Fall visual art preview

South Sound offers a variety of exciting shows this fall

By Alec Clayton on September 14, 2017

Autumn always brings a cornucopia of new art exhibits. Among the exhibitions this longtime reviewer is most excited about are two shows by Olympia artist Susan Christian, one at Lynette Charters' All Sorts Gallery and one at Stable Studios in the heart of downtown Olympia -- both small but vital galleries.

Christian has been showing her art in the area for well over two decades, and is probably best known for her recent works on painted sticks (reviewed multiple times in this paper) and as the owner of the former Salon Refu.

Getting a handle on exactly what Christian will be showing in these two exhibitions is next to impossible, because she admits to changing her mind freely. At Stable she intends to show a series of long, thin paintings on door panels. Many of these are older paintings I have previously reviewed, some of which have been re-worked for this show. They include fractions or segments of figures and landscapes and interior scenes set side-by-side in montage fashion. They are narrative in content, but the stories are only hinted at, never fully told. The figures that appear are either fragmentary or implied by their absence, and the hinted-at stories are about loneliness and about traveling from place to place, literally and metaphorically. This show will open for Olympia's Arts Walk.

Christian will also be showing some older pieces, some possibly re-worked, at All Sorts Gallery reception Sunday, Sept. 17.

Susan Christian, 5-10 p.m., Friday, Oct. 6; noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7, and continuing throughout October at Stable Studios, 607 5th Ave. SE, Olympia, and 4-7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 17, All Sorts Gallery, 2306 Capitol Way S., Olympia

Another all-time favorite among Olympia artists, Marilyn Frasca will show 56 drawings at Childhood's End Gallery, with an artist's talk Sunday, Oct. 15. This is a show not to be missed.

Marilyn Frasca, Oct. 6-Nov. 12, artist's talk, 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 15, Childhood's End Gallery, 222 Fourth Ave. W., Olympia, childhoods-end-gallery.com

In Tacoma, the edgiest art can be found at Feast Art Center and the various Spaceworks venues.

In October, Feast will present works by performance artist Anida Yoeu Ali, half of a duo known as Studio Revolt.

Spaceworks is featuring painted cut-out figures by Pete Goldlust in the Woolworth windows on the Broadway side and prints from Wayzgoose on the Commerce side, 11th Street on the corners of Broadway and Commerce, through October. Also from Spaceworks is the "Greater Tacoma 10th Foundation of Arts Awards Exhibition" featuring this year's 10 winners plus winners from the past 10 years. Among the featured artists are this year's winners: Mindy Barker, Heather Cornelius, Todd Jannausch, Janet Marcavage, Gillian Nordlund, Nicholas Nyland, Chandler O'Leary, Saiyare Refaei, Kenji Stoll, and Chandler Woodfin. The awardees' art will be on display at Spaceworks Gallery through Oct. 19.

"Greater Tacoma 10th Foundation of Arts Awards Exhibition," 1-5 p.m. through Oct. 19; 1-9 p.m., Third Thursday, Spaceworks Gallery at 950 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, spaceworkstacoma.com

For those who like their art more traditional, Tacoma Art Museum is showing "Two Centuries of American Still-Life Painting: The Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs Collection" in the Haub galleries. The show features more than 60 paintings in styles ranging from realism to impressionism to pop art and other contemporary styles. "What I really enjoy about this exhibition is the opportunity to see a variety of major American artists starting with the same basic subject -- the still-life -- then giving it their own unique spin," said TAM Curator of Collections, Margaret Bullock. "And if you love great painting, there are many stellar examples in an array of styles."

Included are paintings by James Peale, William Merritt Chase and Georgia O'Keeffe.

"Two Centuries of American Still-Life Painting: The Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs Collection," 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday through Jan. 7, Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, tacomaartmuseum.org