Carol Inez Charney, Invisible Man, chromogenic print, laminated and mounted to panel, 24 x 24 inches, edition of five

The colorful curls and wisps of smoke in Carol Inez Charney’s newest series are sophisticated and elegant while being rich with metaphor. The series, Secondhand Smoke, highlights the dangers of cultural censorship, the limiting of individualism and artistic expression. Book burnings and the destruction of artwork have been an all too common practice in both modern and historic eras, public demonstrations meant to show the power of authoritarian governments. However, the pieces in Secondhand Smoke seem to remind us that such censorship can sneak in; can whisper and spread like rumors, creeping in around the edges, as smoke can.

Secondhand Smoke also poignantly considers the dichotomy between artistic expression and the proliferation of falsified information – as well as the resulting political division. But the pieces speak softly; Charney was inspired to create work both beautiful and reflective, in a way providing respite from the world while at the same time holding a mirror up to it.

Carol Inez Charney, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, chromogenic print, laminated and mounted to panel, 24 x 24 inches, edition of five

The images in Secondhand Smoke share their titles with literary works that have, at points throughout recent history, been banned or burned by governmental entities seeking to silence individual voices; says Charney, “Incinerating intellectual, creative and critical thought has harmful reverberating effects on society, just as second hand smoke does for all of us. It’s about maintaining control of individuals by censoring the ideas necessary to evolve: suppressing enlightenment and creative freedom.”

Carol Inez Charney, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, chromogenic print, laminated and mounted to panel, 24 x 24 inches, edition of five

Known for her characteristically eloquent photographic abstractions, Charney here utilizes a more ethereal approach. “Ultimately smoke represents aftermath—what remains of provocative of ideas. Secondhand Smoke is a cautionary tale of the growing threats facing artistic expression around the world.”

Charney received a BA in painting from the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, and an MFA in Photography from San Jose State University, San Jose, CA. She has shown her work at galleries across the country, and in museums such as the Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA; San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA; and the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, Berkeley, CA. She has received numerous awards, and her photographs are part of collections including the AT&T Art Collection, New York, NY; Microsoft Art Collection, Redmond, WA; Reese Witherspoon's Art Collection, Los Angeles, CA; and the Escalette Permanent Collection of Art at Chapman University, Irvine, CA.

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GROUP EXHIBITION
ELEMENTS: FIRE
Opening November 4, 2021

The second of four group exhibitions grounded by the elements, Elements: Fire opens at Foster/White Gallery on November 4, 2021. A wide range of interpretations, the artwork in this grouping includes explorations of the increasing frequency of forest fires and their implications, the raw violence of fire, and the beauty of a flame; we are reminded of water's power against an inferno, given images of death and rebirth, of natural cycles, and of the devastation left in a fire's wake. And, despite the impact of that devastation, many of us have deeply cherished memories attached to fire - it can represent gathering with loved ones, staring into embers beneath starry skies, learning to make a s'more for the first time, or warming cold hands after hours in the snow. 

Historically relied upon to sustain life - warmth, light, the daily preparation of meals - fire has taken a lesser role in our lives in modern society; its domestic presence is typically limited to the infrequent hearth, reserved for back-yard fire pits, and camping trips. Still, collectively we acknowledge the power and mystique of its immense force; one that we control when we can, and are lost to when we cannot. 

Elements: Fire is a challenging exhibition in light of the current reality and impact of forest fires around the world, but beautiful in its diverse perspectives. We grapple with the knowledge that this combustion often stems from the negative impacts of our race on the natural world, while also navigating the inherent truth of an environmental  cycle that includes fire and its effects as part of a healthy rhythm. In a world that has changed so significantly in the past fifty years, we have yet to find a balance between ourselves and some of the most constant and elemental forces of our planet. Seeking to master fire, we are as yet subject to its tendencies, despite how drastically our own have changed.

Says participating artist Sarah Winkler,

"In the Smoke Signals paintings, I want to capture the explosive dance of the wildfire. Emit the heat of the moment. The splatters of smoke and lines of a blaze where the almost amorphous land forms appear to melt. A wildfire is an event which demonstrates both nature's violence and its vulnerability. Though this environment is nothing but hostile for human life, through choice of color these images have a sensuality, a sense of calmness. A pure celebration of the power of nature."

Shar Coulson, Fauna Flora Figure 173, 48 x 40 inches, $8,300

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Opening October 7, 2021

Julie Himel’s work explores the space between our connection with and distance from the natural world. Her first solo exhibition at Foster/White Gallery, Broken Beautiful is an exploration driven by the artists close ties with the natural world; favored places become recognizable to us as the artist returns to them, perhaps in different seasons, capturing changes in light, emotion, and growth. Himel also invites us into imagined places, using color and contrast to draw us into the dreamlike spaces she creates.
 
Says Himel, "On all levels of human experience there is the coexistence of two ends of the cycle. At this time, we are facing massive environmental change, and watching the way things were shift to a new reality. The reason for that shift and for what is broken is human interaction with the environment. The title of this exhibition is an acceptance of needing to let nature be, and honoring the beautiful adaptations."

Julie Himel, It Was Written in the Sky, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 40 inches

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Eva Isaksen, Small Steps, collage on canvas, 36 x 48 

EVA ISAKSEN
Here Now
Opening September 2, 2021

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Eva Isaksen’s newest body of work carries a deep sense of gravitas, a level of self-assurance communicated through the simplification of the abstract. Continuing her explorations in collage, Isaksen incorporates physical elements of significance from her life; personal textiles, letters, and clippings of favorite texts are layered within steady forms and a sophisticated palette. Describing the works as reflecting her search for the unknown, there is yet a grounded calm in her quest.

Isaksen’s confidence in her artistic voice is strong here. There is a sense that she has reached a significant moment of resolution in her work and life that provides a cohesion to the pieces in Here Now. Says Isaksen “Life is short and I feel an urgency to fully embrace it.  There are so many more ways to work and evolve [...]. The work has its own narrative, glimpses of stories, history and memories but ultimately it is about form, space and abstraction. It’s also about a place where the intuitive becomes one with all the experiences collected from a lifetime as a working artist."

Eva Isaksen, Summer Follows Spring, collage on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

Eva Iskasen holds an MFA in Painting from Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, as well as a BFA from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD. Isaksen studied at the Nordland School of Arts & Crafts Narvik, Norway. Isaksen's artwork has been exhibited international including at Galleri G. Guddal, Rosendal, Norway; Galleri Bodøgaard, Bodø, Norway; Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA; US Embassy, Brussels, Belgium; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA; and Museo de los Pintores Oaxaquenos, Oaxaca, Mexico. Isaksen has also shown her work extensively across North America, has been a recipient of dozens of awards and public art commissions, and was a founder of Seattle Print Arts, Seattle, WA. She has participated in artist residencies across the world, most recently at Tare Steigen Air, Tare Art Center, Steigen, Norway and at Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Bally, Ireland. Her work is part of dozens of private, public, and corporate collections including those of the Boeing Corporate Headquarters, Chicago, IL; Hilton Hotel, Seattle, WA; Seibu Department Stores, Funabashi, Shizoka Higashi, Totsuka, Japan; Goldman Sachs, New York, NY, and the United States Embassy in Riga, Latvia.

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Tom Burrows, Jedidiah Island, polymer resin, 24 x 24 inches 

Tom Burrows

New Work | Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair 

August 5 - 28, 2021 

Tom Burrows’ resin pieces are laboriously created through a unique and highly variable process. Burrows’ artistic career has included a myriad of explorations in sculptural materials, ranging from performative, site-specific installation work to two-dimensional pieces. Often with an element of research focused on social issues such as homelessness and housing, he has been a significant part of the arts community of British Columbia since the early 1960s. 

The works in this exhibition reflect light, bouncing it between the walls of each hollow form and illuminating the natural tendencies of his materials. Vibrant pigmentation causes each piece to possess a seemingly effulgent presence, each transmitting fields of color and allowing for meditative encounters. 

To learn more about Tom Burrows and to see available work, please visit his page.

Robert Marchessault, Pupuri, acrylic and oil on canvas stretched on panel, 60 x 48 inches

Robert Marchessault

Grow / Re-Grow
July 1 - 24, 2021

Robert Marchessault, Arcs, oil and acrylic on panel, 52 x 40 inches

Says the artist, "For many years, my landscapes, and in particular my images of trees, have been a visual metaphor for overcoming difficulties and thriving in adversity. I am in wonder at how trees are able to take root and grow in spite of forces aligned against them.  Wind, drought, rocks, pollution, pests and disease make survival a struggle. Yet, in the face of the misery; trees adapt, change, bend, re-grow and thrive."

Robert Marchessault received a Visual Arts Diploma from Dawson College, Montreal, QC, a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, QC and an MA from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. His work has been shown internationally including at Gotland Museum, Visby, Sweden, and many galleries across North America. He’s been the recipient of dozens of awards including a Canada Council Travel Grant. Marchessault’s paintings are in dozens of art collections including 20th Century Fox, Bank of Montreal, Rothschilds Inc, and Royal Bank, among many others.

To learn more about Robert Marchessault and to see available works, please visit his page.

Alden Mason

A Teacher's Legacy 

Through July 24, 2021

"I took many independent studies with Alden. The 4 & 5 year painting students shared a classroom where we could set up our spaces and leave them. Professors would come to this space and talk with us about our work. When we started, Alden thought my work was too dark and brooding. He encouraged me to have humor and color - a sense of fun. It's always in my mind as I work."

- Allison Collins

“[...] He always seemed to be just back from, or heading out for a fishing trip, and always wore his Fred Flintstone style fishing hat in the building. The class was loosely based on the landscape, and I remember him telling us that the ground was usually and surprisingly lighter than the background - or sky because of the light coming from above. He was very amusing and lighthearted, but took the act of art-making very seriously, and I think he made a good impression on all of us.” - Whiting Tennis

"[...]He asked everyone to gather around and instructed us that we were to paint something unique that resonated with our own personal perspective. The constraints he said, were that we could use only three colors, black, white and gray and that we could only paint the objects he provided. This he said was often the challenge in life, to make something beautiful out of what life provides and be prepared to change course. It was this lesson, more than any others, that stuck with me over the years and provided the key to solving enumerable quandaries. [...]" - Deb Hunter

"[...] His entire being danced with such energy, that he seemed to shake with life. His voice would shudder with laughter,
even as he gave a student the most devastating of criticism. [...]"

- Linda Beaumont

"[...] He loved sharing the joy of making art with all of us, his students, colleagues and friends. He had ambition for himself, and for all of us as well...he wanted every one of us to have a successful career. [...]"

- Gene Gentry McMahon

Alden Mason’s retrospective exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum, Fly Your Own Thing, is on view through October 10, 2021. Greg Kucera Gallery will be showing a selection of Mason's painting and drawing through- July 10, 2021, as well as watercolor paintings by Ray Hill, Mason’s instructor and mentor.

David Alexander, When They Fall Rock Island Remains and History Becomes Mystery,
acrylic on canvas, 56.5 x 66 inches

DAVID ALEXANDER
Second Time Around the Coastline
June 6 - 26, 2021 

Water is a recurring character in the artwork of painter David Alexander. Often mirroring his abstracted landscapes with reflections, Alexander invites us to keep our eyes on the surface of the water he depicts. Some paintings feel like he has completely shortened his depth of field until we are right upon the organic moment he is sharing. Finding nuance and contrast in light and landscape, Alexander’s emotive renderings of natural places fill the two dimensional surfaces of each canvas with intrigue; marks made not only tell a story of place, but also capture the hand of the artist.

This exhibition includes paintings that range from abstract reflections, wide landscapes, and bright, lyrical explorations with attractively amorphous natural forms. Says Alexander, "I pay attention to the impermanence, transience and vulnerability of land, how it is used and/or abused. Many viewers have commented on how abstract my paintings are. I don’t disagree, but I feel they have the amount of representation in them that allows me to work more experimentally and freely within the genre of landscape."

David Alexander

Alexander studied at the Vancouver Art School and Langara College, both in Vancouver, BC, and holds a BFA from Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana. He also received an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. He has been a visiting artist and instructor across the globe, and participated in residencies including being a guest artist in residence at the Morris Graves Foundation and the Grand Canyon’s Artist in Residence Program.  Alexander’s work is part of numerous museum and gallery collections including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver BC; Notre Dame University, Indiana, and Museum London, London ON. In addition, his work is in Embassies in Berlin, Beijing and Krakow. Corporate and private collections include works in major cities in North America as well as in Dubai, Seoul, New York, Mumbai and Nice, among others.