will be his second solo show at 23 Sandy Gallery.
All Photos on this page by Dan Kvitka.
July 3 - August 1, 2009
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| Wonderland Mixed Media on Panel 24 x 45.5 inches $750 framed © Chris Haberman |
The Mad Tea Party Mixed Media on Found Wood 36 x 16.5 inches $650 unframed © Chris Haberman |
Down the Rabbit Hole © Chris Haberman |
The Pool of Tears © Chris Haberman |
White Rabbit © Chris Haberman |
The Lizard and The Gardener © Chris Haberman |
The Catepillar © Chris Haberman |
The Eating of Mushrooms © Chris Haberman |
Pig and Pepper © Chris Haberman |
The Cheshire Cat © Chris Haberman |
Queen of Hearts © Chris Haberman |
Croquet Ground © Chris Haberman |
The Gryphon © Chris Haberman |
Lobster Quadrille © Chris Haberman |
The Mad Hatter © Chris Haberman |
Trial of the Tarts © Chris Haberman |
Dormouse and March Hare © Chris Haberman |
Between 2 Worlds © Chris Haberman |
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The Dormouse had closed its eyes by this time, and was going off into a doze; but, on being pinched by the Hatter, it woke up again with a little shriek, and went on: “ - that begins with M, such as mouse-traps, and the moon, and memory, and muchness - you know you say things are ‘much of a muchness’ - did you ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?” “Really, now you ask me,” said Alice, very much confused, “I don’t think -” “Then you shouldn’t talk,” said the Hatter. |
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well... |
“I wish I hadn’t cried so much!” said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. “I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned by own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer today.” |
So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she began shrinking directly. As soon as she was small enough to get through the door, she ran out of the house and found quite a crowd of little animals and birds waiting outside. |
The Catepillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Catepillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice. “Who are you?” said the Catepillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I - I hardly know, sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.” |
“If everybody minded their own business,” the Duchess said in a hoarse growl, “The world would go round a deal faster than it does.”“Would would not be an advantage,” said Alice, who felt very glad to get an opportunity of showing off a little of her knowledge. “Just think what work it would make with the day and night! You see the earth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its axis-” “Talking of axes,” said the Duchess, “Chop off |
The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.... “In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, ‘lives a Hatter: and in that direction,’ waving the other paw, ‘lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.” “But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.” |
The players all played at once without waiting for turns, quarrelling all the while, and fighting for the hedgehogs; and in a very short time the Queen was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, and shouting ‘Off with his head!’ or ‘Off with her head!’ about once in a minute. |
They very soon came upon a Gryphon, lying fast asleep in the sun. (If you don’t know what a Gryphon is, look at the picture.) |
‘Tis the voice of the Lobster; I heard him declare, “You should have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.” As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes. When sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark, |
‘Let the Jury consider their verdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. ‘No, no!’ said the Queen. ‘Sentence first - verdict afterwards.’ ‘Stuff and nonsense!’ said Alice loudly. ‘The idea of having the sentence first!’ ‘Hold your tongue!’ said the Queen, turning purple. ‘I won’t!’ said Alice. ‘Off with her head!’ the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved. |
So she sat on with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again and all would change to dull reality - the grass would be only rustling in the wind, and the pool rippling to the waving of the reeds... |
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