"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.

ARTRUMPS: sending a message

Which would you rather do: send a message, or collect a work of art?

Trick question. You can do both at ARTRUMPS: Resistance and Action, which opens (on purpose) on April Fool's Day. Work by artists around the world is up for sale, including the work of Roz Chast, cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine.

Details:

I hope one or both of my collages compel someone to donate.

And if they do, I suspect I'll use my fee to turn around and purchase someone else's art from the exhibit. Does that count as reinvesting in the arts?

Work-in-progress: fragile

Good thing Easter is coming up, because I've got eggs on the brain. Thinking about how to use faux eggs in the next few pieces I make.

These eggs are already coated with chalkboard paint. Some of them I'm going to repaint, but I may leave one or two as-is to write something on them.

They're for a piece I'll show in a two-person exhibit this fall. We're exploring the idea of fragile barriers or containers, and eggs embody some points I'd like to make. I'm also collecting eggs online.

Who knows: I might even look for eggs and candy to put in the kids' Easter baskets. Is it too early to have them get their own?