It's summer in Seattle, and I'm thinkin' Salmon!

You think you're too busy to enjoy the small stuff, when it all of a sudden it's there right in your backyard. Literally.

So my mom calls me the other day, and says, "I got a chance to talk about Etsy today!" Love that my mom is all psyched about Etsy. :-)

She proceeds to tell me that this great guy, Isaiah Heyer, who's doing some landscaping for her also creates these beautiful glass fish. She suggested he jump on the Etsy bandwagon, and he may just have his shop up and ready any time now.

In the meantime, be sure to check him out on his website: http://glasssalmon.com/index.html. Don't be fooled by the name - he makes glass trout too!

Also, take a look at his landscaping page, as his ponds and stone walls are quite beautiful too! http://www.islandgardenarts.com/

new studio neighbor at the OK

I just found out that one of my dear friends, David Lindes, will be moving his photography business in to the OK Hotel!

That's right, yet another reason to come drop by First Thursday Art Walk.

I met David almost 3 years ago when he was doing tech for a small startup in the suite next door. He and his co-workers used to drop by for coffee, and I carried his prints as one of our cool, up-and-coming Seattle artists. He now returns to the OK Hotel with his true love, photography. (I may be sneaking in to his darkroom, to return to my roots... shhhh...)

David tends to work with darkness and light, movement and long exposures. His colors pop brilliantly against his frequently dark backgrounds.

Be sure to check him out:

http://photo.lindes.net/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindes/

And of course, come see him in person soon!

(P.S. As a quick reminder, all images on this blog remain copyrighted by the artists. I have borrowed these images from the artists' websites for the purposes of promoting their fabulousness.)

I’m the green-eyed monster…

I discovered my dream place last night.

Having walked down this street many times, and recently hearing of this place mentioned by several others, I was excited to finally make my way over to “grey” for a drink.

“grey” is another combo of bar and gallery, but I was really impressed by the balance they’ve found. There are many galleries that serve wine for receptions, and many bars that feature local art on the walls, but “grey” has discovered you can have a true 50/50 balance.

This month, they have two featured artists, one of whom makes smaller drawings and hand-embroidered drawings. The other makes larger sculptural pieces. So even between the two artists they chose this month, there is a harmony between pieces to fill the walls while you enjoy a drink, and larger pieces to inspire you to walk around, explore, and create flow through the space.

In addition to enjoying the space and the artists they chose, they had attentive bar staff, and a great menu! I enjoyed 2 glasses of the Portuguese red, which was impressive for $5. And while I didn’t get a chance to eat this time, I did enjoy watching them make a few of their savory crepes. Art, cocktails, crepes, and music? Sign me up! I found out they are open all day, so expect to see me lounging here for lunch some nice weekend.

Check them out:
“grey” http://greygalleryandlounge.com/
Noah Grussgott (artist) http://noahgrussgott.com/
Sabrina Small (artist) http://www.sabrinasmall.com/

vacations, and holidays, and drama, oh my!

(Warning, this post contains elements of all things creative, from visual art, to food, to architecture, theatre, and more. Beware of sensory overload.)

After a month away from this blog, I'm excited to share what all I've been up to!

First a trip to Boston. Having never been to Boston before, I was struck by how beautiful (and clean!) the city was. Everywhere I turned, it was another cobblestone street or cute boutique. Not to mention a number of art co-ops that were very put together. And did I mention the watercolor society housed in the attic of a classic church? What an inspiring place for a young artist to visit!

My first morning, on the way to the Commons, I walked up Charles Street and walked into a a great little art gallery Judith Dowling Asian Art. Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures in this venue. While intuitively drawn to Eastern cultures, I realized how very little I know about their art and culture. The piece that drew my attention was a fabric scroll with an elaborate painting of Japanese people at work and decorated with real gold. The detail was amazing with small twisted strands creating the characters' hair. I started chatting with the curator(?) and he mentioned this was actually a religious relic. The hair belonged to the deceased wife of the man who commissioned the piece in her honor. Sweet! Give me that over an epitaph anyday.

Once I got near the Commons, I realized I was starving, so I stepped into Parish Cafe for lunch. Parish is cool because their menu is comprised of individual sandwiches/dishes from various renowned chefs around town. I had the Nebo, which I can't even begin to describe, so I will quote directly from the menu:

**The Nebo / $11.25 Created by: The Pallotta Sisters, Executive Chefs-Nebo, Boston
Italian tuna on a crunchy baguette with an olive tapenade, Mediterranean aioli, lettuce, tomato, sliced hard boiled eggs, fresh basil and red onions. Served with a string bean-tomato salad.

OH MY GOD. I've died and gone to food heaven. Perhaps haven't tasted anything whose flavors meshed so well together in.... 4 years? (And I've eaten some pretty awesome food in Seattle. Major props to the Pallotta Sisters.)

So once I got over my food-joy experience, I enjoyed a couple more days in Boston, then did the appropriate tourist thing. Went on a Duck Tour. While floating in the Charles River, our lovely tour-guide was pointing out landmarks, and points out the Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary. He noted that the building owners wanted to expand but wanted to stay in the same location. So they built a new building right on top of the old one. What exactly is this supposed to say? Visting a city that is literally 3 TIMES the age of my city, and with all their own self-appreciation of their history, one would naturally assume that keeping the old building at all is to preserve the history.

But seriously, look at the new building. The big, strong, modern, cement structure dwarfs the smaller historic beauty. Is the new building eating the old? Perhaps a statement of new technology overcoming/obliterating history and tradition? If intentional, this would be a bolder statement than simply replacing the original structure.

........

So I get back from vacation and catch up at work, then here comes Mother's Day! Inspired by a great silk wrap my mother saw at the mall, I had a great time creating a similar style wrap. Check her out! My mom is going to look super swanky on her Alaskan cruise. The top pic is a close-up of the paint detail.

........

Finally, I'm gearing up to direct a production of No Exit on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Message me if you want to participate in the production or advertise in the program.

seattle unfriendly to art?

My eye was drawn to an article in The Stranger entitled "The Vancouver Problem: Why is the Art Up There So Much Better Than the Art Up Here?"

Of course, my first thought was How Dare You Jen Graves - you're supposed to be on our side! But then I read the article, which proved a true point about the Seattle art scene. And to build further on her criticism, we can look at other cities besides Vancouver.

For a city that appears art friendly (most neighborhoods hold monthly art walks, and many cafes have local art on their walls), the City itself could go far in terms of improving an artists' chances here.

I just came across an online article about cheap dating tips, and it suggested Art Walk; the event itself is free and there was no risk of spending money because "no one buys that crap anyway". Ouch.

How do we encourage legitimate customers to attend, who are not just there for the free wine? And if the art really is that bad, how can we encourage a culture that appreciates good art, and encourage its artists to develop themselves?

In a city with several art schools, how are we not a culture that supports the arts, holds the artist to a higher standard, and also has a consumer base that appreciates it?

One place to start: In New York City, where the cost of living is very high, and the paychecks are not comparable, and therefore people have smaller homes with less room for art, how is art still prevalent and successful? The local rules of play art that setting up a booth on the street is FREE and requires no vendor license. Catch this: selling your art is considered freedom of speech. You still need your business license and need to claim income, etc. But the actual act of going public becomes very accessible. And with all these artists right there in your face, the general public now sees art on a regular basis, and comes to appreciate it.

Conversely, in Seattle, where there are sprawling suburban homes with plenty of wall space, where are the consumers? You must jump through hoops to vend on the street, and likely will have to pay 10% of sales to the neighborhood or community association. You can buy an $80 framed poster print at Beb Bath & Beyond, or you could spend the same $80 on an original by a local artist, but how will you do that if you don't know the artist exists? In a city where we pride ourselves on buying local food, because it's more green, should we not also pride ourselves on our local culture?

Do I have any solutions for change? Not yet. But it is certainly time to start the dialogue.

hanging out at first thursday

If you are looking for a fun activity, you should check out the neighborhood Art Walks in Seattle. Each neighborhood's falls on a different night of the month, but Downtown and Pioneer Square's in the First Thursday of each month.

Swing by - I'd love to say hi! Make an evening of it by checking out the venues at firstthursdayseattle.com.

While I'm hanging out, I'd like to introduce you to some of my new pieces. I'm working on something a little different from my norm - a line of children's (or fun adult's!) paintings, based off of a character I'd painted on of my silk scarves.

Meet the first 3: Giraffe, Pegasus, and Zebra.

These are creatures with attitude. Giraffe shrugs it off and lazily sticks his tongue out. Pegasus sadly (suspicously?) looks over his shoulder at some mysteriously rounds things in the sky behind him. Wait, aren't I the only flying creature up here? And Zebra closes her eyes to feel the wind flip through her mane. It's true - I am Queen!

All have black painted edges, so they can hang unframed. I will also take photos soon so prints will be available.

Also coming in the future are Penguin, Cat, Fish, Elephant, and more!

some northwest flavor

If you've ever been to the Northwest, you've probably walked by a fair share of tribal art and eaten some pretty phenomenal seafood.

Metal artist Gator Chamberlain pays tribute to our Northwest culture through both wall hangings and free standing sculpture.

First exposed to Gator's work through a mutual friend, I was impressed by the intricate detail in his wall hangings. Each of these birds and creatures have designs cut into them that are as elaborate as a fine lace.

Besides the skill and craftsmanship, I'm intrigued by how expressive each of the characters are, each having a soulfulness - each of them seems as if they have a story they could tell.

Gator has also started a new series of human-sized, larger-than-life, free-standing fishing flies. As of yet, he doesn't have a website featuring his fine metal work, but I have a feeling we'll be hearing more

from this artist who has captured the spirit of the Northwest.