Look Up Here by Michele Osgood

Five Years of NW Urban and Contemporary Art

Curated by:

John and Michele Osgood Bherd Studios Gallery Seattle, Washington Foreword by:

David Francis

Look Up Here. Copyright © 2012 Bherd Studios All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing Bherd Studios Gallery. ISBN-13: 978-1470173852 ISBN-10: 1470173859

Contents Page

Foreword by David Francis

74 CASH

8 Introduction

Chris Brett

Jenn Brisson

14 ninjagrl

Carlos Aguilar

Bherd Studios is an urban and contemporary art gallery featuring emerging and mid-career artists from the Paciﬁc NW. Our mission is to provide these artists with a voice to “bherd” & be seen. We ﬁrmly believe that there is a new contemporary art movement taking place in Seattle and we are committed to bringing this movement to the forefront. We are located in the heart of Greenwood inside the eclectic Greenwood Collective building. bherdstudios.com

dear earthling

90 Ego

Justin Hillgrove

94 Solace

John Osgood

Sensei 23

Justin Kane Elder

102

Urban Soule

Book Design: Blank Space, LLC getblankspace.com

34 Duffy

106

Daniel Voelker

This book would not be possible without the enthusiastic support from our artists—Thank You!

Kellie Talbot

Zach Bohnenkamp

110

Kate Protage

Cover Artwork: Carlos Aguilar Up High, acrylic on panel, 10 x 10 inches

Michelle Anderst

114

Joe Vollan

Book Title: Courtesy of Ego

Redd Walitzki

118

Mat Savage

Debbie Bianchi

122

Michelle Smith-Lewis

Siolo Thompson

126 Ksera

Chris Sheridan

130

Marty Gordon

62 Larkin

134

Jesse Link

138

Mike Capp

Scanning: Bellevue Fine Art Reproduction bellevuefineart.com

Augie Pagan

70 179

Blazing the Trail with Bherd: a Tribute to the Studio’s First Five Years …(T)his is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. — Winston Churchill, 1946 At first it might seem that opening an art gallery of any kind in 2007, just as the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression was gearing up, would not be such a great idea. Already by then contemporary art venues were closing left and right, beginning with ConWorks in 2006, to be followed in relentless succession over the next five years by Grey Gallery, Blvd Gallery, Benham Gallery, Howard House, Crawl Space, Catherine Person Gallery, while still others downsized considerably or explored temporary low-rent alternatives (911 Media Arts, Lawrimore Project, CoCA). The contemporary art world was (still is) changing rapidly and to survive at all, new strategies had to be developed, especially in terms of community outreach. A new gallery would have to operate in a spirit of collaboration, reaching new audiences and new collectors, developing a niche for itself by doing something different, like creating a line of clothing and pursuing an overlooked or underestimated form of contemporary art. Enter Bherd Studios at the perfect time and place, with a focus on street art, lowbrow, pop surrealism, and “urban contemporary.” It may have been the ‘worst of times,’ but for Bherd it was also the best. The gallery’s name, with its word play on bird / be heard, became an invitation to emerging artists who would likewise often name themselves with pseudonyms, numbers, puns, acronyms, or stage personae. Many are also self-taught (or from design / illustration / industrial backgrounds) and marginalized by the contemporary art mainstream, with its tendency toward the political, conceptual, and abstract. Bherd exhibited nearly 120 artists during the period of this anniversary catalog, from 2007–2012 (more if we count satellite endeavors), and while it is hard to generalize about such a big group, many of the first artists to be exhibited identify with urban ‘scenes’ or subcultures like punk, rave, hip hop, skate, goth, steampunk, hardcore, and tattoo / piercing. Often the artwork does not reference art historical tradition so much as a pop culture world of television, movies (especially horror / sci fi), video games, fashion, and cartoons (with a ‘classic’ core of monsters, robots, and aliens). On the west coast especially, there’s a freedom from history that from time to time helps spur change in the art world, like Los Angeles in the 1950s with its vaguely similar grouping of scenes (hot rods, street racing, and metal shops; see Morgan Neville’s 2008 documentary The Cool School). 4

There are plenty of exceptions to these broad patterns among the artists. As Bherd began to emerge as a pillar of the Greenwood community (more on how that happened below), more and more artists wanted to associate themselves with its energy. Early partnerships with Halogen Gallery and Twilight Artist Collective to form S3A set the stage for later collaborations with ArtsWest, the University of Washington’s Henry Art Gallery, and the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA). Bherd exhibitions began to include artists from a wider region, including Oregon, California, and British Columbia, in addition to the Puget Sound area. This ‘second wave’ of artists brought in new perspectives on the art historical tradition with references to artists like James Audubon, Ed Ruscha, Raymond Pettibon, Matthew Barney, Jackson Pollock, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and of course Salvador Dali. As readers will see in the following pages, a few of the new résumés included art school degrees as well as previous gallery experience. The range of media is extensive, from aerosol spray, acrylic, and oil paint, to stencil, pen & ink drawing, collage, sculpture, photography, encaustic, and street-based installation and performance. In just five years, Bherd has created a rich mixture of both lowbrow and highbrow that they bring together under the “urban and contemporary” umbrella. In Seattle, no other gallery is doing quite what they are doing. Looking at the artwork and reading the texts of the 33 artists included here, it’s also apparent that there’s a strong focus on nature that we might expect from the Northwest. Beyond the obvious connection with birds, there’s also a fascinating hybrid or cyborg quality to much of the flora and fauna where organic shapes are grafted on to humans, machines, or robots. Nature also appears as a series of scientific specimens, and there’s a wonderful, collective take on the 19th century (Victorian period), with gothic horror, ornate frames, and steampunk paraphernalia. As defined in Bherd’s 2011 catalog with CoCA, urban art in the Northwest “…tends towards a cooler color palette utilizing greens and blues; often incorporating natural elements indigenous to our area; and also… Native American line form drawing and Asian pop culture.” ((Un)Sanctioned, p. 1) With a prevalence of animal characters, monsters, aliens, evil dolls, and robots, there’s a strong story-telling impulse that gives the work a refreshing accessibility, a lightness of tone rather than an idea-driven, art-school cleverness. However, abstraction is also at home here, implicit in graffiti or typographic detail, in fragments of text and numbers, or lurking in a heavily-textured background, a matrix out of which the characters have sprung. Foreword by David Francis | 5

“Become what you are.” — Pindar (Ancient Greek lyric poet) By 2007, when Bherd first opened on 85th St. in Greenwood, it had become pretty obvious to policy makers and urban planners that art could serve as a primary means of rebuilding community. Decaying industrial zones such as SODO and Georgetown had become magnets for “artist lofts,” and now neighborhood business districts were beginning to reach out to artists to fill vacant store fronts. By agreeing to spearhead the new monthly art walk for the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce (launched in December of 2008), the gallery quickly met other stakeholders in the community. Today the Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk continues to thrive, with over 40 neighborhood venues participating. Once known for its antique shops, with Francine Seders Gallery as the lone arts outpost, Greenwood experienced a dramatic cultural transformation, growing to 10 galleries, a nonprofit writing ‘lab’(826 Seattle), with even more artwork on the walls in bookstores, coffee shops, and taprooms. After a somewhat low-key first year, John and Michele moved the gallery four blocks east to the Greenwood Collective, which soon became a series of smaller galleries loosely modeled on artistbuildings such as the Tashiro Kaplan building and 619 Western in Pioneer Square. At the Greenwood Collective, Bherd’s momentum increased significantly as partnerships with the Alexis Hotel and Gene Juarez Salon added to the gallery’s visibility. A series of public murals on Aurora Avenue and in Greenwood (following a wave of arson in 2009) brought media attention as well as a deep sense of gratitude from the community. Bherd was also becoming recognized for its “live” art events such as W3AVE at the Henry Art Gallery, “Meet the Artist” series at the Alexis Hotel on First Thursdays, as well as John’s participation at Upfest, the largest Urban Art Festival in Europe. In terms of programming, the gallery was also expanding its repertoire through guest-curated shows like Kate Protage and Chris Sheridan’s “You’re So Vain” (2010), featuring established, younger artists like Troy Gua, Joey Veltkamp, and Chris Crites who shared elements of Pop portraiture with Bherd “regulars”. The gallery’s continuing openness to new ideas is also captured by another guest curator, 7-year-old Zinn Bellevie (“Monsters and Aliens”). Other exhibits focused on collaboration between pairs of artists (“Double-Vision,” curated by Ego), all-women shows (“Ladies First”), and a range of urban themes (“Urban Decay,” “Urban Portraiture,” “Urban Presence”). By the middle of 2011, the gallery had expanded into the “Showroom,” exhibiting the work of 4–5 artists each month in a salon-style arrangement, with one artist selected for a “feature wall” spotlight.

Meanwhile, Michele’s efforts with the blog were paying off with innovative features such as “Peep This Studio,” “Pick of the Week,” and time-lapsed documentation of John working on a canvas in the studio. “Free Art Fridays” continued with limited edition prints, and a “Collaboratorium” debuted on Facebook. As if all of this wasn’t enough, there were screen printing workshops, schools outreach (Meadowdale H.S., Bush School, and Interlake H.S.), and grants (4Culture). By twist of fate, or perhaps as a result of destiny, their work at Bherd over the past five years has coincided with a period of crisis for education as budgets have been slashed. While my son’s nearby elementary school is lucky to have a part-time art teacher, the total time he spends in art class per week is a single hour. (By 2013, the school hopes to expand the art instruction to full-time.) Given such limited resources, Bherd’s role in the Seattle art community is absolutely vital. In five short years, Bherd has not only survived, it has thrived for all the reasons outlined above, as well as perhaps the most obvious reason of all: the team of John and Michele, an artist and an entrepreneur combining their talents to blaze the trail in the Northwest for emerging forms of contemporary art. Recalling that the Star Trek series began with the starship Enterprise leaving on a five-year mission to “explore…seek out…and boldly go,” it’s fun to imagine Bherd in a loosely similar scenario, its initial voyage complete and a whole new series of spin-offs and further exploits waiting in the wings.

David Francis holds MFA, PhD, and Certificate degrees from the University of Washington in Poetry and Museum Studies (1992, 1996, 2003). He has taught widely as lecturer, instructor, and assistant professor in Poland (Fulbright, 1998–99), Hungary (Fulbright, 2002), Semester at Sea (2001), Kentucky (1999), Delaware (1988), and Washington(Cornish, 1999 – 2006), where he is currently a member of the Diverse Disciplines faculty at Pratt Fine Arts Center and a curator at CoCA.

Foreword by David Francis | 7

Introduction At Bherd Studios, our mission is to promote the promising talents of local urban and contemporary artists. We believe that the Seattle art scene is ripe for recognition, and we’ve spent the last five years working to make that happen. When you peruse Look Up Here, we hope you see how far we’ve come. Bherd Studios began in 2006 with the idea that Seattle needed a space that specifically showcased local artists in the under-represented genre of urban art. We opened up our first venue on 3rd and 85th in Greenwood, and officially kicked off our gallery grand opening in March of 2007. We tested our legs with a solo show by John Osgood, co-owner and artist-in-residence at Bherd. (Who better to practice on?) We lined up our next exhibits that year with Ryan Hamilton, Andre Martin and Urban Soule. It didn’t take long for us to expand by curating group themed shows where we could accommodate more artists and invite guest curators. One of our first guest curators was Urban Soule, whose show “Spray It, Don’t Say It” brought in a whole new roster of local artists along with some national and international artists, including Jef Aerosol. We realized that we had a passion for exhibiting and working with local artists, and we needed to figure out a way to get more exposure for what we were doing. We wanted to be more centrally located, and most importantly, we needed to start a monthly art walk for our neighborhood. Towards the end of 2008, we moved to the Greenwood Collective building, into a brand new section called the “underground.” It was a raw space, which meant starting from scratch, building walls and creating a new gallery; it was a lot of work, but the results were worth it. At the same time, we needed to get a monthly art walk off the ground. We reached out to local businesses, garnered a lot of support and interest, and along with our new neighbors Urban Light Studios and volunteers from our Chamber & Neighborhood Association we were able to kick-off our first exhibit in our new space AND the monthly art walk in December of 2008. Today, as Bherd Studios reaches its 5-year anniversary, we’ve decided to celebrate. We’ve created a show that features a cross-section of artists who have worked with us over the past five years, and we’ve taken the opportunity to create something bigger and more permanent: a book. Look Up Here features 33 Pacific Northwest artists who have been an integral part of the gallery and the Seattle art scene. We believe that the Seattle art scene is ripe for recognition, and our main mission is to promote the promising talents of local urban and contemporary artists. While we’ve shown well over 120 different artists throughout the last five years, these 33 artists

have been especially productive and involved within the art community, developing their careers, creating events and supporting other artists along the way. Many of these artists have participated in multiple projects, exhibits, and curated shows at the gallery, showing their passion for their work and for their peers. These artists are a testament to why we are still here and pushing forward. We feel very lucky to be a part of this art scene, as we feel that there is a bond between artists here in the Northwest that isn’t found in other areas. These are artists who go out to each other’s shows, support and promote one another, and even buy each other’s artwork. It isn’t hard to find artist collaborations here, and exhibits that encourage collaboration, which shows a sign of trust and willingness to experiment—two things that promote creativity and bonding. The mentality in the Northwest, at least within our genre, is one of encouragement and support. The artists and galleries who make the Pacific NW their home recognize that they have to band together to create a worldwide wave of recognition. This is why we feel the title to the show and book are fitting for our mission: Look Up Here, yes, please stop and take a look at the Pacific NW, there’s a movement on the rise! Ultimately, this book is for many people… for the audience that has enjoyed the lineup that we have put out over the last five years; for the people who have not heard of us yet, but enjoy the genre of art that we show; for the people who have been our coaches and confidantes; for the people who we collaborate with; but most importantly, this book is for the artists who have been with us from day one and all the days in between then and now.

John and Michele Osgood Bherd Studios Gallery

Introduction | 9

Kellie Talbot Kellie Talbot was born in Hawaii and as a daughter of a career Marine lived on both coasts growing up. Her first jobs, in a print shop and as a sign painter, developed her love of typography and design. Kellie moved to Seattle in 1989 and finished school at Seattle Central Community College. After graduation, she worked as the graphic designer for Cornish College of the Arts. Since 1993 Kellie has worked extensively as an illustrator and designer for the snowboard industry in addition to being the Art Director for Signal Snowboards since its inception in 2003. As a Usonian painter, Kellie Talbotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work focuses on the landscape of American artifacts and craftsmanship. Currently she is represented by Bherd Studios. She lives in Ballard with her husband and a duck. Big Bridge Oil on canvas 48 x 60 inches

Kellie Talbot | 11

Go (left) Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches Blue On Green (below) Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches

Kellie Talbot | 13

ninjagrl ninjagrl started practicing the art of stealth building and hiding in forts as a young girl, and in later years perfected it by standing virtually unnoticed in corners and against walls at social gatherings. And by being very, very quiet. She has an extensive crayola collection and a cat named Turtle. Before turning professional ninja she’d moonlight as an architect and 3d modeler… lurking around Minneapolis and Chicago… In the summer of ‘07 she headed to the bay area for a slightly higher probability of meeting a dolphin… and in the summer of ‘08 she followed the cargo ships up to Seattle.

When she moved to Seattle she volunteered at the Seattle Aquarium and that’s when tide pool creatures and giant pacific octopus began showing up more and more in her art. Recently, she and her husband welcomed a brand new little ninja baby to the family and moved temporarily to the remote town of Minot.

baby glowfish Acrylic on canvas 24 x 12 inches

ninjagrl | 15

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go

sleepy firestarter

Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches

Acrylic on canvas, 10 x 20 inches

ninjagrl | 17

Opera Acrylic on canvas 24 x 36 inches

dear earthling Jeremiah Hammer aka

I spend a lot of my time daydreaming. You may not know it by looking at me, our conversations are probably (mostly) lucid, but rest assured, somewhere in the back of my mind I am far, far away. And somewhere in the distance of that faraway place lies a black hole that I just can’t wait to reach. Once caught in its pull, I hold my breath and smile, waiting to see what awaits on the other side.

While I’m there I take notes. Jot down little details. Commit scenes and the beings I meet to memory. Some of them are too obscure or surreal for my brain to translate, and these attempts end up in sketchbooks that pile up in boxes, under my desk, my bed, on shelves… not quite wholly refined. Others, however, remain vivid enough to sprout from my fingers and onto the canvas, brought to life in a riot of color and form and abstraction. The people (for if you strip away their physical differences, people is indeed what they are) I present in these paintings have lives of their own. They live in a world as complex and awe inspiring as our own, and they have stories to tell just as we do. My job is to dictate these stories

and to bring them back as intact as possible. To share the knowledge that yes, there is indeed life out there.

Their stories are nothing new perhaps, but their “otherness” is what allows us to view them in a unique context. They know love, joy, friendship, parenthood, success. But they are also no strangers to pain, to loss, to heartache and heartbreak. Once we look beyond the surface, it’s easy to see that they are not that different from you and I. While I never know what to expect when I visit these far away worlds, the letters that they send back with me, letters I am here to share with you, always begin the same way— dear earthling, I hope you are well…

Electric Coral Boogaloo (pages 20–21) Acrylic and spraypaint on birch, 24 x 48 inches

dear earthling | 19

Justin Hillgrove Justin Hillgrove grew up in Snohomish, WA and has been enjoying artistic expression since he was old enough to color on the walls. Mostly self taught, he spent many years in the design industry before setting out on his own to spend his days paintings monsters, robots, and other such nonsense. In the last 15 years Justin has worked on everything from books and magazines to collectible card games and toys. His art can be found hanging in many locations and galleries in the USA. He currently lives in Washington with his wife, four kids, a host of chickens, and a dozen or so imaginary friends.

RoboZen Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 16 inches

Justin Hillgrove | 23

Group Hug Acrylic on canvas 14 x 11 inches

Forbidden Rendezvous Acrylic on canvas 24 x 36 inches

Justin Hillgrove | 25

The Other Side Acrylic on canvas 13 x 9 inches

John Osgood I paint idiosyncratic characters with a bold palette in an urban contemporary art style mainly utilizing the mediums of acrylic and aerosol. I’m a people watcher and I enjoy spending time following the emotions that flicker throughout a person’s face during an interaction. I feel my art is the expression of these every day emotions and my collection of colorful & odd characters are inspired by life and the uncomfortable, forlorn and many times humorous circumstances that happen within it. I also enjoy using vibrant contrasting color palettes to elicit a “pop” factor, often juxtaposing bright vivid colors with depressing emotions to provide balance and to also surprise the viewer. I think that people are attracted to my work because they see something of themselves or people they know in my paintings, which often times evokes a smile or a laugh.

John Osgood | 27

SCARS: A Passage To The Past

Held Through

Two Places At Once

Acrylic & aerosol on canvas 20 x 16 inches

John Osgood | 29

Justin Kane Elder Elder simplifies images by deconstructing them into basic geometric shapes. His goal is to construct a complex design out of simple forms. Each piece focuses on individual colors and how those colors relate to the space they inhabit. Colors are piled together to create a network of corresponding objects. Justin Kane Elder was born in 1978 and studied at Cornish College of the Arts, earning a BFA in 2002 with an emphasis on painting and sculpture. He exhibits work in Seattle and various cities along the west coast as well as internationally. Justin Kane Elder lives and works in Seattle, Washington.

Photo Credit: Tara Sanborn

Dick Mixed media, 60 x 60 inches

Justin Kane Elder | 31

Jerry (Left) Mixed media, 36 x 55 inches

Michael (Right) Mixed media, 40 x 50 inches

Justin Kane Elder | 33

Duffy Migrating from Arizona to the great Northwest, I found a home in the skate and snowboard industry. The combination of those experiences and influences have shaped my interest in street art, being out late at night, punk rock, hot rods, the fifties, old advertisements, vulgarity, and more. The majority of my work is a mash up of real found imagery and my own variations of my inspirations. The Themes that I find myself drawn to mostly are the old, rare, occult, off color, monsters, ghouls, advertisments, underground, lowbrow, custom culture, tattoos, and just the generally weird. I currently reside in Seattle, WA, working full time running the creative firm Electric Coffin CS Co. and creating art in |my free time.

Photo Credit: Tara Sanborn

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Merica Mixed media collage 48 x 26 inches

Duffy | 35

Freakshow

Coffins and Stripes

Mixed media collage 24 x 18 inches

Mixed media collage 23 x 36 inches

Duffy | 37

Zachary Bohnenkamp Zach is primarily a printmaker and muralist, but also enjoys painting on canvas and illustration. His print work consists mainly of woodblock prints in a neo-Japanese/graffiti style. As a muralist, Zach strives to bring art out of the gallery and into the streets and to share its beauty with all the people of the communities where his pieces stand. He has painted dozens of murals since his first in 1999, the majority of which were created in Seattle as part of the Matamuros, a collective of muralists that he has helped to build since 2006. Zach brings a passion and a pursuit of perfection to every project he’s involved in. When asked what he likes best about making murals he responded: “My favorite thing is to meet the people in the neighborhood while I work and to see the joy that art brings to their lives.”

REDTAIL, Woodcut (in red cherry), reductive color and aerosol, 16 x 24 inches Lavender Wave (pages 40–41), aerosol and latex on cement wall, 8 x 18 feet

Zach Bohnenkamp | 39

Anderst uses her illustrative style to form fictional but plausible unions of biological and man-made structures. She spent her childhood poring over her fathersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; anatomy books and has since developed an intense passion for botany, neurology, entomology, evolution and oil paints. In Anderstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paintings, anatomy and botany are stitched together with saturated color through comparisons of similar natural forms. Many forms in nature are surprisingly similar to each other such as the vein patterns on a leaf to the vein structure of the spleen. In a time of dramatic scientific discovery, Michelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistic obsession is with evolution and the mechanical functions which organisms (including ourselves) exercise in order to survive in a constant environment of biological and echnological change. Michelle grew up in Southern Oregon and after studying painting at Southern Oregon Art Academy headed straight to Seattle to pursue a career in art. She has become an active member of the Puget Sound art community where she participates in artwalks, shows at galleries and curates art events. After exhibiting at Aqua Art Miami in Florida and earning her certificate in Natural Science Illustration at the University of Washington, Anderst found her way back to the Rogue Valley to soak up some much needed sun and explore the vineyards which had popped up while she was away.

Venous Rose Oil on canvas 10 x 8 inches oval

Michelle Anderst 42

Michelle Anderst | 43

Commelina Transistor

Aortic Petals

Garcinia Stomata

Oil on canvas 10 x 8 inches oval

Michelle Anderst | 45

Redd Walitzki Redd Walitzki is an artist currently based in Seattle, WA. Her delicate style and whimsical creations enchant the viewer, while her sometimes provocative themes raise questions about the nature of beauty, fashion and consumption. Patterns shaping beautiful surfaces… sweet disguising sharpness… superficial, superflat, and superfabulous — all art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Walitzki creates a daydream of beautiful aberrations that evoke themes of neoteny and desire for perfection.

Let them Eat Oil and ricepaper on wood panel 24 x 36 inches

Decadent Decay (pages 48–49) Oil and ricepaper and silk on wood panel 12 x 24 inches

Redd Walitzki | 47

Sisters Acrylic, paper and a lot of love on canvas, 36 x 24 inches

Debbie Bianchi My art conveys a sense of fun found in fairy tales, occasionally with a slightly dark and odd twist. Delightful birds dance across my canvases among fanciful blossoms, trees and landscapes. My main inspiration for these paintings is the amazing textiles that are everywhere, spring blossoms and the ubiquitous adorable tiny birds that are nesting. I find most birds endearing and I try to convey their sense of fun and wit.

I work with acrylic, encaustic, oils and random bits of collage material. I also make my own stencils. Ideas for these stencils come from textile studies from around the world including medieval Persian and Indian designs. I love texture and depth. This craving to create a sensual textile experience has encouraged me to use many different layering techniques. When working with acrylics, I use different gel mediums for building depth.

It all began with sewing clothes from vintage clothing and other textiles. There was such satisfaction of taking something obsolete and creating something new and fresh. This creative urge continues to progress into painting and many other forms of creative play. After I had my children, my paintings took on a more whimsical feel.

Debbie Bianchi | 51

Yellow Warblers (left) Acrylic on canvas 24 x 10 inches

Conversations (right) Acrylic, paper on canvas 24 x 18 inches

Debbie Bianchi | 53

Siolo Thompson At first glance much of my work may seem intended for an audience of children and I do hope that the very young can find value in what I do. But more than that, I want to reach the Forgotten children of our collective subconscious; those pieces of ourselves that were left behind when the press of the world forced us to move in more serious and linear ways. My work un-ironically asks the viewer to remember that the world is full of magic. Words are loaded with meaning, numbers represent universes, animals carry metaphors, simple objects and gestures hold endless secrets. In these worlds of quiet meaning we can find the thing that is most precious to us all â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Hopeâ&#x20AC;Ś for happiness, for freedom, for equality, for a return to our more sincere selves.

King of the Southern Sea (above) Oil on wood 12 x 9 inches

General Snozu and Captain Emil (right) Oil on canvas 12 x 9 inches

Siolo Thompson | 55

Mobile Home

Shadow and the Tiny Rider

Oil on wood 14 x 11 inches

Oil on canvas 40 x 30 inches

Siolo Thompson | 57

Chris Sheridan Chris Sheridan’s series Shadows, Persona, and Trickery takes an in-depth look at magic and religion, their symbolism and ritual, how they played a role in building our early societies, and the disconnect between these theories and beliefs and contemporary modes of thinking. Deeply psychological, laced with multiple layers of meaning and references to the trickster archetype, the work also explores the manipulative quality found in us all. Also hidden in the work is the artist’s search for the soul, which he believes is the construct that holds all of these ideas together in our collective unconscious. Chris Sheridan is a figurative oil painter that has spent the last 15 years traveling and showing in many US art hubs. Now calling the Pacific Northwest home, he is an active participant in the Seattle scene, and branching out internationally with recent shows in Finland and Monaco.

Headed West—The Sacrifice of the King Oil on canvas, 54 x 32 inches

Chris Sheridan | 59

She Takes Him to the River â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to Bring in the Spring

The Hipster Madonnas (Part 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3): Mary, Diana, and Isis

Oil on canvas, 60 x 22 inches

Oil on canvas, 46 x 20 inches

Chris Sheridan | 61

Larkin Larkin pits his better nature against his inner demons to create works of art with spiritual and analytical parity. He represents combined biological forms to create new symbols and features—makeshift deities, blooming gorgons and chimaeras boasting multiple personalities haunt his smoky, desolate picture plane. His subjects are in a constant state of flux, sometimes with a slowly shifting peace, though just as often in violent convulsing transition.

Larkin was born in Syracuse, NY. He received an A.A.S. (Honors) form Onondaga Community College in 1993. At OCC, he majored in illustration with a minor in figurative painting and drawing. He currently works and resides in Seattle, WA. Larkin shows throughout the Puget Sound region, nationally and internationally.

Small sculpture and fibers techniques coalesce with 2-dimensional media, adding palpable borders to the portals that lead to Larkin’s sunless world. Elements of Dark Surrealism and Victorian formality permeate Larkin’s work.

Saint Gus & Pilot Acrylic on masonite with crochet border 19 x 15 inches

Larkin | 63

008

Feed Me, Lover Acrylic on masonite with crochet border, 24 x 18 inches

Recoil Acrylic on masonite with crochet border 13.5 x 10 inches

Larkin | 65

Augie Pagan

Tin Man Acrylics on canvas, 6 x 3 feet

Hailing from the California Bay Area, Augie Pagan moved to Seattle to attend art school with the hopes of becoming an illustrator and or comic book artist. Fate had another plan however, and Augie soon found himself working in the world of video games. After many years of creating art for various video game companies, Augie decided to test the shark filled waters of a freelance artist. Since then, Augie has been self employed as a freelancer, and has been slowly making his way into the “alternative” art scene by pursing gallery work. His art has been displayed in group shows locally as well as LA, SF, and NY. Augie also hates the term “alternative art” and can’t stand writing about himself in the third person.

Augie Pagan | 67

Scarecrow (right) Acrylic on canvas 6 x 3 feet Beetle Queen (far right) Acrylic on wood 17 x 17 inches

Augie Pagan | 69

Red Wolf Acrylic on canvas 27 x 11.5 inches

Angelina Villalobos (aka 179) is a fine artist who combines environment and folklore into her subject matter which attempts to understand religion, culture and family structure in the jigsaw of modern society. 179 has been featured at Upper Playground in the Fifty24 Gallery and also in last years â&#x20AC;&#x153;Street Biennaleâ&#x20AC;? at Bumbershoot.

Ugly Duckling Acrylic on canvas 19.5 x 19.5 inches

Angelina Villalobos aka 70

179

Artist 179 in front of Queen Anne Mural Photo by Mike Hipple

179 | 71

Bee Hunter

Owls

Acrylic on canvas 21.5 x 12 inches

Acrylic on canvas 27 x 11.5 inches

179 | 73

CASH Curtis Ashby, also known by his moniker CASH, is a young artist who lives and works just outside Tacoma, WA. His designs, illustrations, and paintings have been featured on numerous posters and t-shirts. He has also exhibited his art in many solo and group shows including “(UN)sanctioned” at CoCA, and “VISUALIZE” at the Bherd Studios Showroom.

CASH studied under Tacoma, WA folk artist, Liza Morado in 2006 and is currently studying under Seattle artist, John Osgood. His latest work has been influenced by John James Audubon, Pablo Picasso, Jean Michel Basquiat, hand drawn fonts and street art and graffiti. CASH uses spray paint, acrylic, charcoal and oil pastels to create his works on canvas, paper, and wood. His paintings reflect the textures of the city, as well as the colors and spontaneity found in nature.

Crane Mixed media on canvas 30 x 20 inches

Cash | 75

Togetherness In collaboration with John Osgood Mixed media on canvas 14 x 11 inches

Golden

Meadowlark

Mixed media on canvas 14 x 11 inches

Mixed media on canvas 8 x 8 inches

Cash | 77

Chris Brett Chris is a mixed media artist from Vancouver, Canada. Born and raised in Calgary, Chris grew up pulling influence from the fairgrounds of the Stampede, the train yards of rural Alberta, and the cure from boredom that Mad & Cracked Magazine provided. Chris has taken his interest in graffiti, cartoons & children’s books, and placed it all in the artistic blender creating a hybrid of styles. His works tend to focus on themes of Love, Lust, Nature, Manic joy & Heartbreak. Chris’ work has a slightly goofy and jaded sense of humor; a laugh to keep from crying sense of mania in rich color and dark tones. A reaction to the good & bad things that life can sometimes hand you…

Press Pause Acrylic and mix media on 1” thick beechwood gallery panel 24 x 30 inches

Hide & Sneak

Off the Grid

Mix media on masonite 14 x 11 inches

Acrylic and mix media on beechwood gallery panel, 24 x 18 inches

Chris Brett | 81

Jenn Brisson Vancouver based artist, Jenn Brisson started her Art Career drawing cartoons for TV Shows and Feature Films around the world and did so for many, many, MANY moons. So many moons, in fact, that now, she has a hard time getting away from creating characters that are round, cute, and animated. However, because of Jenn’s admiration in things that are on the creepy side, her art work seems as if they were created from her childhood nightmares, too. And so, her art has introduced the world to a band of mischievous dolls and precocious toys created with a dark, yet playful element.

Jenn’s work has been shown across Canada and the US and has also been published in comic books, novels and children’s stories. Jenn aspires to never grow up and to one day write and illustrate her own line of children’s books and eventually design her own toys, too.

Jenn paintings create themselves when she preps her backgrounds. Her technique of using new and used materials allow her to shut her brain off to give her art room to create a life of it’s own. Once the background is complete, Jenn returns to earth to give birth to a creature that she only gets to know once her paint brush hits the canvas. Her obsession with discovering canvases in items that have been lost and forgotten or objects that most people would consider garbage have also contributed to her style. Precious In Pink (left) Mixed media on canvas board 14 x 11 inches

Photo Credit: Courtney Brown

Jenn Brisson | 83

Tengerine

Mallory Finds a Friend

Mixed media on canvas 24 x 12 inches

Mixed media on canvas board 8 x 10 inches

Jenn Brisson | 85

Carlos Aguilar Carlos Aguilar is a painter currently residing in the Seattle, Wa area. Having come from a background as a graffiti writer Carlos Aguilar’s work combines graphic elements with classical brush technique to create images that are filled with mischievous creatures of his own design. While constantly developing his style he brings a mixed bag of mediums to his work including spray enamel, acrylics, inks, and sculpture. Though new to the “Studio Art” world, Carlos Aguilar has gained immense respect for his work on canvas and wood panel and has shown across the US in a span of a few years. Cover artwork by Carlos Aguilar: Up High, acrylic on panel, 10 x 10 inches

After Thought Acrylic on panel, 11 x 14 inches

Carlos Aguilar | 87

Isolate

Fallen

Acrylic on panel 12 x 9 inches

Acrylic on panel 24 x 16 inches

Carlos Aguilar | 89

Ego Ego is a Seattle based artist with a flair for slightly dark, whimsical creepiness, influenced by the macabre sides of tattoo culture, street art, and underground fine art. His work has been featured in galleries around the world, and published in many various media.

Affinity (detail, right) Acrylic on wood, 22 x 10 inches

The Longer You Stayâ&#x20AC;Ś

Little Big Man

Acrylic on wood 22 x 13 inches

Acrylic on wood 14 x 11 inches

Ego | 93

the pig-headed bacon lover Mixed media on canvas 7 x 5 inches

sol·ace [ sóll ss ] 1. relief from emotional distress: comfort at a time of sadness, grief, or disappointment 2. source of comfort: somebody or something that provides comfort at a time of sadness, grief, or disappointment

When necessary, I call myself an urban artist or street artist because my work is influenced by street culture. My pacific-northwest surroundings instill a respect for nature that is personified in my work. Via organic textures, vibrant colors, and a graphic painterly approach, I attempt to meld city life with the tranquility of uninhabited lands. Through a blend of mediums, aerosol propelled and acrylic, I concoct my background landscapes and finish them with my character design. I call these characters “wanders.” The wanders are unique in perspective and rely on body language over facial expression to tell their story. I am always looking to progress my style and increase my stable of characters while challenging conventional mediums. The mediums most utilized at this time are canvas, large-scale mural production, custom vinyl toys, original plush toys, live painting, graphic design, and t-shirt design.

Solace

Solace | 95

big little man (above) Acrylic on wood, 17 x 11 inches Bearskin (left) Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches

Solace | 97

Sensei 23 Kevin “Sensei 23” Sullivan was born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1979. His passion for art started at the age of 5; drawing everything on anything, with inspirations from comics, sports and cartoons. As a self-taught artist, he began his pursuit of the arts. Sensei 23 moved from the East to the West in 2001. He worked his way into the Seattle scene one project a time. His work has recently been featured in local galleries located in the greater Seattle area. Sensei 23 is always pursuing his love for art and is currently focusing on paintings on canvas and creating murals around Washington. Stay tuned for more Sensei 23 designs and creations in your neck of the woods.

The Combative Koala Clan’s Sundown Sneak Attack Mixed media, 38 x 30 inches

Sensei 23 | 99

100

The Low Snow Rider

The Evergreen Lean

Acrylic and marker, 8 x 10 inches

Sensei 23 | 101

Urban Soule Lucy Aerosol on canvas 20 x 16 inches

102

Growing up in the farmland and later living in the city I developed a taste for urban street art such as wheat pasted posters and flier’s, stickers, stencils, murals and spray painted graffiti. The “underground” and “outsider” art became part of my life. Being self taught and having my first solo art show at the age of sixteen gave a new meaning to being an artist, I realized the potential in becoming a professional artist. Using mainly spray paint, stencils and ink as mediums I create images on almost any printable surface. I like to incorporate the old traditions of paper cutting with a newer urban approach to painting. I use my photography and turn the photos into multi layered paper stencils, over the years animals have became a personal favorite. I’m constantly trying new techniques and mediums to fine tune my work.

Urban Soule | 103

104

Peacock

Octopus #88

Aerosol on canvas 24 x 18 inches

Mixed media on canvas 18 x 18 inches

Urban Soule | 105

Daniel Voelker Think in Dreams… As an artist I am interested in how line can represent a thought, emotion or vibration. Many of my works begin with a loose, improvisational drawing process known as “automatic drawing”. During this phase I carve out patterns and shapes as I move across the canvas, creating forms and special relationships which evolve into a composition. By using this process I am able to reveal dream-like abstract portraits, landscapes and biomorphic creatures. I enjoy creating this way as it often brings surprises and keeps the work exciting. Through my art, I continue to expand my visual vocabulary resulting in engaging, thought provoking and emotive works which stretch the boundaries of my imagination.

Phoenix Charcoal on paper 24 x 31.5 inches

106

Daniel Voelker | 107

108

Pyre

Think in Dreams

Charcoal on paper 36 x 25.5 inches

Charcoal on paper 25.5 x 36 inches

Daniel Voelker | 109

Kate Protage I have a love/hate relationship with the cities in which I’ve lived. Depending on the time of day, there are two worlds that exist in the same physical space: streets that appear gritty, dirty and depressing by day turn into an environment infused with a strange kind of lush, dark beauty and romance at night. These are the moments that remind me to take a breath, look closer, and recognize that there is still beauty in the world despite all of the chaos that surrounds us. Painting these moments is, in a strange way, my minor act of rebellion. While my work is rooted in the real, it’s the junction between sensation and fact that interests me. My paintings and drawings are meant to exist in that grey area between representation and abstraction, where light and solid form are given equal consideration and are almost interchangeable. The streets, the buildings, the sky, the cars — they’re almost incidental as recognizable objects. It’s the detail of an individual shape, an expressive brush stroke, and the way that everything coalesces into a series of value changes and textural rhythms that excites me. The moments may pass, but the feelings remain.

110

Top of the Bridge Oil on canvas, 36 x 72 inches

Kate Protage | 111

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Case Study #2 (above) Graphite and ink on mylar, 12 x 12 inches Exit Ahead (left) Oil on wood panel, 24 x 24 inches

Kate Protage | 113

Joe Vollan A mild mannered and modest person himself, Joe Vollan speaks loudly and passionately through his art. Using refined artistic skills, he develops eccentric pop surrealist images which reveal his own insights into inspiration and harrowing tales. The heart of his work evokes emotion through senses of wonderment as it pertains to the fantastic and bizarre world he creates. Joe has become highly respected and recognized around Seattle for his distinctly mysterious works of art. Having shown in all of the top galleries in the area from Roq La Rue, Flatcolor Gallery, BLVD, Schmancy, Ouch My Eye and more, he has now begun showing down the west coast as far as Alpha Cult in Los Angeles. Vollan uses his signature style of surreal and macabre scenes that are inhabited by skeletal animals and robots to evoke a sense of wonderment, relevant to the fantastic and bizarre worlds he creates.

Of Her Majestyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fleet Acrylic on panel 30 x 20 inches

114

Joe Vollan | 115

116

The Pickpockets Daydream

Getting Away with Murder

Acrylic on panel 20 x 30 inches

Acryic on panel 24 x 30 inches

Joe Vollan | 117

Mat Savage Born and raised in Newport, Oregon, Mat began his interest in art at a young age. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, his love of nature and the arts went hand and hand. In 2007 Mat received a BFA in Visual Communications with emphasis in Fine Art and Graphic Design, graduating at the top of his class. He currently lives and works in Seattle as a Graphic Designer and Painter. The love of nature Mat found at a young age is still visible in his paintings today. With a mixture of flora and fauna and powerful female nudes he expresses different ideas. Mat is Co-founder of the Better Friends Collective, and the Home Suite Home Gallery.

118

Water Lilies Acrylic on board, 5 x 5 inches

Mat Savage | 119

Snake Eater Red Elk

Acrylic on board 24 x 12 inches

Acrylic on board 12 x 24 inches

120

Mat Savage | 121

Michelle Smith-Lewis Michelle Smith-Lewis is a Seattle based photographer who specializes in theatre, dance, live music, and fine art. She has a degree in Advertising & Design and a BFA in Photographic Illustration with a minor in Art History from Rochester Institute of Technology. While keeping up with the advancement of digital photography, Michelle continues to work with traditional and alternative photographic processes. She still maintains her darkroom, and you can often find her working with her 4x5 and Mamiya C220 film cameras. Michelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work has been shown in galleries, theaters, and cafes throughout the Seattle area. She has an ongoing relationship with Ghost Gallery, Bherd Studios, and The Nautilus Studio.

122

Movement #2 Encaustic photograph 22 x 19 inches

Michelle Smith-Lewis | 123

Movement #3

Movement #11

Movement #12

Movement #14

Detail, Encaustic photograph

Encaustic photograph 22 x 19 inches

Encaustic photograph 22 x 20 inches

124

Michelle Smith-Lewis | 125

Ksera With great attention to detail, Ksera’s aerosol works of vivid colors and crisp linework stand out from her city surroundings. Persistent in her growth as an artist, Ksera continues to challenge and push herself in several mediums, such as acrylics and sculpture. Ksera is currently working with Seattle’s inner city youth, creating murals and instructing urban arts classes, with an emphasis on typography and importance of graffiti’s history and etiquette.

Glazed Acrylic on panel, 8 x 11 inches

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Ksera | 127

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128

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In Sight

The Want

Acrylic on panel, 8 x 11 inches

Acrylic on panel, 11 x 8 inches

Ksera | 129

Marty Gordon At first glance, my art appears lighthearted and comical with clever wordplay and allusions to comic books. Scratch the surface and you will find much more. Several years ago, a friend challenged me to use my art as a sounding board for my thoughts and feelings. Since then, my art has become a forum for asking questions, inviting debate, and telling stories. I use it to explore the struggles I have with spirituality, religious faith, politics, culture and everyday life. In short, looking at one of my collages is like peeking through a window into another world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a place where art, humor, faith, tension, and candidness all harmoniously coexist. Marty Gordon draws on a diverse artistic background that includes writing, theater, and printmaking to make his clever collages. A former minister, Gordon now devotes his spare time to collage making. Blending sophisticated humor with a comic visual style, he has developed his own unique genre of collage. Gordon lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Sarah, who is also an artist and costume designer. He has exhibited his art nationally and internationally and is one of 40 artists featured in the recent publication Masters: Collage.

130

Photo Credit: Craig van den Bosch

Ass Hat Collage on wood panel, 7 x 5 inches

Marty Gordon | 131

132

Remote Control

Transfiguration

Collage on wood panel, 8 x 6 inches

Marty Gordon | 133

Jesse Link Jesse Link is a Seattle New-brow artist. As a child Jesse showed considerable talent in the arts. He would occasionally make his local newspapers for winning various art contests and awards. In college he studied Graphic design, Communications and Industrial Design but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until he was serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom that he began to take painting and fine art seriously. During the war in Iraq in 2004â&#x20AC;&#x201C;05, painting became a way for Jesse to focus his energy on something positive and developmental. After the war Jesse moved to a devastated, Post Katrina, New Orleans. During the day he would help with the rebuilding effort and in the evenings he worked on constructing a body of work. In 2006 Jesse began showing his work in Coffee shops and in boutiques around New Orleans and in the French Quarter. In 2007 he decided to make Seattle his home and has since been playing an active role in the arts scene. A very prolific artist, he participates in many group and solo exhibitions throughout Seattle and the United States each year.

Abundance Acrylic on wood, 12 x 24 inches

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Jesse Link | 135

136

Pain and Pleasure

The Spirit of Sustenance

Acrylic on wood 24 x 12 inches

Acrylic on wood 48 x 24 inches

Jesse Link | 137

Mike Capp Mike Capp is an accomplished artist who finds inspiration for his artwork through his children’s creativity and pop imagery. His paintings don’t really mean anything dangerous, angsty or irksome. There’s no bubbling social commentary. His paintings which incorporate his young childrens’ drawings aren’t meant to provoke the unarticulated terrors of childhood. They’re just drawings of monsters, superheros and robots. Even though there’s plenty of angst behind his humor, more so there’s a playful, impish, boy’s mind, full of cartoons and KISS memorabilia. His technique is solid and clean, so he affords himself the privilege of choosing subject material that is loose and silly, while still keeping a close eye on small details of color and composition. He paints what feels good and what results are paintings that are funny and frivolous, in a good way. It’s not as important to understand what his paintings mean, as it is to understand that they are just what they appear to be.

Dali Joker Oil on canvas 8 x 8 inches

138

Mike Capp | 139

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Sleep Batman Sleep Oil on canvas, 6 x 12 inches

140

Picasso America Oil on canvas, 10 x 10 inches

Mike Capp | 141