The time to collect art is NOW

Here's what I imagine happens in an art collector's brain when they decide they NEED to have that art in their lives:

When I delivered a collage to this new collector, I was privileged to see her reaction in real time. She and her husband had seen "Rare & Exquisite" in the show I curated at Columbia City Gallery...

... and the collage stopped them in their tracks. The husband loves maps, and he'd mentioned he would like "something more 3D" for this spot on the wall. 

If you've been itching to take home original art, you're in good company. This weekend, the Seattle Art Fair returns for its fourth summer, drawing collectors and art galleries from around the world.

Inaugural Seattle Art Fair, 2015

A few things to remember:

• Buy what you love (of course) and buy local if you can
• Your support makes it possible for the artist to make MORE art (and pay their bills)
• You can always pay for the work in installments -- just ask

One last thing: Wear comfortable shoes if you're going to the art fair. Wouldn't it be a shame if you had to leave your favorite new artwork at the booth/artist studio just because your poor feet couldn't support you for one more minute?

Makers gonna make... at a slower pace

For the first time in maybe two years, I have only one project to work on: collage portraits for the Liberty Bank Building. 

I enjoyed people-ing at the "Locally Sourced" reception, and sharing my butterflies with everyone.

But my brain craves alone-time, preferably in the studio.

So I took a week or two not doing much of anything, as the experts suggest you do after a big project. It's been a welcome change not to finish something in a week, or schedule events that won't happen for months in the future. Still a few deadlines, but they're not within days of each other. 

It might take a few more months of this: my brain refuses to attempt more abstract things like goal-setting. So I intend to keep things low-key (ha!) for the summer, but I'm not making any promises.

Coming soon: "Locally Sourced"

If you've never been to the Pacific Northwest, this "Portlandia" sketch will give you a (slightly exaggerated) taste of the obsession over 'local origins.'

What -- and who -- qualifies as "local?" That's the Big Question behind our exhibit at the Columbia City Gallery.

All four contributing artists are women of color who've lived here for a long time: Carletta Carrington Wilson, Bernadette Merikle, Susan Ringstad Emery and me. I think of us all as local, as familiar as coffee in Seattle. But you know how people talk about coffee here: like it's some rare, exotic thing seen only once in a blue moon. 

Not surprising, then, that a coffee-related marketing blurb encapsulated that paradox, which I wanted to convey in my collages: "Rare & Exquisite."

Each of us artists has a different take on being local. Carletta's textile work speaks to migrations through time and space. Bernadette imagines her ancestors deciding the question of local origins. And Susan, who calls herself an urban Iñupiat, considers Native (and "native") Seattle icons. Come see for yourself: the opening reception for "Locally Sourced" is May 19th at 5pm PST. Hope to see you in a few hours!