Monday, February 1, 2016

FEBRUARY Art Fix: Upcoming Events

If you need your art fix for the month of February (and I know I do!), here are some shows that you won't want to miss! February is the hearty month! Explore your love for art and all things creative, and support your local art scene!


LAST CHANCE:



"Urban Divination" at Push/Pull Gallery. It's the last chance to see all of the work from Urban Divination in one place. Check out original art from the 78 Tarot group and other artists. Closing reception: Friday, 5 February from 6-9pm.



"Soft on the Outside: Surrealist Bodies in Nature" at True Love Gallery. Featuring the work of four local artists who present an unexpected juxtaposition of bodies and their environments through paint and sculpture: Seb Barnett, Tiara Brewer, Jeremias Lentini & Taylor Seamount. Showing through 7 February.



"Conceal/Reveal: Making Meaning in Chinese Art" at the SAAMThis exhibition shows that Chinese artists traditionally employ different approaches to construct layered meanings in an indirect but intriguing way: using one motif to represent another, either through their literary associations or shared pronunciations (homophones); playing with mediums such as using contemporary ceramics to imitate ancient lacquerware; or the pretext of metaphors to make social or political commentaries. This purposeful layering by the artist invites the viewer to mentally peel the layers and reveal the embedded meanings. Showing through 14 February.


COMING UP: 










The Pioneer Square Art Walk ~ Thursday, 4 February from 5-9pm. Selected shows: 
Abmeyer + Wood - Catherine Eaton SkinnerLandscapes – nature organized for visual pleasure or expressive meaning – seem to be disappearing from our fast-moving world. Instead we are continually assaulted by an indiscriminate barrage of news and information. This series represents the still memory of what landscape was and can be, at least through the current work of paint and brush. The element of ether or quintessence is honored by the red bindu, a focal point amidst the chaos.  The red triangle captures the elements of air/wind, water and earth, which support life on this planet.  The red house outlines the memories that are embedded in ourselves.  As my mother once told me, time will pass by faster as you grow older. She was so right. -Catherine Eaton Skinner
AXIS Pioneer Square - "Árísen" by Kindra Nikole. Árísen explores a new angle on the beloved Arthurian legends, through a lens into a world where women are the protectors and knights of the land. Capturing the essence of feminine strength, Kindra invites the viewer to abandon their preconceptions of the old tales and experience the Arthurian legends with a fresh perspective. Through her new body of work featuring multiple acrylic-embellished pieces and her first-ever short film, Kindra reveals a tale never before told—a legend reborn. Also opening: "Those Unspoken" group show. The first woman created in Greek mythology, Pandora, bears a heavy burden. Responsible for opening a box containing the world’s evils, she paves the way for the feminine form in mythology to be assumed as wily temptress, sneaky seductress, or damsel in distress. "Those Unspoken" brings six artists together to reinterpret the standards for mythology, depicting women as mythical gods in roles that are typically masculine.
Cafe Vita - "Cascadian Exosphere" by Karls Jung. To celebrate ONE YEAR of showing art largely inspired by the Pacific Northwest, 10% of all sales will be donated to Washington's National Park Fund. Friends and makers, artists and art-lovers, downtown dwellers and coffee drinkers! I'd be honored if you checked out my show during February's First Thursday! You'll see some new (and some old) handmade watercolors depicting a surreal blend of Cascadian and outerspace imagery.
Flatcolor Gallery - "The Radiant Thread" by Stacy Lovejoy (visiting artist from Portland, OR). In the long journey to the highest point of my dream, which is full of freshly picked blueberries, I’ve got plenty of juicy stories to tell… each of them a flake of the whole puzzle. The flakes, which have particular weight, spirit and frequency are traveling everywhere; hiding behind transparent leaves. They are waiting to be discovered… absolutely everybody can see them, but sometimes it can be difficult for a person who observes from a fictional carob tree. I was literally stalking them in a boundless flow, sketching their reflections in my journal of unique experiences and arranging them in different ways. They pulse like ripe berries and inspire gently to abandon the island of comfort, to explore new worlds, to become spontaneous, boundless and unsubstantial. I felt that moment when they embraced my heart… the moment when I’ve seen THE RADIANT THREAD, which merged them all in the huge field of immortal expression.
Linda Hodges Gallery - "Still Afraid" by Ryan Molenkamp. Still Afraid is a continuation of my Fear of Volcanoes series, composing more than 30 new works, with a few surprises. Thank you all for your interest and support, especially over this last year! I'll be sharing the gallery with Kentree Speirs' mountainsscapes with abstract elements as well as Wendelin Wohlgemuth's collage-like but painterly oils. - RGM
Pioneer Square Saloon - "Punch Drawnk Love" group show. The Drawnk is a weekly drink & draw group of some of the best local artists in Seattle. Join us Thursday, February 4th, as we exhibit some of our favorite recent pieces, this time with a Valentine's Day twist. Every 8x8" piece is $40 and will be sold right off the wall. Stop by and have a beer with us during your Thursday Art Walk! Also showing at the Saloon that night, Antony De Gennaro presents "Images from Cambodia."
Roq La Rue - "Strange Math" by Jonathan Viner. Please join us for the opening of Jonathan Viner's solo show, "Strange Math". His work is a blend of dreamy figuratives and enigmatic narratives, rendered in creamy palettes punctuated by neon bright colors. This show marks Roq La Rue's new programming format, one artist a month taking over the entire downstairs gallery and a rotating selection of work by artists we represent in the loft gallery. Please join us for a festive opening during artwalk on Thursday Feb 4th. Artist will be in attendance!
Treason Gallery - "HOLLYWOODNT" by Cheyenne Randall & James Franco. HOLLYWOODNT will showcase the largest collection of Randall’s “Shopped Tattoo” series to date. Exploring the identity of iconic individuals from yesterday and today, Randall blends traditional American tattoo culture with some of history’s most celebrated Pop Icons. This series calls to question the modern obsession with fame and glamor as well as the stigmas surrounding body modification in today’s societies. Using his mastery of photo manipulation, Randall immerses his viewers in a parallel universe. Whether it is surreal landscapes or Randall’s alternative take on familiar faces of Pop Culture, his imagery is widely recognized and celebrated. Randall will also showcase his newest works consist-ing of mixed media pieces as well as his new and most exciting form of photo manipulation to date. Using a new technique Randall pushes his images into the third dimension. Simulating movement in what would otherwise be still images, Randall’s works now dance with a life of their own. HOLLYWOODNT will also showcase a collaborative mural done by Randall and Hollywood’s own James Franco. Using multiple images of Franco for his “Shopped Tattoos” series the images became some of his most identifiable pieces yet. Working on a number of projects together, Franco and Randall decided to collaborate on a mural installation. Both artists will work simultaneously in the gallery on the mural, colliding individual works and influences to create a one of kind piece of art.
Also check out new work at 4Culture57 Biscayne, Angle GalleryArtifact Gallery, Art Xchange, The Belfry OdditiesBonfire GalleryCore GalleryDavidson Galleries, Delicatus, Foster/White GalleryGallery 110, Gallery IMA, goCstudio, Greg Kucera Gallery, Hall Spassov GalleryHuntington Media Gallery, James Harris Gallery, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Method Gallery, Nord Alley & the Alley Network Project, Occidental Square Park, OK GalleryThe Piranha Shop, Platform Gallery, Punch Room 104 GallerySAM GallerySeattle ArtsourceShiftSOILStonington GallerySurface TheoryTK 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!




MythicWorlds at the Seattle Doubletree Hilton in SeaTac, Friday-Sunday, 5-7 February. Mythicworlds celebrates world myths and world creators on literature, folklore, fantasy, music and the arts and crafts. Discover the worlds of Norse legends and realms of Faerie and urban fantasy. Explore the treasures of our famed Mythic Marketplace, check out our panels and presentations and learn from the masters in intimate workshops with our guest authors and artists, many of whom we will announce this weekend.
     Dance all night at two Masquerade Balls to the music of Abney Park, Mbrascatu, Woodland and Germany’s Qntal. And don’t miss the FREE Sunday night acoustic concert that was last year’s highlight featuring a solo performance by the co-composer for the hit TV series, VIKINGS and founder of the internationally acclaimed Nordic band. Wardruna, Einar Selvik.
     At Mythicworlds, we celebrate World Myths and World Creators: the amazing authors. artists and musicians who see places and visions that exist beyond human senses and bring them to vibrant, tangible life with words and images for us to discover, explore and even inhabit. Featuring the "Arborial Dreams" tree themed art exhibit, curated by Krab Jab Studio.
     The thresholds to these Otherlands may lie in books, music, paintings, media or even our own landscapes, but all are very real and can become a destination where our heart and soul find a home. At Mythicworlds, the boundaries between centuries and worlds have been dissolved and the doors opened to welcome all who hear the Mythic call.



The Bainbridge Island Art Walk ~ Friday, 5 February from 6-8pm. Selected shows:
Bainbridge Arts & Crafts - "Toying Around" group show. Let’s play! This exhibition focuses on the joy of invention and the playful artist in all of us. Rediscover your inner child and experience toys re-imagined by a host of artists. Featuring: Morgan Brig, Lynn Brunelle, Megan Drew, Garth Edwards, Jeannie Grisham, Solia Hermes, Sandi Hurd, Linda Jarvis, Don MacLane, Mary McInnis, Shane Miller, Carl Morgan, Gregg Onewein, Loran Scruggs, Raquel Stanek, and Kamilla White.
See new and exciting work at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Blackbird Bakery, the BPADangerEleven Winery, Fork & Spoon, Ginger, Harbour Public HouseIsland GalleryPegasus Coffee, Pauli Dennis Gallery, PrettyStickRoby King GallerySally Robinson Gallery, and more!




The Fremont Art Walk ~ Friday, 5 February from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Tiny Dodo Gallery - "Hair" by Stasia BurringtonSuper excited to have this well known illustrator featured with Tiny Dodo Gallery. She has had many publications as well as solo shows at Giant Robot in LA and within Seattle locations, such as Twilight Gallery! Be ready to fall in love!
Also check out new work at ArtFX GalleryAsgard TavernAtlas Clothing, Bellefleur Lingerieevo Timesinfinity GalleryFrame Up Studios, Fremont Jewelry DesignFremont Health Club, Gasworks Gallery, GiGi Retro Inspired ClothingHub and BespokeJohnson ArchitectsMakerhausNorthwest Vision Studio, Pel'Meni Dumpling TzarPortgage Bay Goods, Sanachi MassageSaturnSpace, Starbucks CoffeeThe Sweet Spotand more!



The Port Townsend Art Walk ~ Saturday, 6 February from 5-8pm. Selected shows: 
Red Raven Gallery - "Lost Creatures" by Nyk Fury. We are pleased that one of our favorite local artists is returning for his 3rd exhibition at the Red Raven. Nyk is a quiet PT icon. If you have been a frequenter of the many festivals we have here in our tiny town, you may have found yourself in one of his gorgeous photographs. In this past year he has continued on with photography but has also found a new passion in a new genre. Drawing and painting his many creatures and aliens he loves.
Also check out new work at Earthenworks GalleryForest Gems GalleryGallery 9, Max Grover GalleryPort Townsend GallerySimon Mace Gallery, Williams Gallery, and more! Don't forget to stop in Cellar Door for a nightcap, local art, & live music!



"Fresh Look 1's Sundays" at Push/Pull Gallery in Ballard. Sunday, 7 February from 6-9pm. Bring your sketches, scripts, paintings and get feedback from your art peers. Pick the brains of other artists, designers, illustrators and cartoonists so that we can all create the best work possible. All critique will be given with love and support! Monthly event happening 6-9pm on the first Sunday at Push/Pull. BYOB always welcome.


"His & Hers Happy Hour Pop-Up" at MOMO Seattle, Wednesday, 10 February from 4.30-7pm. We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with an outpouring of love — and wine. Pop in for a mid-week break and mini show of local talent. Meet Grace Matsumoto of Tiny Fat Bird jewelry and Jay Jones, innovator of Stingy Styles Bow Ties. And just maybe, you’ll find a thoughtful gift to mark the day, hooray!






The Capitol Hill Art Walk ~ Thursday, 11 February from 5-9pm. Selected shows:
Chroma Clouds Gallery - Alex McAdoo
Ghost Gallery - "In the Eye of the Storm" by Tessa HullsIn the Eye of the Storm is a new series of gouache paintings and papercuts that explore the idea of sanctuary and reprieve even within the heart of a collapse. It's been nearly three years since I last showed paintings, and I've spent a good portion of that deliberate sabbatical up in Alaska watching the colors change across the tundra while thinking about the tension between culture and wildness. Some part of me went (happily) feral, and I have spent much of the past few years feeling tugged between the irreconcilable worlds of the city and the wild. In the Eye of the Storm investigates this sense of impossible longing, and is also informed by two pockets of personal loss: while in Alaska this past summer, a close friend drowned in a backpacking accident, and the sinuous forms of these paintings trace the braided rivers and alluvial fans of the landscape that claimed my friend's life. The second loss was of my own body: almost a year ago, something went wrong in my back, and I transitioned from being someone who bicycled alone across continents to someone who could not pick up five library books and walk to return them. The experience of chronic pain collapsed the life that I had been building and changed everything about how I move through the world. Slowly—and recently—my body has started to mend; these new pieces are a part of that recovery. How do we survive as we are being washed away? How do we still trust in our strength even as our bodies are failing us? How do we find grace within ceaseless pain? We learn to lean in to the moment of peace; we learn to live within the eye of the storm.
In-Arts Collective - "Heartbreak Science Fair (2016 Edition)" group show. The themes of Heartbreak and Science went together so well last year that the two are getting back together once again this February (never mind the divorce and custody battle the two had in the meantime). Join us in celebration of their re-uniting love/co-dependence just before Valentines Day! It'll be so much fun, we just have to split this up into two dates: Thursday: Feb. 11th from 6pm to 10pm AND Saturday: Feb. 13th from 6pm to 11pm! We will have plenty of amazing performances and art work, so keep an eye on our event page as we get closer to the dates for the list of those lovely artists you may just want to hook up with. Don't worry! You can win your sweetie back with great gifts you bought from them!
Mercury - "Transmission" Featured artist: TBA! Featured bellydance: TBA! Guest DJ TBA! Every month we bring you the best in Shoegaze, post-punk, post-rock and psych music with your host DJ Echo! 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. 
True Love Gallery - "Love Machine" by Solace Wonder & collaborators. Solace probes tenderly into a feeling no one is a stranger to: love. Solace's punny humor will serve as foreplay for this affair, and through a series of collaborations, he'll bring us to climax. The collaboration portion of this show is a long overdue partnership with some of Seattle's premiere artists. Each tryst will be stimulated by the many facets of love. The insight brought to each encounter will be a challenge to Solace's normal parameters of style. Artists 179, 10HUN, Megon Shoreclay, Ego, George Long, and Joe Vollan have all consented to some creative companionship.
Also check out new work at 12th Avenue Arts, AmericanaApocalypse TattooBauhausBroadcast Coffee Roasters, Caffe VitaCafe PettirossoCalypte Gallery, Capitol CiderCloud Gallery, Cupcake RoyaleDendroica GalleryThe Factory, Front Seat Gallery, High 5 PieJoe Bar, Kismet Salon, Laughing Buddha, Online CafeParis EastsidePCNWPoco Wine + SpiritsRetrofit HomeRubix Apartments, SAAMSaint John's Bar, Saints Gallery, STart Wall ProjectSugarPillThe Pine BoxVermillion, and more!



"Art Walk Awards" presented by City Arts Magazine & Blue Moon at Sole Repair Shop, Thursday, 11 February from 7-11pm. Each quarter three guest judges explore neighborhood artwalks throughout the city to select nine exhibited artworks as finalists. The Art Walk Awards celebrate the finalists and attendees, (that's you!) at the event will choose the winners. The top three artworks will receive cash prizes and the first-place artwork will be featured in City Arts Magazine. 7-11pm, 21+ only. RSVP is required for all guests attending the event.


The West Seattle Art Walk ~ Thursday11 February from 6-9pm. Selected shows: 
Also check out new work at Arts West, Click! Design That FitsThe Heartland CafeHotwire CoffeeShadowlandSkylark Cafe, Shoofly PieWest 5, West Seattle Wine Cellars, Wild Rose's, Windermere, and more!



The Art Up Phinneywood Art Walk ~ Friday, 12 February from 6-10pm. Selected shows:
Echo Echo Gallery - The Echo Echo crew!
HappyTime Apocalypse - The HappyTime crew!
Kolab Galery - Art Walk! Come by, have a drink or two and meet our newest artist Megan Noel Smith ! We will have the ticket monster out for round 2 , which means awesome prizes from all out artist! So stop by and say Hi!!
Urban Light Studios - "Eye to Eye" by Moksha Marquardt. Moksha Marquardt's surrealist works pull the viewer in, exploring rich subconscious worlds through intricate line work. Heavily influenced by his upbringing in the Pacific Northwest, Moksha's work reflects ideas such as consciousness in nature, the circle of life, and patterns in the environment.
Warlock Labs - "Ashes to Ashes: A David Bowie Tribute" group show. For our next Art Walk event we could think of no better subject than the mercurial Mr. David Jones. We will have plenty of fun and heartfelt tributes to the man and his music along with attending artists.
Check out new work at: Avanti Art & DesignChocolattiGainsbourgHome Suite HomeNaked City Brewery, Quadrapus, School of RockThe Space is Ours, Two Bird Tattooand more!





The Belltown Art Walk ~ Friday, 12 February from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Belltown Community Center - "Made in Cuba/Hecho en Cuba: Recycling Memory & Culture". An audacious pop-up show of more than seventy mixed media works by some of Cuba’s leading artists. Often incorporating recycled and found materials, these artists’ aesthetic is summed up by internationally renowned Cuban artist Roberto Diago, who commented that "During the economic crisis, we didn’t have the materials you need to paint like we were taught in school, so we adapted our art to what we could find.” Diago and other artists discovered that this experience in the ‘90s changed their art for the better, by broadening their artistic vision. They began using not only new “found” materials, but also new concepts. Special guests and appearances by artists and musicians will be confirmed soon. During its 5-week run, MADE IN CUBA! will also feature screenings of Cuban films and book signings. MADE IN CUBA! is the first endeavor of Cuban Art Space West and is made possible through a collaboration with Belltown Community Center.
A/NT Gallery, Bikes + Art, City Hostel SeattleCrocodile CafeEssentia, Form/Space Atelier, Michelle Dirkse Interior Design, Patricia Cameron Gallery, Pintxo & The UpstairsRocco's, Rudy's Barber ShopSassafras, Seattle Ink & OilStylus Salonand more!



"Date with Blythe + Irene Garcia" at the Vera Project. Friday, 12 February from 6-10pm. Irene Garcia is known worldwide for her hauntingly beautiful custom dolls and her influence in the Blythe Community! Irene Garcia aka Sirenita is a painter and toy customizer living and working in Los Angeles. Her art stems from a fascination with ghost stories, mythology, dolls, family heritage, magic and the occult. There will be custom artists that will be donating dolls and doll fashion to help raise money for the Seattle's Children's Hospital, specifically to help children with Uncompensated Care. Blythe dolls will be auctioned off on our website, www.tinydodogallery.com . Auction will go live on the website at the event. Dollswill be displayed at the opening for a one time in person viewing! 20% of Tiny Dodo Gallery's proceeds from the dolls will go towards the Seattle's Children's Hospital.
DJ Hojo & DJ Jessie Beans!
Band: Velvet Doll
Photo booth with photographer Tessa Budny!
Complimentary snacks and beverages



"2nd Saturdays at TK Hall Collective" ~ The 2nd Saturday of every month from noon-5pm at the TK Artist Loft building in Pioneer Square. With the revitalised success of the Pioneer Square 1st Thursday Art Walk, several of the working studios at the Tashiro/Kaplan Building have collectively decided to add a new tradition by also opening our doors to the public on the second Saturday of every month from noon to 5 pm. Participating studios:
306 S Washington St. (#101 - Ellen Hoch Berg, #103 - Studio 103, #104 - Juan Alonso, #105 - Joanna Morgan Designs)
312 S Washington St. (#2B - Barbara Noonin, #C - Jody Joldersma)








The Ballard Art Walk ~ Saturday, 13 February from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Ballyhoo Curiosity Shop - "Feathery Pin Ups" by Kara Queen. Join us for the Ballard Art Walk at Ballyhoo with Kara Queen's watercolor and ink pin up Bird Ladies. Meet the artist, browse Ballard's best selection of carefully curated curiosities and get your photo taken with our very own beaked pin up Diedra Dove.
Monster Art & Clothing - Starheadboy. Fall in Love with the original artwork of Starheadboy this Valentines Day weekend! From Burrito Unicorns to Penguins - we'll have many of his loveable characters ready for you to adopt and enjoy in your own home! Plus, we'll have tons of yummy treats to enjoy while you browse the artwork.
Push/Pull - "Rare & Elusive: Cryptid" group show. Subjects of myth, urban legend and supermarket tabloids - a group of 15 artists will take on Rare & Elusive cryptids. Be one of the firsts to see their creations at the opening on February 13th. 
Check out new work at Annie's Art &Frame, Art & SoulBallard Metal ArtsBallard WorksThe BalMarBlowing Sands Glass StudioBuilding C StudiosCupcake RoyalFilthy RichFull TiltHabitude, Herb's House, Kiss Cafe, Liberte Skin WellnessMiro Tea, Nightingale Gallery, Savour, Spark StudioSticks & Stones Gallerythe Sunset TavernVenue and more!





The Georgetown Art Attack ~ Saturday, 13 February from 6-9pm. IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE ATTENDING THE OPENING! Parking on site is pay only. Please be sure to either park on the street or in a pay lot on either end of the building. Building management will ticket cars improperly parked. Selected shows: 
Eight and Sand - Rhodora Jacob. This month Eight and Sand is featuring the artwork of Seattle artist Rhodora Jacob. There will be many new original works, and a selection of prints for purchase as well. The artist will be in attendance. Please join us for art and refreshments at the opening.
Georgetown Liquor Company - Andrew Schons, new work!
Georgetown Trailer Park Mall - "Valentines Schmalentines". Join us at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall on Saturday, February 13 for our 2nd annual Valentines Schmalentines party! Show up at 6pm to sign up for our GIANT TWISTER competition where you will vie for awesome Trailer Park Mall shwag! Followed by live - AND FREE - performances by local talent, covering your favorite love/heartbreak songs at 7:30pm! 
Krab Jab Studio - "Arborial Dreams" group show. Artists explore humanity's connection to trees.
Praxis Arts - Claudio Duran. Claudio Duran was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and raised in Texas. A Seattle resident since 2000, Claudio’s artwork is inspired by unexpected color combinations, machinery, nature and wildlife, anime, rust and decay, surrealism, fantasy, junkyards, and many other Pacific Northwest artists. His medium of choice is acrylic on wood panel but also works in oils and occasionally with sumi ink.

The Queen Anne Uptown Art Walk ~ Thursday, 18 February from 5-7.30pm. Selected shows:
Check out new work at Bombsheller Art LabsCaffe LadroLiberty Tattoo ParlourMercer Street BooksMud BayPeridot BoutiqueSolo Bar, Teatro ZinzanniTin Lizzie Lounge, Toulouse PetitThe Vera Project, and more!.


The Edmonds Art Walk ~ Thursday, 18 February from 5-8pm. Selected shows:
Otherworlds - "VIVID" by Shanna Duncan, new work featuring Dia de los Muertos inspired skulls on reclaimed wood!
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 VieThe PaperyRed Petal CakesStunningly Strange Gallery, and more than 30 other Edmonds art spaces!
The Edmonds Thearte presents Free Movie Night! Every 3rd Thursday following the Art Walk! This Month: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone






The University District Art Walk ~ Friday, 19 February from 6-9pm. Selected shows:
Gargoyles Statuary - "Love Bomb" by Mike Bell. Please join us for a Valentine's Day inspired Art Show with new work by Mike Bell! We are so excited to have Mike in town for this fantastic event~ with original paintings, match book art, prints, bottle openers and more!!! Show will be open to view on Feb. 12th during our Annual Cremation Sale and the opening artist's reception will be on Feb.19th from 6-9pm*. Come raise a glass with us to celebrate "classic monsters in love"!!!
Also see new work at 7 Market & CafeBC Surf + Sport, Cafe Allegro, Cafe SolsticeChaco Canyon Cafe, Daisy Sky Studio, Lucid GalleryMokshaUniversity Business Center, and more! 


Wizard World at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Friday-Sunday, 19-21 February. Wizard World Comic Con produces pop culture conventions across North America to celebrate the entertainment industry! Come meet & greet all your favorite celebrities! Seattle artists exhibiting at the Portland Wizard World this year include: Augie Pagan, Cori Dietsch & Travis Talburt, and Nick 'The Hat' Gucker. Featured celebrity guests include: David Tennant, John Barrowman, Matt Smith, Billie Piper, Krysten Ritter, Bruce Campbell, Chris Hemsworth, Norman Reedus, Eliza Dushku, James Marsters, Jewel Staite, William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd, and more! 



"Bwitch Zine Release Party" at Tiny Dodo Gallery, Saturday, 20 February from 6-10pm. Will be released mid February 2016! A free Zine! This is for all the girls in the comic scene that want to be heard and express themselves with no criticism!! I'm also accepting genders identifying as female as well as females that identify as male ;) ! The theme for the this Zine is Dark Fairytale!! Remade fairytales and self created will be printed in this limited zine. A great range of talent and style! Tiny Dodo hopes to help bridge the gap between genders by supporting the Girl Power within all of us. Let's help encourage creation and uniqueness in all.


"Below the Surface" group show at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Opening 20 February from 7-11pm, showing through 19 March. Curated by Caro, and featuring Seattle artist Redd Walitzki, as well as Beth Cavener, Lauren Marx, and more
     There is more than meets the eye to every great work of art. Throughout history, artists have portrayed subjects that are alluring, beautiful, even cute, at first glance - the enigmatic smile of DaVinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s mysterious starry night skies, and Takashi Murakami’s happy sunflowers, all share a deeper, if not darker, meaning below their surface. Hidden symbols and meanings are used to either captivate the viewer’s thoughts, or draw out the artist’s intended emotion. “Below the Surface” features 30 International contemporary artists who follow in this tradition of non-representational art to create a more interesting larger image. In other words, a common thread in their works is what lies below the surface of each. Check it out if you're in the LA area this month!


"beinArt Surreal Show 2016" group show at CoproGallery in Santa Monica, CA. Opening 20 February from 8-11.30pm. Showing through 12 March. The beinArt Surreal Art Show 2016 will be the 5th beinArt Collective group exhibition at CoproGallery, curated by Jon Beinart. This exhibition will showcase new work by over 55 artists, including Seattle artists Redd Walitzki, Casey Weldon, Jeff Jacobson, and more!
     PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Greg “Craola” Simkins, Martin Wittfooth, Travis Louie, David Stoupakis, Josh Keyes, Esao Andrews, Jana Brike, Casey Weldon, Chris Mars, Chet Zar, Redd Walitzki, Dan May, Henrik Aa. Uldalen, Marco Mazzoni, Hannah Faith Yata, F. Scott Hess, Matt Dangler, John Brosio, Naoto Hattori, Brian Viveros, Scott Scheidly, Peter Gric, Cam de Leon, John Brophy, Jean Labourdette, Pamela Wilson, Scott G. Brooks, Jason Limon, Christopher Ulrich, Kikyz1313, Jon Jaylo, Tomasz Alen Kopera, Heidi Taillefer, Chris Peters, Matthew J. Levin, Carrie Ann Baade, Jeremy Enecio, Jeff Jacobson, Sandra Yagi, Barnaby Whitfield, Sarina Brewer, Maria Teicher, Erik Thor Sandberg, Brendan Danielsson, Jeff Christensen, Alexandra Manukyan, R. Freymuth-Frazier, Eddy Stevens, Chris Leib, Steven Kenny, Jonathan Payne, Greg Brotherton, Robert Steven Connett, Jonathan Bergeron, José Luis López Galván & Mark Gleason.
 





"Turn (Part 4: Kimberly Trowbridge)" 4th Tuesdays at Joe Bar. Tuesday, 23 February at Joe Bar from 6.30-9.30pm. The collaborative series continues as Kimberly Trowbridge takes the evolving piece for the month of January. What will remain from the work received? What will go on to the next artist? TURN is a year-long collaborative exhibition, where twelve artists take turns transforming a single piece.



"Artist Trust 2016 Benefit Auction" at Seattle Center, Saturday, 27 February from 5-11pm. The Artist Trust Board of Trustees invites you to join us to kick off Artist Trust's 30th year of supporting art at its source! Music, performances, oodles of original artworks by Washington State artists, rare and exceptional art experiences, plenty of bubbly, and delectable dinner fare await you.
5:00pm Registration and curator preview tour
6:00pm Champagne and hors d'oeuvres, silent auction, music by Industrial Revelation
7:30pm Remarks from Board President Stephanie Ellis-Smith, performance by Storme Webber, dinner and live auction
8:30pm Fund the Artists with Quinton Morris and Alison Bremner
9:30pm Live auction concludes with remarks from Executive Director Shannon Halberstadt and Auction Co-chairs Len Lewicki and Paula Stokes



"Yvette Endrijautzki's Open Studio", Sunday, 28 February from 5-8pm. You are invited to the Open studio event with the Art Of Yvette Endrijautzki for the quarterly event of Columbia City's Seed Arts Studios in conjunction with the Cultural Center's Sunday Community BBQ and Potluck. Yvette will have her assemblage sculptures on display and her newest line of jewelry for sale. Her incense line Quintessence is available too, as well as a limited edition on Prints. Come by and join her for a glass of wine and snacks. Downstairs will be live music and other artist's studios open as well!




ONGOING: 



The SAAM is currently featuring:
"Paradox of Place: Contemporary Korean Art" (15 October 2015 - 13 March 2016) This will be the first major exhibition of Korean contemporary art in Seattle. In collaboration with Ms. Choi Eunju, former chief curator of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and the first in-residence visiting curator sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation at the Seattle Art Museum, SAM will present six leading-edge Korean contemporary artists’ representative works in this exhibition. These works range from mixed-media installation and video art, to photography, all of which are prominent forms in Korean contemporary art. Each work in its own way addresses an important, often poignant, issue, and yet, as a group, all the works address paradoxes in Korean art and society.
"Journey to Dunhuang: Buddhist Art of the Silk Road Caves" (5 March - 12 June 2016) Located at China’s western frontier, the ancient city of Dunhuang lays at the convergence of the northern and southern routes of the Silk Road—at a crossroads of the civilizations of East Asia, Central Asia, and the Western world. From the late fourth century and until the decline of the Silk Road in the fourteenth century, Dunhuang was a bustling desert oasis—a center of trade and pilgrimage, and a gateway for new forms of art, culture, and religions. This exhibition brings us the wonders of Dunhuang’s caves seen through the eyes of James and Lucy Lo featuring a comprehensive selection of their photographs, manuscripts, and artist renditions.



The SAM is currently featuring:
"Kehinde Wiley: The New Republic" (11 February-8 May) Kehinde Wiley is one of the leading American artists to emerge in the last decade and he has been ingeniously reworking the grand portraiture traditions of Western culture. Since ancient times the portrait has been tied to the representation of power, and in European courts and churches, artists and their patrons developed a complex repository of postures and poses and refined a symbolic language. This language, woven into all aspects of a portrait, described the sitter’s influence and power, virtue and character, or profession. In his consideration of portrait traditions, Wiley has been especially drawn to the grand aristocratic portraits of the 18th century.
 




Bainbridge Island Museum of Art is currently featuring:
"Goings & Comings" by Caroline Cooley Browne. Caroline Cooley Browne is a Bainbridge Island artist who works in painting, mixed media, and fiber. In this unique exhibition, two series of work are featured: a set of new oil pastel paintings and Doodles/Sketches, a work-in-progress yet to be determined. Join the journey! "Painting seems to tap my subconscious more than any other medium. The images emerge from a place deep inside, a place I can often only go when I make art." - Caroline Cooley Browne
"A Story Place" by Nancy Thorne Chambers (10 October 2015 - 7 February 2016). A Story Place is an enchanting ceramic installation featuring thirty life-size animals and insects sitting intently in a forest, listening to a child reading a story—a story that is curiously about them.  A Story Place is a visual feast that speaks volumes about the simple but very complex idea of "relationship." Creating a sense of "story" within "visual relationships" is what inspires clay artist Nancy Thorne Chambers. Each sculpture is hand-built, fired, glazed, fired again then painted with layers of color to enhance depth to hair and fur. Every gesture, expression, clothing color and finish is carefully chosen both artistically and with relationship to their group setting. Nancy is a former family therapist from Olympia.

Wayne Bund @ Gage
Gage Academy of Art is currently featuring:
"Drink & Draw" every 1st Friday from 7-9pm. Each session is based on a theme – a costumed model, still life arrangements, music, videos and more. We’ll provide the drawing materials for free – or just have a cocktail or glass of wine and watch the artists work! No formal instruction is provided, no host bar. Ages 21+ only, please. $10 at the door.

"Sanctum" @ Henry
The Henry Art Gallery is currently featuring:  
"Maximum Fun: A New Sincerity Event" Maximum Fun is part picnic, part aerobics class, and part community-building event featuring works by Nat Evans, Mario Lemafa, and Elizabeth Spavento. Join us at the UW's Sylvan Theater to traverse mental obstacle courses, jump over things, and shout in unison. Playing off Jesse Thorn's Manifesto for the New Sincerity, Maximum Fun seeks to probe the relationship between sincerity and irony through a series of interactive activities inspired by the legendary Evel Knievel.






The Frye Art Museum is currently featuring:  
"Others Who Were Here" by Cris Bruch (30 January - 27 March). In the exhibition, Bruch extends his investigation of formal aesthetics and material properties with narratives both personal and historical. The sculptures are informed by the artist's observations of the Great Plains, both in the region’s present form and in its past state as recalled through the stories and letters of his parents, grandparents, and others. According to Bruch, "There is a wheel of adversity, scarcity, perseverance, humility, gratitude, and generosity." Others Who Were Here celebrates these qualities by transforming utilitarian objects and architecture to honor the lives shaped by the Plains.
"Frye Salon" (2 February - 4 September). Frye Salon features over one hundred forty paintings from the Frye Art Museum's Founding Collection, recreating the sumptuous viewing experience enjoyed by visitors to the art gallery in Charles and Emma Frye's Seattle home in the first decades of the twentieth century. Hung floor to ceiling, the paintings capture the atmosphere of the Fryes' salon-style exhibitions, which showcased the artists of the renowned Munich Secession and the “stars” of the preceding Artists' Association, the Munich Künstlergenossenschaft. Frye Salon combines paintings from both generations of artists. Works by Künstlergenossenschaft masters such as Franz von Lenbach, who enjoyed fame and recognition in nineteenth-century America, hang alongside paintings by prominent Secessionists, including Franz von Stuck and Gabriel von Max. In January 1909, the New York Times noted the close ties between Secessionist and Künstlergenossenschaft artists when a “magnificent” exhibition of German art opened in a new wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art: “It is easy to see how the truly great masters among the old had many of the virtues of the young, and how finely the best art of the different generations holds together when brought into close juxtaposition.” 
Agitation & Propaganda: The Soviet Political Poster 1918-1927" (6 February - 3 April). Agitation and Propaganda presents reproductions of early Soviet political posters issued in 1967 by the seminal, independent literary publishing house Grove Press. Photographed by Caio Garruba at the Lenin State Library in Moscow, their publication in the United States offered Western audiences a rare window into the postrevolutionary visual culture of the Soviet Union. In 1917, the Tsarist autocracy was overthrown, and the Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized control of the government. Civil war and famine followed as they sought to consolidate and legitimize their power. Beginning in 1918, the Bolsheviks recruited artists to produce posters as a means of galvanizing public opinion and communicating their message to the largely illiterate peasantry. Uniting the twin strategies of agitation and propaganda, these posters reflect the aspirations of the Bolsheviks to create a mass culture of the proletariat. 
"Fechin, Gaspard, and Repin: Russian Painting 1889-1926" (6 February - 3 April). An exhibition of six paintings from the Frye collections. Over one hundred and fifty years ago, on November 9, 1863, students protested at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. The Academy had urged its protégés to uphold the Western European classical tradition and refrain from innovation. Fourteen artists left the school and in 1870, they organized the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions. As a result, the painters became known as the Peredvizhniki (the Itinerants or Wanderers). Their goal was to create a national and accessible art that reflected the everyday lives of the Russian people. The Peredvizhniki shared neither a common artistic style nor subject matter. Their paintings displayed restrained naturalism, social commentary, psychological rendering, and heightened emotional states, all imbued with a high degree of individuality. Their subjects included poverty and imprisonment, the beauty and grandeur of the national landscape, portraits of cultural luminaries and anonymous masses, as well as Russian history and folklore.

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