Stranger Genius Award - visual art shortlist

It's been an AMAZING year for art here in the Northwest. I don't envy the job of The Stranger staff in selecting a short-list of the best, but here it is! The list is totally solid and I've written about most of them repeatedly on this blog. In fact, I've even done an interview with 3/4 of the artists (and have asked Anne to do one down the road). Two paws up to all of them (and every other artist out there making art and building community)!

Untitled by Matthew Offenbacher (image via artist)

The Desert by Anne Mathern (image via LP)

12 views (pink tree) by Claire Cowie (image via JHG)

Rattling House (detail) by Leo Saul Berk (image via LP)

Blitz! November 2009

Blitz!, the Capitol Hill art walk, happens tomorrow. Lots of great stuff - here's a detailed list of participating venues and artists.

Ranch Hand by Warren Dykeman, 2009

Warren Dykeman has a new show opening Thursday at Grey Gallery & Lounge called Future Remains. WOW! This new body of work is the best I've seen yet. The reception is from 5-9pm followed by DJs SunTzu Sound.

Continuing next door at Vermillion is the fantastic show We Built This to Leave with Sharon Arnold, Trevor Johnson and Ryan Molenkamp.

Entryway Proposal for University Art Museum (interior view), 2004

Leo Saul Berk

My first curated show at Cupcake Royale (Cap Hill) is up now. I Do focuses on artistic couples and their relationships. Claudia Fitch's beautiful pair of figures, CALIGRAPHY (kimono walk), has been held over from the previous show. Also, please note KHV was originally scheduled to play but regret they won't be able to make it.

The space between...

Leo Saul Berk and Claire Cowie make very dissimilar work and approached this project as an opportunity to seek out the space where their work overlaps. Both have elements of space. Leo’s is very easy to see but Claire’s is subtler through the use of horizon lines and landscape. For this show, Claire is showing prints of an architectural sculpture while Leo is showing renderings of an interior space he designed. The two have created very different takes on imaginary spaces.

Exercises in Compromise (Delaware Valley) 1

Dawn Cerny & Davidson Warren Burnam

Love is a battlefield...

Dawn Cerny and Davidson Warren Burnam selected three photographs to exhibit. The photographs were studies for Dawn’s show, “We’re all going to die (except for you).” at Henry Art Gallery last year. At Brandywine State Park, near a battle-site from the Revolutionary War, Dawn and D.W. recreated the drama of war. While D.W. “would run away from me, I would yell instructions about how I wanted him to die. Knife to the leg while running west. Shrapnel in the right knee. These images became the source material for the etchings in the Henry show.”

Party People by Joey Veltkamp

As part of the Sorrento Hotel's Night School series (created by Michael Hebb), 12 books is launching this Thursday. This is such a cool idea and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. I'll be signing copies of my book scenes from a hotel, volume 1 starting at 7pm. The kind folks at Publication Studio are printing it and copies are $20 and available here for non-Seattleites. I'll be in crazy-good company for this event - these folks will also be present for the event: Bruce Henderson, Matt Briggs, John Roderick and Matthew Stadler. Hopefully at least a couple of you will show up so I can hold my against these luminaries. It's free and open to everyone.

Artist Salon 2 - Masterpiece

Matt leading an auction.

The second Artist Salon happened last night, this time led by Matthew Offenbacher. What a blast! The reason I don't publicize what we'll be doing is because I don't actually know until the artist(s) show up. So I had no idea what Matt was going to do.

Erin, Gretchen, Sara and Jeffry

I know it's been said a million times, but Matt builds community. And one of the most basic ways of doing that is playing games. So Matt brought one of his favorite games from his childhood called Masterpiece. In fact, Matt said that this probably heavily influenced him in becoming an artist. Of course, it wasn't as simple as just playing a game. Matt also posted lots of quotes relating to the ideas of value and art and collecting.

Elizabeth takes a turn.

What really made the game for me (outside of the awesome group of folks who showed up) was that Matt created a set of cards featuring local artists. Several of us were actually playing the game so it added an entire new layer of fun to be bidding on your friends' art.

And while I don't know all the specifics of next week's salon with Jason Hirata and Sol Hashemi, I do know that it will be in direct opposition to the gentle energy of Matt's workshop.

Thanks to everyone who showed up last night, especially to Matthew Offenbacher. More salon pics here.

Slippage/Spillage c-print by Gala Bent

Slippage/Spillage c-print by Gala Bent

I know that lots of you at the recent New Guard dinner really wanted to buy art by Gala Bent but might not have been able to afford an original. Well, you're in luck! Gala's Portland gallery, Half/Dozen, has created a limited edition c-print of her piece Slippage/Spillage. This gorgeous 9"x12" print, and other artist editions, are available here.

Artist Salon - Matthew Offenbacher

For the second installment of the Artist Salons series, Matthew Offenbacher will be leading folks in a workshop tonight beginning at 4pm. Outside of his artistic practice, Matt's probably best known for his passion for building community.

While geared towards Seattle University students, everyone is welcome to attend the Artist Salons.

The fun starts tonight at 4pm in my studio (040 Hunthausen Hall) at Seattle University. Hope to see you there!

Light Show for Unesco (image via)

Oscillating Field by Dan Corson

Dan Corson has recently reconfigured his project Oscillating Field by replacing the 4' rods with 8' rods. There will be an artist reception tonight from 6-7:30pm. Swing by for some amazing visuals and light noshes.

Even if you didn't' know it was him, you've probably already seen Dan's work. He's probably most well-known in Seattle for his Wave Rave Cave. Dan also just did a major installation at Suyama Space.

Wave Rave Cave by Dan Corson

Image by Corson Studios

Oscillating Field is sponsored by Sound Transit.

GIVE Seattle 2009

I love it when folks make helping out easy. Over 40 Seattle artists, non-profits and businesses have banded together (and donated their time and energy) to create a digital only album called GIVE. The compilation features music by The Cave Singers, D. Black, Ben Gibbard, Visqueen, The Long Winters, Sera Cahoone and many more artists.

ALL sales go directly to Art Corps and local food banks. In addition to all the great music, they've made it real easy to buy with a $7 price tag!

The album is available on Nov 17.

Barnaby Furnas / Old, Weird America

John Brown (2005) by Barnaby Furnas

image via Frye Museum

It's hard to miss Barnaby Furnas' paintings in the Frye's current show Old Weird America. They are beautifully vivid and violent and have to be seen in person. He'll be giving a lecture on Nov 19. Until then, here's a great article that talks about his process.

Duel (2004) by Barnaby Furnas

image via Glasstire

Gathering Image, Fugitive Form / Kittredge Gallery

Untitled (2009) by Danila Rumold

There's a great review in the Tacoma Weekly about the Kittredge Gallery's group show Gathering Image, Fugitive Form. Four artists, Eric Elliott, Helen O'Toole, Mary Ann Peters and Danila Rumold, come together to explore "...the boundaries between figure and ground, form and abstraction."

Gathering Image, Fugitive Form was curated by Carol Adelman.

Not From Around Here / The Heroes

Local movers & shakers, The Heroes, are presenting a two-night run of Not From Around Here.

"seattle sometimes feels like a city of transplants. natives are few and far between, especially in the arts world. the theme of this reading asks participants (some native to the art of writing, some not) to consider how they relate to place, both locally and beyond. am i texan because i was born and raised there? am i a seattleite because i live here now? in what ways am i both? in what ways am i neither?"

Not From Around Here will include readings, performances and some unexpected things.

Nov 10 & 11, 7pm, $5 suggested donation

Jewelbox Theater