2022 summer shows
The doors are closing on my artist residency at Graphite, but you haven’t seen the last of my work yet! Let’s start in Kent, Washington, where one of my collages has found a permanent home.
“The Ingratitude of the Girl” now belongs to the city of Kent! You might remember a few glimpses of this work from the Manticore and the Mermaid series, the trio of collages about Oney Judge’s escape from George Washington some 200 years ago. Now you can see it in full, in person, during the Kent Summer Art Exhibit. Visit the piece at the city’s Centennial Center Gallery until August 18th.
I’m also showing four pieces in north Seattle at the Ida Culver House. The CLUSTER show is made up of artworks from friends of mine, including installation artist June Sekiguchi and painter/ sculptor Stephanie Hargrave. (Before you go, remember that masks are required to protect the health of the residents there.) You can browse to your heart’s content from now until October. Speaking of fall…
… that’s when you’ll be able to see my artwork on the side of a new apartment building. I’m part of the artist team that designed balcony railings for “Uncle Bob’s Place” in the International District. More on that when we’re closer to the unveiling. But until then, spend some time at the Centennial Center Gallery while the weather’s still warm; “Ingratitude” is waiting for you!
Summer thoughts
I may have gotten more vitamin D in the past month than I have in the past five years here in the Northwest. (We're not used to multiple, consecutive sunny days... it confuses us.) Just drinking in the sun, thinking about art.
My family was definitely immersed earlier this summer, when we were fortunate enough to visit the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. The trip also got me thinking A LOT about museum etiquette: OMG don't get so close to the artwork/ 250-year-old paintings don't like flash photos/ how do you NOT know how to behave in a museum?!
Vincent van Gogh, "Self-Portrait," 1889
After a certain point I found myself playing a mental game of "find a European artwork that includes black people." Medieval and Renaissance-era artists did depict people of African descent occasionally, and not always as servants, possessions or "noble savages." But even those sculptures make me think: this is still a black body rendered in a couple tons of marble, by an artist who died more than a century ago.
Ernest Barrias, "The Alligator Hunters, or the Nubians," 1894
And it's worth remembering that most museums allow you to borrow their air conditioning for hours at a time. Depending on where you live, summer really is cooler at the museum.
Work-in-progress: diving in
It's been a bit of a shock here to feel heat (that is, "summer") every day. What does one do when it's hot outside?
Semiahmoo Bay. Photo: Lisa Myers Bulmash
Ah yes, large bodies of water. I understand one sometimes dives into them.
The original vintage image of the diver was part of a stereoscopic pair. I set her, and part of the background, against waves on a Japanese art paper. Then I added a handmade paper sky, at the back of an altered book niche.
You might remember back in the day -- like, waaaay back in the day -- this kind of swimsuit was considered scandalous.
More power to you, for doing what makes you happy. I think Calamity Jane said it best:
I'm leaning toward the title "Legendary." Still need to mount the book and do a couple of other tweaks, but it's getting there. Next week, I'll be showing her to an interested collector who's been following this work-in-progress on Facebook.