Enjoy your Labor Day!

Before the kids get back into the school year grind and I head back into the studio...

I hope you have a relaxing Labor Day. If you're traveling, may traffic be light; if you're staying home, may you sleep in as long as you choose.

The serious business of play (dates)

I call them "play dates" but I'm serious about experiencing art with my artist friends.

Artist Rachel Setzer, shown in profile with "Naida, the Proud Princess" by Edward S. Curtis

Rachel Setzer and I took in "Double Exposure" at the Seattle Art Museum recently. She understands my love of tintypes, daguerreotypes and other old-fashioned photo technology, so Will Wilson's prints were a big draw for both of us.

You can see the cooperation between photographer and portrait sitter, which has a different vibe compared to Edward S. Curtis' documents of a 'vanishing' people. However, the Curtis photos far outnumber the contemporary work.

Will Wilson, "Talking Tintype, Andy Everson, Artist, Citizen of the K'ómoks First Nation"

The exhibit is more of a Curtis survey with a few living, Northwest Native artists added for local color (pun intended). I think Rachel and I found the exhibit aesthetically pleasing, but still a let-down. Fortunately, Amy Sherald's work is just around the corner.

Amy Sherald, "Saint Woman"

It's on view as part of "In This Imperfect Present Moment," an exhibit of 15 contemporary artists whose work local art collectors are lending to SAM. Valencia Carroll and I visited the show for some in-person inspiration. After gawping over Amy Sherald's painting, I also found another favorite by Lawrence Lemoana. His banner prompted me to see a disturbingly familiar parallel between Dave Meinert in Seattle and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

Bottom line: if I'm going to venture out of the studio...

Genevieve Gaignard, "Trailblazer (A Dream Deferred)"

geeking out over Genevieve Gaignard's photography with friends makes it worth the effort.

Wish you were here: postcards as art

Just for kicks, I've started sending out postcards to my friends every so often. I've finally gotten around to framing a few for myself.

The Husband gave me a set of these postcards as a gift; they're reproductions of classic Penguin paperback book covers. When I rearranged some of them, they made me laugh out loud.

But I couldn't fill in the center space for the second trio until a few days ago, when I rediscovered this postcard: "Portrait of a Black Woman" by Marie-Guillemine Benoist.

I love this image for many reasons, but most of all because of this woman's pro-level side-eye. Apparently her very existence, like that of so many black women, gets people all riled up. So now she's the demigoddess of my nightstand.

Put together with the other postcards, it makes for a lovely vignette that also warns people to Let Me SLEEP.