Along 23rd Avenue

Artist

Mitchell Freifeld (U.S.A., b. 1950)

Date

2007

Media

Oil on canvas

Credit Line

Purchased by the School of Education

Mitchell Freifeld describes his inspiration for Along 23rd Avenue with these words: “23rd Avenue in northwest Portland, Oregon is an old commercial thoroughfare. Many of the structures along it have managed to survive since the 19th century through numerous rejuvenation and gentrification projects that were the whim of the social or political moment. Today, it’s wonderful to stroll along 23rd and be transported back to an era of small shops below, at and above street level. In the fall, the trees turn a brilliant yellow that is striking against the tumbling skies.”

Mitchell Freifeld cannot remember a time when he did not draw and paint. He won his first juried show at age 10 and decided that someday, he’d be a “real painter.” He settled in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early ’70s and got involved in the burgeoning tech industry. He moved to Portland later, upon accepting an information technology position there. After being laid off the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he devoted himself full-time to painting and has been living his dream ever since. His work focuses on architecture and cityscapes, and portrays everyday places that “become lost to our curiosity through sheer familiarity.”