Showcasing at Gallery B612’s Grand Re-Opening Exhibition are several new artists. Some of which have submitted Seattle & PNW themed art works. Each piece captures an identifying part of Seattle portrayed in unique styles. This blog will only showcase one piece per artist, but the exhibition will have more.
Henri Caserotti’s piece titled, “Along Devil’s Creek,” is a 36 x 24 x 1.5 inch acrylic painting highlighting the intricate textures and details of a large section of boulder bulging out of a mountain. The geology of the Northwestern US stands out from the world in that it is one of the places where the Cascadia convergent margin is. The PNW is an exciting place to observe and study geological processes. After moving to Idaho in 2013, and doing a fair amount of hiking and rafting, Caserotti soon began thinking about how he could capture in paint the rugged and vast terrain he was quickly becoming enamored of. Over time, Caserotti developed a process using the same elements that had created the geography itself, water, wind and gravity, to create work with great depth of detail without losing a sense of immediacy.
Chandra Wu’s piece titled, “Pacific Rim,” is a 68 x 48 x 1 inch fiber. Wu creates her pieces using weathered found textiles and most commonly, jeans. Pacific Rim is inspired by the rhythmically patterned industrial coastlines of Washington State and Canada. Here is where Wu fuses her background in geology and physics with her passion in sewing. The main colors of textiles used are muted earthy greens, rich deep blues, and soft cool whites. Within the combined textiles, Wu unifies the pieces even more so by blanketing a subtle sewing pattern over the entire piece. This creates a unique and ever changing texture throughout.
Brian Brenno’s piece, titled “Pink Elephant,” is a 14 x 9 x 0.5 inch mixed media piece that is uniquely made using recycled metal drinking cans. Brenno aims to capture Seattle iconic landmarks and businesses that are slowly shutting down. It’s interesting that he aims to preserve such places with reusing materials and allowing them to last forever in place of the them. Because of the nature of using found objects, which come pre-colored, Brenno challenges himself to utilize the colors available to build his scenes. The main colors we see in cans are often bright bold colors, that which are meant to capture the eyes of consumers. The shimmer of the metal quickly captures the viewers attention much like the unique landmarks they represent.
GirlSpit’s piece, titled “Holiday Market,” is a 13 x 13 x 1 inch hand-cut paper piece of the infamous Pike Place Market in the heart of Seattle, Washington. The paper is opaque black stencil shaped of a scene with the Pike Place sign, the clock signed at midday, and a pike place fish truck parked right in front. The black acts as the negative space, the shadows of the subject and the positive space acts as the highlights both of which are opaque. The high contrast creates a snapshot photographic effect of a beloved scene, that Seattle locals and tourists alike, are all familiar with.
Brooke Brocherding’s 48 x 60 inch painting titled, “Blooms After The Frost,” is inspired by the tulip blooms of Skagit Valley in the Northwest of Washington State. Lively rich colors create a sea of tulips along the field of the valley in a highly stylized impression. Brocherding rekindles the magic of traditional landscape paintings by presenting such scenes with thick solid patterning of vertical and horizontal brush strokes that hold semi-mixed and solid color.. This brings a fresh new look to traditional landscape paintings we are accustomed to seeing. As abstracted as it is, the viewer can still identify perspective and location in the space of the scene.
Alexander Hollman’s 11 x 11 inch watercolor and gouache painting titled, “Western Dawn.” It is a close up scene of a harbor of local ships, one of which is named the title of the piece. The main colors are semi-opaque red and blues. Hollman’s portrayal of the water creates a shimmering effect as he excellently blends a balance between the whites and the blues. This brings the stillness of the waterfront to a peaceful moment as intense highlights are sprinkled along the little water waves.
Michael Baran’s 9 x 9 x 1 inch oil on board painting titled, “Arthur Foss Wooden Ship,” is plein air painting of a historic wooden ship. The main colors used are soft blues, green and orange. This piece feels like a sweet portrait of a ship that has been loved and cared for for decades. There is a pride in the direction of the ship and the amount of space it is filling in the frame. The viewer can sense the warmth of its history with the detailed windows and decking area.
We Invite you to come to come out to see these art works in person at Gallery B612 in Seattle, Washington between the days of May 18th - June 17th, 2023. The Grand Re-Opening Artist Reception will be held on May 18th 6:30PM - 9:00 PM.
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