Domestic Patterns at Arts West

Please stop by Arts West in West Seattle for Domestic Patterns. I have the honor of showing with Diane Culhane, fellow Building C Studios mate and friend, and Grace Willard. The show "portrays unique representations of home and domesticity" and is curated by Nicole Dement. Domestic Patterns, through April 23. The opening will be held Thursday, April 14, from 6-7:30 pm.

Grace Willard is a contemporary fiber artist with a brilliant attention to detail in her embroidery and crochet.  Her titles include charming old-world themes such as “pickling” and “marmalade.”  A graduate of Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio, she exhibits throughout the region and nationally.  Willard is active in the art community and has interned with organizations Artist Trust, Shunpike and artist Mandy Greer. She currently works for Pratt Fine Art Center.
 
Diane Culhane is an award-winning artist and educator that creates art using both paint and clay.  Featured in Domestic Patterns are her vibrant scenes of suburban-like landscapes with floating people, their pets and cars painted with an informed rawness.  She is represented by galleries throughout the US including Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon and Art on 5th in Austin, Texas. 

This show includes paintings and small scale sculptures from my Monolith Series. My work explores the dynamic tension that exists between reality and the monolithic concepts that encompass “home.” 

Artists for Japan: Final Number

 

 

$86,000 raised in just two days!

Amazing!

Thank you Seattle!

Artists for Japan Huge Success

Only two hours into the sale yesterday, $15,000 had already been raised for the Red Cross' relief efforts in Japan, and that doesn't include the matching grant of $10,000 offered by the Murakami Family (Higo Variety Store). Here is a story about the sale published in the Seattle Times.

I personally picked up a lovely encaustic by friend and fellow artist, Stephanie Hargrave. Don't be afraid of the line. It moves quickly, but you better get on your way. Today's sale opens in 20 minutes and goes until 5 pm.

Artists for Japan

It's this week-end. Don't miss it! Here is my offering:

Purple House, 16"x16", acrylic, 2010

Marilyn Zuckerman, Poet

About the time I began taking art classes and was cooking for a living I had the good fortune to meet Marilyn Zuckerman. She had just relocated to Seattle to be near her family after living in Boston for 30 years.  She hired me to work with her preparing meals and we became fast friends, sharing conversation over steaming pots of food and cups of tea. 


Our shared interests include politics, cities, art and literature. I particularly love hearing her stories about how she embarked in her 50s, after raising a family and finding herself on her own, to begin anew. Back then, this meant returning to school to earn a degree so she could teach English and literature. Fresh starts are a repeating theme in her life and one of thing many things I admire about her. She also happens to a published and well respected poet. 

I’m honored to be working with Marilyn on a project that combines our poetry and art, while highlighting the difficulties of families and individuals during the economic downturn.  We will provide updates as work on our project progresses. In the meantime, Marilyn has graciously allowed me to publish one of her poems here.

Somebody

Somebody lost their job

Someone else had a heart attack

And needs an implant

Somebody broke their leg

And Someone else made a bad investment and didn’t get a bailout

Somebody’s pension is gone

And now there’s nothing left

Someone else’s mom has Alzheimer’s and had to go to a nursing home

Somebody’s kid has leukemia and needs costly meds

So Somebody went bankrupt

and Someone’s house is in foreclosure

Now Somebody’s unemployment benefits are running out

And who knows where all the Somebody’s will sleep tonight

For more information about Marilyn Zuckerman please visit her website at marilynzuckermanpoet.com

Artists for Japan: Another Update

The Red Cross will be the beneficiary of this sale. Credit card donations can be made directly to the Japanese Red Cross via Google, using your gmail address. If you don't have a Google account, donations will be made to the American Red Cross by credit card or check.

Artists for Japan Sale Extended to Include Sunday

A website with updated information about Artists for Japan has been set up. It includes a complete list of participating artist, location and added dates for the sale (extended now to Sunday) as well as location and sponsors.

If you are an artist who wants to donate, information about donating is also on the website.

Artists for Japan

Time	Saturday, March 26 · 12:00pm - 8:00pm
Location	KOBO at HIGO 604South Jackson Street
	Artists For Japan March 26, 12pm - 8pm Sunday, March 27, 12pm - 5 pm ...About this event A number of Seattle artists with connections to Japan had the same idea at the same time. What can we do to aid recovery efforts from the devastation from last week's earthquake and tsunami? The greatest asset we have to contribute is our work, and with your help, we can convert that artwork into the most versatile asset - money to support relief efforts. All the artwork - paintings, drawings, calligraphy, sumi-e, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, prints, and more - has been donated. No commissions are being paid, and all the hard costs for the event have been donated. How it Works This event is offered in the spirit of generosity and trust. Instead of purchasing the artwork, guests will have the opportunity to make a donation in the amount of that "price" directly to the International Red Cross in exchange for the work. Donations can be made by only by credit card or check. (Some employers will match your donations, check your company policies on matching donations.) Everybody wins. The Murakami Family (Higo Variety Store) will also match up to $10,000 in donations raised. Participating artists (to date) Juan Alonso Toshi Asai Peter Bagge Debra Baxter Jennifer Bennett Tracy Boyd Allison Collins Diem Chau C.T. Chew Diane Culhane Sue Danielson Julia Freeman Sean Frego David French Tim Girvin Akiko Graham Adriana Grant Stephanie Hargrave Stephen Hazel Linda Hoshide Etsuko Ichikawa Elizabeth Jameson Weston Jandacka Iskra Johnson Satoko Kobayashi Seiko Kobayashi Anita Lehmann Rozarii Lynch Rick Mahaffey Akiko Masker Kevin C. McCarthy Shino Mikami Mutsuko Mitsui Naomi Mittet Saya Moriyasu Miho Nakaoka Haruko Nishimura Nicholas Nyland Yuko Otoku Reid Ozaki Tommer Peterson AJ Power Pamela Pike E Powers Kathleen Rabel Maria Grazia Repetto Ken Ray Dorothy Rissman Norie Sato Chiyo Sanada Tamae Satsu Roger Shimomura Katy Stone Akio Takamori Mugi Takei Maki Tamura Timea Tihanyi Takuya Tokizawa Genevieve Tremblay Mizue Trinidad Ikuyo Tsunoda Junichi Tsuneoka George Tsutakawa (estate) Tomoko Uno Patti Warashina Barry Wong Junko Yamamoto Ellen Ziegler and more to come! Updates on Additional Artists and Further Information http://artistsforjapan.blogspot.com/ KOBO at HIGO 604South Jackson Street Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 381-3000 info@Koboseattle.com www.Koboseattle.com Thanks to our Community Sponsors (to date) Kobo at Higo Studio Stubborn Sideburn (Design and Illustration) Wing Luke Asian Museum Volunteers We are also in need of volunteers from Friday, March 25 through Monday, March 28. Please email Etsuko Ichikawa with the subject line "Volunteer" if you will be available to help. Organizers Binko Chiong-Bisbee Etsuko Ichikawa Elizabeth Jameson Tommer Peterson Junko Yamamoto

Upcoming Events at Core Gallery

Tomorrow I'll be gallery sitting from noon to 6:00 pm at Core Gallery so please stop by and say hello. My show, Touching the Wall, is on exhibition through on Saturday, March 26.

On Sunday, March 20, at 2:00 pm I'll be giving an artist talk.

See you there!

Rothko, a Monkey and a Child . . .

walked into a bar . . ..  Just joking.

The next time you hear someone comment about an abstract expressionist painting, "My kid could have done that", you might share with them that research says otherwise.  When compared side by side with abstract paintings made by a child and a monkey, people with an untrained eye significantly preferred those painted by professional artists.

“People untrained in visual art see more than they realize when looking at abstract expressionist paintings,” Boston College psychologists Angelina Hawley-Dolan and Ellen Winner report in the journal Psychological Science.  

There you go.

I Must Confess

 

I cannot stop looking at the paintings of Ken Kewley.  More than that, he writes more eloquently about the process of painting than any one I've come across in a while. Here is just one of the things he says that I love:

"You can try as hard as you want, trouble is, what you are trying to do has little to do with what you will do. But if you fail you will possibly get something far more surprising, something you just invented."

It's been a while since I've been able to paint, drawn away by preparing for shows, etc., but I'm now ready, and inspired, to get back to it.

Thank you!

A sincere thank you to everyone who made it to the opening last night despite awful weather (though the blue sky appeared just in time after wind, rain and hail) and bad traffic. It was a wonderful evening.

artEast 24 Hour Painting Marathon

That's right. And it starts this morning at 9:00 a.m.  artEast is a terrific community-based organization for artists that is located in Issaquah. They have brought together 14 professional artists for this event. So before you head to Pioneer Square for First Thursday tonight, take at drive to Issaquah and check out the doings.

First Thursday Recommendations

I'm a loyal reader of Joey Veltkamp's blog, Best Of, so I'm particularly thrilled to have my show at Core Gallery, Touching the Wall, listed in his blog as one of the recommended openings for First Thursday tomorrow night. Thanks Joey!

As you can see from his blog post, there are lots of good shows opening Thursday night so put on your walking shoes! Hope to see you there.