I am looking at Crossing the Columbia from the river's point of view. Through drawings of the river, its banks and inhabitants; its islands, bridges and dams; and the various boats and ships that ply its reaches; I hope to gain a more thorough understanding of the river and our relationship to it. There is an opportunity with this endeavor to make a place of well-being, where the act of crossing the Columbia becomes a way of deepening our connection to this place, to the river, and to the natural realm.
Bill Tripp is a Portland architect, artist and educator. He received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon in 1978 and did graduate work at Princeton University. In 1986, Bill received a Fulbright Award and the Ion Lewis Traveling Fellowship to support a six-month study of the architecture of Alvar Aalto in Finland.
Bill started his private practice in Portland in 1991, where he designs houses, churches, memorials, landscape art installations and urban environments. Recent projects include a remodel of Pietro Belluschi's Central Lutheran Church, a Portland historic landmark; and a system of art display panels for Aalto's Mt. Angel Abby Library. Bill also does theatre set design and in 2005, received a Drammy Award for Best Scenic Design from the Portland Civic Theatre Guild.
Bill has taught design, theory and drawing at Oregon School of Design, Portland State University and University of Oregon where he was director of the Portland Summer Studio program. He co-authored with Philip Sylvester an article on teaching drawing to beginning students, published in the Journal of Architectural Education. Bill has presented drawing workshops and lectured at Tulane University, the University of Minnesota and Mount Angel Abbey.