For Immediate Release: Oddmall Emporium of the Weird!

For Immediate Release:

This weekend only! Oddmall Emporium of the Weird! 

Oddmall is more than just an ordinary craft show. It’s a celebration of uniqueness, creativity, imagination, and wonder where artists, crafters, and like-minded sorts gather to offer their unusual creations for public consumption. It’s a forum for creative expression, a classroom for esoteric wisdom, a soapbox for wild ideas, a miraculous marketplace of the unconventional, a metaphorical Serengetian watering hole where the zebras and wildebeests of inspiration and artistry congregate amidst the snapping crocodiles and scorching sunbeams of originality and ingenuity!

Oddmall has been going strong and gaining popularity with two shows a year in Hudson, Ohio since May 2009. Now heading into our second year in the Pacific NW! Our next event is the first ever 2 day Oddmall and will take place on May 31st & June 1st, 2014 at the Event Center at the Comcast Arena in Everett, Washington. It’s going to be awesome!

150 artists, crafters, & entertainers! Free admission! Family friendly! Fairy Hollow for the kids, 8 Bands performing both days, Wreckless Freeks Sideshow entertainment, Weird Beard & mustache Contest, Odwins for Oso auction & more!!

Saturday, May 31, 2014: 11am – 7pm
Sunday, June 1, 2014: 11am-6pm 

The Edward D. Hanson Conference Center at Comcast Arena:
2000 Hewitt Avenue #200
Everett, WA 98201

Support your local art scene!

Cornish College of the Arts: Expo 14

This Friday eve marks the end of the college school year, and the opening of the Bachelor of Fine Arts show for Art and Design seniors at Cornish College of the Arts. Cornish has 20 graduating art seniors this year. As an alumnus, I always enjoy returning to my alma mater to see what the newest and brightest are bringing to the Seattle art scene.

A few of my favourite showing this year include:

Morgane McGuire, photography, sculpture, and video exploring the transcendence of suffering through the acceptance of pain.

Morgane McGuire @ Cornish

Claire Green, prints depicting lessons learned through nature and myth.

Claire Green @ Cornish

Matt Matsuda, projected video on geometric sculpture, playful in execution and nostalgic in design.

Matt Matsuda @ Cornish

Jasmine Gervais, sculpted tableaus exploring 'authentic images of sexuality' intended to challenge the passive role of women as sexual objects pervasive in contemporary society.

Jasmine Gervais @ Cornish

Sierra Kohler, sculpture examining identity through traditionally masculine objects made feminine. 

Sierra Kohler @ Cornish

Natalie Kubu, personifying the chair.

Natalie Kubu @ Cornish

Direwolf Omega, drawing and sculpture inspired by dream, tradition, ritual, and sacrifice.

Direwolf Omega @ Cornish

Niki Nosko, paintings exploring the transition from childhood naivete into adult awareness in a technological world.

Niki Nosko @ Cornish

Caitlin Brookins, photography, the visual poetry of a nostalgic narrative.

Caitlin Brookins @ Cornish

Destiny Reidel, sculpture representing the organic growth of experience through raw materials.

Destiny Reidel @ Cornish

Miles Fortune, photographic vignettes portraying artistic identity.

Mile Fortune @ Cornish

Alicia Hatfield, traditional woodblock prints, vulnerability translated into a longing for security, to capture, protect, and preserve a tiny piece of a childhood memory.

Alicia Hatfield @ Cornish

As with every exhibit of student work I've seen, some showings were more successful than others.  I was unfortunately unable to attend the video section of the exhibition, but hopefully next year! Overall, "Expo 14" was a solid showcase of new Cornish talent, I look forward to seeing what the graduates create in the upcoming months. Support your local art scene!

PIONEER SQUARE: Starscapes, Whale Bones, and Technicolour Battery Acid

Tonight is the Pioneer Square Art Walk, and it is going to be an evening of epic events! I'm accompanied by friends and fellow artists Corey Skillman and Cody Hunemuller, and our first stop is Trabant Coffee & Chai/Laika Lounge, where Corey has an exhibit. She and artist Thomas Drake Steffens (Trabant/Laika's general manager) are presenting "Nebulae" a series of intricate starscapes - Corey in acrylic, and Tom in oil. It's a show that invites you to look closer and fall into layer upon layer of luminescent universe. See if you can spot the TARDIS...

"Nebulae" @ Laika Lounge

Corey Skillman & Thomas Drake Steffens @ Laika Lounge

Cody Hunemuller & Corey Skillman @ Laika Lounge

"Nebulae" @ Laika Lounge

After Laika, we head to AXIS, the art & event space commandeered not too long ago by the folks from Urban Light Studios as a sister venue to their existing space in Greenwood. This eve, they're featuring "Flora & Fauna," brand new bodies of work by Ariel Wickham, Joe Vollan, and Michelle Anderst. These artists bring together their talents for detail and realism to explore elements of morbid beauty and natural decay in the plant and animal realms. 

Michelle Anderst @ AXIS

Ariel Wickham @ AXIS

Joe Vollan @ AXIS

AXIS is also hosting an opera performance by Roxanna Walitzki and Sarah Fletcher, and the haunting melodies are an apt accompaniment to the visual themes of life and mortality. Following the performance is the premier of "Erlkönig," an eerily lovely collaboration between Roxanna, artist & filmmaker Adric Hicks, and the whimsical Steampunk musicians Toy Box Trio.

Roxanna Walitzki & Sarah Fletcher

Adric Hicks & Roxanna Walitzki

Maj Askew, Roxanna Walitzki & Redd Walitzki

The opening at AXIS is a marvel for the senses, and we'd love to stay all night, but there's one last exhibit we have time to visit. Roq la Rue is showcasing "De Anima" the second collaborative effort between artists Martin Whitfooth and Jean Labourdette (their first joint-project was in 2013 for a show at La Halle St-Pierre Museum in Paris). 

"De Anima" @ Roq la Rue

I don't know if you've ever stepped into a room full of art work and and wished harder than pretty much anything you'd ever wished before that the paintings would come to life just so you make friends with them and bring them home with you; perhaps ride them into a glorious candy-coated, sepia-tinted battle where acid drooling hares fight side by side with flower encrusted elephants and monkeys laced with nicotine and booze... No? Well, it might just be me, but the first and only word I can think of to describe this body of work is 'delicious'. 

Martin Wittfooth & Jean Labourdette triptych @ Roq la Rue

"De Anima" @ Roq la Rue

As an exhibit, "De Anima" is a beautifully rendered conversation about the imbalance between technology and nature and the increasing separation of humanity from the intrinsically sacred. I promised Kirsten Anderson (Roq la Rue's lovely curatorial overlord) that I wouldn't lick any of the pieces. I am both relieved and a little saddened to say that by the end of the evening I'd kept my promise.

Jean Labourdette @ Roq la Rue

"De Anima" @ Roq la Rue

Support your local art scene!

~ BCDuncan

MAY Art Fix: Upcoming Events

If you need your art fix for the month of May (and I know I do!), here are some shows that you won't want to miss! It's graduation month for the Cornish students, so don't forget to check out the BFA show! It's a fantastic sneak peek of all of the new art blood we're adding to the Seattle scene. There are also an abundance of fun and ridiculous things to celebrate this month, so why not give these a shot: Lumpy Rug Day (3rd), Cinco de Mayo (5th), No Socks Day (8th), Limerick Day (12th), National Sea Monkey Day (16th), Lucky Penny Day (23rd), Memorial Day (26th), and many more! It's May Day today, so enjoy the elusive Seattle sun, leave something pretty on your neighbours' doorstep, and support your local artists!


LAST CHANCE:

"Clockwork Coterie" by Braden Duncan at Red Raven Gallery featuring watercolours of mechanical birds and bees! Show runs thru 2 May!

Danny Lyons @ Henry

"The Bikeriders" at the Henry Art Gallery, photographic work by Danny Lyon featuring Hells Angels. Show runs thru 4 May!

"A Peculiar Alchemy" by Norman & Tory Taber at Krab Jab Studios. Painting, illustration, digital imaging, constructions, and storey telling. The results are a product of a peculiar alchemy. Show runs thru 3 May!

"Spirits of Earth and Ether" by K. Amarak Waters & Jessica Geiger at Gargoyles Statuary. Ethereal sculptures and wild animal paintings! Show runs thru 11 May!

Greg Kucera Gallery

"Ink on Paper" by Chris Engman & "Cadence" by Darren Waterson at Greg Kucera Gallery. Show runs thru 17 May!


COMING UP: 

"Northwest Passage" @ Abmeyer + Wood

William Powhida @ Platform

Jeremy Bert @ SOIL

The 1st Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square, Thursday, 1 May from 5-8pm. Selected shows:

Abmeyer + Wood - "Northwest Passage" by Randy Beckelheimer. While based in San Francisco, painter Randy Beckelheimer has turned his attention to the Pacific Northwest for his first solo exhibition in Seattle. The artist draws inspiration from the quiet beauty of Venetian Renaissance masters, such as Bellini, Titian and Giorgione. Using many layers of oil paint and transparent glazes, Beckelheimer captures the spirit of the city by transforming desolate landscapes into harmonious compositions of color and light.

AXIS Pioneer Square - “Flora & Fauna”, an exhibit bringing together three northwest artists whose exquisite attention to detail is apparent in depictions of the foliage like forms which weave throughout their compositions. From bats and delicate sea creatures to animal skulls and whale skeleton, Michelle Anderst, Joe Vollan and Ariel Earl Wickham share a fascination for the dark and lushly intricate forms in nature. The evening will be punctuated with musical performances by Sarah Fletcher and Roxanna Walitzki as well as the premiere of "Erlkönig," a video by Adric Hicks and Roxanna, featuring the Toy Box Trio.
Flatcolor Gallery - "Form & Void" by Ryan De la Hoz
Greg Kucera Gallery - "Ink on Paper" by Chris Engman & "Cadence" by Darren Waterson
Platform Gallery - "Unretrospective" by William Powhida. "It has been six years since Powhida’s last solo show at Platform. In that time he has continued his critique and dissection of both the art world and the financial world... Along with new drawings for the exhibition, Powhida is making republications of his past work available as original oil paintings made in a painting village in Shenzhen, China, to be painted in oil on canvas. Nods toward globalization, reproducibility, and the fabrication of artworks of an artist by other (anonymous) artists point to the discussion that at least one of the two Powhidas want the viewer (and collector) to consider." (from platformgallery.com)

Roq la Rue - "De Anima" by Jean Labourdette and Martin Wittfooth. De Anima explores themes of dichotomy inherent in our present age. The second decade of the 21st Century seems to be reaching a boiling point of the "externalized experience". This is evidenced in a variety of ways by which much of our globalized societies behave: the objectification and commodification of the natural world, a wanton appetite for the latest technological gadgets and the abrupt obsoletion and discard of "the old", and the manufactured and manicured avatar-voyeur based interaction model provided by a wide array of social media. Nature has ceased to be our temple, and has instead turned into our playground, a dynamic inept at stewardship, adept at dominion. What seems to be lost the further our species travels down these paths is a state of equilibrium with the true self and a disconnection from a reverent, balanced, and sacred relationship with the living world. This show meditates on these dualities via a parallel series of paintings and installations/sculptures.
SOIL - "Under the Influence" curated by Shane Montgomery. As the nation debates prohibition and its relationship to social mores, these artists share their views on the topic of intoxicating substance use. The works in Under the Influence don’t presume to take a political point of view on the topics of state-run control. What these pieces do show is a more personal impact that substance use and distribution has on our lives. Whether one is inebriated, fetishizing paraphernalia, or merely exposed to the advertising of these products, we are all influenced by the worlds of drugs and alcohol in one way or another. Also, "Intergalactic Parallax" sculpture and jewellery by Jana Brivic. What is the real or apparent change in the interpretation of an object depending on alternate sites? The preconceived meaning that we attach to what we see creates a blind spot. This is what we put in the object instead of letting the object speak its own strength. I am asking for the viewer to reset their learned perceptions and prejudices when seeing works that are identical and fraternal pairs presented with different end uses.
Trabant Coffee/Laika Lounge - "Nubulae" featuring ethereal starscapes by Corey Skillman and Thomas Drake Steffens
Also check out new work at 4Culture, 57 Biscayne, Angle Gallery, Art Xchange, The Belfry Oddities, Core Gallery, Davidson Galleries, Delicatus, Foster/White Gallery, Gallery 110, goCstudio, Heart, Gallery IMA, Linda Hodges Gallery, Method Gallery, Nord Alley & the Alley Network Project, Occidental Square Park, OK Gallery, Pioneer Square Saloon, Punch, Room 104 Gallery, SAM, SAM Gallery, Shift, Stonington Gallery, TK Artist Lofts, and more! Pioneer Square is the oldest art walk in the United States, and features over 50 galleries, studios, and other art spaces!

The 1st Thursday Art Walk (B-Town Beat) in Burien. Thursday, 1 May from 6-9pm. This month features work by students from the Burien area. Selected shows:
Check out new work at Burien Arts Gallery, Burien Books, Burien Press, Elliott Bay Brewery, Glass Expressions, Maven Mercantile, Phoenix Tea, Skinperfect Aesthetics, Vino Bello, and more! 

"Whoa Gnarly! A 90's Art Show" at Ltd Gallery, Friday, 2 May from 7-10pm. Do you even remember the size of Zach Morris' phone? AS IF! It was a decade of new beginnings and flashy shirts. Keanues ruled the oceans and Fresh Princes ruled the land. The Truth was Out There to be discovered by plaid ridden youth. Girl you know it’s true. This collection of over 30 artists want to believe. Join us to celebrate favorite pop culture moments from the 90's!

"Teen Night Out" at SAM featuring Ryan 'Henry' Ward and Xavier Lopez Jr. Friday, 2 May from 7-10pm. Join us for this not-to-be-missed evening showcasing creativity and complex cultures alongside incredible DJs, teen art tours, and art-making workshops led by Seattle's hottest contemporary artists. 

Krissy Downing @ Pel'Meni

The 1st Friday Art Walk in Fremont, Friday, 2 May from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Fremont Jewelry Design - Jewellery by Tiny Fat Bird Studio
Pel'Meni Dumpling Tzar - Krissy Downing. "Krissy Downing presents a unique approach to free-form surrealism, as each composition is loosely mapped, free from directive introspection, birthing a pure organic foundation of subconscious aesthetics which is then repeatedly honed until its inherent narrative is revealed. Ms. Downing's Dali-esque works lean toward an ever-evolving commentary on lifelines, timelines and societal progressions."

Also check out new work at ArtFX Gallery, Asgard Tavern, Atlas Clothing, Bellefleur Lingerie, evo Timesinfinity Gallery, Frame Up Studios, Fremont Health Club, Gasworks Gallery, GiGi Retro Inspired Clothing, Hub and Bespoke, Johnson Architects, Makerhaus, Portgage Bay Goods, Sanachi Massage, Saturn, Space, Starbucks Coffee, The Sweet Spot, and more! 

The 1st Friday Art Walk in Madison Park, Friday, 2 May from 6-9pm. Featuring art from over 30 local artists! Check out new work at Cactus, Madison Kitchen, Madison Park Bakery, Park Bench Gifts, Red Wagon Toys, Starbucks,and more!

Karen Lowry @ BAC

The 1st Friday Art Walk in Bainbridge Island, Friday, 2 May from 6-8pm. Selected shows:
Bainbridge Arts &Crafts - Karen Lowry & "The Artists' Almost Perfect Sale"
Roby King Gallery - "Far & Near" by Neal Philpott
See new and exciting work at Blackbird Bakery, the BPA, Danger, Fork & Spoon, Ginger, Harbour Public House, IslandGallery, Pegasus Coffee, Pauli Dennis Gallery, PrettyStick, Sally Robinson Gallery, and more!

The 1st Saturday Art Walk in Port Townsend, Saturday, 3 May from 5-8pm. Selected shows: 
Red Raven Gallery - "A Mariner's Tale" by Julie Zarate. The legend of the sirens has been a tale fraught with danger, longing, seduction and plight to sailors and sea-farers. Countless artists, poets and bards have translated their images and, thus, have been burned into our collective memories. “A Mariner’s Tale” is a collection of drawings by Julie Zarate, which bear semblance to 19th century ink artform and has been likened to “scrimshaw”. Their opulent curlicues are invitations, like the Siren’s Song, to get lost within.
Also check out new work at Earthenworks Gallery, Forest Gems Gallery, Gallery 9, Max Grover Gallery, Northwind ArtsAlliance, Port Townsend Gallery, Simon Mace Gallery, Williams Gallery, and more! If you get hungry along the way, stop into Elevated Ice Cream, Nifty Fifty'sDiner, Water Street Creperie, or Cellar Door (the delicious brainchild of local food afficionados Dominic Svornich and Stephanie Hoch). 

"Starving Artists on Parade: IT'S ALIVE!" at the Re-Bar, Monday, 5 May from 8-late. Brought back from the dead for YOUR entertainment, please join us in welcoming back Starving Artists on Parade in our new home at the Re-bar Seattle FIRST Mondays! Featuring: Burlesque by Minni Bobbins! Bellydance by Bella Luna and Jemina Rae! Acoustic music by Mai Li! Sideshow by Twisted Trystan! Music by Lies in Dust! A special reading by Isaac Marion! Hosted by Morgue Anne and Quazie, special Stage Kitten Cirquesse! $7, 21+, Doors at 8pm. Curtain 8:30.

Joey Veltkamp @ ArtsWest

"This is Not a Protest; It's a Celebration" by Joey Veltkamp at ArtsWest Playhouse & Gallery, Tuesday, 6 May from 6-9pm. Artist talk at 7pm. 

The 2nd Wednesday Art Walk in Wallingford takes place May-September from 6-9pm.
Until then, you can always find art at the Assistance League Thrift Shop, Blue Star Cafe, Cafe Appasionato, Chocolati, Cutz Meridian, Frame Central, Fuel Coffee, Kerf Gallery, Lucky 7 Salon, Seamonster Lounge, Seattle Mosaic Arts and more! Don't forget to stop into Archie McPhee's as well! It doesn't exactly showcase 'art,' but it's fantastic and ridiculous, and you won't be disappointed...

Mark Kang O'Higgins @ Gage

Artist Talk: "Mark Kang O'Higgins: Big & Bold" at Gage Academy of Art, Thursday, 8 May from noon30-1.30pm. The work of painter and longtime Gage instructor Mark Kang-o'higgins grapples with challenging issues ranging from the political to the familial. Mark joins host Gary Faigin to discuss his working process and attitude towards painterly expression, his use of scale as an important element in his presentation, and what other contemporary art he looks to for inspiration. Also, what it means for an artist to engage with difficult and disturbing subject matter, and the challenges that arise.

Isobelle Ouzman @ Front Seat

Joey Bates @ Ghost Gallery

Favorite Art Project @ SugarPill

True Love Gallery

The 2nd Thursday Art Walk in Capitol Hill, Thursday, 8 May from 5-9pm. Selected shows:
Blindfold Gallery - "Spring Gear" by Janet Hill, Mark Walker & Niki Havekost
Cloud Gallery - "2 Year Anniversary" featuring Thundercloud, Nola Avienne, Jeremy Gregory and Laurel R. Dodge. Live Music by Timothy Scallon and Sound Mastery by DJ KOBALT. Snacks and cold beverages provided.
Front Seat Gallery - Isobelle Ouzman, illustration and altered books
Ghost Gallery - "Of Marrow and Leaf" by Joey Bates. "I find it compelling that some of the things we find beautiful and otherworldly can be so harmful to our well-being. As we trek through our yards, forests, and neighborhoods, we so often fail to acknowledge the plethora of plants that could wreak havoc on our innards. Of Marrow and Leaf is a collection of cut paper pieces that explore the beauty of deadly plants in conjunction with the human figure. The central focus of my work has long been portraiture. I have traditionally practiced a highly particular dissection of the figure, and that breakdown resonates with the shapes and forms of plants. My intention is for these images to evoke a sense of memento mori, the notion that death is constantly present. While the fragility of life is not a revolutionary idea, I value taking pause to reflect on this simultaneously vital and lethal fact. My hope is that these works inspire viewers to do so as well." ~ Joey Bates
Ltd Gallery - "Whoa Gnarly! A 90's Art Show" (encore)
SugarPill - "Favourite Art Projects" featuring work by Cable Griffith, Ellen Ito,Gretchen Bennett, Jess Marie Griffith, Julie Alpert, Klara Glosova, Liz Tran, Mandy Greer, Matthew Offenbacher, Nicholas Nyland, Rachel Maxi, Saya Moriyasu, Serrah Russell Sawers, Paul Komada,Tony Sonnenberg, and more!
True Love Gallery - "Tripping Balls" Art inspired by the psychedelic experience! Featuring works by Arbito, Carolyn Hitt, Keri Scherbring, Oliver Hibert, Spencer Hibert, H. Lee Porter, John Criscitello, Wesley Woznik, Jason Middelton, Jeannie Lewis and Battershell.
Also check out new work at Americana, Apocalypse Tattoo, Boom Noodle, Cafe PettiRosso, Caffe Vita, Capitol Cider, Cupcake Royale, High 5 Pie, In-Arts Collective, Joe Bar, Laughing Buddha, Online Cafe, Paris Eastside, PCNW, Poco Wine + Spirits, Retrofit Home, SAAM, Saints Gallery, STart Wall Project, Vermillion, and more!

"Transmission" at the Mercury, Thursday, 8 May from 9.30pm til late. Featuring the art of Xavier Lopez Jr! You do not have to be a member for this night, and you do not need a member to sign you in. It is open to the public. No dress code. Free for members before 9.30pm, $5 for non-members. Starts at 9pm and goes til 2am. The performer will go on around 10.30 and again at 11.30, and the artist will be there all night. Come buy art, drinks, hear music and watch a sexy lady dance. "Transmission" happens the 2nd Thursday of every month.

"Project Girl Crush" @ Twilight

The 2nd Thursday Art Walk in West Seattle, Thursday, 8 May from 6-9pm. Selected shows: 
Twilight Gallery - "Project Girl Crush: The Art and the Awe". The premise of Project Girl Crush is simple: to seek THE AWE and express THE ART. Through in-depth interview, photo, and video, this project uncovers, embodies, and perpetuates the force that is a woman's creative inspiration. THE AWE is derived from the countless inspiring women the project founders, Genevieve Pierson and Jen Utley, have had the opportunity to profile. THE ART is what has been created as a result of that inspiration. Like the project, this show features women as the central figure. Here, her corporeal form is deconstructed to reveal both her omnipotence and her individuality. Through image and verse, this collection reveres the physical as an homage to the intangible.
Also check out new work at Arts West, Click! Design That Fits, The Heartland Cafe, Hotwire Coffee, Shadowland, Skylark Cafe, Shoofly Pie, West 5, Wild Rose's, Windermere, and more!

"EXPO 14: Art & Design BFA Exhibition" at Cornish College of the Arts, Friday, 9 May from 5-9pm. EXPO 14 is a presentation and celebration of student achievement across Art, Design, Music, Theater, Dance, and Performance Production at Cornish College of the Arts. This expanded schedule of events demonstrates the depth and range of our students’ creative inquiry and expression. EXPO 14’s capstone event, the Art & Design BFA Exhibition, features the work of Cornish’s graduating seniors, acknowledging their contributions as professional artists and designers. Cornish is proud of their determination, hard word, and appetite for experimentation, as they turn their ambitions from school towards society. Congratulations to the class of 2014.

Yuya Nigishi @ Quadrapus

Sean Hurley @ School of Rock

Warlock Labs

The 2nd Friday Art Walk in the Greenwood-Phinney neighbourhood, Friday & Saturday, 9-10 May from 6-9pm (Friday) and noon-5pm (Saturday). May is "The Big One" in Greenwood, celebrating 19 years of art walks, 2 days of art and food, and over 80 venues to visit! Selected shows: 
Bherd Studios - "Indigenous" featuring John Osgood & Solace. The Northwest, more specifically Seattle, is a very interesting place to be an artist. There’s a magic and mysticism in the air and inspiration around every corner. From our folklore to our pop culture, there is a style and grace that is unmistakably us, the indigenous. This area breeds an ultimate respect for its surroundings. It’s a place where nature isn’t afraid to reclaim its territory amongst the urban sprawl. It’s with this spirit that we present a new collection of work that unearths some of what makes this area so electric. From the tiniest of creature to the beasts we’re so well known for, prepare to be immersed in our corner of the world visualized through the collaboration of two indigenous artists; Solace and John Osgood.
Echo Echo - "Hello Goodbye" Echo Echo bids farewell to resident Chani Murat & Helfox, and welcomes 4 new artists to the studio: Rachel Setzer, Ronnie Taylor, Shanna Duncan & Steve Groves!
Quadrapus - "Japanese Expressions" by Yuya Negishi. Japanese artist presently living in Minneapolis will be coming out to Seattle and sharing his beautiful art and his amazing heart with us.
School of Rock - Sean Hurley, pen and ink drawings plus rad black and white painted art guitars. Food, adult beverages, the School of Rock House Band will be playing music, as will Mr. Hurley himself, singing and playing guitar. Sean Hurley is a visual artist, illustrator and musician from Seattle, WA, where he lives with his wife and daughter. Most of his work has a strong spiritual thread running through it and his work can be found in private collections around the country.
Urban Light Studios - Tatjana Pavicevic, drawings, and "Tall Buildings" encore & closing reception
Warlock Labs - "Monster Annual" Here at the labs we will have a bunch of great new artists to show you and it's all part of little show we're calling MONSTER ANNUAL. Artists to include Pat Moriarity, Henry Chamberlain, Scott Faulkner, Rick Garland, Todd Lovering, Amanda Robinson, Dalton Webb, Jason Zayas, and more!

Also check out new and exciting work at Chocolatti, Gainsbourg, Home Suite Home, Naked City Brewery, Push/Pull, The Space is Ours, Two Bird Tattoo, and more! 

The 2nd Friday Art Walk in Belltown, Friday, 9 May from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Crocodile Cafe - "Back Bar Flea Market" This Flea Market happens every 2nd Friday of each month in part with the Belltown Art Walk. Located inside the Crocodile Back Bar, 3pm-7pm, ALL AGES happy hour prices during ARTWALk with I.D! A room full of local artist, crafters, vintage and representatives with unique handmade, one of a kind goodies and deals for you!
Form/Space Atelier - "We Wear the Mask" by Esther Ervin. Works included in "We Wear the Mask" are constructed primarily from locally sourced clay and mixed media. Masks have a long history as theatrical, ceremonial and practical devices worldwide. They allow us to step outside of assigned social roles and imaginatively experience an alternate identity. The term mask also relates to personal survival strategy within a dysfunctional social system, such as an oppressive or distressing cultural environment. Esther's works examine the mask, not in its traditional role of transforming identity, but in a new context; to personify lyrics in selected poetry and popular music with its roots in personal and social issues. Thus, her masks attempt to reveal something, rather than conceal or transform it.
Stylus Salon - "Chasing the Dream" by Vikram Madan. Solo art show featuring new and existing whimsical works! Show runs thru 4 July.
Also check out brand new work at A/NT Gallery, Bikes + Art, City Hostel Seattle, Patricia Cameron Gallery, Pintxo & The Upstairs, Rudy's Barber Shop, Sassafras, Seattle Ink & Oil, and more!

Atelier @ Gage

"Aristides Atelier Exhibition" at Gage Academy of Art, Friday, 9 May from 6-8pm. Join us to celebrate another year of hard work and excellent drawing and painting from the Aristides Atelier students. Savvy Dani, Kevin Miller, and John Zadrozny graduate this year and will show full bodies of work in the Rosen Gallery from their fourth year in the Atelier. Juliette Aristides will curate the work of first through third year students in the Entry Gallery. The beautiful Madison Studio will be open for view, giving attendees a chance to meet the artists and see works in progress.


The 2nd Saturday Art Walk in Ballard, Saturday, 10 May from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Check out new work at Annie's Art &Frame, Art & Soul, Ballard Metal Arts, Ballard Works, The BalMar, Blowing Sands Glass Studio, Building C Studios, Cupcake Royal, Filthy Rich, Full Tilt, Habitude, Kiss Cafe, Liberte, Miro Tea, Monster Art & Clothing, Nightingale Gallery, Savour, Spark Studio, the Sunset Tavern, Venue and more!

The 2nd Saturday Art Walk in the Central District, Saturday, 10 May from 6-9pm. Check out new happenings at the Neptune Gallery Sculpture Garden, Atelier Autumnthing, Hi-Spot Cafe, Pratt Fine Art Centre, Twilight Exit and more!

Heather Hudson @ Krab Jab

Nancy Baker @ LxWxH

LxWxH Subscription Box

The 2nd Saturday Art Attack in Georgetown, Saturday 10 May from 6-9pm. Selected shows: 

Eight and Sand - "Criminal State of Mind" by Christopher J Olson. We live in a era of spying, secrecy, and hypocrisy where the masses are fed misinformation and the government is for sale to the highest bidder. "Criminal State of Mind" is artist Christopher J Olson's Orwellian examination of the mind set of the wealthy elite, politicians, and propagandists.
Georgetown Liquor Company - "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And We Feel Adorable)" encore featuring HappyTime Apocalypse! HappyTime Apocalypse is an art collective that celebrates the balance of dark and light, good and evil, happy and horrified. We aim to create an artistic escape from the horrors of the world that surround us by bringing attention to the humor and beauty within the maddening and grotesque parts of the human experience, illuminating the opposing forces of humanity within us all.
Krab Jab Studios - "Daring Stories: The Art of Heather Hudson" Heather has been honing her digital chops to create an entirely new body of work. "Daring Stories" is a series of vignettes of villains, inspectors, femme fatales and mad scientists... and the occasional Cthulu. Much like the old pulps of the 40s and 50s, this show packs a punch.
LxWxH Gallery - "Come Hell or High Water" by Nancy Baker. Nancy Baker is a NYC based artist focusing on painting and collage. In Baker's work, meticulously hand-cut chains, rivets, bolts and connectors transform otherwise stoic blue collar objects into transcendent images of lace-like floating worlds populated by numbers, letters, and starry skies. Often citing literary sources, specific phrases wind their way through a labyrinth of connected phrases, jewels, glitter and paper machine fixtures, much like the tales she is referencing.
LxWxH Subscription Project - "Immaterial" This curated box set features original work by Dylan Neuwirth, Jeff Gerber, and a short story by Greg Lundgren. Titled "Immaterial", this issue plays with the philosophical idea of tangibility, the importance of knowing an object, and the consequences of what we have to give.
Also check out new work at 9lb Hammer, Artcore Tattoo, Belle & Whissel, Fantagraphics Bookstore, Georgetown Arts & Cultural Centre, Georgetown Trailer Park Mall, Nautilus Studios, Smarty Pants, Totally Blown Glassworks, Two Tartes Cafe, Wax Expressions, and more!

"Art Discussion: Christian Bazant-Hegemark & Chris Sheridan" at Vermillion, Thursday, 14 May from 7-9pm. Wolfram Productions is pleased to invite you to its upcoming artist talk with local painter Chris Sheridan. Sheridan, who lives in the Seattle area, is well known for his figurative approach to painting. His work reflects a wide interest in mythology, and is exhibited and collected nationally. He will be on residence in Vienna/Austria in October 2014, working on a solo show at mo.ë, one of Vienna's top independent exhibition spaces. The talk is hosted by Austrian painter Christian Bazant-Hegemark who is currently in Seattle on residence as part of the "Seattle Vienna Artist Exchange" program initiated by Wolfram Production's Siolo Thompson and himself in 2013. The talk is part of Bazant-Hegemark's research for his PhD thesis on contemporary painting, which is scheduled to be finished this year. Some of this research can be read here.

"Post Glamism" @ CoCA

"CoCA's 24th Annual PostGlamism" at CoCA, Thursday, 15 May at 5pm. Each year, CoCA curators invite an independent juror to select the work from among the entries received, and is proud to have Michael Sweney as the 2014 juror. Sweney currently serves as Manager for the Art in Public Places Program with the Washington State Arts Commission. The exhibition features the work of 14 artists who embrace and glorify the concept of PostGlamism pop culture and history through a mastery of mediums in both small and large scale including: neon, glass, painting, photography, interactive video installation, found objects and performance.

"Constellation: An Overture to the Zodiac" (encore) at Fulcrum Gallery in Tacoma. Thursday, 15 May from 6-9pm. "The Enlightenment Cabinet" is a wandering art exhibition curated by artist Yvette Endrijautzki. Featuring over forty local, national and international artists will introduce their own interpretation of the 12 Zodiac signs, this exhibit approaches the subject in many different media. From sculpture to illustration, from painting to mixed media, a diversity of the zodiacal. 

The 3rd Thursday Art Walk in Edmonds, Thursday, 15 May from 5-8pm. Selected shows:
Otherworlds - "May Day! The Art of Curious Emergencies" featuring Andrew Miller, Braden Duncan, Krissy Downing, Larkin, and more! Otherworlds regularly hosts fun and exciting steampunk/gamer/geek/sci-fi/fantasy/gothic/horror-themed events!  
Cheesemongers is right next door if you find yourself in need of something delicious, and you can check out new work at ARTspot, Arts Now, C'est La Vie, The Papery, Red Petal Cakes, Stunningly Strange Gallery, and more than 30 other Edmonds art spaces!

"Threshholds" @ Gargoyles

 
The 3rd Friday Art Walk in the University District, Friday, 16 May from 6-9pm. This montht, the U District is hosting a Street Faire! Arts! Crafts! Music! Food! Celebrate the 45th anniversary of the longest running Street Faire in the US! Selected shows:

Trabant Coffee & Chai - "Stencil, Pop, Vinyl" art on records by Dave Ryan (Manticore Art)
Gargoyles Statuary - "Threshholds" by Lis Wright Ivec, pastels. Eerie landsapes, liminal spaces, and places of transition... are the theme of this beautiful and haunting event. Prints, originals and cards will be available. The show will run thru June 16th! Refreshments & goodies will be served. Also at the tail end of the night we will be presenting a "secret" performance by Seattle's own Golden Gardens for a short set of new songs and magic!
Also see new work at BC Surf + Sport, Boulevard Grocery, Cafe Allegro, Cafe Solstice, Lucid Gallery, Moksha, and more! Don't forget to stop by Boulevard Grocery for a bag of fresh-roasted coffee hand-painted by a local Seattle artist!

"University District Street Fair" Saturday & Sunday, 16-17 May. Celebrate the 45th anniversary of the longest running street fair in the US! At 45th & University Way (The Ave), we will be bringing together the best in local arts and crafts, music, and food!

"Seattle Erotic Arts Festival" at the Seattle Centre Exhibition Hall, Friday-Sunday, 30 May-1 June. SEAF began with a desire to showcase stunning erotic art. To create a place to celebrate, discuss and support pieces that were rarely seen in mainstream galleries and museums. We dreamed of sexy people in a lush environment devouring amazing art; of an event that joyfully encouraged people to be as open and expressive as they wanted to be. And we brought it to life. This year (our 14th anniversary) we return to the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, an amazingly beautiful venue, where we can expand our offerings in all Festival categories of art. Come peruse our world-class visual art gallery and shop in our museum-quality Festival Store. Admire dazzling performances and engage with interactive installations. Enjoy our erotic short film exhibition and captivating literary art. Attend enlightening lectures, workshops, and art tours. And indulge in so much more at this spectacular celebration.

"Oddmall: The Emporium of the Weird" at Edward D Handon Conference Centre in Everett, Saturday & Sunday, 31 May-1 June. Oddmall is more than just an ordinary craft show. It’s a celebration of uniqueness, creativity, imagination, and wonder where artists, crafters, and like-minded sorts gather to offer their unusual creations for public consumption. It’s a forum for creative expression, a classroom for esoteric wisdom, a soapbox for wild ideas, a miraculous marketplace of the unconventional, a metaphorical Serengetian watering hole where the zebras and wildebeests of inspiration and artistry congregate amidst the snapping crocodiles and scorching sunbeams of originality and ingenuity… umm yeah. Anyway, it’ll be fun. Trust me.
 

ONGOING: 

The SAAM is featuring "Deco Japan: Shaping Art & Culture 1920-1945" Jazz. Gin. Short hair and short skirts. The modern girl. The rise of film, and the advent of skyscrapers and air travel. After World War I, the world was changing rapidly. With the machine age came an increased emphasis on speed. The art world answered with Art Deco, which had a driving energy that found expression in its use of themes from cultures all over the world, wild appropriation of other art forms, and graphic designs with fast lines that could be adapted and used on everything from housewares to posters, and for everything from politics to advertising. By World War II, Art Deco had left its mark on almost every medium of visual art.Through 19 October. (from www.seattleartmuseum.org)

Miro @ SAM

The SAM is currently featuring a multitude of exhibits! Check out:
"Miro: The Experience of Seeing." Through 26 May. This exhibition, drawn entirely from the collection of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, offers a fresh assessment of the late period in Miró’s work—a body of work that audiences in the United States have not had the opportunity to fully appreciate. The exhibition brings together over 50 paintings, drawings and sculptures made in the period between 1963 and 1981 that testify to the artist’s ingenuity and inventiveness to the very end of his life. Bold and colorful paintings employing his personal visual language alternate with near-abstract compositions. Although Miró had experimented with sculpture in earlier periods, it is only in the late years that painting and sculpture stand in direct dialogue with each other—a principal feature of this exhibition. (from www.seattleartmuseum.org)
"Broncho Buster" Broncho Buster is one of the most recognizable symbols of the American West. Frederic Remington’s early adventures in the far west introduced him to the Mexican vaqueros and made him an admirer of their derring-do, as they fought to tame wild horses, the bronchos. Though the western cowboy is viewed as a distinctly American figure, Remington knew that it was the cowboy’s Mexican forebears generations ago who originated the iconic hero of the open range. He painted the vaqueros and published illustrations of their exploits. When he created the figure in 1895, Remington had never previously modeled in clay. He produced as his first figure the dynamic Broncho Buster, a rearing horse that was a near impossibility to cast in metal. Displayed in the window of Tiffany & Co. in New York, the Broncho Buster attracted Gilded Age admirers who had never seen a cowboy but who eagerly ordered casts of Remington’s masterly bronze. Some 150 casts were produced in Remington’s lifetime alone, making it truly his best known and most enduring work of art. (from www.seattleartmuseum.org)

Gina Pane @ Henry

The Henry Art Gallery is currently hosting "Parallel Practices: Joan Jonas & Gina Pane" a selection of works by two artists born a short time apart who are renowned for their foundational contributions to the field of performance art. Jonas (U.S., born 1936) and Pane (France, 1939–1990) are proto-feminist artists who, while living in New York and Paris respectively, created multidisciplinary works at a time when many of their peers focused their attentions on a single medium. Through selections of their sculpture, photography, video, drawing, installation, and performances, Parallel Practices celebrates the shared and complementary aspects of Jonas’ and Pane’s art, and highlights the differences that characterize their unique bodies of work. While Joan Jonas’ work is well known to American audiences, Parallel Practices marks the first comprehensive exhibition of Gina Pane’s work in the United States. (from www.henryart.org) Show runs thru 8 June.

The Frye Art Museum is featuring Isamu Noguchi and Qi Baishi: Beijing 1930. This exhibition brings together for the first time the work of two of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Isamu Noguchi (American, 1904-1988) and Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864-1957). Comprising drawings, ink paintings, calligraphic works, and sculptures from the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, and private and public collections, it presents forty-three works by Noguchi and twenty-three by Qi Baishi. The exhibition and its accompanying publication document the period of six months that Noguchi spent in Beijing and shed new light on the little-known relationship between the two artists.” (from fryemuseum.org)  The Frye also hosts an art lecture series every Thursday night.

With this much going on, you couldn't possibly complain that there's nothing to do in Seattle!

Support your local art scene! Cheers.

~ BCDuncan