Portland artist creates photography book for coastal residents

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, November 17, 2021

A Portland artist has won a grant to bring the images of the North Coast to the page in a book that will be free for coastal residents.

Artist Chris Lael Larson spends a great deal of time on the Washington and Oregon coasts.

He likes delving into the mysteries and histories of the many small coastal towns. His newest photo book “Cape Disappointment” took 10 years to complete. It features Larson’s view of man’s imprint on the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest coastal areas.

“There is a sense of mystery as you move among the landmarks of the Pacific Northwest,” said Larson. “They were traveled by Lewis and Clark and John (Jacob) Astor. I used ‘Cape Disappointment’ as a title for this photo book as it has a history of shipwrecks north of the mouth of the Columbia River.”

Larson works in photography, video, music, assemblage and installation. He has exhibited works in more than 30 cities across the U.S.

“This book documents the hyperreal visual vernacular of the distinctive towns of the coastal northwest, places where historical, cultural, commercial and domestic forces layer to create a confounding visual mélange,” he said.

The book was made possible by a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council in Portland, and is free to residents of the Oregon and Washington coastline as a gesture of giving back to the region that inspired the work. Proceeds from inland sales will go toward future printings.

“I began to make a study of the different ways humans have changed the character of the coast, what people have made and what they have done in relation to the landscape,” he said. “The history includes changes made by the logging industry, shipping and tourism. I wanted to study the effects of commercialism on the natural beauty of the area south of Washington.”

Larson used newsprint non-archival paper to print his images. He explained that newsprint paper is cost-effective and lends itself well to the moods of saltwater, history and deteriorating landscape images when they are exposed to various types of light.

Although the images he has featured do not represent the natural beauty of the area, he feels that they tell a story, through a constructed landscape, of what humans have created as “picturesque.”

Larson is planning an exhibition in Astoria next spring. More information about his work can be found at chrislaellarson.com.