The Exploded View
Contemporary Printmaking in Three Dimensions
July 27-30th
316 Alaskan Way S. (at S. Jackson)
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 27, 6 -9 pm.
theexplodedviewshow.com

Back when I thought I was going to be a painter forever, I had always found it valuable to take forays into the world of printmaking, primarily screenprinting and etching. The process of re-engineering an image (for example, some pineapple-clad ham) would force my brain to think in three dimensions for while, reset all the circuits, and I’d come back to painting with a refreshed sensibility and a new eye.

My last foray from painting into printmaking turned out to be of the one-way variety, and later morphed into a new foray, off of the wall and into the solid, spatial world of three-dimensions. Soon I began to notice that other printmakers I knew were also venturing into sculpture and installation; I surmised there was a connection.

I spoke with Dawn Endean, a printmaker friend, about this idea, after I’d seen a little cranktoy she had made that perfectly illustrated the concept. Because I can’t just leave an idea alone to fester by itself (and because those old Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movies made an indelible mark on my developing psyche) I couldn’t resist the urge to say, “LET’S PUT ON A SHOW!” Dawn and I then gathered fifteen other printmakers whose work also wouldn’t stay put on the wall, and we invited them to show with us in an Old Barn in My Backyard—actually a brand-new fancy highrise (but still in my backyard). We’ll be putting on this show during (and a few blocks from) the Seattle Art Fair, lending some local, indy flavor to the art festivities.

My own piece for the show (still in progress as of this writing) is a freestanding sculptural installation involving translucency, geometry, a whole lot of screenprinted sheer fabric stretched around a big metal armature and lots of CMYK dots.

I’m honored by how many excellent artists have agreed to be part of this show. The fact that many of us met teaching or printing at Pratt makes it feel like a reunion. The support of the community outside of the art world has been fabulous as well: Besides the donated space from my friend Greg Smith, the project was also awarded a matching grant by the Pioneer Square Business Improvement Association. With the help of Steve’s forty-some years experience suspending things in the name of art, we’re transforming a 7,000 square-foot retail storefront with 22′ ceilings into a pop-up gallery for one long weekend, July 27-30, at the Jack, 316 Alaskan Way South. More info is at the explodedviewshow.com

The other artists are: Magda Baker, Romson Bustillo, Mary Anne Carter, Dawn Endean, Esther Ervin, Kerstin Graudins, Cynthia Hibbard, Eva Isaksen, Kamla Kakaria, Michèle Landsaat, Fulgencio Lazo, Linley Logan, Kelda Martensen, Christina Carlyle Reed, and Kim Van Someren.