Art will be for sale with a portion of proceeds going to local organizations focused on fostering sustainability and healthy, lasting prosperity grounded in community.

The show will be juried by 3 individuals well versed in Tacoma’ s art community. We are asking artists to submit multiple entries by Saturday September 20. (Please use reasonable judgment regarding the quantity of entries. One of the goals of re-ART ‘08 is to explore the vast spectrum of creative talent of our community.) More information to come!

[1] Leonard, Annie;  Story of Stuff, http://www.storyofstuff.com/pdfs/annie_leonard_facts.pdf

Ms. Kin’s history with Madera goes back to our first show - Square One. With The Garden, she has taken a departure from her large, colorful and flowing abstracts to embark on a journey of expression that in her words, “has been within me for years and may continue to evolve for some time to come.” This journey, across 11 major paintings, begins in that most famous of gardens with the ominous serpent eager to bring to an end what could be taken as nothing less than pure reverie. From the accompanying text Kin writes,

There is no other sunshine

brightening the shadows

our darkest nights

Dancing with the drops of rain

Their sweet communion

Realizing the beauty of our dreams

Peace hidden in the colors of the bow so bright

The leaves dance in the wind

Along with the perfume of nature

in my memory

to songs of the winged

Virtuosos in The Garden

We were once blessed to attend.

Portland ceramic artist Gene Phillips also finds much of his inspiration in nature. A successful production ceramic artist for nearly 30 years, Phillips has personally created over 100,000 pieces that have sold in gift shops throughout the US.   Recently “retired” Phillips has found opportunity to seek his own expression through his art. Many of his wonderfully textured sculptures sway to some inner rhythm. Others are stately. His colors are from Nature: a grey sky blue, a green straight form a Northwest spring, aubergine - rich yet earthy.

Join us for an artists’ reception Saturday June 21 from 5 - 8 pm. The artists will be present.

And here is Madera’s Matt Tribe and me checking the fit of the latch and strike in the solid walnut jamb. The face of the door is 1/16″ bleached walnut veneer and the jamb is bleached solid walnut (it measures 2 1/2″ thick by 5″ wide!)

And as usual Jason Stensby did a fabulous job with the finish. He sealed and filled the grain with multiple coats of epoxy for weather resistance. A couple coats of a “dull rub” top coat finished it off perfectly.

The door will be installed as soon as the metalwork is complete. It’ll have to be soon since the condo is to be featured on KIRO! We’ll get some more pictures.

TAG is a sanctioned club through the Associated Students of Tacoma Community College (ASTCC). The mission of TAG is to provide TCC students with real-world opportunities to showcase their artwork at venues in the Puget Sound region, and hold activities to enhance their exposure to the diverse mediums of the world of art.

The artists featured are: Jessica Atal, Jefferson Elliott, Joey Freer, John Gordon, Lizzie Gulick, Jessie Krett, Jimmy McDonough and Mahta Shakib.

The show will run through May 31. You can see images of selections from the show in our gallery slide show!

With over 70 works on display, A Path of Flame takes a comprehensive look at contemporary wood fired ceramics in the Northwest. From functional to pure organic form each piece is beautiful example of the spectacular effects of this ancient Asian firing tradition. Take, for example, Terry Inokuma’s Seapod, the form brings to mind ancient vessels from some far gone dynasty, but her design also brings the past into the present and the piece’s rotund quality makes it very approachable and fun.

I have found the wood firing process to be such a compelling medium. First there is the nearly unpredictable aspect to the final finish - it is the path of the flame (and ash) that determines the look of each piece - no two will ever be identical. It’s as if each form is wrapped in its own earthy abstract painting. Then there is the dependence on community. Each firing is an around-the-clock vigil that may go on for 4 or 5 days. I found a great quote on this interesting site:

Like no other method, wood firing unleashes primal forces of nature upon the work in the kiln. When standing before a kiln burning in all its raging might and glory, one cannot help but feel that it is as much alive as the potter who serves and attends to its needs. During the course of a wood firing, a time which may extend for many days and nights in a row, the potter and kiln become intimate collaborators in the work.

Most of the ceramic works in the show were fired in one of two kilns: Hiroshi Ogawa’s in Elkton OR or John Benn and Colleen Gallagher’s on Harstine Island, WA. I would like to extend many thanks to Tacoma potter Andy Lewis-Lechner for gathering this diverse group of artists together for the show. Due to both my own enchantment with the wood fired process and the over-all positive response, I hope to make this a recurring event!

The potters represented are:

John Benn, Gina Freuen, Colleen Gallagher, John Harris, Sam Hoffman, Terry Inokuma, Chis Knapp, Susan Lochner, Reid Ozaki, Hiroshi Ogawa, Andy Lewis-Lechner.