“Venus on Wheels”
27″ h x 21″ w, subtractive linocut (signed, numbered 11/12) (circa 1990s)
We discovered this piece at a local vintage store, where it stood out from the innumerable still lifes and landscapes with its happy, cartoonish chaos. It quickly became the centerpiece of the “gallery wall” on the far side of my wife’s home office, but took on additional significance when we learned shortly after our purchase that my wife was pregnant! The piece cheerfully reflects the impossible juggling that characterizes parenting children while retaining a life of one’s own — an experience that for us was about to become a lot more than just fodder for art commentary!
When we looked up the artist, “Ikie” Nolan Kressel, we discovered that she also had a close connection to Lewis & Clark Law School. She had endowed a scholarship in honor of her late first husband, an alum of the law school, and her current husband, retired Oregon judge Ronald Cinniger, is a graduate of the law school as well. We’ve been privileged to become friends with both Ikie and Ron, and as much as we adore this piece on its own merits, to have that personal connection with the creator on so many levels is a special additional privilege.
David Schraub 