Art in More Than Five Minutes

The April 12th show at the newly formed Blindfold Gallery featured Kimberly Trowbridge. Blindfold was formed by partners Sara Long, Laura Hamje, and Scott Burk. 

The space is irregular but fun;  two spaces, one about 5 steps up from the other, sharing a window, showcase the art in wonderfully bright rooms.  The art itself hung well in these spaces, allowing for a variety of sizes and experiences.

The paintings and one sculpture are an intimate look at the relationship and history of memory and experience.  There were two large paintings, the central focus of each room, exhibiting studies of form and layers combined with the decisions and impressions of narration.  The language in these paintings felt the most complete.  With a very geometric approach the artist gives the raw white canvas as much presence as the dark layered upon layered straight strokes her brush creates.  

The show was a success.  With a few studies that I look forward to seeing more developed, such as a new installation of her 3-dimensional approach.

Art in Five Minutes or Less (Episode 1)

Art in Five Minutes is a experiment in modern art-going in which we attend an art show for less than five minutes. 

SHOW ONE: Ink on Paper @ Paper Hammer

This show was to celebrate the publication Ink on Paper, a catalog of 25 years of print art by selected Cornish College alumni. One of our favorite Cornish alumni, Jessixa Bagley is included in the book. Unfortunately her woodcut wieners didn’t make it into the diminutive exhibition. The rest of the show looked like any other art school print exhibition; “cerebral” and a little drab.

SHOW TWO: Forces of Nature @ Cupcake Royal.

Curated by Ben Show and Alanna MacGowan of Hello Poster Show, Forces of Nature features sixteen screen-printed posters depicting the power nature. We submitted an entry inspired by our trip to Iceland, but didn’t make it (the mock-up is pictured to the right).

The show had strong curatorial voice, a nod to the softer lines and humorous tone typical of designers like Jesse LeDoux and Invisible Creature. Some pieces were stronger than others; at least two featured an exploding volcano.

Always beware a show at a slash – unless the slash is a cupcake shop. There were free cupcakes.

NOT AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE

After two years of hard work, on Sunday April 1, we officially launched Cellar Door Mercantile with a private party.

We had an absolute blast; not only was it great to see all our friends and family, it was quite heartening to see all of our hard work so well received. We were pleased to have Adam’s mother Jenny on hand. She traveled all the way from Iowa! Justin’s sister, father (from the wilds of Stanwood) and mother (from Yakima) also made appearances.


Throughout the day, over forty of our fiends visited our small in-home studio, enjoyed a splendid Old Colony-inspired drink menu, and a selection of gourmet popcorn (the white truffle popcorn with garlic salt was the hands-down fave).

Sales for the day far exceeded our wildest expectations. As part of our philanthropic giving program, 10% of net proceeds from the sale of the Total Gay Animals collection will be donated to Washington United For Marriage. Yesterday, we raised $30. To date, we’ve raised approximately $50 total. Thank you!

We are encouraged and excited to take the next step; look for the Cellar Door Mobile Mercantile starting in May 2012.