An Essay On Old Portland As Recorded By Patrick F. Smith

Writing in a December 2020 issue of Oregon Artswatch, writer Brian Libby notes that he first saw Patrick F. Smith’s black and white photos of Portland in the 1970s and ‘80s during one of those days, not too long ago, when wildfire smoke blanked our city. The photo that caught his eye had a similar haze, only that air pollution was caused by the volcanic activity of Mt. St Helens. Brian surmised that Smith must of been spending his pandemic isolation time uploading from his catalog to social media.

The author gives his read of a few sample images, and provides some background. In a telephone interview with Smith, the photographer dismisses the notion that he is an artist, although he considers himself to be creative. He continues to work as a commercial photographer and a family-photo archivist.

To read the essay online, click here.

Detail of photo by Patrick F. Smith from Oregon Artswatch website