On my Christmas wish list

You don’t have to give me every artwork in this video for Christmas. I’m not greedy.

Whichever one you choose from my wish list, it’ll be the star of this wall. It’s 11.09 feet (3.38 meters high) by 9.12 feet (2.78 meters wide). So easy to fill!

Lemme help you out with a few more suggested presents:

Bisa Butler discusses “Three Kings” at Pulse Miami, 2018

“Three Kings” is only one of many breath-taking art quilts created by Bisa Butler. If her gallery’s already sold this piece, I would also accept “Zouave.” (Both are probably spoken for, but it never hurts to ask.)

“Saint Woman” (detail) by Amy Sherald, from “In This Imperfect Present Moment” at Seattle Art Museum

“Saint Woman” by Amy Sherald belongs to the Seattle Art Museum, but maybe you could acquire another portrait. “Freeing Herself Was One Thing, Taking Ownership of that Freed Self Was Another” might be available. If we position it properly, I’m sure we could fit two more pieces next to this one.

Textile work by Basil Kincaid at Design Miami, 2019 (from Mindy Solomon Gallery website)

Either one of these Basil Kincaid quilts would be amazing: “Celeste” on the left, or “Take Me Home” on the right. Again, I probably have room for both. Surprise me.

Liz Tran, “Ornament 14” at Morton Fine Art

But you know what would really wake up that wall space? A salon-style wall of paintings by Liz Tran. The biggest one available at Morton Fine Art is only four by four feet — plenty of room for six more circular paintings. Done! I’ll take a break from blogging to hang them up properly, and then I’ll be back January 8th. Happy holidays!

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!

"Jacob Lawrence" & "Seeing Nature" at SAM

It still gets me: most famous paintings I see in person are smaller than I'd imagined. Human-scaled, in spite of their larger-than-life reputations.

I made sure not to miss "Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series" before it moves on from the Seattle Art Museum. I wasn't disappointed. Although the pieces outline an epic change, following the paintings and captions around the room makes the exhibit feel something like a bedtime story.

And by "bedtime story," I'm thinking more "Grimm's Fairy Tales, original gory recipe" rather than "Grimm's Fairy Tales -- now with added Disney sweetness." Intimate, but sharp-edged. I could imagine living with these paintings.

I could also see myself living with a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe or Edouard Manet... but it's not the same. Which makes me wonder: what's it like to live in Paul Allen's house? Does he pass Manet's paintings of Venice canals on his way to get coffee from the kitchen?

At first I was going to skip "Seeing Nature." Few landscapes pull me in like portraiture or other narrative works that include the human figure. But I did find a few pieces I liked. Still, "Seeing Nature" makes me think more of the names involved -- and the guy who owns them -- than the works themselves. It's more a traditional museum experience of Western culture, the kind of thing that's Good for You.

I suppose big names (Jacob Lawrence, Paul Allen) were the reason I made time to see both exhibits. But once I arrive at a museum, I prefer a spectacle in which I can find something personal.