Grab a Hunk of Lightning is Dyanna Taylor’s documentary of the life of her grandmother and famous photojournalist, Dorothea Lange.  

It reveals Lange’s challenging childhood (abandonment of her family by her father and contracting polio at age seven); her dream as a young woman (to leave her hometown of Hoboken, NJ and travel the world); and her unconquerable willpower to never give up.  

For example, her dream was sundered when she and her friend were robbed of all their money in San Francisco, CA.

To get out of the situation, Lange got a job at a photography studio in San Francisco and not long after, opened her own portrait studio in the same city.  

Her first marriage in 1920 was to western painter Maynard Dixon.  He had a daughter and together they had two sons.  A major challenge of this marriage was Dixon leaving the three of them for months at a time to paint in the southwest.  In 1935, Lange divorced Dixon and married economist Paul Taylor.  

And it is with the deep love of Taylor and her own adventuresome spirit that Lange matures into the photojournalist we know today.   
Her iconic “Migrant Mother” (shown above) is one of her many heart-wrenching photographs that documented the struggles of migrant workers during the Great Depression.  

Other work that is just as moving and which only became known later in her life are her photographs of the relocation and internment of Japanese-Americans.  At the time, the US military impounded these photographs as they were considered too critical and disparaging of the US government’s decision.  

Throughout her life, Lange struggled with the demands of being a wife and mother; her passion to be a photographer; and health issues such as bleeding ulcers and post-polio syndrome. 

Yet, through it all, her indomitable spirit is palatable—from her choice of husbands; to her critical eye and gifted hand that takes us to the depths of injustice and also reveals the hidden beauty and power of individuals; to her courage and unwillingness to let her ill health stop her from her passion of photography; to her love of huge, bold jewelry.

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Author and artist, Kathryn V. White loves well-conceived documentaries and life-affirming films.  Her most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com.

The Bellevue Art Museum (BAM) is hosting five concurrent exhibits running for the next one to three months.

Read My Pins pays homage to former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s predilection for political statements through her pins.  

Her collection of over 200 pins span from the early 1900s to the present day.  Examples include the face of the Statue of Liberty with clock eyes where both the wearer and viewer get their own perspective of time (my favorite); bejeweled bees, spiders, and butterflies; shoulder mounted zebras (worn when meeting with Nelson Mandela); a clay heart made by one of her daughters as a child (her favorite); and many others.  (Closes June 7, 2015)

Emerge/Evolve 2014 highlights the works of artists associated with the Bullseye Glass Company (located in Portland, Oregon).  Show-cased art includes delicate glass hanging like a lace curtain; an empty chair faces a window in a glass double-façade, miniature vignette; thin, black glass spreads infinitely across a wall creating beautiful, organic patterns; and flowers emerge from fused glass bits. (Closes June 14, 2015)

The New Frontier presents work by designer-makers from the Pacific Northwest.  It’s an eclectic mix that includes large rocks fashioned from salvaged wood (my favorite); furniture; a large woven rug; eclectic lamps; and a high-end dog house that offers beauty, but no weather-protection. (Closes August 16, 2015)

In the exhibition titled, Infinity Fits in My Hand, Jana Brevick’s galactic-inspired jewelry and fully-jointed, robotic pieces mix humor with a high level of metal craftsmanship. (Closes August 16, 2015)

And as a last treat, the Northwest Collage Society's Spring 2015 show, Adornment, is featured until June 28, 2015. 

Don’t wait.  Take a trip to the BAM and enjoy these fascinating exhibits today!

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Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Each week in March and the last postcard arriving in April, a little gift of joy and connection arrived in my mailbox.

Receiving these postcards, plus participating in Kat's scavenger hunt before the postcards were mailed and a blog hop for participants over the weekend of April 18, 2015 (after the post cards were received) has been a fun way to share my art and writing as well as see the cool stuff other folks are creating.  

I received art-filled postcards from artists in Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon, Florida, and the United Kingdom. I also won a beautiful calendar of Patricia Lyon-Surrey's art!

If offered again (say it will be so Kat!), I highly recommend that you take Kat's postcard swap excursion in 2016 to meet others through tangible postcards and social media. 

Connecting with others in this way makes the world smaller and bigger at the same time--and a great reminder of human kindness!

So thank you Kat and all the 2015 participants for making this an event worth remembering, sharing, and celebrating with others!

Click here to see a video of some of the art shared through the 2015 Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap. 

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Author and artist, Kathryn V. White is now a "Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap" enthusiast. Her most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness  was recently voted a finalist for the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Award.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Yes, my wish is that both Odin the Ferret and Rumble Tumble Joy move from finalists to winners!  Now that would make for a fantastic year. 

Will the Wishing Shelf grant my wish?

Winners are to be announced in April 2015.  Tune in to hear more...

Find out more about author and artist, Kathryn V. White at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Run, don't walk to see the art of 39 northwest woodworking artists at the Bellevue Art Museum's Biennial (on display until March 29, 2015) as well as the haunting, exquisite ceramic works of Jason Walker (on display until March 1, 2015).

As to be expected with 39 woodworking artists—there is a broad range of themes and creations on display. For example, an immense wooden mask by Michael De Forest got me thinking of the Wizard of Oz mixed with Easter Island and allowed for a perfect photo opportunity.      

Through their eyes, a couple of Shawn Nordfors' wooden heads invite the viewer into an inner world (if you find the secret button).

William J. Whipple's whimsical, moving sculpture provides fun and play. Helga Winter's large-wooden, not-quite-spheres are painted with an Australian-aboriginal-feeling design and are also rattles. There is even a wooden piece of furniture by Aaron Levin that actually breathes in and out!

And you won't want to miss Taiji Miyasaka's and David Drake's outdoor sculpture that you can enter into and feel like you're viewing a star-filled sky. 

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Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness. Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

And their playful and boldly provocative art continues to influence artists and provides relevant social commentary to this day.

Roy Lichtenstein parodied societal roles of men and women through his comic book inspired paintings.

Iconic Marilyn, Campbell’s soup can, and Elvis images are seared into our minds ensuring Andy Warhol’s fame persists beyond 15 minutes.

Claes Oldenberg raised the mundane objects of our lives into modern megaliths with his clothespin, trowel, typewriter eraser and other humongous sculptures that dominate any place they are erected.

Through their outrageously-magnified imagery, slick pop idol aggrandizement, and advertising-inspired style, Pop Art artists reveal our endless fascination with stereotypical roles, consumerism, and celebrity-culture. 

Seduced by their captivating images of our insatiable hunger for more, we can’t turn away.

So it is with the Seattle Art Museum’s Pop! Departures exhibit—you’ll be entranced by the skill of these artists, enjoy the familiarity of famous paintings, and see some new pieces.  

I particularly liked Margarita Cabrera’s series of soft-vinyl sculptures of domestic appliances and an almost full-size VW bug as well as a Claes Oldenberg’s rendering of a huge faucet-shaped fountain pouring water into Lake Union.  

Perhaps Paul Allen could bring this one to fruition?

The exhibit runs through January 11, 2015. 

As an extra treat, you can create your own Pop Art inspired images at a photo booth located near the museum’s ticket purchasing area.  

With this blog, I’m including a few of my own creations.  

Be forewarned, your images will show up on a large, flat-screen TV in the SAM’s lobby.

To your 15-minutes of SAM-provided fame!  

Kathryn's most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness. Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Showing the world your magic includes making art--which Mati can help you with, especially in the realm of collage.   

And for this art magic to happen, you'll need to allow for spontaneity and messiness.

Hmm...sounds a bit like the magic that shows up when you let go of control, and allow life to happen!

If your life has gotten stale, take a baby step towards re-awakening its magic by clicking the cover above. (Affilitate link)

In October, at the Southwest Branch, I enjoyed making art for two Saturday afternoons—a cute little clay owl (which I may paint or leave its clay color), a black wire nest with a soft interior for my owl to rest in, and a gold wire nest with three “pearl eggs” pendant.

Kathryn V. White is a mystical cosmonaut, writer, and artist. Her dream is her creations help transform our world to be a more joyful place.  Her most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness. Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Recently, I attended a wonderful, weekend painting workshop—Stewart Cubley’s, The Painting Experience.  I’ve had this workshop on my “To-Do” list since 2008 and with it coming to Seattle this autumn, it was a good time to attend.

I was comfortable with the process shared as it is an approach I frequently take in creating my own art.  Basically, show up, be present, open to whatever wants to express itself, and follow your creative flow.  

Overall, be in the mystery of creation instead of focusing on painting an aesthetically appealing product. These are my own words, so other people and the workshop facilitators (Stewart Cubley and Annie Rousseau) could describe it differently.

What I loved about this workshop was that there were no critiques, no stories to be shared about your paintings, being present amongst others who are delving into the same process, and getting to paint BIG.  I have wanted to experience painting on big canvases for some time.

With the approach of either starting off with one 26” x 20” paper and adding to it or starting off with several papers attached already, I got to experience what it feels like to take a big, paint-tipped brush to big painting surfaces. 
 
I LOVED IT! Especially when I started with several pieces of paper already attached to make one huge canvas.  My pieces ranged from 26”x20” to 52”x60” to 91”x 60.” Yep, the largest one is approximately 7.5 feet high by 5 feet wide!

So here in my blog, I’m sharing with you my BIG pieces.  All done with bright tempera paints.

Now, I just need a BIG studio space to paint BIG paintings!

Curious about The Painting Experience?

Click here to learn more.

Through October 25, the University of Washington's Seattle campus includes 12 pieces of installation art from Mad Art artists.  






Mad Art’s mission is “to support emerging artists in our community, to bring art into our lives in unexpected ways, and to create community involvement in the arts.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it?!

So for this week’s blog and perhaps future ones, I will post some pictures of this “Mad Art.” And while photos can’t give you the complete experience of actually viewing the art in person, perhaps it will inspire you to take a trip and see it for yourself. 

If not, you can still be an armchair explorer.

For more information, click here.

Description of W. Scott Trimble's Wave Sine:  "The shape of this wooden pathway refers to the frequencies and curvature of our universe, as well as how light and matter travel through space. Scott nurtures his childhood curiosity about how things are created, assembled, and deconstructed while allowing viewers to find their own narratives in response to his work." (From Mad Campus  art information sheets)

You must visit the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner, WA before September 28, 2014.  Why?  To see some wonderful artists that you won't want to miss.

First, there is Bradd Skubinna.  The picture I have posted with this blog doesn't do justice to the ingenuity and beauty of his work. He takes the regular detritus of our lives such as twisty ties; bottle and pen caps; straws, tape dispensers; pill bottles; as well as other small plastics and transforms them into delightful and intricate mandalas. 

Secondly, there is Susan Skilling who paints with gouache on handmade Thai mulberry paper.  Her soothing work is full of swirls and the colors of white, gray, and black.  

Thirdly, there is Benjamin Cobb with glass art reminiscent of kidneys and other internal organs.  Vibrant colors, organic shapes, and striking compositions fill your visual field as you gaze at his work.

So don't wait!  Take a trip to MoNA today!

One of the great aspects of being an author and an artist is I get to move amongst a variety of media to see the world in new ways and to express myself.  

It's also a wonderful way to go on my own "adventures in expansion" without traveling from my home. 





Yet, many times, the urge to hone my skills, learn something new, and explore our beautiful world draws me forth. 

Atelier is a French word meaning "studio" and I like the playfulness of adding a single "R" to reflect my love of creating visual art.  

The example I include here as well as well as on the Brig Studio Artists webpage will show you that I'm an artist who loves variety and bright colors.  

If you are interested in licensing my art, please contact me through my contact page on this website. Include in the subject line "Interested in Licensing Your Art."  

Expressive abstracts, calligraphic-feeling painted overlays, complex line patterns, moody tones, and vibrant brights reveal the unique perspectives and enduring legacies these artists have left for us to view and learn from for a long time to come.

There's not much time left to enjoy this exhibit!  Make sure you take a trip to the SAM soon!

Rough and smooth textures, globs and thin varnishes of paint, as well as individual brush strokes are clearly visible. 

The painting is no longer a scene of wholeness—you see it in fragments.  You move back and forth between close up viewing and standing farther away.  Each position is important in understanding what it took to create the art and take in the art.

And so it is with the documentary, Waste Land.  Internationally renowned artist, Vik Muniz travels from his home base in Brooklyn, NY to his native Brazil and to the world’s largest garbage dump—Jardim Gramacho.

His mission is to make art from the garbage and somehow use this same art to help the catadores—the people that people turn away from in disgust and ignorance.  These are the people who are the self-designated pickers of recyclable materials.  To earn a living and support their families, they scale the smelly mountains of tons of refuse dumped from trucks each day.    

Vik looks at the entire dump site from aerial photos and then he moves in closer by walking throughout the dump and talking with the catadores.  Out of the many, he ends up working with seven of them in a collaboration of art-making.  He decides to create photographic portraits of the catadores in positions reflecting iconic images of art. 

These images become the basis of huge renditions of the photographs through creating them with the recyclables gathered and placed by the catadores.  And then he photographs these renditions and blows them up into huge photographs that are then sold at an auction house in London.  Each of the participating catadores receives some of the proceeds and some of it goes to fund the programs the catadores' union is working to develop.

Vik works in layers and layers of art-making process just as the garbage dump contains layers and layers of human refuse and history.

The documentary is fascinating and heart-filling.  It sweeps away ignorance, prejudice, and generalizations.  You see the struggle, the bad luck, and the achievements that can be wrested from poverty.  You'll cry, cheer, and be inspired by the power of the human spirit to transcend insurmountable challenges.  You'll be amazed at the power of art to transform how people see themselves and then their lives. You’ll want others to watch this film.

Don’t wait.  Click on the DVD cover and learn more.  (Affiliate link)

The Bellevue Art Museum (BAM) in Bellevue, WA continues its tradition of exhibiting high-quality and diverse work by extremely talented craftspeople.  

I love contemporary crafts—so full of texture, quirkiness, and ingenuity.  I look forward to the day when crafts are given as much respect and admiration as what is deemed fine art.

Here's BAM's current lineup:

*Crafting a Continuum—My favorite of the four exhibits.  It includes 60+ pieces drawn from the Arizona State University Art Museum’s contemporary craft collection of more than 5,000 objects. It’s a wonderful exhibit that’s too diverse and difficult to describe here.  So do yourself a favor and go see this exhibit before it closes on April 27, 2014.  Learn more here.

*Fragile Fortress—Wood carvings by Dan Webb. An interesting mixture of the finely carved juxtapositioned with rough, unfinished wood—reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Blockhead Slave sculpture.  Some of his pieces have a nightmarish quality and yet, strangely, do not incite fear.  

Works include realistic hands attached by carved wooden rings to roughly hewn wood pillars.  The rings are thick, such as ones used on the chains attached to manacles on convicts in the past. Several strands of these same wooden rings with heavy looking padlocks form long chains running from floor to ceiling.  It’s ironically titled, Rosary.   A beautifully carved open-winged dove rests on a wood chunk.  A heart-shaped balloon of wood echoing the crinkliness of helium balloons found in card stores seems to float in the air.  Delicate dandelions sprout from a redwood block.  This exhibit runs until June 15, 2014.  Learn more here. 

*Life—Ceramic sculptures by Kathy Venter. Over 30 figurative life-sized sculptures, mostly of nude women.  After firing and reassembling the parts into complete figures (the figures are too large to fire in the kiln fully assembled), a mixture of white and dental plaster is applied.  The seemingly random placement of the mixture on the sculptures and its texture adds great visual and tactile appeal.   

Throughout the exhibit, sculptures stand, sit, or recline on the floor.  Several are heads and upper torsos.  Like circus acrobats, a few hang dramatically in space, casting interesting shadows against the walls and floors.  This exhibit runs until June 15, 2013. Learn more here.

*At Your Service—Plates as sculpture from a variety of artists.  This exhibit gives you a whole new appreciation of the plate and what can be done with it.  

I particularly enjoyed Gesine Hackenberg Makkum Plooishotel’s drilling of plates and making rings and necklaces from the circles she extracts as well as Amelia Toelke’s Light and Shadow, Part 2.  Amelia covers plates with faux gold leaf, breaks them along clean lines, and then re-assembles them into a simple, eye-catching pattern adorning BAM's wall.  While this picture from the BAM’s website gives you a taste, it does not do justice to the beauty of the piece.  This exhibit runs until September 21, 2014.  Learn more here.

Take some time to enjoy these exhibits; you’ll be glad you made the trip to BAM!