STEPH DEROSA: MAD HAT THEN FULCRUM >>>

My eyes are tired from all the partying they did last night. No, I didn’t drink too much (surprise, surprise) â€" and no, I didn’t stay out late.  Last night I pulled local photographer and hobby blogger Wild Celtic Rose out with me for a night of Tacoma art viewing.  We both longingly gazed upon piece after piece representing local artists and multiple art mediums. Photography, acrylics, and blown glass â€" lots of beauty. Most were originals, not part of a series, and all were perfect representations of the artist.

Our first stop was Mad Hat Tea Company. The downtown teashop hosted a special show titled, Tentacles and Other Weirdness.  Lonnie D. Arnold, owner and photographer of Grittefolio Fine Art Photographic Exhibitions, chatted up his photos.  He even passed out a questionnaire game. The winner would receive a photograph of their choice at the end of his Mad Hat show, set to end in April.  That’s a helluva better prize than that free Big Mac I entered to win at the mall the other day.

The coolest cats in our community participated in Mad Hat’s show: Liza from Modern Art Media, Ann Koi and Cassandra. They were all on hand to interrogate, too.  Jada-Moon Gridley drew henna tattoos, which I happily engaged in â€" on my chest, of course.

Singer/songwriter Stephanie Johnson chilled on the back steps of the tearoom. She filled the house with her soulful and gratifying voice.  I could’ve listened to her all night, but eventually we had to leave. Fulcrum Gallery on Martin Luther King Way was next on our agenda.

Inside Fulcrum Gallery we immediately floored by undeniably distinct work of Lance Kagey from Beautiful Angle. Kagey’s show, “The distance between the calculated and the random,” consisted of oil-based inks done in layers, a multi-dimensional and unique setting skewed from his usual letterpress ways.  I loved his work in this show. I badly wanted one.  Someday soon, I hoped.  Someday soon. …

Oliver Doriss, owner and artist of Fulcrum Gallery, displayed heights of glass-blown creations upon shelves of various mixed media.  This is the part where my eyes became really happy. Colors, light, forms, shapes and textures infiltrated my visual senses as I took in DJ Bobby Galaxy’s funky soul and what this grand community of artists had to offer.

LINK: More photos are at the Weekly Volcano's Photo Hot Spot