May2010

Welcome to Spokane’s art circuit! Stay up to date on the latest art and artists during First Fridays! Here you will find footage, photos and stories about the galleries and featured artists of the month. If you don’t have time to make it out to First Fridays or you can’t make it to all the galleries, we’ve got it covered. If you are a gallery in Spokane and were not covered please let us know and we will cover your space and art. Would you like to have an art circuit update sent to you each month? Just send an email to ammyourcity@gmail.com

First Friday was upon us again and with the April arts column not yet in the can, the staff of My Media Magazine – Seth, Ian, Alan, and I – set out in search of the best visual art this May evening had to offer. This time, I happily noticed the venue listings on East Sprague, an area which sits beyond the normal First Friday boundaries of downtown. It’s a start, which I applaud - although I failed to make it to any of those showings; time just didn’t allow it when the event is only 3 hours long.

Again I listened to ideas about extending the monthly three-hour long art & retail walk (5-8pm) to 9pm. Sounds good to me! Even if you count only the galleries (leaving out the retail shops and wineries), three hours just isn’t long enough to take it all in! Plus, the club & bar nightlife downtown usually begins around 9pm, when most bands begin performing at the particular venues. That way, you could still keep the people downtown, keep them happy, and keep them spending money! With the 8pm ‘closing’ or ‘rolling up the carpet’, people tend to leave with possibly the intention of coming back, but often they don’t. By extending the First Friday event to 9pm, you have a way to keep them downtown.

Photograph by Alan Plemmons

The other idea was, of course, to include the galleries and art outside the downtown area. It’s a suggestion we hear every month. “Any gallery with the interest should be allowed to be listed (in the First Friday listings),” Spokane artist Bruce Hormann, who also owns Object Space Gallery further out on Sprague, had told us a few months back. So again, I applaud the addition of the additional galleries this month outside the downtown Spokane area and I hope that it continues.

This month, Hormann’s epoxy resin and collage works (plus a couple of sculptures) were part of an interesting four-artist showing at Chase Gallery in the lower level of Spokane’s City Hall, along with a group of acrylic paintings by Dirk Parsons, and a series of 3-D wall pieces created by Mary Wheeler out of Paper Mache, mixed media and acrylic. I have yet to see a show at this gallery that I haven’t liked and our visit to the First Friday showing (which runs through June 25) did not disappoint.

The fact that I had to finally tear myself away from this show if I was going to see anything else should be testimony enough as to the visual quality of the art; or was I being hypnotized by Nan Drye’s series of mobiles?

“They’re not balanced, so they’re not really mobiles,” Dryer told My Media Magazine. “Normally what people think of when they think of mobiles is ‘balanced,’ so I think of them more as mixed-media sculpture. I do a lot of mixed-media, etc., so they’re an extension of that. ”

Sailing was my favorite of the three “mixed-media sculptures” and I watched with fascination as patterns of light danced with shadows on the large white, wooden pedestal beneath. I made certain Ian got a video of that and I took photos as well. This was also Dryer’s favorite of the three works and she stated that adding the pedestal brought out an unexpected new dimension to the piece: “It was just bits and pieces until (Karen) put the white block underneath it.

The piece itself was composed of split willow, cotton, plaster cloth, bamboo, freshwater pearls, and plastic beads, fishing line, swivels. The sails were fashioned from waxed linen while she was watching over the Raw Space exhibit back in February.

“I’m a collector of stuff, so the stuff inspired me,” she said, before another visitor took her away to ask questions about a separate piece. (“The cones and containers are for holding thoughts and dreams,” I heard her say about the other work.)

When she returned to me, I was still staring at the same mobile, at the sculpted facial mask which hung from the center of the work. The other works had other masks. “As they move in the light they do change expressions, don’t they”? She asked. (Or was that, “Your eyelids are getting heavy, you will fall asleep…,” she said subliminally. I can’t read my notes.) Drye does not use live people when creating her sculpted masks – “too much can go wrong” - but prefers to work on what she called ‘weird glass heads’. “I kept molding and experimenting with expressions and light until I came up with these.”

I know Drye as a fabric artist who, she told me, has been selling art since the age of 6 and now makes a pretty good living at it by selling through sources like Pottery Place Plus (in Spokane), her own web page www.dryegoods.com, and the full calendar of art clothing shows she has coming up. For the First Friday artist’s reception, Drye wore a black, blue, and purple wrap of her own colorful design and creation.

“For me this show was a welcomed break. The clothing is very colorful and I see these things as white,” she said in reference to her mixed-media sculptures, “so it’s a rest for my eyes.”

Leaving Dryer to her other guests, I checked out Hormann’s collage work, my favorite of which was a large, framed work of a young man’s face – oil, paper, epoxy resin – titled simply untitled. Hormann, who looked great in his suit, was busy with other visitors, as was Wheeler who’s 2006 Leaves on a Walk I enjoyed; so I hadn’t the chance to speak with either before announcing that I was headed for the Avenue West Gallery.

“Would you like some company?” my friend Shanti asked. So with Shanti and her boyfriend Phouthavong – pronounced ‘put’ for short - in tow, we ascended the stairs and headed south, leaving the My Media crew behind to continue filming.

Featured artist Sandy Mooney was right up front, as is always the case at Avenue West Gallery. Immediately my eye was caught by Sunset , a fair-sized disc of orange colored fused glass surrounded by 2000 one-foot strands of copper wire. Mooney assured me that all 2000 ft of wire was there.

She said, “My husband and I went to a place called Cave B next to the gorge (here in Washington state) and we were sitting on the patio – they have fabulous food by the way - and we saw this gorgeous sunset. I thought I could envision that with copper wire around it.”

In the blurb for this showing, Mooney was billed as a fused glass artist; her business card for Sandy Mooney Studios states that she also creates jewelry – the gallery’s only listing for her on their website- and is a photographer. The influence for it all she credits to the Graphic Arts program at Spokane Falls Community college, during which she’d been exposed to a wide variety of artistic techniques and media during her attendance in the mid-80’s. Seven years ago, she began working with jewelry, stringing together purchased pendants and gemstone beads; further exploration of the craft lead to a jewelry fabrication class from Laura Dahl at the Spokane Art School. “I’m a technique person,” she told me.

She adds: “I got into selling jewelry when I had a bracelet on that I’d made and a girlfriend who saw it wanted to buy it.” She’s been creating and selling jewelry ever since.

As for her fused glass art pieces she says, “I just went to Everett (in Washington state) to learn that technique from Stan Price at the Covenant Glass Gallery there. It’s kind of like drawing with paint.” Only three years later, she is showing her designs and work at the Avenue West Gallery: Wall decorations, sushi sets, accents for her jewelry and more.

The fused glass process bonds together multiple layers of glass, although Mooney prefers to use only two in her projects, with one being a layer of dichroic glass for color. Due to the physical properties of dichroic glass and the way it transmits/reflects different wavelengths of light, the array of colors displayed will change depending on your angle of view. She enjoys the mirror-like quality the dichroic glass evokes from her pieces.

“Did you tell him it’s very expensive glass?” asked Spokane artist Conrad Begley who was standing behind us. She had. With over 45 different color coatings availble, each work of fused dichroic glass is unique, because of its unpredictability as to color through the multiple firings needed to produce a piece. Images can be formed by removing the dichroic coating from parts of the glass, creating everything from abstract patterns to letters, animals, or faces.

Other methods Mooney uses when adding color to her fused glass pieces involves the use of crushed glass that she puts on top of her projects – the “drawing with paint” technique – or as in the case of a series of plates shown me, she does the design work first and then paints the borders with 22k gold glass paint.

In looking around the gallery, I also enjoyed the painting ‘Critters’ by Dian Zabner, from her series Birding Cruise on the Amazon in Peru. I also enjoyed the music of acoustic guitarist Tracy Carr, who at one point was performing “Classical Gas”. I had to hear this and of course, tell him my story.

As a kid growing up in Portland in the mid-1960’s, I wanted to play the guitar. I’d already taken piano lessons for a number of years, but I was bent on playing the guitar instead of piano, mostly because everone else did – so I thought. Mom purchased a ¾ size Harmony acoustic classical guitar from Leon Drews Sheet Music store and I began learning on that. Along the way, I was introduced to a man in the area who played the guitar. His name was Mason Williams and at one point he’d showed me this piece, just an idea he had, on my guitar. He later headed for California and a few years later I recognized some of this piece I began hearing on the radio. What I’d heard was what later became “Classical Gas.” My wife now has that guitar.

“That was one of the first songs I learned,” Carr told me, afterwhich a gallery visitor asked him the name of the song. “I had my teacher teach it to me, way before I could play. My reading of (musical) notation wasn’t as good as it should be so it took me awhile. Then I ran into it in Guitar Player magazine, and with tab.” As a sophomre at James Madison High, I was the only kid in the school who could perform the song.

Carr adds: “There’s a really cute waitress down at the Italian Kitchen that makes me play that every time I play there. She won’t let me leave until I play it.” Carr also recommended the Edgar Cruz flamenco version of the song.

Artist Tiffany Patterson’s paper mache tree is something I still remember from the MONTH exhibit back in March;I’d probably have to say that was my single favorite work. I enjoyed the muralists painted flying bees and the whimsical female characters with the big-eyes. I had to go see her show at The Second Space Gallery, by way of Barili Cellars located next door. Barili is an Italian word meaning barrels and according to their website, their inspiration comes from the Italian tradition of wine being shared with family and friends. “We’ve been open about two years now and we plan on being open for every First Friday,” owner/winemaker Steve Trabun as he introduced me to his wife, Dana, and poured a sample of their 2009 Viognier. Being the wine connoisseur that I am, I’m sure that I used proper technique when downing my drink like a derby skater. I could however, taste the slight citrus/fruit flavoring.

“Would you like to sample this one?” he asked, obviously impressed with my technique and as Trabun continued to pour samples – my favorite was their 2008 Barrelin’ Red, a special blend of Syrah, Cabernet Savignon, and Merlot with the fruit of the Walla Walla Valley here in Washington – I almost missed the paintings by Kim Matthews Wheaton which hung on the wall. “We’re getting ready for a big show this weekend,” he said, referring to the first annual Spring Barrel Tasting on Mother’s Day, of which Barili was one of 16 participating wineries. “It’s going to be a big day for us.”

After viewing the paintings by Wheaton (the 18”x18” farm scene Job Well Done was my favorite), I thanked Trabun and his partner Russ Feist for their hospitality and headed next door to the Second Space Gallery to attend the artists’ reception for “INK: I Ran Into My Canvas at the Grocery Store,” an exploration of the concept of lowbrow and highbrow and how it relates to the art of the tattoo. The exhibit runs through May 31st and features the art of Tiffany Patterson, along with the work of Dara Harvey (a last minute addition) and several Spokane tattoo artists.

It was nice to see so many people were inside when I entered and I sought out Patterson who was surrounded by well wishers. It didn’t hurt either that the day prior to the reception, another publication ran a very nice profile piece on the artist whose pastel-toned twisted ladies, with the sharp-chins and big eyes watched me from the gallery walls.

“2007 I think was my first show, at Constant Creations (the Spokane fine arts gallery and tattoo parlor) on 1st street. I’d given her a painting as a tip and the owners asked if I’d be interested in exhibiting some of my other work there.”

She’s gone from that first showing in 2007 to “the forefront of Spokane’s young creative class” (as she was referred to in the profile piece) in a whirlwind of only three years. Along the way she exhibited at Constant Creations a second time and at clubs, coffee houses, tattoo shops, and other alternative venues. Her bees and whimsical, twisted character maidens adorned the walls of the MONTH exhibit held this past March at the Kolvo-Sullivan Gallery, where her paper mache tree erected in the center of the room became my single-most favorite piece from that entire exhibit. She now has a Tiffany Patterson Art fan page on FaceBook.

As for her paintings, I’ve been familiar with her work for only a short time and it was at the Kolvo-Sullivan exhibit that I began to see somewhat of a resemblance in style to that of local artist Dara Harvey; so it was nice to see the two set up side-by-side at the Second Space exhibit. The two do share some influences, but Patterson has known her contemporary only a short time, when a mutual friend thought it would be fun if the two artists met.

Patterson, who told me that she likes to paint from past experiences (although she’s not limited to that), chose the cleverly titled Do You Believe in Science?, a 12 ½” x 15 ½” acrylic paint and ink on wood panel as her favorite. From Ms. Patterson’s description of the portrait, a young lady with large green eyes, pouting lips and a serpent wrapped perilously around her, Do You Believe in Science? could almost exist as a self portrait of her former self.

“When I was in high school, we had a snake in our class and I would beg the teacher to let me play with it. It was a boa; it wove around in my hair and I had to remove it before I went to the next class,” she said with a laugh.

With all the attention Ms. Patterson’s receiving lately, maybe it is a good thing that this former photography student decided to drop out and take up painting.

Photograph by Alan Plemmons

Photograph by Lloyd Phillips

Photograph by Llloyd Phillips

Photograph by Alan Plemmons

By the time I had arrived at the Globe Bar & Grill on Division Street, artist Jason Bagge had left. Down the street, Kizuri, which had been showing the watercolors of Greg Pritchett, was closed; I decided to look around inside the Globe for the first time.

I loved the atmosphere inside the Globe Bar and Grill, kind of that old-fashioned, turn of the century feeling (as opposed to retro 50/60’s) that makes me think of Seattle or back home. The dark brown wooden booths oozed warmth and everyone I met there was so friendly and looked like they were having a good time. I don’t recall any loud, blaring music or giant TV screens, just warmth and friendliness. How could I have missed this place before? I’ll have to eat there sometime.

Bagge’s work was hanging prominently on the wall, a series of elaborately decorated skateboard decks, some with graphic arts and others with found objects. I admit to having known the street artist/musician for sometime, but I knew him as a rapper. I had no idea about his visual art endeavors. Had he told me? I have no idea.

I was not disappointed with Bagge’s work at this untitled show and his artistic use of these unconventional canvases made me all that much gladder that I had stopped inside. INI: Center of Attention was my favorite, a 2010 work on which Mr. Bagge repeated the cover graphic from the hip-hop band’s 1996 promotional album 5 times.

Hanging beside it was Matchbooks!!! , in which Bagge had covered the entire deck with some 70+ matchbook covers! That one had sold. (I recognized the Mercantile bank.)

At the Globe I also enjoyed the prints of graphic artist Matt Bogue, small to medium sized works, each surrounded by thick flats of bare wood that gave the work a contemporary feel. I was happy to see that he’d sold several pieces and left with the feeling that I might’ve charged more, had it been my work. It was that good.

Joining Bogue and Bagge in this exhibit was Travis Massingale, whose “No Reservations” series featured large, reconfigured pieces from his portfolio as well as newer work.

Like the Patterson showing, photographer Dan Miller’s Lost Light Photograpahy was a must see on my list. And so I headed out to the Barrister Winery on Railroad Avenue, not realizing that Lost Light Photograpahy was actually the title of the exhibit, as opposed to a photographic style or technique. ( If you had read the First Friday blurb you might possibly feel the same.) I arrived, expecting to find a series of low-light, fine art black and white photographs. This was not the case.

Miller’s multi-image color panoramas I did enjoy – the 24”x36” Bryce Panorama with its sweeping blue sky and clouds; San Francisco City Lights (12”x36”); and the panoramas of Yosemite and Kolob Canyon . The remainder of the exhibit seemed divided between his commercial work (buildings and so forth) and some infrared black and white photography.

In absence of the photographer to speak with, I read the biographical information posted near the front door, which stated that Mr. Miller had been a part-time instructor at the Creative Camera Studio in Santa Clara, California. He works in both digital and film formats and that he has been doing fine arts photography for over 40 years, 10 of which has been as a successful commercial photographer.

That was pretty much what I was seeing in his work: Standard commercial photography and I expected more. There were the already mentioned multi-image panoramas and HDR color photos; All She Wore, a lady’s lone, shoed foot perched on a chair and draped on with a scarf; and the awesome 7 Mile Eagles (16”x20”), in which a mother eagle swoops in to feed her nesting young ones. However, I found the color photos of various buildings to be merely recorded memories that didn’t quite capture my attention. Too, I felt that the size stated on the description cards should’ve been for the photo itself, not the total area of the frame. In other words, on a print labeled, say, 22”x28” you could have a really thick mat board boarder surrounding a much smaller photo, as was the case in several of the prints.

I am glad to see that more photography has been included in the First Friday artwalk in the past few months. In researching Miller’s work further, I came across the social networking site meetup.com, on which there is a page called For the Love of Art!

That deals with the First Friday artwalks here in Spokane and a guided group that meets to tour the associated photography exhibits. One participant from the May event wrote: “Seeing photography was a nice change from the other media so often shown at the art walk on the first Friday of each month.” Interesting idea: Now that my other obligations are freed up, maybe for July, August, or September we’ll review only the photographic exhibits on the tour before the big Spokane Visual Arts tour hits in October.

Until then, enjoy Artfest in Spokane’s Browne’s Addition (June 4-6), which will coincide with that month’s First Friday, and the annual Art in the Garden with its 20 artist/vendors at Kate O'Rourke's (across from Finch Arboretum in Spokane) on Saturday, May 29th.

I thought it was interesting to read that Miller had modified his first digital SLR camera to take infrared photos. One result of this experiment (although it was not labeled as such) was the soft-edged Main Street, a 22”x28” black and white shot of an old deserted, but still usable home at the foot of a hill. Alongside that was the almost obligatory Wagon Wheel, whose subject matter I’ve seen so many times now that I’m beginning to associate old wooden wagon wheels with photographic cliché. Other than the panoramas, Main Street was my favorite print of the show. I would’ve been moved by that photo even if it had been taken on standard black-and-white film with a yellow, orange, or red lens filter.

The low point of the Lost Light Photography exhibit lie in the floral close-ups, and I can only suggest that bigger is sometimes not necessarily the best when it comes to displaying photographic prints. In the case of big enlargements, it only magnifies the technical flaws, as it had in each of the floral photos.

I tend to associate fine art black and white photography (and in particular photos of flowers and flora) with the work of Minor White, Edward Weston, and so on; those soft, graduated tones and often pin sharpness. Of the three or four prints I did see,

Non were sharp enough for my taste; not even an artistic blur, just out of focus. The 16”x20” sepia-toned Morning Iris I wouldn’t have shown, as a good-sized white globule towards the center of the photo made for a jarring technical moment.

There were good moments in this exhibit, but overall, I wasn’t moved by what I was seeing on a consistent basis.

Photograph by Llloyd Phillips

MORE pics

from art circuit May 7th

pics by Alan Plemmons