Portland artist Eatcho wants you to make discoveries in the details

It’s hard to take just a quick glance at the work of Mehran Heard. His illustrations and paintings include so many characters, details and images, winding through and wrapping around each other, you feel compelled to dive in and explore. And that’s all by design. Heard wants to take you on a journey.

“And once you come to your own discovery, you kind of own it personally,” he says. “You’re like, ‘that’s mine, I took the work and effort to find that weird creature in that corner that’s saying something to me.’ The viewer can have their own personal little romance.”

Heard, who also goes by the artist moniker Eatcho, works in many mediums including painting, illustration, comics and textile art. His new mixed media piece titled “Mothers” is part of the Portland Art Museum’s current show, Black Artists of Oregon, which runs through March 17, 2024.