Holiday Art Fair Saturday at Vermillion

Blindfold Gallery will have a few of my Circularity Series drawings, and 6x6 painting at Vermillion's holiday fair. There is a great lineup so this should be a fun event. 

Holiday Art Fair

Saturday December 14, 2013  1-4pm

VERMILLION

1508 11th Avenue

Participating Galleries:

Blindfold

Cullom Gallery

LxWxH

M.I.A. Gallery

Photo Center Northwest

Roq La Rue

SEASON

New Studio Open House This Sunday from 12-5 pm

The final event this year is the open house at our new studios. Please join Louise Durocher and me in our wonderful space located at 44 Etruria, Seattle (between Nickerson and W. 3rd). Doors open from noon to 5:00 pm. Live holiday music provided by Peter Rockus on saxophone and Brad Benefield on guitar from 3-5 pm.

Please help us celebrate the new space. Take a tour, listen to some music, and, if you find something to your liking, take home a local, hand-crafted piece of art work for the holidays. We hope to see your smiling faces on Sunday. 

Last Week for "I Remember You" at Blindfold Gallery

Please stop by the show if you haven't had a chance. The exhibit includes mixed-media paintings and mono prints all completed this year. The intuitive process of making them mimics the way our memories intertwine the past with the present. Ends Saturday.

WHAT: I Remember You
WHERE: Blindfold Gallery, 1718 Olive Way E., Suite A, Seattle, WA
HOURS: 1-5 pm Wed-Sat
Last day: Sat, Dec 7

All Things Possible

Last night's conversation left me excited and inspired. It was one of the best conversations about what painting and drawing can be that I've had the pleasure to be involved with. Thank you to everyone who participated and created such a warm and creative atmosphere. Thanks to my dear friend, Robert Hardgrave, for his role in this event and to the wonderful group at Blindfold Gallery whose energy makes these types of events possible: Scott Burk, Laura Hamje, and Sara Long.

Artist Talk Thursday at Blindfold Gallery

Nucleus (Close-up), Acrylic on panel, 2012

In conjunction with my exhibit, I Remember You, please join Robert Hardgrave and me for a conversation about the process of painting at Blindfold Gallery, 1718 E. Olive Way, Seattle, on Thursday, November 21, at 7:00 pm. Thanks for the plug Art Nerd.

I Remember You, will be on exhibit through December 7, 2013. Gallery hours: 1-5, Wed-Sat.

New American Painting Blog's Painting Highlights From AAF

". . . the intrigue of the fleeting images suppressed by Danielson’s characteristically dense textures gives promise for her show that opens at Blindfold Gallery this week."

Thank you to Erin Langner on the New American Painting blog for highlighting the painters of Blindfold Gallery, including my painting, Pool, and my upcoming show. I Remember You opens Thursday night from 6-9. Please stop by.

Print Demo at Sidereal Press

Claire Cowie and Sheila Coppola working together with the press.

Sheila Coppola, Kim Van Someran Berg and Amanda Knowles

Collaborative print by Claire Cowie (top), Kim Van Someran Berg (middle) and Sheila Coppola (bottom)

Sunday I had the pleasure of visiting Sidereal Press for a print making demonstration given by owner and master printer, Sheila Coppola, along with Claire Cowie and Kim Van Someran Berg, both very talented and experienced print makers in their own rights. This demo was offered as a perk of Seattle Print Arts membership. It was a great demo full of practical information with three experienced print makers working collaboratively to make lovely and fun prints.

Affordable Art Fair and First Thursday

For the second year in a row the Affordable Art Fair arrives at the Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center on Thursday and runs through Sunday. It's a terrific opportunity to check out work from local, national and international artists all in one location.  I'm excited to be participating this time around with Blindfold Gallery. This is an honor, especially given the company that I'll be keeping.

It's a mind-boggling week for art openings. Along with the Affordable Art Fair, this week includes First Thursday in Pioneer Square. At the top of  my "must see" list are the following painting exhibitions: Kathy Liao at Core Gallery,  David Hytone at Gallery IMA and Mary Iverson at Davidson Galleries. Hope to see you out and about.

I Remember You - New Work at Blindfold Gallery

Red Step, 20"x20", mixed-media, 2013

This fall brings my first solo exhibition at Blindfold Gallery. These new paintings reflect stories from my past. They include events we all share. As we gain experience, memories have a way of getting intertwined with the present. Along the way they become altered and even dream-like. In that sense, then, my paintings mirror our unfolding life. 

My playful and improvisational process involves mixing acrylic paint and paper from shapes cut out over the years. These including house forms from past work, unsuccessful drawings or prints. Shapes are combined with emerging compositions, never cut out for a specific space, and are often altered as the composition develops. Color and texture are equally intuitive choices. This method of intertwining of paint and paper, mark making and gluing, mimics the way our memories evolve. 

WHAT: I REMEMBER YOU, new work by Sue Danielson

WHEN: November 14 to December 7

WHERE: Blindfold Gallery, 1718 E. Olive Way, Suite A, Seattle

OPENING: Thursday, November 14 from 6-9 pm 

ARTIST TALK: Sue Danielson in Conversation with Robert Hardgrave, 7:30 pm in the gallery. For a preview, please visit my website. For inquires please contact Blindfold Gallery; (206) 328-5100; info@blindfoldgallery.com

Duwamish Residency Artists at North Seattle Community College

Fiona McGuigan, Kiki McInnes and Juliet Shen

The artists who have participated in the Duwamish Residency (I'm one of the co-founders along with Fiona McGuigan) for the past two years are exhibiting work this month through Oct 25 at the North Seattle Community College Gallery. Tomorrow on Tues, Oct 8 you are invited to an artist talk in Room LB 114 (Library Building). Here are the particulars:

WHAT: Duwamish Artist Residency Exhibition

WHEN: October 1 through October 25, 2013, hours: M-F 11:00 am-3:00 pm, Wed & Thurs 5-8 pm

WHERE: North Seattle Community College Gallery, 9600 College Way North, 1st Floor (SE corner), Instruction Building), Seattle

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Ethan Bickel, Chris Crites, Sue Danielson, Linda Davidson, Jessica Dodge, Emily Gherard, Robert Hardgrave, David Kane, Steve MacFarlane, Gene Gentry McMahon, Fiona McGuigan, and Juliet Shen.

ARTIST TALK/PRESENTATION:

Tuesday, Oct 8, 4:00 pm inLecture Room LB 1141 (Library Building). Sue Danielson will give a history of the Duwamish Residency, Gene Gentry McMahon will speak about her long history working on the Duwamish River as an artist and activist, and special guest, James Rasumussen, of the Duwamish Tribe and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition will speak about his experiences growing up along the river, and as an environmentalist.

The Circularity Series Opens Tonight

The Circularity Series has never been shown outside of my studio and I'm particularity excited to bring dry point prints and paintings together in one exhibition at the Shooting Gallery.

You know those repetitive thoughts, the ones that keep circling around in your head? How do you shake them? The Circularity Series is a visual reminder to get outside of our heads and live in the moment. It began with playful and intuitive drawings that were developed into dry point plates. After several months of printing, my exploration continued in acrylic paint and mixed-media. Please stop by and see the results.

Where:  The Shooting Gallery at Wallflower Custom Framing
              4735 - 42nd Ave S.W.
              Seattle, WA
              Opening: 6-9 pm during the West Seattle Art Walk
              Exhibition runs through Oct. 7

  Circularity IV, drypoint print, 2012

Like Water: Catch it Before it Runs Out

Last day, Sat, Sept. 7 from 1-5 pm at Blindfold Gallery, 1718 E. Olive Way, Seattle.

Duwamish Residency

Printmaking in the Georgetown Steam Plant during the Duwamish Residency

The past couple of days participants in the Duwamish Residency have been working inside the Georgetown Steam Plant compliments of Seattle City Light. It's truly an amazing historical building with soft light that floods through tall windows, setting the scene for this Vermeerish photo.

Thanks to the loan of a portable press I was able to do a little printmaking while on site. Thanks also to photographer, Ethan Bickle, who took the above picture with an iPhone. For more information about the Duwamish Residency please click here.

Opening

We had a wonderful turn out for the opening of Like Water at Blindfold Gallery during the Capitol Hill Art Walk. A warm thank you to everyone who made it. There is still time to catch the show, which is up through September 7. Exhibiting artists include: Laura Hamje, Sarah Long, Kathy Laio, TV Tommy Vision, David Verba and myself.

Tonight at Blindfold Gallery

Just a quick reminder that Like Water opens tonight at Blindfold Gallery on Capitol Hill (1718 E. Olive Way). The hours are 6-9 pm. Scott Burk, who curated the show, says:

In the driest month of this seasonably remarkable Northwest summer, Blindfold Gallery contemplates water through the eyes of six inspired artists. Art observed and imagined, elemental yet elusive, cool or steamy, trickling, lapping, splashing or shimmering, viewed over spacious surfaces or piped, rinsed, fogged, drunk, spat or sweated.

"Like Water" at Blindfold Gallery

Looking for a relief from the heat? Then check out "Like Water", a group exhibition curated by Scott Burke at Blindfold Gallery. It's an honor to have two of my newest mixed-media pieces, Pool and Body Surfing, included along side the work of Kathy Liao, Laura Hamje,  Sara Long, TV Tommy Vision, and David Verba. Please stop by and see the show.

What:    Like Water, a group exhibition

Where: Blindfold Gallery
                   718 E. Olive Way, Suite A
                   Seattle, WA
                   Wed-Sat, 1-5 pm

When:     Aug 8 to Sept. 7. 

Opening: Thurs Aug 8 from 6-9. 

Last Week for Robert Hardgrave and Collum Gallery

Don't miss Robert Hardgrave's latest work in Manifestations at Cullom Gallery. Sadly both the show and the gallery are closing on the 29th so please take the time to stop by to see the show and say good-bye to Beth Cullom.

Now for the good news. The gallery will continue to exist on-line and in pop-up version so keep a look out for announcements. Best of luck Robert and Beth!

Come Forth Into the Light of Things

Come Forth Into the Light of Things, 12"x9", mixed-media, 2013

Sometimes naming is the hardest part of finishing a painting. With this one I knew I was done when I came across this line from a William Wordsworth poem, "Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher."

My painting was made earlier this month during a stereotypical late spring/early summer in Seattle. Yep, that means plenty of rain. The resulting greenness here is INTENSE. I mean that in terms of both color and smell.

The lushness and infinite variety of color contained in a towering, sticky sap-dripping tree, the soft dusty green of a sage plant, or freshly sprouted stalk of grass are so utterly distracting that I’m frequently in danger of running off the road. What would I tell the police officer looking for answers, that I was driving while intoxicated?

Have you smelled green? It’s the tang of the wind blown (blue green) evergreen branch, the just brushed against musty (brown green) of a sword fern, or the nose stinging (yellow green) of freshly cut grass.

Green sounds differently too. It's softer. No clicking of branch on branch. No skittering of dry leaves across the sidewalk. There is just a verdant rustle. 

Then out comes the sun and with it an entirely new range of colors. That’s when I really get pulled forth into the light of things.

Ghost Gallery Petite Works

Exciting news! A few of my mini paintings will be on display in the Petite Works Room at Ghost Gallery on Capitol Hill over the summer. All works are 12" and below. Check it out!

Where: Ghost Gallery
             504 East Denny Way at Summit/Olive
             Seattle, WA

When: June-Aug

Hard and Soft II

 

Detail of a mixed-media piece in process.

Small Voids in Georgetown Tonight

Small Voids is back! Last fall Todd Jannausch created Small Voids, a traveling exhibit that includes work by 100 Northwest artists. It recently hit the road and was exhibited in Portland, OR and Oakland, CA. Now Small Voids has returned to Seattle for it's finale and will be on display tonight only during the Georgetown Art Walk at LxHxW Gallery, 6002 12th Ave. S., Seattle. Hope to see you there!

Slipping Glimpse

Slipping Glimpser, 48"x60", mixed-media, 2013

After looking at this painting, a friend remarked that it's a slipping glimpser. She was referring to Willem De Kooning's statement about his desire to capture fleeting imagery on his canvases, although he was also referring to the slipperiness of the paint caused by the additional oil he added to increase viscosity.While no one would mistake my painting for a De Kooning, it still seems like an apt description. My "Slipping Glimpser" is one of a growing number of mixed media paintings I've been putting together for a show this winter at Blindfold Gallery in Seattle.

Painting is arguably an archaic practice in this crazy, fast-paced world that is increasingly digitized and impermanent. It is a slow and often deliberate activity. My own work has gotten increasingly complex in structure and composition over the past few years as I've attempted to digest the imagery that we are all inundated with throughout the day. As a visual person the act of conscious seeing is sometimes overwhelming. While I sleep, all of those images seem to mingle with the real and imagined ones, with memory, space, and time. They later emerge on the canvas.

My process begins with a collaged piece of paper or a bit of paint, or both. They are the opening line of a story with an unknown ending. It sometimes feels as if I'm playing the old "Telephone" game where a phrase gets passed from one person to the next and the next all the while getting rearranged into something new, even though I'm talking to myself. What I glue, the marks that I make and/or the choices of color are all equally intuitive. Eventually a pattern emerges and there it is, a satisfying yet fleeting glimpse.

Hard and Soft

It's all about context, of course. Here is a detail from one of several pieces I've been working on this week. My process has involved the dynamic hard edge of paper against soft edges of paint. Some people climb mountains for excitement but this is the stuff that makes my pulse race.

Transitional Stability

Here is a glimpse of what has been going on in my temporary studio since the move a few weeks ago. Some of these pieces were started before the packing began. Many of them are still in process but surprisingly once the dust settled I was right back to work. Little time was spent sniffing in all the corners and making tweaks before getting back to work, which is what usually happens. This place fell together like a jig saw puzzle I had put together a dozen times.

One More Week

There is only one more week left to see Evolutionary: 5 After 5 at the Washington State Convention Center. The exhibit ends on Thursday, April 4. Please stop by if you haven't seen the show.

Studio Interruptis

Plan A had me moved into my new studio just off of Nickerson near Fremont Bridge by now. Construction delays have prevented that from happening. Having given the required notice at Building C Studios I need to be out of my old studio by the end of March so it's time to implement Plan B. Thanks to Louise Duroucher for carving out a corner of her scuplture studio to make space for me until our new place is ready. This is where I'll be "making due" for a couple of months. Pretty sweet, huh! So you'll still find me in Building C Studios for awhile longer and just next door to my old studio in the Annex.

Another Peek!

One more view of Evolutionary: 5 After 5 at the Washington State Convention Center through April 4.

Fiona McGuigan and the Constant Image

Some of the work created from a single image by Fiona McGuigan during the past year.
On display at Gage Academy through March 29.

Sometimes obsession can be a good thing. Want to see how to put it to good advantage? Go see The Constant Image, an exhibition of work by Fiona McGuigan, who used a single image of two Swiss wrestlers to create a large and diverse body of work. It is currently on display at Gage Academy of Art, Third Floor gallery through March 29. The opening reception is this Friday from 6-8 pm. 

Earlier today Fiona graciously agreed to answer a couple of questions about the image of choice and her process.

SD: I have to ask, why this image?

FM: I can tell you all kind of things about the image; all rational thoughts and reasons, about layout, balance, and lines, but the truth of the matter is, I saw the image and it conjured up complicated and contradictory emotions of tenderness, rawness, force, dominance, submission, beauty, and in that, I saw potential. 

SD: How did your process for creating the work for the Constant Image differ from your prior practice?

FM: I never work with a finished image in mind, but I always think about options, what would happen if ...I turned the whole painting black, what would happen.. if it's only partially black and add some red.

Well, if you are working large, ideas of change and exploration are very laborious.  I also noticed that when painting it took several weeks to truly understand the image, so I'm constantly redrawing. I end up with layer after layer of images over each other. 

In this series, in some ways it's like pulling apart one of my large paintings, each layer suddenly becomes its own thing. The parameters for this series are very strict, the pieces are much smaller, only one repeated image, only black and white, because of that I can now suddenly work fast and try out more and more ideas. My exploration became more adventurous. When working small it's fine to fail. It's fine if most of the pieces fail. Actually it's kind of fun to fail. It's very freeing. You can get more and more extreme, and suddenly something works, really works, and it surprises and delights you. 

That freewheeling process comes through in the work, which leaves me a little breathless and energized. It provides plenty to be surprised and delighted about. Besides, any true art geek has to love a show that's so process driven. Intrigued? Then be sure to make the trek up the three flights of stairs at Gage and take in the show. 

Portlandia Explains Conceptual Art

And in a way only they can. Very funny!

Artists' Reception

This Sunday from 1-3 pm is the Artists' Reception for Evolutionary: 5 After 5 at the Washington State Convention Center, 2nd Floor, 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA. Please stop by to meet the artists and check out the exhibit. Over 100 works of art are on display. Louise Durocher, Robert Hardgrave, Gillian Theobald, Claude Utley and I all look forward to seeing you there.

Open Studio Tonight

Tonight is the last open studio I'll be having at Building C Studios. At the end of the month I'll be on the move. Since 2007 my studio has been located in the Building C Studios in Ballard where I have enjoyed being part of a terrific community of artists and have made life long friends. While I will definitely miss my Building C community, I eagerly anticipate the possibilities that await in my new studio just off of Nickerson near the Fremont Bridge. The new space will include a print studio, which is particularly exciting since printmaking has become such an important part of my practice. Plans for an open house are in the works.

Evolutionary: 5 After 5 Sneak Peek

Today is the first day of the exhibition Evolutionary: 5 After 5 at the Washington State Convention Center. There are over 100 works on display. It's such a joy to be exhibiting with Louise Durocher, Gillian Theobald, Robert Hardgrave and C. L. Utley. I've had the great pleasure of working in proximity with them since 2007 and know they are top notch artists and people. I'm a better artist and person for knowing them. Please stop by and see a sampling of the work we have made over the past five years.

Evolutionary: 5 After 5

For the past five plus years, since August of 2008, I have had the pleasure of working in close proximity with four visual artists, Louise Durocher, Robert Hardgrave, Gillian Theobald and Claude Utely. Our studios inhabit a small and separate area of Building C Studios in Ballard. As a result, we have forged a close bond. Evolutionary: 5 After 5 is our first joint exhibition and represents a celebration of individuality and proximity in our artistic process. We would be pleased if you stopped by to see the exhibition and join us at the opening in February.

WHAT:      Evolutionary: 5 After 5

WHEN:     January 24 to April 4, 2013

WHERE:   Washington State Convention Center, 2^nd Fl.
                      800 Convention Place
                      Seattle, WA

ARTIST RECEPTION:  Sunday, February 17, 2012, 1-3 pm

Armstrong State University 2-D Juried Exhibition

Red Matter, 20"x20", acrylic, 2012

It is with great pleasure that I share with you that Red Matter and Red One are included in a current exhibition at the Armstrong State University Art Gallery in Savannah, GA through February 4, 2013, as part of the 2nd Annual Armstrong National 2-D competition.

Gillian Theobald at Linda Hodges Gallery

Royaled Roil, acrylic on canvas over panel, Gillian Theobald, 2011

Gillian Theobald is a painter who has had a significant influence on me both personally and professionally. At the core of her practice is her strength as a colorist and her intuitive process. Gillian paints almost every day. The results of this dedication and talent are not to be missed. Lucky for us all that tomorrow night during First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square, an exhibition of Gillian's new work will open at Linda Hodges Gallery.