Hood River Bridge and town from the south
— — a steel truss, a small town, a wide river.
Not only on a wall.
“The view from the south side of the river holds the town stacked up the bluff and the long steel truss of the Hood River Interstate Bridge crossing to Bingen, Washington. The bridge opened in 1924 and still runs as a toll crossing with a vertical lift section in the middle. The Gorge wind comes through here most afternoons; the river below is dotted with kiteboarders and tankers. — from the studio
Hood River Bridge and town from the south, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
The Hood River Interstate Bridge crosses the Columbia River between Hood River, Oregon, and Bingen, Washington. Opened to traffic in December 1924, it is a steel truss bridge approximately 4,418 feet long with a vertical lift section in the middle to clear river traffic. The bridge is owned and operated by the Port of Hood River as a toll crossing. The town behind it climbs the bluff above the south bank, sitting at the confluence of the Hood and Columbia rivers, within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
The Columbia Gorge funnels a near-daily afternoon westerly through Hood River from spring through fall — a feature of the pressure difference between the dry interior and the wet coast. The result, with steady current beneath, made the river off the bridge one of the original world centers of windsurfing in the 1980s and kiteboarding since. The Event Site beach on the Oregon side fills with sails most summer afternoons. Average wind speed at the Hood River sensor often holds above 20 knots from June through August.
The view in the artwork is from the south bank, downtown Hood River climbing the bluff with the truss bridge crossing right of frame. Good vantages include the Hood River Waterfront Park, the marina pier, and the rise of Oak Street above the bridge plaza. The bridge is currently a toll crossing for vehicles, with cash or BreezeBy transponder accepted. A replacement bridge has been planned for years and is moving through funding stages; the historic truss still carries the route as of writing.