Every now and then you meet someone whose output--in this case, Nik Meisel's artwork--makes you wonder about the input. Whimsical isn't quite the word (and besides it's often overused and misconstrued), yet there's a certain child-like wonderment with bits and pieces of everyday life that's both odd and charming. Rubberbands and string laminated to create a page, a jar filled with breadties and wrapped in fishing line, a book with all the images cut out. Things reference other things which reference other things. And places and states of being. As indecipherable as the neural networks inside the brain until you pull back and consider context.
Elemenoh, for example, is Meisel's most recent installation at Saranac Art Projects in Spokane. The title, said Meisel, "comes from my experience as a child trying to find my initials in the alphabet by repeating the alphabet as a verbal mantra where after "k" came the word elemenoh and then 'p'."
He adds: "It was an occasion where I was using the wrong tool to investigate and was consequently being misled."
The piece, which uses letters, pages from a book, a dead tree, yarn and other items, resembles the vaguely familiar form one might have in a dream. It's slumped along the floor like a body that could easily be about to evolve or decay back into the ground. Some of the pages float like tendrils hanging from the tree as you make your way through the forest, maybe lost, maybe not. Memories are like that; they can go either way on us.
On his website, Meisel talks about how his work develops out of play..."culminating in a sort of forgetting and remembering of assumptions and possibilities." There it is again--that fine line between odd and charming, an in-between quality that catches one off guard and invariably twists into a smile of recognition. Maybe even envy.
It's an effective pairing of two similar but unique artists at Tinman Artworks in Spokane's Garland district. Dara Harvey and Erin Crooks-Wallace are exhibiting through August 2 with works that share a bit of whimsy.
Dara's pop-surreal stylings invariably allude to darker things, even though her paint handling is expertly light and clean. With Harvey, color is luxurious wonder to be melded and blended and layered in such a way as to always suggest both movement and suspended animation. Her odd assortment of characters cavort on canvas, morphing themselves from 2D to 3D sculptures and back again, this exhibit showing numerous of her paper mache, cloth-formed and mixed-media figures. 
"Be wary of a fat gym teacher or a skinny cook."
Can you imagine an art teacher who didn't know his or her craft? While we take it for granted that teachers are, at least in some way, experts in their fields, some are more expert than others. And some, for whatever reason, ceased making art once they became a teacher. Having been in that situation--the only art I was making during my first 4-5 years of teaching high school was in the classroom and none of it for myself or for "art's sake"--I can appreciate that not every art teacher has the time or inclination to produce, much less show their work.
That's why it was delightful to get Eastern Washington University's announcement of their yearly showcase of area high school art teachers and their students. It's a glimpse into the future of what these capable young adults could be doing with their art. And it's a way to honor and highlight the folks behind the scenes, the teachers who help feed the rarified few who feel enough passion about it to declare themselves an Artist.
The exhibit opens July 9 (reception at noon at the art gallery) and continues through August 6. Telephone 509.359.7070.
From top left: Life, Eliza Johnson, University High School; Amongst Us, James Scarcello, Cheney High School; The Flower that Dances, Michelle Ferguson, University High School. If you can't tell which work is by the student and which by the teacher, so much the better.
When I first met Gabriel Brown, it was when he launched into Spokane's consciousness as "the guy in the suit" panhandling for such ridiculous things as gas for his Hummer. He was honked at, cursed at, and--improbably--given money. He made the news. And he made a dent in the daily routines of countless drivers along the busy Division Street offramp where he stationed himself for what was an exceptionally well-executed undergraduate art performance.
After graduating from Eastern Washington University, Brown went to Washington State University to pursue a Masters. Since relocating to Spokane, Brown has been popping up in unexpected places with performances like the one at Terrain, an alt-arts happening, and the 2009 First Night festival. Typically--if such as word can be applied to the inventive young artist--typically Brown works with recycled materials, performance and social commentary. As pointed as his works are, though, Brown is a consummate craftsman who, with a bit of a wry sense of humor, brings us into sometimes biting context of his work with deftness and subtle humor.
Such is the case with his latest venture: Great Tasting Goodness!, which opens at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Friday, July 3. Expect sculpture, photography and, of course, performance by the inimitable Gabriel Brown.
The line of cars heading out of Spokane was long this past Friday, myself included amongst the throngs bugging out before Hoopfest. Although I'm a recently converted fan of the sport (my partner coaches highschool basketball), my primary goal was to see a few art shows before they came down and to visit friends who live and work in Spokane.
First on the list was the Bohl/Erickson show at Lorinda Knight, which I recently previewed for Inlander. In person, two things struck me. Jen Erickson's work is extraordinarily beautiful and calming, visual deep-breathing that unfortunately does not reproduce well enough in print to do it justice. Second, Bohl's work has become more and more narrative, descriptive and specific than earlier works. It also seems to be projecting off the page more. Combined, these two things could be inferred as Bohl's efforts to reach out more to his audience.
Second on the list was Kolbo/Sterling at Saranac Art Projects. Again, this is work that needs to be experienced firsthand. Sterling's shoulder-high installation of cookie-cutter house forms requires you to walk amongst these familiar yet innocuous forms, wondering at the smattering of holes (caused by purposeful shooting of the forms prior to installation). For me it's a tightly conceptualized contrast of suburban sprawl and urban reality, underscored by its presentation in a somewhat urban setting.
Similarly, Scott Kolbo's work must be experienced firsthand. The exquisite quality of his drawings and prints continues to amaze. Kolbo employs characters like Inge the homeless girl and Heavyman--perhaps a play on Everyman--to illuminate social issues. What continues to impress me about Kolbo is his consummate craftsmanship, his consistency and his continued innovation. And as difficult as his content is, the humor with which he approaches it maintains for me a sense of faith that is surprisingly uplifting. Here's a link to his video documentation of the gallery installation.
One of the reasons for starting this blog was to give unrecognized artists a vehicle for promoting their work. Another is to celebrate the arts community. Erika Ouzounian, an emerging artist based out of Coeur d'Alene, does something similar at Java on Sherman, a popular yet low-key coffee house in downtown Coeur d'Alene (great chai tea and if you can get a seat outside when the cherry blossoms are falling, you'll think you've discovered a bit of paradise).
Ouzounian coordinates the growing grassroots arts program, scheduling local artists to display their work in Java's eclectic space. Most of the artists are at least regionally known, often in varying stages of their career and with differing levels of experience. Typically the work is from emerging artists who, like Ouzounian, have local ties to the area. With few places willing to show more contemporary, experimental or emerging artists' work, Java provides a small but casual space in which to view new work.
Here's the schedule through December:
- August: Joseph Roberts Acrylic/Glow in the Dark Media
- September: Corrie Bouchard Acrylic/Mixed Media
- October: Nick Smoot Photography
- November: Matt Hawley Ink/Charcoal
Ouzounian often makes nature a central theme of her work, yet there are metaphysical overtones as well. "I wish to impart the sense of wonder and stillness you get when you're all alone on a full moon night in the woods or how the sky looks and the air smells after a monsoon rain rolls through the scorched high desert lands," she writes in her artist statement on MySpace.
"The precious time each of us can have to be away from everyday routine and people and noise to realize how Eden-like and centering nature can be is important to the growth of each of us. I hope that my paintings can be reminders of those moments."
You can view Ouzounian's work at Java on Sherman (208.7667.0010) beginning July 10 or at Art on the Green later in August.
Art arrives in the most unexpected places and formats. It can be showcased at a museum, such as the MAC in Spokane or show up unexpectedly along an Artwalk route. It can be the focus of a contemporary gallery exploration or tucked in amongst beautiful objects designed for your home. And as Outskirts Gallery in Hope, Idaho demonstrates, art does not need to have an urban address to be interesting or cutting-edge.
Located about half an hour north of Sandpoint along scenic Highway 200, Outskirts Gallery shares space with the Hope Market Cafe, a funky space that doubles as a sort of community center. Outskirts Gallery is the brainchild of Kally Thurman, an enthusiastic arts advocate whose eclectic tastes are reflected in this densely-packed space. Big names like Mel McCuddin, Morse Clary and Glenn Grishkoff have pieces here, as do such regionally-known artists like Catherine (L'maitre) Earle and Gary Kaemmer.
Outskirts Gallery also has a growing artist-in-residence program featuring Grishkoff and other artists. In July, University of Idaho professor and artist Sally Machlis will join Grishkoff to teach "Book & Brush: Make Books, Paint Books" on July 18-19. There are also classes in ceramics, brushmaking, and photography scheduled through September.
Contact Kally at the gallery via email (kallythurman@gmail.com) or by phone (208.264-5696) for more information.
