If you have some extra time before your next trip to the Memorial, take a visit to sculptor Ray Kaskey’s website. Ray is without doubt the most “monumental” sculptor on the planet today and the articles on his website detail some interesting aspects of his career.  “Near saves” when the town of Portland raised a few hundred thousand dollars to get Portlandia to Portland. It also involved shipping the 43 foot high statue by train (it fell of in Texas), by boat up the West Coast and then by barge up the river and then removing the powerlines for a seven mile parade to it’s current location in Portland…the sculpure is aptly called” Portlandia” and is modeled on his wife Sherry….a good friend and old studio buddy. 

Ray’s a hard-working artist and he says the truest quote (about art) he ever heard came from painter Chuck Close, who told a radio interviewer: ” ‘Inspiration is for amateurs. You just get started and hope something will happen.’ “-the Washington Post