Artist Timothy Ely in front of FOUR FICTIONS ©2007 - dry pigment and gesso on Arches Cover formatted to match the Golden Rectangle

DIAGRAMMING FATE • Tim Ely • March 30 – May 1, 2009 • Everett Community College

EVERETT, WA – Hand-created books and watercolors by Everett Community College graduate and internationally recognized artist Timothy C. Ely will be on display at EvCC’s Russell Day Gallery until May 1.

Tim Ely creates unique manuscript books that are lavishly painted and drawn visual narratives, often including maps, cribiform writings, odd arcana and are about such topics as natural sciences, mathematics, architecture and sacred geometry.

He is influenced by comic books, Steam Punk design, and the study of history, religion and sociological and psychological phenomena. The works often include soil, sand, pigments, metals, inks, resins and wax. In addition, Tim is a 21st century bookbinder and printmaker who has developed bookbinding tools and equipment. His work is in library special collections and private collections worldwide. Tim lives in Colfax, Washington.

Tim's artwork is beautifully displayed in the Russell Day Gallery on campus

I’ve been a big fan of artist Tim Ely since my introduction to his work through books, periodicals and journals about 18 years ago. Back around 2000 I taught workshops at a store in Portland, Oregon, and the owner, well aware of my interest in hand-made books, asked me if I’d like to join her for the opening of Tim’s exhibit, ‘The Bookbinder’s Apothecary’ at a gallery in the Pearl District. I was thrilled that my workshops coincided with this exhibit, and readily accepted her invitation.

ROOT 9 ©2001 - Drum leaf binding with leather spine, tooled and relief rolled. Interior is ink, graphite, pastel and pigment pencil on offset custom printed graph paper

JUPITER EFFECT ©2005 - Full black leather drum leaf binding with gold tooling. Interior drawings are ink, watercolor and pastel on paper

The opening/reception took place in the evening on the day I arrived, and was a very special treat, to say the least, as I met Tim for the first time. Most of Tim’s work I’d seen up to that time consisted of incredible, meticulously crafted one-of-a-kind books and slipcases, and based on the title of the exhibit, I figured I’d be viewing this amazing artist’s most recent book structures. My assumption was dead wrong – there was nary a book in the entire show!

TABLE OF JUPITER ©2004 - Ink, paste, dry pigment on Arches Paper

BLACK MAPS ©1992 - Prepared paper, ink, acrylic, graphite, dry pigment on BFK Rives Paper

The exhibit featured wall hung panels, many of which had narrow shelves along the bottom edge with an assortment of tiny objects. The upper portions resembled renderings of outer space, with diagrams and formulas and planets and equations and dirt and sand from various parts of the known world and bits of brilliant color. These beautifully executed pieces had a mesmerizing effect on me and literally seemed to be otherworldly.

BLACK MAPS ©1992 - Prepared paper, ink, acrylic, graphite, dry pigment on black Rives Paper

DIAGRAMMING FATE ©2009 - Ink and dry pigment on Fabriano Paper

Fast forward nine years to May 16, 2009. I arrived early at Tim’s reception for ‘Diagramming Fate’, and talked with him then and several times throughout the evening. He graciously allowed me to take the photos in this blog post.

‘Diagramming Fate’ is fantastic, and, again for me, absolutely mesmerizing, with approximately 30 pieces spanning 20+ years. And this time, in addition to beautiful wall hung pieces on paper, there are lots of unique bookworks and some of Tim’s numerous sketchbooks. Don’t miss this exhibit!

Seattle’s Art Not Terminal Gallery has two exhibits up and running through May 7th – the 20th annual ‘Functional Art Show’ and competition

an exhibition of work that has utility as well as visual interest

on the main floor just inside the entrance, curated by Kamilla White, and a group show in the cavernous basement curated by Jadd Davis titled ‘No trace – a Celebration of Eco Art’

…created in response to the overwhelmingly chemical and wasteful state of art products around the world. Artists and art collectors comprise some of the most responsible minds in the world; they deserve to see an other option to help our ailing planet while staying focused on artistic integrity.

The Art Not Terminal Gallery is huge, with a variety of art on display – sculptures, paintings, drawings and mixed-media. I attended opening night festivities on April 4th and the place was jammed – the artists were on hand, of course, and lots of viewers.

In the photo above, artist Liz Sheets is standing by her stunning piece, a finely tailored cutaway tail coat (these were in vogue from around 1890 to 1910) size 38, made from hand-painted Red Edge Linen. The coat is lined with silk from Thailand, with hand-lettered lines from Shakespeare’s plays Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest and King Lear.

Liz constructed the supporting armature from 1/4″ copper tubing treated with gold leaf and india ink, and fabricated the hands from textured copper sheating with a finish of gold leaf, india ink and turquois acrylic. Congratulations, Liz, on placing in the top three in the functional art competition!

Functional art created by 2008 1st prize winner Geoffrey Globus (above) and 2nd prize winner John Osgood (below).

Two Boxes with Scrolls ©2009 Michael Jacobs. Each box (in sleeve) measures 2 5/8" T x 3 3/4" W x 1" D. Box on right has two tiny books on back that swing out to each side. Each opening has a polyester film 'window'. Scrolls are made from hand-painted tyvek glued to dowels.

The Everett Arts Council Gallery is hosting an exhibit titled

Art Education in Action: The Mathematics of Art (May 7th – June 25th)

with an opening night reception on Thursday, May 7th, from 5-8pm. I will have two interactive sculptures in the exhibit – tiny boxes with working scrolls in each. I will be on hand opening night to demonstrate how I designed, measured, cut out and assembled all the components for these pieces. I’ve participated in this exhibit in the past, and it is always exciting to see how ‘Artists present fractions, formulas, and angles in a whole new light’.

Two scroll boxes inside sleeves. The window on the sleeve at right and cut out areas in doors reveal part of hand-lettered alphabet on scroll.

Two boxes with scrolls have been removed from sleeves. Each box has two 'doors'. Doors on box at left open left and right, and doors on the box at right open to the top and bottom.

Letters on this scroll move back and forth horizontally.

Letters on this scroll move up and down vertically.

When you go to the exhibit, be sure to visit the Gallery Store. Great Stuff! The following images and descriptions of the work by currently featured store artists are on the Arts Council Gallery Website – click here for additional information.

Jules Anslow

Jules Anslow’s sculptural painting style encompasses multi-level paintings, three-dimensional murals, and smaller figurative pieces.

Binky Bergsman

Binky Bergsman loses herself in ‘in the smells, the colors, the depth, texture and luminosity’ of her encaustic paintings.

Kim Groff-Harrington

Kim Groff-Harrington’s work comes from her ‘desire and need to reduce/reuse/recycle, and the challenge of using discarded and surplus materials to revive and continue in the folk art tradition of taking broken, unwanted, discarced materials and bringing new life to them’.

ALL THAT AND A BAG OF ROCKS by artist Mary Coss is one of 16 outdoor sculptures located on First, Second and Commercial Streets in LA Conner. Eight of the sculptures are for sale, ranging in price from $1,000 (for the one pictured here) to $20,000. The sculptures will be displayed through November, 2009.

Judy is pictured here in one of three park areas on First Street overlooking Swinomish Channel. The parks provide excellent viewing of the boating activity in the Channel and are great spots to eat a relaxing lunch or dinner, or to hang out and feed the sea gulls. Behind her are the San Juan Islands to the North.

For My birthday on March 18th we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to do a day trip to LA Conner, Washington, about 60 miles north of Seattle. This small, Victorian-era town, founded in 1869, hugs the banks of the Swinomish Channel in upper Puget Sound, and is home to approximately 800 residents.

Swinomish Channel is LA Conner’s gateway to the San Juan Islands for tug boats, fishing boats and pleasure craft, and has always played a big part in the town’s history. Rainbow Bridge, the ‘Golden Gate of LA Conner’, connects the town to a small peninsula of Fidalgo Island, the reservation and community of the Swinomish Indian Tribe.

LA Conner's famous Rainbow Bridge crosses the Swinomish Channel at the South end town.

LA Conner is a tiny town - 0.5 square miles, and 0.1 square miles of that area is water! Nonetheless, it is loaded with historic buildings, galleries, museums, restaurants, inns and shops. Time seems to slow to a crawl in this quaint little village when you walk along First Street, which is where most of the action is. ‘LA Conner time’ is a welcome counterpoint to ‘Seattle Time’!

On top of that, LA Conner is nestled in some pretty spectacular scenery, and this is especially true around April, when the acres and acres of tulips, daffodils, irises and lilies are in full bloom and provide a veritable feast for the eyes.

Judy is sitting in front of the Calico Cupboard at the South end of First Street. Most of LA Conner's galleries, inns and shops are on this street.

We’ve always enjoyed our occasional trips to LA Conner, and this one was no exception. This time we visited our favorite galleries, the Museum of Northwest Art, and did the self-guided Walking Tour, an outdoor sculpture exhibition consisting of 16 pieces made from a variety of materials including granite, concrete, steel, aluminum, stone, bronze, cedar, glass, vinyl, limestone and more!

The Fire Engine pictured below is housed in the ‘LA Conner Volunteer Firefighters Museum’ (formerly the Wainwright Livery Stable) on First Street, presented to the town in 1963. This is the smallest museum I’ve never been in. In fact, no visitors are allowed inside – you view the three vintage fire engines through the front and one side window. The sign partially visible in the image below states:

This vehicle was manufactured by Ramsey & Co. of Seneca Falls, N.Y. in 1850. It was the most modern firefighting unit in service at the time. Shipped around Cape Horn by sailing vessel in 1861 to San Francisco, this pumper was used during the great fire in 1906. Later it came to Olympia, WA, and then to LA Conner. After many years of yeoman service in this community, it was finally retired as a historical unit. May Its memory of nobler days linger on evermore!

The Museum of Northwest Art is currently hosting two shows:

‘FINDS REFINED’, March 14, 2009 – June 14, 2009 – Group show features 15 artists who use found matter in their work as intrinsic elements.

‘PHILLIP LEVINE SURVEY: Sculptures, Drawings, Paintings’, March 14 – June 14, 2009 – The exhibition features smaller-scale sculpture in groups that explore the human form in terms of balance, mythology, movement, and abstraction, and rarely seen drawings and paintings.

The La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum is currently hosting two shows:

‘ALL THINGS NOT QUILTED: A Look at the World of Textiles’, January 16 – March 29, 2009; includes works by local, national, & international fiber and textile artists.

‘FARM LIFE: Treasures from Pakistan and India’, January 16 – March 29, 2009, with guest curator, Patricia Stoddard.

Skagit County Historical Museum

‘HARVESTING THE LIGHT: Images of Contemporary Skagit Farm Life’, now through September 27, 2009

‘THE WAY WE PLAYED’, featuring Skagit County sports and recreation, 1880-1960, now through September 10, 2010

If you are planning a trip to LA Conner, check out this website.

On the way back to Seattle, we drove across Deception Pass Bridge, which spans a deep and wildly turbulent channel connecting the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Saratoga Passage. The bridge is 180 feet above Deception Pass and more than a quarter mile long, and the views from the sidewalks on either side are breathtaking (literally). We then proceeded down the length of Whidbey Island, stopping off in Langley to rest and recuperate from the arduous walking we did in LA Conner. Life is tough.

"Jul 31, 1935 - The Deception Pass Bridge, and its island-hopping neighbor, the Canoe Pass Bridge, were dedicated on July 31, 1935. There aren’t many bridges in this corner of the country that do a better job of inspiring motorists to park their cars and get out for a walk over the water" Quoted from the Bellingham Herald (Note: Canoe Pass Bridge is visible in background)

Yours Truly hanging out with 'Boy and Dog' and gazing out over Saratoga Passage - (sculpture by artist Georgia Gerber was installed in First Street Park in Langley in 1986)

Seattle is hosting a number of gallery exhibits featuring the art of basketry for the entire month of January. Judy and I visited the Pacini Lubel and Fountainhead Galleries on opening nights, and were treated to a visual feast, to say the least! The amazing objects in these outstanding displays are very impressive. The baskets and sculptural pieces are constructed from a huge variety of materials and range from a few inches to many feet in size.

The exhibits coincide with the Bellevue Arts Museum exhibit titled ‘Intertwined, Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection’, which runs through March 22, 2009.

Here’s an excerpt from the BAM website about the Lieberman show:

Providing an international look at contemporary basket making and its current level of innovation and experimentation, Intertwined includes over 70 traditional and non-traditional baskets from the prestigious Sara and David Lieberman collection. Highly textural and boldly shaped, the works in this extensive exhibition utilize a range of materials and techniques from traditional organic to commercial, and often surprising media like fish skins, porcupine quills and grocery bags. Represented artists include the well-known international to the regional, and works range from functional containers to closed, sculptural forms.

The following galleries are exhibiting baskets in January:

Fountainhead Gallery, 625 W McGraw St, Seattle WA 98119
Phone: 206.285.4467
Masters of Contemporary Basketry
January 8 – February 1, 2009

DUO • ©2008 Lindsay Ketterer Gates • Stainless steel mesh, pistachio shells, anti-tarnish silver wire, beads

SECRETS • ©2008 Nancy Koenigsberg • Coated copper wire, shredded paper

Pacini Lubel Gallery, 207 2nd Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206.326.5555
Contemporary Basketry – Redefining Sculpture
January 8 – January 31, 2009

ACROSS THE SKY • © Charissa Brock • Black bamboo, waxed Linen thread, fused glass, steel

CROSSING OVER • © Dona Anderson • Bamboo, pattern paper, thread • Photo Credit: Richard Nickel

Arts Council Gallery, 1507 Wall Street, Everett, WA
Phone: 425-257-8380
Containers, Containment and Contents
January 9 – February 12, 2009

MUSEO, 215 First Street, Langley, WA 98260
360.221.7737
Baskets…an Evolution
Jan 3-Feb 2

CHICKEN FOOT SKIN POT • © Allen Moe • ceramic/mixed media

ARTIFACT HYBRID II • © Danielle Bodine • Mixed media

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, check out Northwest Basket Weavers, an organization promoting ‘the art and tradition of basketry’ with classes, a monthly newsletter and annual events, since 1982.