The Magnuson Park Gallery Exchange: A Conversation with Karey Kessler

SPACE Volunteer Terriko Somers sits down with artist Karey Kessler to discuss her work in the exhibition, Small Works From The Artists of Building 30 West. This annual exhibition showcases a range of artistic mediums from the artists with studio spaces in Building 30 West. Watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings are displayed next to photographs, mosaics, and other mixed media works, demonstrating the vast range of artistic expressions.

CLICK HERE to visit Karey Kessler's website.

CLICK HERE for more information on the Small Works show.

CLICK HERE for more episodes of The Magnuson Park Gallery Exchange.

Through the Glass Darkly - Portraits of Empowerment by Bonnie Hopper

- Written by Sally Vermillion, SPACE Volunteer

The 12 faces gaze out from their canvas constraints, compelling you to stop and stay, to study each portrait’s presence. And in the exchange that occurs between painting and observer, in engaging with these magnificent subjects, one encounters powerful beauty, resilient grace, and dignified self-assurance. Welcome to the Magnuson Art Gallery’s exhibition of Bonnie Hopper’s portraits of African Americans, Through the Glass Darkly: Portraits in Black and Brown.

One can’t look at Hopper’s artwork and not notice her love of fabric, textiles, and costuming!

Whether the clothes reference the Antebellum South, contemporary street fashion, or the

custom of “Sunday Best” dressing, her delight and interest in details of dress and rendering

pattern and design add a layer of complexity to Hopper’s portraiture style. In the serene

“Reversal of Fortune” we want to touch the burnout velvet shawl and glistening pewter buttons, as we imagine her story. Combining collage with oil painting adds a tactile dimensionality to the African textiles and mid-century prints Hopper favors. Her subjects garner agency via self-expression through their clothing style.

In lush color and gorgeous attire, Hopper’s portraits mirror the kind of confidence that comes

from life experience and self-knowledge. In her painting of an elegantly turbaned woman entitled “She’s All That” the subject’s uncompromising expression inevitably cues us to whisper, “And More!” It seems these subjects have been there, seen that, and come to terms with who they are, who they want to be. Their journey is universal, transcending race, background, creed - it is the journey of empowered men and women who have actively defined their lives.

Hopper’s collection of handsomely rendered, large-scale portraits compels us to consider the inextricable interplay between fashion and identity. Indeed, it seems they heed the advice given Alice in Through the Looking Glass: “Remember who you are!” Magnuson Art Gallery is pleased to exhibit Bonnie Hopper’s portraits from September 15 - October 29, 2022. The gallery is open Thursday, Friday 11-3 and Saturday 12-3. There will be a reception with Hopper on Saturday, September 24, 2022, from 2-5 pm.

Plein Air Views of Washington Brings the Outdoors In

- Written by Sally Vermillion, SPACE Volunteer

You don't have to be skilled in the art of persuasion to convince a Washingtonian that their state rocks! The rich tapestry of its vivacious urban spaces, natural environments, historic maritime and agricultural presences all coalesce to form the familiar backdrop to our everyday lives. Lest we grow too accustomed to the many hidden gems of our state - the sublime cast by a sun setting behind the Olympic mountain range, Methow snow melt cascading over boulders, a hardworking tugboat towing an enormous tanker through Puget Sound, the dynamic Seattle skyline framed by lake and cloud, a Skagit tulip field in bloom - Magnuson Park Gallery is showcasing our state's multifaceted personalities in a new exhibit, Plein Air Views of Washington.

For the next two weeks, until July 22nd, you can experience (yes, celebrate!) Washington State in scenes painted by 34 artists, and be reminded by the people and places, sea and sky, boats and bridges depicted, of your favorite places in this singular state we call home. From the 46 paintings on exhibit, a sense of place emerges as you imagine breathing salt air, listening to a stream tumble over mossy rocks, tasting peppery nasturtium petals and feeling the roughness of tough cedar bark, So don't be surprised if, as you leave, you utter a rousing cheer for our great state!

Plein Air Views of Washington