Where to Go This First Thursday: March 2016
Bill Braun employs trompe l’oeil techniques to make his paintings look like construction paper crafts.
Bill Braun, Woodpecker, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 20 in.
Bill Braun
Patricia Rovzar Gallery
Don't judge Bill Braun's work by a cursory glance. While his creations may look like children's construction paper craft projects depicting birds, critters, and vegetation, they're actually hyperrealism paintings employing a trompe l’oeil technique to make the two dimensional canvas seem three-dimensional. The level of realistic detail in the unreal elements like staples, construction paper shadowing, or sheet music as a bird's speech bubble gives each piece a lived-in charm while simultaneously breaking the viewer's brain. Opening reception from 6–8.
Camille Rose Garcia, House Of Psyche, 2016, acrylic, glitter on wood, 72 x 96 in.
Image: Courtesy Roq la Rue
Camille Rose Garcia: Animus Chrysalis Mortis
Roq La Rue
If Walt Disney had an extended bad acid trip, his studio’s classic animated films might look a bit more like Camille Rose Garcia’s scenes of gothic cartoon horror. The Los Angeles lowbrow artist even illustrated a version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Her new collection of paintings at Roq La Rue drips with neon color while retaining an inherent creepy darkness. Opening reception from 6–9.
Cappy Thompson and Dick Weiss, Spirit Tapestry, ceramic, 16.5 x 12 x 4.5 in.
Cappy Thompson and Dick Weiss: All Over The Map
Traver Gallery
Seattle artists Cappy Thompson and Dick Weiss have built their reputations on glass creations, but for All Over the Map the pair teams up and steps into the ceramic realm. The duo's collaborative painted sculptures combine Thompson's love of Eastern and historic imagery with Weiss's comedic playfulness to form colorful scenes that jump off the clay. Opening reception from 5–8.
Drew Michael, Lady of the North, basswood, steambent ash wood, acrylic, wire, stain, charring, 28 x 11.25 x 3.75 in.
Image: Courtesy Stonington Gallery
Drew Michael: Heart of Our Understanding
Stonington Gallery
Drawing on the Alaskan traditions of his Inupiaq and Yup'ik heritage, Drew Michael sculpts wooden figures embedded with simple and gorgeous indigenous iconography. Forged during a residency at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Heart of Our Understanding finds Michael presenting stoic hooded female bodies crafted via carving, layering steambent wood, mixing in reserved metallic flairs, and adding natural tones to the finished product with subtle acrylic paint. Opening reception from 6–8.
