Do not fear - the Portland Series is here! There are still oodles of other creative and eco-conscious individuals in Stumptown to chat with, so this series is far from over. Now is as good a time as any to announce that I am officially moving from San Francisco to Portland in June of 2008! My time in the Bay Area has been a blessing, but lower costs and curiosity draw me to Portland, and I am not one to ignore my instincts. Now … on to the interview …

What do comics, craps and coloring books all having in common? They form the childhood of today’s artist extraordinare, Tripper Dungan. Raised among the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, Tripper hightailed it out of there the first change he got.

After a short stop over in San Diego, Tripper found himself in Eugene, the “other” creative capital of Oregon. Artistic exploration ensued, leading to the creation of a shadow puppet troupe and a menagerie of unique paintings.

Arriving in Portland a few years later, Tripper is now working on establishing his ultimate masterpiece and residence, The Cartoon Bungalow. “Here is where it all comes together with strange and silly music, prehistoric cartoons, and an environment that will host the unraveling of minds. Within these walls there is no cap on the silly jar; that is to say if you do a front flip in a flip flop just don’t stop ‘till the beet drop,” says Tripper.

Read on to find out more about Tripper’s creations (did I mention they were 3D?), shadow puppet shows, inspirations, eco-actions, and robots … everything is more interesting with a few robots.

The first thing that stood out about your work is that it can be viewed in 3D. How do you make a painting 3D? What interested you in this technology? How long have you been making 3D pieces?

I’m glad you asked that; it is the number one question I get (”How do you do that?”). Well, it’s basically the colors that are laid next to each other; cool colors go back and warm colors come forward. When I was about 15, I got a set of Crayola markers that came with a set of these funny 3D specks that had clear-ish lenses. I played with the markers a little and hung on to the glasses. Later I saw that they made my paintings jump out so I experimented a little more and I figured some tricks out and started painting in a fashion that would have the desired 3D effect. This was at the same time when I moved up to Eugene, Oregon in 1999/2000.

Though there isn’t a gallery of your works on your website, the pieces in your Etsy.com store have a kooky, vivid, 1950s-60s innocence about them. How would you describe your own work? Is there a consistent message that your try and portray in your visual style?

I describe my paintings as weird, cartoon-y, and colorful. I try and keep it simple because I want people to bring themselves to the paintings; that way the creative process doesn’t stop at me. If there’s a message, it’s subconscious. I always want to portray the “good” and keep positive - that’s why I paint kids in astronaut suits and animals and girls playing guitars. That’s what I want to see more of, so out of necessity I paint them.

The FAQ section of your website mentions that each and every viewer of your work has a special part in the creative process, being forced to use their own imagination to interpret the story behind each piece. What are some of the most interesting tales you have heard from people seeing your works? Has anyone ever written and published a story based on one of your creations?

I look at it as more of an invitation than a force I am imposing on the viewer. This one time, I was slinging postcards outside of Compound in old town Portland and I was asking folks if they wanted to see 3D postcards. I saw a rough looking homeless man and I hesitated at first and then thought he’s not going to buy any but maybe he wants a peek. He put the glasses on and gave me a Haiku for each of the four postcards I was sharing. I’ve not had a story written for my paintings but I did have an opera written for my puppets. The leader of the Vagabond Opera out of Portland, Eric Stern, wrote an opera for Stinks the Monkey.

Children, insects, clouds, and the night sky are the four most common elements I’ve seen in your works - do you have any other favorite “subjects?” Do you ever use photographs or people as inspiration for your works, or does it all come from your imagination?

Most of it comes from my imagination, but I have done a number of pieces in the past that I’ve used photo references - I prefer the cartoon world though.

Out of sheer curiosity I have to ask - what was it like to grow up in Las Vegas? How does the city compare to your current home, Portland?

It was interesting growing up in “Vague-ass”; I hated it. There’s a lot of greed and malice in that city. I lived in some bad parts of town; I got picked on because I was different and white. There was a lot of outward racial tension where I grew up. I was often hassled by the cops for just being a kid. I did however find my friends fast and I went to a magnet school that was centered on the arts - I would have left Vegas sooner if I didn’t go there. Portland is a awesome place with friendly people, comfortable cafes, and a young art scene that kicks.

Since 2004, you’ve been a part of the Junk Town collective in Portland, which operates within the concept that art can combat waste by using found materials to create unique works. What are some of your favorite “found” objects? How have you used them to create artistic pieces?

I like finding nice pieces of used plywood to paint on (incidentally, with leftover house paint). I also use a good deal of cereal boxes and such to make shadow puppets.

Another one of your creative outlets is the Wow Wee Zow Wee Shadow Cinema, a shadow puppet show that you and your partner Scarlet Rose performed all over the Northwest. Do you two still perform shows together? I noticed that you also have a MySpace music profile as well - has WWZWSC transformed into a music group?

We do perform together once in a blue moon, but she’s kept busy with the March Fourth Marching Band. There has always been a musical aspect to Wow Wee Zow Wee, but I have stepped up the game recently with my Ice Cream Truck Face Shtick; I am moving more towards a musical variety performance. On January 25th, I plan on having a big puppet cartoon crooning one-man-pageant with some help from my friends of sorts (hope that’s vague enough for ya).

Living in what has been called the greenest city in the US, do you have any eco-conscious habits?

Composting, recycling, turning out lights, if it’s yellow let it mellow, walking, filling up with biodiesel, and lately I play this fun game where I try to see if I can leave the grocery store without buying anything with plastic on it.

Do you have any other nifty, secret projects in the works that you could hint at?

I’m making little robot sculptures.

[All images courtesy of Tripper Dungan]