Stunning examples of light writing photography.

(via Jan Leonardo Wöllert Photography (NOTCOT))

An ingenuitive city house featuring decent privacy from the street-level but allowing light and an organic feel through the use of light wells and trees. Alittle too bunkerish for my tastes but interesting nonetheless.

(via Dezeen » Blog Archive » House in Saka by Suppose Design Office)

A collection of 17 photos of very famous artists’ sketchbooks. This Frida Kahlo one is probably my favorite but there are others that are definitely worth a look.

(via Flavorwire » Inside the Sketchbooks of Famous Artists)

I’d never heard of Haris Purnomo until I received the email newsletter from CoCA a few days ago. In it, I saw a disturbing photo of an installation work I just had to go see; an installation which will be here in Seattle for scheduled viewings through August 26th, 2011, and then will be shipped off to the Saatchi Gallery in London. “Visitation” is comprised of 100 identical swaddled babies hanging vertically from fishing line, bayonets protruding perilously from beneath their swaddling. Each child’s face is identically marked with some sort of man-made pattern – a tattoo perhaps. The overall effect is equal parts ghostly, menacing, hard and yet innocent. As the subject swayed ever so slightly, lit from a couple spotlights on the ground, I swore I saw one of their eyes open. The subject matter demands to be grappled with.

Jan and I trucked over to Plume21 last night to catch the public opening of the showing and it definitely made my evening. From here on out, special arrangements have to be made to view the work but if any of you are interested in checking it out, I’d be happy to go view it again and make the booking. Drop me a message in the comments below or on my Facebook page and I’ll reach out to you so we can get something set up. I’d love to see your response to the piece.

I love seeing architecture that challenges. This proposed design for Wadi resort is breathtaking, incorporating the local geography but creating something spectacularly human-made. Click through the link below to see all of the images. Beautiful, isn't it?

(via Dezeen » Blog Archive » Wadi Resort by Oppenheim Architecture Design)

Wenarto at home. Photo by Colin Grigson.

I first met Wenarto at our gym last summer and it quickly became apparent that he was a “one man wrecking crew” of creativity. He paints, sings opera on YouTube, cooks, drinks and does Crossfit – and then he gets up and does it all over again. Where most artists have fear their creative output relative to their creative possibilities, or become discouraged by their failure to reach their own artistic goals, Wenarto plows right on through. Wenarto has sold more than 400 paintings in his life. He’s had art work hung all over the world and has become a YouTube opera phenomenon, gathering support from all the corners of the globe. I wanted to find out what made him tick and what makes him so insanely prolific.

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Hi Wenarto. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your creative life.

Thank you for trying to capture a glimpse of my life. I would like to also thank my friends and family who have been very supportive, for dancing or singing on my youtube, helping me film, and providing inspiration. They all know that the key point is to have fun while creating art that will make the public feel happy. We never create any depressing paintings or music.

Wenarto walking me through his old picture books. Photo by Colin Grigson.

You are a bit of a “renaissance man” – accomplished in painting, opera, Crossfit, cooking and multiple languages. Did I leave anything out? Where did you get this multi-faceted nature? How did it all begin?

Oh yes, you left out aeronautical/astronautical engineering and international business. I was at Boeing Sales and am now at Boeing engineering. My career at Boeing, however, is low key; obviously very important to my income but, as an artist, I’d rather not let anyone know about this…

Ha, I think you just did!

As far as where I got the nature, I’ve liked trains since I was 3 and started making paper airplanes when I was 5. I’m still making them.

Music came at age 9 and painting started in 1991.

Wenarto's artistic statement. Photo by Colin Grigson.

Was anyone in your family also artistic? Did you have a lot of support for what you were doing?

My parents were teachers: father taught engineering and mom taught art. Later on in their lives they moved to business and manufacturing. My mom pioneered the dry fruits manufacturing process in Indonesia and my dad had a cigarette distribution business. I lived in the island of Bali, where painting, music, dance, and many other art forms are a part of our daily lives. I, however, chose western opera music… just because it’s more dramatic and more intense – like crossfit.

You certainly seem to have an amazing support structure now. Following your facebook stream is like watching someone live a pretty incredible life. How important are your friends to your creative work?

Friends and family are very important to me, even on facebook when I have never met someone in person, they provide virtual support for my art. I have friends from age 15 – 80 on facebook, and I pay attention to all of their works and comments. People say that I am addicted to facebook but I spend my time paying attention to my friends, not because I’m addicted. OK, well maybe 30% is addiction but most of it is dedication to my friends.

How has becoming a YouTube sensation changed your life?

I spend a lot more time studying music and making music at home. I no longer go out spending money to drink. I spend my time at home creating.

Well that much is pretty obvious. When we came over the other night, you had just returned from a trip to Venice and mentioned that you were going to do a painting to commemorate the trip. 2 days later, I look at youtube and you’re singing in front of a brand new painting of Venice, which is gorgeous by the way… Why did you choose to commemorate your trip this way? Are you happy with the results?

Yes. I actually did crossfit at Piazza San Marco. It’s a special place to me, and as you probably saw, my crossfit at that piazza was on Crossfit Seattle’s news section. I put 4 dots on my painting to represents us. I am happy with the results….places I visit inspired me. I also made 24 YouTubes while I was there.

Wenarto's most recent painting - Venice. Photo courtesy of Wenarto.

What drives you to produce the quantity of creative work that you’ve put out there?

When I get creative no one can stop me. I go to crossfit 5 days a week and I used to paint 2 paintings per week. I’m not painting as much but I’m making 3 to 5 music videos a week.

What advice would you give to an artist that has a lot of ideas but not a lot of follow-through in capturing them? What advice can you give somebody looking to get more done creatively?

Just do it. Pour your idea into the canvas or video or any of your media. Do not hold your ideas in and procrastinate. When you feel the right moment, it is the right moment! The challenge is when do you stop putting color on your paintings? When do you stop making video where every notes has to be correct? This is the hard part, you must let it go, finish at the right moment. When? You decide….however, the more you procrastinate, the worse your results will be.

What was the most rewarding creative endeavor you’ve ever been a part of?

Most rewarding? With painting, I’ve been able to get work hung all over the world. In music, many opera lovers and singers can take a break from their serious work and relax to watch my funny creations.

Fish detail by Wenarto. Photo by Colin Grigson.

I guess I was trying to ask, if you had to pick one creative work that you’ve done, whether musical, cooking, artistic or whatever, which one would it be and why? What single artistic breakthrough has brought you the most joy?

So far, for now, my single largest artistic breakthrough for me was to paint “Venice.” I poured my heart, my experience, and feelings into millions of colors in the painting. It is my first big painting, I’ve never painted that big, and I am so proud of it. Looking at it makes me happy that I have captured my music experience, my crossfit experience, and every bit of time I have spent in Venice, into that single painting.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it…

Oh no, thank YOU…..I am honored to be interviewed by you. I hope I can contribute and inspire others.

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For more Wenarto inspiration, check the following links:

• Main art site
• Wen on YouTube
• The 2009 Scrapbook
• The 2008 Scrapbook

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Hey, if you like reading profiles of artists and about creativity, it would be a great help if you could become “a fan” of this site on Facebook. The more people we engage, the more we can support the local creatives. I greatly appreciate it!

I would like to introduce you to Seb Barnett. She is a multi-talented artist who you can meet this Friday during the Center on Contemporary Arts (CoCA) 2009 Art Marathon at the Fremont Abbey. Seb uses her art to convey and release her emotions. The images that appear when she closes her eyes, thus the pieces she creates, have their own illuminating language. The Puget News is fortunate enough to get into her mind and behind her eyes as she prepares for this Friday’s event.

Seb Barnett, ladies and gentlemen…

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Seb, have you done anything like the Art Marathon before?

Nope!

What are you doing to prepare for the event?

Well, I’m looking around my studio at what I can bring with me, wondering what is reasonable to pack around, also looking through sketchbooks and looking for inspiring imagery. I’m really excited because I don’t usually let myself do art just for the hell of it, and this time I’m not limiting myself to the idea of “it has to fit in a body of work, or it has to be within this subject.” Its going to be a lot of fun.

Do you have an idea in your head as to how the 24 hours+ is going to shake out?

I’ve got an idea of how it will go for me as a person, but not how it will go for the whole situation. I haven’t done the marathon before, so it’s going to be interesting. I know I’ll hit the “what the hell do I do with this?!” point a few times, get frustrated, set it aside, then look back at it later. There will probably be some wandering around and most likely getting inspired by fellow artists. I’m really looking forward to being around others while they work. Its great energy we get going when we’re all working in one space.

How did you get involved in this year’s event?

I’ve been involved with other shows with COCA and David Francis was considerate enough to contact me with an invite.

I am most drawn to the pieces that have an alluring blend of sweetness, sensitivity and subtle gruesomeness to it. I am referring to works like The Burden of Knowing (oil painting), Kimono (illustration), The Violinist (illustration), and Don’t You Want To Be Like Us? (comic story). These pieces come from your imagination. What is your process of imagining these “scenes”? How do you put yourself in the state of mind to envision these pieces?

The Burden of Knowing is about when I starting [sic] getting intuitions about people I cared about and the harsh things in life they would go through. I couldn’t tell them because it wouldn’t change the situation and maybe in telling them I would change the course of their lives to something less desirable. Not to mention I lost a few friends in trying to warn them of the paths they were on. Nothing changed other than they no longer wanted to speak with me. It was a burden I started taking on silently.

Kimono was an illustration for a book called “Full Metal Kimono” The main character was a lady by the name of “spirit of the mountain.”

"Kimono" by Seb Barnett done in water color, ink, and gouache on paper

The Violinist was also a book cover, and that was one of the stories in the book.

Don’t You Want To Be Like Us was about the rejection I felt as a teenager because I wasn’t interested in fitting in to most groups, and so I did not feel like I belonged.

For the most part my art is me desperately needing to express an emotion that threatens to overwhelm me. When I put it into art it becomes its own object, and no longer eats at my mind so desperately. The imagery just turns out to be a stream of consciousness, I think in imagery, not words, and just closing my eyes for a moment leaves me with imagery that could be expressed through art.

Seb Barnett's "Bonding" done in ink on paper

The most captivating piece is Bonding . It is your most complete execution of an idea, from imagination to image on a page, and is filled with so much love and emotion. That piece was done a while ago. Why have you not done more of this type of work?

Its really funny to me that you think Bonding is one of the more captivating pieces I’ve done. In my opinion its rather simple. I’ve done more of that kind of work, but not bothered to scan it in.

Mark here. I’ve got to respond to this one. Bonding may be simple and it’s because of that simplicity that the illustration is successful. The clean and crisp aesthetic works so well. And the composition creates visual depth. When I see metal, flesh, and a rose petal done this well I want to continue to look. I want to explore. I can’t help but make up a story for these two. All those simplicities are positives for Bonding.

What do the birds say and what does The Girl Who Spoke With Birds say to them?

The Girl who Spoke with Birds was illustrations for a short story, it was never said what she said to the birds. Just that it was terribly sad, and that she couldn’t say it with human words.

Thanks much to Seb Barnett for giving up her time just days before the big Art Marathon. Seb, we look forward to talking with you at the event. We wish you well and you should know that you have our collective support.
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TPN invites you to come along for the ride. I’m bringing my sleeping bag and pillow along with my camera!

Seattle painter Virginia Howlett in her studio. Photo by Mark Albonizio.

Virginia Howlett is a Seattle-based painter of “Universal Landscapes” – landscapes which are generated from a very specific place and time but which have broad and comprehensive relevance to anyone that explores them. She’s been looking up at the sky, painting it, and building narratives out of it, for years. She graciously invited us into her studio to talk to her about her work and grab some photos, just after it got dark outside, naturally.
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Hi Virginia, thanks for taking the time to talk to me about your work. You’re known primarily as a landscape painter but you generally paint a very specific type of landscape. Can you tell The Puget News readers about what you paint and why?

I paint skies and abstracted landscapes – both individual paintings and large installation pieces made up of multiple panels. My work is meditative and peaceful because I’m trying to convey that universal quiet feeling we get looking at the sky, and landscape. Skies are like huge beautiful color fields that are constantly changing – I like to try to capture that gentle feeling of time passing, clouds moving.

Floating World, by Virginia Howlett. Photo courtesy of Virginia Howlett. All rights reserved.

How do you go about capturing subject matter that’s so fleeting and transitory?

Photo by Mark Albonizio.

Then I take the big paintings and use them as raw materials for my large installations or collaged landscapes – I cut them up, and re-arrange them. I spend a long time on that – before I glue them down and seal them.

Virginia Howlett. Photo by Mark Albonizio.

Now that I’ve seen a good deal of the work hanging in your studio, it strikes me that have developed your own entire language of expression through these visual landscapes. How has the in-depth study of your subject matter changed your interactions with the world?

I look at the sky a lot! I also look very keenly at the light, the colors and shapes in the world around me, everyday, all the time. The outside visual environment is a rich source of study for me. But it’s also being tuned to the feelings that come from different kinds of light, different skies, different places. We all know we feel differently under a solid gray sky — the way it makes the light dull, and colors muted, than we do when the sun shines brightly and all the colors around us seem to pop out brilliantly. I like to think about how to translate those feelings into paintings.

I try to capture a universal sense of place, because I’ve found that realist paintings of one place, in one moment, are limited. They don’t have the layers of meaning — I want the viewer to go back and back to the painting and see new things. New shapes, new colors, new feelings.

I guess what I was trying to get at in that last question is whether or not your development of this “landscape language” has impacted the way you personally engage with the world, your friends and family. When you wake up and the sky’s grey, do you feel the day is out to get you? Do you ever have conversations with people about what you’re seeing and have them look at you like they have no idea what you’re talking about?

Well I can tell you one thing that happens over and over again: people who get to know my work tell me something like this: “Last night I saw a really amazing sky and I thought of you – I knew you’d really love that sky.” It’s fun for me — it’s like my work opens something up for people. We all admire a beautiful sunset, but after talking to me about my work, people remember me, and my engagement with skies, and I think they enjoy the moment even more – it becomes a shared experience with me, in a way.

Virginia Howlett. Photo by Mark Albonizio.

Which of your works has proven to be the most influential on your own development as a painter?

The first painting I did in the “Windows” series – these were the pre-cursor to my big grid installations. It’s called Michael’s Eyes – it took me months and months to do, and I sold it even before it was finished. It started that whole series of work that I’ve been involved with for about 10 years.

Cascade Mountains, by Virginia Howlett. Photo courtesy of Virginia Howlett. All rights reserved.

These paintings are all made of rectangles of skies – some that go together, some that don’t – that recall window panes, and yet, are something else again. They take me a very long time – to construct the composition. My largest is Ninety-five Windows – it’s 23 feet long, made of 95 panels.

Ninety-Five Windows installed in Virginia's Studio. Photo courtesy of Virginia Howlett. All rights reserved.

Ninety-five Windows by Virginia Howlett. Photo courtesy of Virginia Howlett. All rights reserved.

What’s it like to compose the multi-panel pieces? Did you know that you were going to get in 95 panels deep on your largest or was it just something you kept working on until it made the right statement?

Composing the multi-panel pieces is just hard – it takes a very long time, trying out ideas, adjusting, making new pieces for certain spots, moving things around. I do start with an idea, and it flows from there. Ninety-five Windows developed organically – I wanted to fill the wall, and I picked a height, then it evolved left to right, with adjustments along the way. I knew I wanted it to have a narrative, I wanted it to change horizontally, like time passing as you move along it. Seeing Through (which is about 1/3 the size of Ninety-five Windows) was one idea from the start – a sort of looking through to deeper space, with other panels bringing you back to the surface. For me it’s also about water, and the way water reflects the sky.

Seeing Through, by Virginia Howlett. Photo provided by Virginia Howlett. All rights reserved.

Who are the local artists that inspire you and what kind of work do they do?

I’m very inspired by several of the artists in my building, Building C Studios — AJ Power, with his ineffable African scenes and animals; also Andree Carter, whose totally abstract works made of color and texture are so strong and vibrant, and Mary Iverson, who does powerful paintings with abstractions of cargo containers and amazing landscapes.

Do you have any shows coming up that you’d like people to know about?

My building — Building C Studios in Ballard — is having a huge Holiday Show and sale on Saturday, December 12th from noon- 9 PM. We’ll have 22 artists with their working studios open to the public, and holiday treats – even a jazz duo in the evening. It’s going to be a lot of fun! And, I’ll be showing my big piece: Ninety-five Windows, as well as lots of smaller work.

Whorls, by Virginia Howlett. Photo provided by Virginia Howlett. All rights reserved.

Thanks again for meeting with me and allowing access to your studio. It’s been really fun and I appreciate it.

Hey, Eric, it was so great to meet you and have you visit my studio! Thanks so much for coming and asking all these good questions!
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Hi readers. If you like what you read on The Puget News, please subscribe via email or RSS, leave a comment below, or share it with your friends. I look forward to seeing you all out and about town!

Tracy Boyd is a Seattle-based painter and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Her most recent paintings showcase a real breakthrough in her progression as a painter. She’s gone bigger, bolder, and more aggressively abstract. I think that it’s working out for her (as you’ll be able to see by the photos below). Tracy agreed to be interviewed by The Puget News and that has made me very happy indeed.

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Hey Tracy, thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed by “The Puget News.” I’m super pleased to have this opportunity and I’m a big fan of your work.

Thanks Eric for spreading the word about all the great art going on in the Northwest.

People reading this won’t know it but I was at your studio last month while you were still working on the painting you call “EVEN.” Looking at the final product, that’s now officially my favorite. The highlights you added since the last time I saw it really make it pop and add contrast to the color composition. Well done.

Thanks for checking it out this past First Thursday Art Walk. I really think this is a groundbreaking painting for me. The scale – 6ft x 6ft – is becoming my favorite size to work in, and I’m really beginning to paint more epic paintings that you can almost step into. I was really trying to create a strong sense of movement.

“EVEN” Description (from Tracy Boyd): This large painting with shocking imagery with sporadic bright splotches of bloody paint almost spurting out the the human form create a disturbing scene with many unanswered questions.

How do you describe your painting style?

I would describe it by saying that I’m a large-scale expressive figurative painter that is primarily focused on representing men, and sometimes animals, creating a strong impact on the viewer through the scale and in-your-face poses that stare right at you.

Through my strong strokes it is my desire to show movement, anger, and a real reaction to our world. I create my work by painting, and scraping away, and reapplying the paint, creating a complex surface. I often focus on one subject in a painting which has never been conscious. I have tried adding other subjects but it never feels right or true to my vision.

When you say, “never been conscious” are you referring to the fact that you’re exploring a subject you didn’t know was there until you saw it in the abstract developing surface of your painting – or are you saying something else?

Yes, I am referring to a painting developing as I work on it. I think that is what I love about painting is how difficult it is and how sometimes I have to let go and let it evolve without feeling like I have to control every brush stroke. One thing that is consistent in my work is I usually limit my subject to one, which I believe comes from wanting to be a purist and really allow the complexity to come through in the way it is painted and through strong visuals. I think filling the canvas with multiple elements might create unnecessary confusion and art that is scattered and made with little thought.

You generally paint pretty large format. What’s the reason for that?

My artwork has evolved in the past 5 years to this larger scale between 6ft – 7ft. and I have a couple canvases 8ft waiting to be painted on. I do sometimes paint smaller (around 2ft to 4ft) but I’m most comfortable painting larger because I can really use my entire body to create my vision. The scale just feels right to me to convey the strong impression I hoped to will impact on the viewer.

I’ve noticed that your paintings seem to be trending more and more abstract. On your website, you can really sense that progression. Can you describe that exploration and transition a bit?

I’m really trying to evolve and find my voice right now to really express how I’m feeling about the world. It’s my belief as that artists we are given a gift to convey what cannot be said in words and to really make people think. I could just rest on my past style but I see myself as the type of artist that really wants to leave a mark.

Some of my influences are Francis Bacon and, more recently, Jenny Saville; a large scale figurative artist that focuses on very large women in an angle that often fills the canvas. Like both of these artists I am looking to paint my authentic work and not just fall into the path some artists do, which is to create a style that they know will sell and that people are comfortable with. I currently belong to The Seattle Group; a group of primarily painters that really are discussing who we are right now as Seattle artists and where we’re going.

Do you have any favorite local artists you’d like to point out before they get big and famous? Who are they and what are they doing?

I have some local favorites including Mark Tracy because of his original painting style and his passion. Some of my other favorites are the Modern Chinese Artists like; Zhang Xiaogang, Zhang Dali, and (especially) Yang Shaobin who is one of China’s most famous Contemporary Oil Painters. He is a leading figure in the movement known as Cynical Realism in which he takes figurative painting to another level depicting violent scenes of men entwined in red masses. It is his political and cultural statements through his work that grabs me the most.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished some smaller paintings. I’m now considering kind of some studies where I’m trying new painting techniques and a more limited palette.

Any shows coming up that we should know about?

Not right now, but there are a couple things in the works. I have an email list people can sign up for. [Note: Here it is. I usually send out an email a month to let them subscribers know of new artwork, shows, and events I will be participating in - like this interview!

Please check out my blog for the other up-to-the-minute happenings with my art.

If people are interested in looking at your work for purchase, what's the best way to do so?

All you need to do is email or calling me to set up a studio visit at The 1020 Building, right next to Qwest Field, and I can show you any number of paintings and even discuss commissions which I have recently been doing. I know people have specific spaces and interests. I think anytime a potential buyer gets to see the space the work is created it's just another step in creating a long-lasting relationship.

I've sold paintings online by people just emailing me about availability and costs and I've also done the transaction without ever meeting them in person.

Thanks again for taking the time, Tracy.

No problem.

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More Tracy Boyd Links:

• Subscribe to Tracy’s Mailing List
• Tracy Boyd’s website
• Tracy Boyd’s blog

Amazon today announced that the Kindle iPhone app supports purchasing of Kindle e-books. This should bring a compelling e-book offering to the more than 35 million iPhone and iPod touches already in the marketplace. In one simple update, the market for ebooks just got a whole lot bigger.

I’ve seen a lot of sites discussing the move but nobody had really posted photos of how simple it is so I thought I’d grab some screenshots to share with you all. Enjoy!

Fire up the Kindle application

Click Get Books button on the home screen

Decide how you want to look for books (search, browse or product recommendations)

In this example I navigated to one of the best seller lists

The page where you make your purchase and send to one of your devices

Disclaimer: I am an employee of Amazon.com although I do not work on the Kindle or on e-books. I’m just an avid reader and really love the device.