NOVEMBER FEATURED ARTIST: IRIS GUY SOPHER

At STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO

RESILIENCE

KIRKLAND ARTS CENTER – 620 Market Street, Kirkland WA 98033

GUEST CURATOR: ANNA MACRAE

OCTOBER 17 – NOVEMBER 15, 2025 – CLOSING RECEPTION 3-5PM NOVEMBER 15 – PLEASE JOIN US!

Resilience is a celebration of the  human capacity to withstand adversity and emerge stronger, wiser, and more creative. At the heart of this collection lies a exploration of resilience—not as a passive act, but as an active process of growth, adaptation, and renewal.

Each work in this exhibition is a testament to the artist’s journey through challenge and change. Through diverse mediums—painting, sculpture, and mixed media—these pieces capture moments of vulnerability, struggle, and ultimately, triumph. The creative process itself mirrors resilience: what begins with uncertainty and experimentation transforms through persistence and intent into art that illuminates and inspires. –Anna Macrae

ARTISTS: Carolyn Autenrieth | Mary Coss | Stephanie Hargrave | Ellen Hochberg | Claire B Jones | Sarah Jones | Deborah Kapoor | Anna Macrae  | Carol Milne  | Flora Ramirez Bustamante | Lynne Rigby

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FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK: OCTOBER 2, 2025 | 5-8PM

SECOND SATURDAY OPEN STUDIOS: OCTOBER 11, 2025 | NOON-4PM

Work by Zeynep Banu Alev, Dawn Endean, Rosalie Frankel, and Stephanie Hargrave

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle, WA. 98104

Open By Appointment: Call 206-227-5332

Featured Artist: CHRIS CRITES

In October 2010 I had a show titled Yard Waste and Toilet Paper at what was once Rock|DeMent. This space is now STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO and she is graciously allowing me to show there again 15 years later.

Working from a collection of West Coast mug shots acquired in Portland OR, I am presenting a series of new paintings. Since 1999 I have been painting these photographs in five colors or less as an ongoing experiment with image and vision. I enjoy taking difficult subjects and examining them in paint, looking at things in a different way as well as seeing how unusual color combinations affect what we are looking at.

-Chris Crites

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MIDNIGHT ZONE

translucency, bioluminescense, adaptation

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After moving to Brooklyn in early 2020, Covid hit.  I found myself at the epicenter of a pandemic in a new city, sans friends.  I took refuge in deep-sea documentaries as terrain life fell into chaos.  

At a residency that summer in Upstate NY, I began layering my wax paint with inky blacks and a touch of Prussian blue.  By fusing light transparent wax into the oceanic layers with a torch, I could achieve forms that resembled the unusual creatures I was so enamored by.  Heating the wax to liquid and tipping the substrate mimicked the undulatory movement of the ocean, and polishing the cooled wax surface to a natural sheen spoke to oceanic reflections. 

At some point, I was achieving (abstractly) the shapes and markings of the fish, jellies, atmosphere and organisms found in the Midnight Zone.  Situated just below the Twilight Zone where a tiny bit of light still gets in, the Midnight Zone has no light whatsoever, except for bioluminescence.  The deep sea was cold and lonely but also comforting.  There was a natural order that was missing above ground.  The more I studied, the greater my reverence for these deep-sea creatures grew. 

Some fish lost their eyes entirely while others grew larger ones.  Many had become completely transparent while others developed ultra black coloring.  One creature developed an oversized pouch near its mouth to assist with food scarcity – an extra appendage that floated outside the body.  Deep-sea gigantism begins at this level.  All manner of adaptations captured me, from large teeth situated outside the mouth to the infamous dangle of bioluminescent light the angler fish evolved arching off its head. 

These surreal adaptations, prompted by crushing pressure and lack of light, were wonderfully creepy and possessed a ghostliness I was drawn to.  They spoke to a strangeness we can’t yet fully imagine.  They also inspire scientific possibilities.  We could learn so much from siphonophores; individual zooids that attach in long strands functioning as one organism.   By replacing damaged areas that are unrelated to the other parts of itself, they render themselves immortal.  If we, as a species, could attain such cooperation, we’d be smarter, and a pandemic like Covid might be more easily weathered, or side-stepped altogether.

These paintings and the other work in this exhibit pay homage to the creatures of the Midnight Zone.  Hopefully they convey both the harshness of the environment and the beautiful strangeness of their bodies.  They are meant to honor their resiliency and their ability to adapt despite a nearly unlivable environment, a place we are getting dangerously close to ourselves.

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WHO WHAT WHEN . . . .

C L U S T E R OPENING September 6, 2025

AURORA LOOP GALLERY, Port Townsend, WA. ART TALK 4PM, SHOW 5PM

Link to Poet Arlene Naganawa

Blog Interview in Fiber Art Now

Below are details of larger works that we have been working on collaboratively since January

RELATIONAL SPACE

Tashiro Kaplan Building Community Gallery
115 Prefontaine Place South, Seattle 98104

Opening July 3, 5-8pm
Show Runs July 3-August 31, 2025

The works of Zeynep Banu Alev, Stephanie Hargrave, and Noa Miyeko Piper present viewers with an exploration of form in space that challenges viewers to go past an isolated perceptual viewpoint and move into a relational space which is partly abstract but very much grounded in nature and natural formations. Such spaces are expansive, indeterminate, and pregnant with potential.  Piper’s paintings often explore liminal spaces between a multiplicity of interacting figures and at other times, directly bring viewers into a vibrant colorweb that challenges the viewer to step outside their own viewing and allow their experience of viewing itself to be perceived at a granular level.  Hargrave’s encaustic sculpted forms bring viewers into relation with form-filled spaces that are at once familiar–the natural contours of humanoid embodiment or ancestral oceanic anatomies, and at the same time alien, with absence of any recognizable facial features and surprising curves and colors. In such ways, a relational space with The Other opens up. Alev’s paintings explore geometric and abstract spatial cartographies hybridizing engineering and geography, punctuated by text and color and explore relational space through a variety of lenses.  The collected artworks engage viewers in a fundamental ‘movement beyond’ self and into the wonderous awe of relationality in shared space.

Sunil K. Aggarwal, MD, PhD (Geography)

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Images: Mark Woods

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VETRI Launches OFFSITE Exhibition Series at STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO

Vetri is proud to launch OFFSITE, a new curatorial initiative bringing contemporary glass and fine craft to vibrant venues beyond the gallery walls. Created to foster dialogue across disciplines and reach new audiences, OFFSITE exhibitions are produced in partnership with artists, galleries, and institutions that share Vetri’s vision for connecting fine craft, painting, and sculpture.

The first exhibition in the series opens July 3, 2025 at Stephanie Hargrave Studio in Seattle’s Pioneer Square (306 S Washington St #104), timed with First Thursday Artwalk.

Featured artists include:

– Grace Whiteside, a NYC-based glass artist whose playful, experimental works explore the fluidity and tackiness of molten glass. Hand-blown in Brooklyn, their pieces have been featured in Glass Quarterly, InStyle, and the Corning Museum of Glass’s New Glass Review.

– Isaac Feuerman, an interdisciplinary designer and craftsperson merging refined material sensibility with contemporary design. A former Resident Artist at STARworks and fabricator for the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, Feuerman creates functional works rooted in process and form.

– Eric Fisher, a Seattle-based artist, designer, and musician. His vivid giclée prints reflect a deep engagement with texture, color, and mark-making. Known for his multidisciplinary work in visual art, music, and design, Fisher’s pieces evoke themes of connection and quiet hope.

Join us for this inaugural OFFSITE event and experience the intersection of glass, craft, and contemporary art in a new context.

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First Thursday ART WALK July 3, 2025 (5-8pm) & Second Saturday OPEN STUDIOS July 12 (Noon-4pm)

Dawn Endean, Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel, Stephanie Hargrave

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: Tashiro Kaplan Building – 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT – Call 206-227-5332

ART WALK June 5, 2025 (5-8pm) & Second Saturday OPEN STUDIOS June 14 (Noon-4pm)

Stephanie Hargrave, Dawn Endean, Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: Tashiro Kaplan Building – 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT – Call 206-227-5332

Above is our ad in Art Access Magazine for May/June – design: Dawn Endean

First Thursday ART WALK May 1, 2025 (5-8pm) & Second Saturday OPEN STUDIOS May 10 (Noon-4pm)

Stephanie Hargrave, Dawn Endean, Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: Tashiro Kaplan Building – 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle

ALSO OPEN BY APPOINTMENT THROUGHOUT THE MONTH – CALL 206-227-5332

First Thursday ART WALK April 3, 2025 (5-8pm) & Second Saturday OPEN STUDIOS April 12 (Noon-4pm)

Stephanie Hargrave, Dawn Endean, Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: Tashiro Kaplan Building – 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle

ALSO OPEN BY APPOINTMENT THROUGHOUT THE MONTH – CALL 206-227-5332

First Thursday ART WALK March 6, 2025 (5-8pm) & Second Saturday OPEN STUDIOS March 8 (12-4pm)

Dawn Endean, Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel and Stephanie Hargrave

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: Tashiro Kaplan Building – 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle

ALSO OPEN BY APPOINTMENT THROUGHOUT THE MONTH – CALL 206-227-5332

AROUND THE SQUARE, March 6-29, 2025 at Studio 103

Join us for this really fun event – our Around the Square show. Sixty artists present works in square format. Four cash awards will be presented and the public gets to participate by voting for their favorites. Come and enjoy the show, vote for your favorites and see who wins at our Awards Celebration and Reception. A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CITY OF SEATTLE OFFICE OF ARTS & CULTURE FOR THEIR SMART VENTURES GRANT FOR THIS YEAR’S “AROUND THE SQUARE” PROJECT!

Important Dates:

March 6, 4-9pm Opening Night and First Thursday Art Walk

March 15, 11-4pm Award Ceremony and Artists Reception

STUDIO 103 HOURS: Saturdays 11:00 – 4:00, or by appointment

STUDIO 103 is a collaboration of 4 artists-in-residence in the Tashiro Kaplan Building in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. New and emerging artists are featured each month along with our resident artists Zeynep Banu Alev, Joy Hagen, Germain Mitacc and Gamze Seckin.

Squarish, Clay, India Ink, Encaustic, 5 x 3 x 5.25 in.

First Thursday ART WALK February 6, 2025 (5-8pm) & Second Saturday OPEN STUDIOS February 15 (12-4pm)

Rosalie Frankel, Zeynep Banu Alev, Dawn Endean and Stephanie Hargrave

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: Tashiro Kaplan Building – 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY – CALL 206-227-5332

VISUAL BIOGRAPHIES

University House Wallingford

4400 Stone Way N. Seattle 98103

October 29-February 15, 2025

Join us for a unique exhibition where over 25 artists have teamed up with University
House Wallingford residents to create art that tells their stories. Alongside these works,
you’ll also see pieces from the “Blades of Change” project, featuring art made with
nuclear power cooling blades. Also, experience a live performance from
singer-songwriter Zan Fiskum, who will be performing her original song “The Gift of
Life”, followed up by the Michael Cosgrove Jazz Trio. Enjoy curated hors d’oeuvres and
refreshments as you explore this inspiring collection and meet the residents behind the
art.

Curated by June Sekiguchi

Artist Credit: Gretchen Hansen, The Tale of Yasuko Kodama, 3 panel byobu 16″ x 36″
Photo Credit: Kjell M. Hansen

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Left Image: Willa’s Beautiful Life, 12×12 Encaustic, Right Image: Willa’s Life Abstracted, 12×12 Encaustic

I met with Willa Halperin near the end of September for the Visual Biographies project and found her to be wholly delightful.  I learned she had had a 56-year marriage to Walt, two children, 4 grandchildren and 1 great grand-daughter.  She studied business education at university, and later taught ESL and pronunciation classes at the college level.  But what really caught my attention was the 26 European cycling trips she and Walt had taken to places like France, Italy, Norway, Ireland and Brazil.  She told me if they didn’t ride at least 50 miles a day she hadn’t felt like she’d really gotten a full workout!  At 91, she still goes to the gym every day.  She loves the color blue, roses, creating watercolors and exercising.  Her favorite book is titled Endurance.  

I made two encaustic paintings about Willa’s life.  The first is fun and literal with a blue bicycle, and the other is abstract and tries to capture the feeling of one of her cycling trips along the ocean.  When I asked, she said her favorite sound is that of the ocean.  -Stephanie

Artist Talk – January 14, 2025

Stephanie will be presenting as the guest artist at the The Evergreen Association of Fine Arts (EAFA) on January 14, 2025 from 12:30 – 2:30 – https://eafa.org

January 2025 Studio Exhibit

Rosalie Frankel, Zeynep Banu Alev, Dawn Endean and Stephanie Hargrave

PETITE

SMALL WORKS GROUP SHOW 2024

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO

OPEN December 14th, 12-4pm or by appointment 206-227-5332

Please join us for the 2nd Annual PETITE Exhibit. This show features works from 21 Seattle Artists and 1 New York photographer. Come see sculptures, paintings, photography, ceramics, mixed-media pieces and works on paper, all available to take home at the time of purchase.

Images in order by: Jack Johnston, Stephanie Hargrave, Kelly Lyles, Al Varady, Phil Stoiber, Dawn Endean, Jon Taylor, Carolyn Autenrieth, Chris Crites, Teresa Getty, Brennan Cavanaugh, Claudia Zimmerman, Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel, Lynne Rigby, Tina Randolph, Joy Hagen, Eliaichi Kimaro, Anna Macrae, Ellen Hochberg, Brandon Zebold, Kirsten Wilhelm

Monday – Thursday by Appt. 360-387-2759

visit: http://www.matzkefineart.com/  for directions (1 hour north of Seattle)

email: matzke@camano.net

EMBODIMENTS

Eliska Kovacikova & Malin Neuman

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE & ELLEN HOCHBERG STUDIOS

December 5th, 6th & 7th, 2024

Opening Reception: Thursday Dec. 5, 5-8pm

Artist Talk and Reception: Saturday, Dec. 7, 12-2pm

306 S. Washington St. #101 and #104
Seattle, WA, 98104

Embodiments is a duo-exhibition presenting Sweden-based artists Eliska Kovacikova and Malin Neuman. This exhibition is part of a collaboration between the artist-run studio collectives Detroit Stockholm and Cluster. The show’s conceptual framework focuses on the notion of embodiment as a tangible or visible form of an idea, quality, or feeling. The ways things are embodied can serve as a manifestation of a thought, a reflection of current situations, or simply as a free tool for artistic creation. In this exhibition, it also serves as a connecting point between the two artists, and a common ground where their different artistic practices can meet and interact

VETRI GALLERY: LINE SURFACE VOLUME

Ben Beres, Stephanie Hargrave, Andi Kovel, Anna Mlasowsky & Tina Randolph

Join us in celebrating the opening of Line Surface Volume on Thursday, October 3rd, from 5–8 pm, during the First Thursday Art Walk. 

Curated to foster a visual conversation between functional design, sculpture, and wall art, this exhibition invites visitors to explore a tactically rich environment of color, form, and function created in glass, ceramic, and mixed media. 

After a summer of exploration, Andi Kovel debuts her exciting new DRIP Series, which includes richly hued modernist lighting, sculptures, and tables. Ben Beres explores typography in his etched glass vessels and Vitreography prints created at Pilchuck Glass School. Anna Mlasowsky presents a majestic dichroic glass table and wall pieces. Complementing the show, Stephanie Hargrave’s India ink and wax-finished ceramic sculpture (pictured), encaustic wall pieces, and Tina Randolph’s mixed-media paintings invite an exploration of elegant compositions and intriguing surfaces. Artists will be in attendance at the opening reception, so come party with us! 

For more details, contact Sheila Strobel at sheila@vetriglass.com or call 206.667.9608

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO

October Featured Artist: Dawn Endean

FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK OCTOBER 3, 5-8PM

SECOND SATURDAY OPEN STUDIOS OCTOBER 12, NOON-4PM

306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle, WA. 98104

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STUDIO ARTISTS: Rosalie Frankel & Zeynep Banu Alev

Zeynep Banu Alev (left) Rosalie Frankel (right)

C L U S T E R : from Stockholm to Seattle

Come see what our Art Collective presented at the International Art Fair in Sweden!

FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK September 5, 5-8pm

SECOND SATURDAY OPEN STUDIOS September 14, 12-4pm – ART TALK 1pm

Location: STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO, 306 South Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle, WA. 98104

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THE PROCESS OF MAKING

Group Exhibit: April 14 – August 11, 2024 – Curated by Anna Macrae

ALJOYA – 2430 – 76th Avenue SE, Mercer Island, WA. 98040

ORBITA 6, Encaustic on Birch Panel, 12 x 12 in.

Friday July 26, Saturday July 27 & Sunday July 28, 2024

THIS SHOW WAS PROVIDED TO THE TASHIRO KAPLAN STUDIO ARTISTS BY SLIPSTITCH STUDIO – MANY THANKS TO DEVON AND OTTO FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY!

Seattle Times: Satellite art shows to see during Art Fair Week by Gale Clemens

Visual Artists: Al Varady, Barry Connolly, Beverly Aarons, Charles Holzney, Claudia Zimmerman, David Beckley, Diane Kane, Donna Day, Eli Lara, Ellen Hochberg, Germain Mitacc, Ingrid Lahti, Iris Jay, Jeff Mihalyo, Joy Hagen, Juan Alonso Rodriguez, Keven Furiya, Lilia Deering, Lynn Schirmer, Mark Sullo, Nero Villagallos O’Reilly, Penelope Bilraven, Nichol Devoy, Noa Piper, Rosalie Frankel, Samantha Zoe, Sara Everett, Stephanie Hargrave, Suzanne Tidwell, Sydney M. Perti, Teresa Getty, Vikram Maden, Zeynep Banu Alev.

Performing Artists: Shane Peck Trio, Diapan Butoh Collective

URBAN GARAGE: An Artistic Assembly

I remember the grand opening of the Tashiro Kaplan Building in 2004, following an ambitious renovation that united two structures into a single, vibrant hub for artists and arts organizations. This initiative, funded with the promise of affordable spaces, was a landmark moment. It was a significant affirmation of artists’ needs, ensuring that rents would remain stable. Many of my friends eagerly moved into the live/work lofts on the upper floors. At the same time, the lower spaces quickly became home to galleries, studio artists, art collectives, non-profit organizations, and a beloved coffee shop. Though the coffee shop has since closed due to the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, new tenants will soon move in, continuing the building’s dynamic evolution and enriching its storied history.

Now a centerpiece of the First Thursday Art Walk, the Tashiro Kaplan Building, affectionately known as the ‘TK,’ continues its legacy. Originally, in 1919, it housed the South End Farmers Market, art studios, social services, and various other enterprises. The building’s historical layers add depth to its contemporary role as an artistic sanctuary.

The image above from 1919 captures the word “GARAGE” in the window just above what is now my studio. At first glance, it read as “Car Age,” evoking thoughts of the black vehicles of the Model-T era (1908-1927), juxtaposed with horses in the scene, illustrating a pivotal moment of transition between transportation modes. Whether or not cars were ever parked on the second level is uncertain. Still, the intricate ceiling details remain, offering visitors a glimpse into the building’s preserved past, thanks to the dedication of SMR Architects to both historic preservation and affordable housing.

The term ‘garage’ may seem basic, but it is brimming with potential. Henry Ford famously began his automotive innovations in a garage. Seattle is renowned for its garage bands. Garages are sanctuaries of creativity and innovation. The etymology of ‘garage’ traces back to the French ‘garer,’ meaning to dock or moor, and to Middle French ‘guerrer’ or ‘garrer,’ signifying to shelter or protect.

Today, garages are multifunctional spaces, housing tools, camping gear, art supplies, yard equipment, and more – a microcosm of variety, much like the TK artists themselves. We are painters, sculptors, writers, dancers, musicians, mask makers, printmakers, and photographers. We represent a spectrum of ages and backgrounds united by our creative endeavors.

Urban Garage: An Artistic Assembly is a collection of our finest work. It is a pop-up exhibition in the vacant e-bike space during the Seattle Art Fair, graciously provided by the owners of SlipStitch Studio. As you wander through this exhibition, we invite you to explore the myriad forms of artistic expression that flourish within the TK studios. Each piece is a testament to the rich tapestry of talent and vision that our community fosters. From the evocative brushstrokes of our painters to the intricate designs of our sculptors, the rhythmic movements of our dancers, the vibrant sounds of our musicians, the intricate masks that tell silent stories, the detailed prints, and the captured moments in our photographers’ work – every creation here is a unique thread in the fabric of our shared artistic journey.

Please explore and enjoy the diverse creations from the TK studio spaces. Let this collection spark your curiosity and deepen your appreciation for the vibrant, ever-evolving community of artists that call the TK home.

Immerse yourself in the diversity of mediums and styles, allowing each artwork to resonate with your experiences and imagination. Engage with the stories behind the art, the processes that brought them to life, and the passion that drives each artist. This exhibition is not just a display of art but an invitation to connect, reflect, and be inspired by the creative energy that defines the Tashiro Kaplan Building.

-Stephanie Hargrave, Curator

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Sheri Brown, Joan Laage, and Helen Thorsen of DIAPAN BUTOH COLLECTIVE performed with guitarist Bill Horist at 2pm on Saturday July 27

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SHANE PECK TRIO performed at 5pm on Saturday July 27

Robin Cain – Bass, Ari Peck – Keyboards, Shane Peck – Drums

Shift at 20 | Anniversary Show

Opening/Thursday Art Walk: July 11, 5 – 8 pm
Past/Present Member Reception: July 13, 4 – 7 pm
Artist Meet & Greet: Saturday, July 27, 2 – 4pm

Shift Gallery announces our 20 year Anniversary Show – Shift At 20, a celebration of the original founders and past members.
 
Twenty years ago, a band of Bellingham artists wanting to show their work in Seattle reached down from the northland to make their dream happen. Bypassing commercial galleries, Garth Amundson, Stephen Chalmers, Cara Jaye, Pierre Gour and Joni Papp rented space amid the burgeoning art scene here in the Tashiro Kaplan building and created their own artist-run gallery. They were transporting their vision, changing things up. They called the gallery Shift.
 
Fast forward twenty years and Shift still thrives as a high-quality, independent artist-run art space where freedom of expression and innovation flourish. More than 150 well-regarded member artists and guests have passed through Shift’s portals over the years—a well-loved representation of whom we celebrate in our 20-year Anniversary Show.
 
Shift at 20 will feature current and former members pairing work in a dialogue between past and present. 
 
Guest Artists include Carmi Weingrod, Eric Chamberlain, Dawn Endean, Ken Burns, June Sekiguchi, Colleen Maloney, Mary Coss, Stephanie Hargrave, Patrice Donohue, Joseph Pentheroudakis, Barbara Shaiman, Leah Gerrard, Pam Galvani, David Traylor, Scott Coffey, Emma Jane Royer and others.

what’s already there

FEATURED ARTIST: DIANE KANE

July 11: FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK 5-8PM

July 13: SECOND SATURDAY OPEN STUDIOS NOON-4PM

July 26, 27 & 29: STUDIO OPEN DURING SEATTLE ART FAIR WEEKEND

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO: 306 South Washington Street #104, Seattle, WA. 98104

In This Galaxy, Mixed Media, Diane Kane

STATEMENT

Color is my muse. It reaches out, takes my breath, burrows into my brain and hangs in front of my eyes. I can’t let it go until I’ve explored it fully, investigated its’ depths, intricacies and subtleties.  It rarely lets me go until we have sung all its’ songs and danced every dance.

Once inspired, I begin to explore the sensibilities touched within me.  Shapes and textures show up as an outlet for the colors to flourish and express my initial experience of their splendor.

My art practice is a physical/spiritual search for universal order in worldly chaos via color and process.  

My methods are less an attempt to control and more a continuous process of inquiry.  By revealing delving, excavating, layering and uncovering elements I make sense of my world.

Using an iterative process, I create large, exploratory, intuitive works that become parts and pieces of new compositions, which in turn, metamorphose further. 

 Using acrylic paint, graphite, pastels, pencils, inks, paper scraps, needle and thread, found objects, artist-made stamps and stencils, wax, printing, sanding, scraping, and more, I’m able to explore all the facets and corners of my inspiration.

My work is a tribute to and a deep admiration for the beautiful, the captivating and the overlooked. The inherent beauty of the world is so profound, so calming, healing and ever-present.  And its pleasures are so readily available to us all.

The weathered patina of a metal chair left in the rain for ages, the warm, multi-colored eggs collected from the chickens each morning, a bed of zinnias beaming hot fuchsia and orange electricity, a quarter mile of lichen-covered trees Illuminated by a perfect blast of morning sunshine, or the sensual palette of pale blues and browns created by a rainy, misty day in the mountains.

All this treasure can be easily overlooked in our hurried, harried world.  With my work, I hope to extend to the viewer an invitation to rest, breathe deeply and attune to the small, beautiful things already present in our lives.

-Diane Kane

C L U S T E R – Exhibiting in SWEDEN

SUPERMARKET ART FAIR Stockholm Sweden, April 25-28, 2024

The theme for the entire affair is Dream On, and we’ve thoughtfully curated a body of work that addresses ideas surrounding our dream lives, what it is to dream, how dreams are later perceived and remembered, and depictions of dreams both positive and frightening. Our work features a variety of mediums, styles and imagery that overlaps beautifully on the considered theme.

Self Portrait 1 (As Arthropod), Photo/Encaustic Collage on Paper attached to the wall with Specimen Pins

ICON ANNUAL GROUP SHOW

Curated by Joseph Steininger

LYNN HANSON GALLERY – April 4-27, 2024 (OPENING: April 4, 5-8pm)

312 S. Washington Street, Seattle, WA 98104

Each year, Lynn Hanson Gallery hosts this juried show, looking for artists’ unique interpretation of the theme ICON. ICON can be any subject or abstract glorified – thinking outside the box on the theme is encouraged!

Lee Bontecou, Mixed Media Construction (cardboard, book pages, India ink, steel wire, encaustic, glue, canvas, thread, images from an article on Lee Bontecou) 17″ x 7.5″ x 11″

LIKE MOTHER – Curated by Kelly Lyles

KIRKLAND ARTS CENTER – March 22-April 26, 2024 (OPENING March 22, 6-9pm)

620 Market Street, Kirkland, WA 98033

Free & Open to the Public
Tuesday-Thursday 11 am-4 pm
Saturday 11 am-2 pm

Artists: Deborah Ann, Carolyn Autenreith, Diem Chau, MalPina Chan, Margaret Chodos-Irvine, Mary Coss, Marilyn Charlat Dix, Marita Dingus, Maura Donegan, Cathy Fields, Malayka Gormally, Tom Gormally, Troy Gua, Stephanie Hargrave, Dionne Haroutunian, Lauren Iida, Eva Isaksen, Steve Jensen, Deborah Kapoor, L. Kelly Lyles, Rozarii Lynch, Winsberg and Danny Mansmith, Christen Mattix, Carol Milne, Saya Moriyasu, Pohlman Knowles Studio, Joan Stuart Ross, Blanca Santander, June Sekuguchi, Rachel Solimeno, Suze Woolf

Ruthie, Linen shirt, buttons, wooden hanger, nutmeg, crocheted navy blue wool yarn, garden twine, cardboard, book pages, newsprint, micron pen, staples, wood glue, acrylic medium, acrylic paint, steel wire, silver bolts, thread, walnut ink, dried peony blooms, 48 x 20 x 6 in.

POETRY READING AND BOOK LAUNCH

Arlene Naganawa

STEPHANIE HARGRAVE STUDIO – April 6, 2024 2-4pm

306 S. Washington Street, Studio 104, Seattle, WA. 98104

Featuring the artwork of cover image artist Rickie Wolfe, along with Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel, Stephanie Hargrave and Tina Randolph.

petite

small works show: December 2023 – January 2024

an array of colorful, rich, robust, delicate, curious, subtle, petite works of art

Featuring: Zeynep Banu Alev, Rosalie Frankel, Anna Macrae and Stephanie Hargrave

3rd Annual National Exhibition – BLACKOUT

My sculpture KOVVA 1 was juried in to this show – check it out if you are in the San Diego area this winter!

ART ON 30TH – 4434 – 30th Street, San Diego, CA. 92116

Exhibition Dates: November 4 – December 1, 2023 – Opening Reception November 4, 4-7pm

VAN GOGH AND WARHOL: WHAT’S YOUR ARTIST MONEY PATH?

Please join Beverly Aarons, Ellen Hochberg and Stephanie Hargrave for an interactive conversation about the money choices, opportunities and challenges artists face.

Blue Cone Studios – 1520 – 11th Avenue, Seattle, WA. 98122 – tickets available at http://www.artistsupclose.com/events

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art: BIMA SPOTLIGHT

June 30 – September 10, 2023

Who’s Afraid of The Pivot? THE POWER OF ARTISTIC REINVENTION

Beverly Aarons and Stephanie Hargrave in a conversation.

Date/Time: Friday, June 23, 2023 7-9pm

Location: Juan Alonso Studio, 306 S Washington St #104, Seattle, WA 98104

Pivot:

• a person or thing upon which progress, success, etc, depends

• to modify while retaining some continuity with its previous version

I have always felt like a late bloomer, but have invariably been able to pivot in life, whether from athletics to writing, jewelry design to jobs, or from painting to sculpture. 

Two quintessential influences, Louise Bourgeois and Lee Bontecou, were exceptional examples of women who were not afraid to pivot. They both embraced painting, sculpture, realism, abstraction, the rough and the refined, the sexual (intended or not) and the asexual, light, dark, large, small, paper, canvas, metal, clay. They disregarded what was expected in favor of having full creative freedom, and neither embraced any one category. They pivoted whenever they saw fit. Bontecou even left the public art world completely for 25 years to teach and work without exhibiting. They both had a flair for the organic but embraced the mechanical too, whether in technique or with machine-referencing imagery. Changing mediums was done without apology, and it seems to me their insistence on pivoting is what holds them in such towering positions in the canon today.

I revere these artists in part because I love adaptability. I adhere to the idea that a person should always reserve the right to change their mind – to turn a corner when necessary. Science and art fall into this realm because they are never static (as opposed to organized religion) – they are always changing with new discoveries and revising themselves as new information comes along.

My work has always referenced biology. Being strictly secular, science is my belief system, and visual art my language. The intersectionality between the two is the fulcrum of my creative life. One definition of fulcrum is the pivot about which a lever turns, and for me, the turning lever is my art practice, and my practice is contingent on the pivot. 

Early encaustic work centered on botany, organisms, and cell structures, and over time, the biology umbrella allowed for series offshoots that included an installation based on insects and the words once used to describe them, clay sculptures finished in black encaustic paying homage to fungi and bones, ink on Yupo paper recording my emotional state during Covid, pink paint on paper as abstracted bodily tissues, and x-ray referencing encaustic paintings that feature the translucent fish from the deepest cervices of the ocean. Unable to work in encaustic right after moving to Brooklyn, New York (which coincided with the start of the Covid Pandemic), I pivoted to clay and paper out of necessity. My focus became more about abstracting the body, on both a macro and micro level, whether human, sea creature or arthropod. 

Without losing the threads of meaning, my pivots are (hopefully) less “about-face” changes and more a reflection of the steady march of time and my own aging. To me they feel like natural progressions. I do, however, fully expect the older work to be in conversation with the current work. The change from colorful 2D works to mainly black 3D work would seem an extreme departure if it did not speak so clearly to the beliefs I’ve always held – scientific unfolding, growth, abstraction, our emotional lives, and how we understand ourselves from the perspective of biological functioning. No doubt I will pivot again to color, to flat work, to other off shoots. That is the beauty of the pivot – it swings – it can be circular. It allows for all manor of freedom, including referencing one’s own work, producing generatively, circling back, and pivoting again.

I believe we will soon be listening to our bodies more, and studying our minds less, which would be a cultural pivot I’d certainly be interested in unpacking with the use of some sort of material, perhaps one I’ve not used before.

-Stephanie Hargrave

Studio Sale with Dawn Endean

STUDIO SALE – SAT., JUNE 3rd – Noon – 6pm

Rainier Oven Building, Studio 5
1419 S. Jackson*, Seattle, WA

Soda Arts by Leicht Seattle

January 5 – February 28, 2023

A Few Good Years in New York – Stephanie Hargrave

Embroidered Works from Tel Aviv – Iris Guy Sofer

PORTFOLIO CATALOG

PRESS RELEASE

A Few Good Years in New York – Stephanie Hargrave

Embroidered Works from Tel Aviv – Iris Guy

SODA ARTS by LEICHT SEATTLE is pleased to show the work of Stephanie Hargrave alongside that of Iris Guy.  Both women have recently returned to Seattle; Hargrave spent three years in Brooklyn, New York and Guy Sofer lived the last five years with her children in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Their work reflects these experiences in very specific and personal ways.

The exhibit includes ink on paper, porcelain/stoneware/encaustic sculptures, encaustic paintings (Hargrave), and delicate photo-based embroidered works on paper and postcards (Guy Sofer).

Hargrave has shown her work in Seattle, New York, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Atlanta, and San Louis Obispo, among other cities. She received her BA from the University of Puget Sound with additional studies at the University of Washington, and has been the recipient of multiple grants, residencies, and exhibitions.  SODA ARTS is excited to bring her East coast series to Seattle. “Stephanie’s work is powerful and inquisitive. It captures the energy and intensity of living in Brooklyn during the pandemic, and the progression toward finding comfort and inspiration as her time there unfolded.”

Guy Sofer, both a fine artist and master jeweler, has shown her work internationally after a career as an award-winning graphic designer.  She holds a formal degree in conceptual design from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Israel.  “Guy’s pieces are feats of patience; purposeful and personal.  They emphasize her relationship to her children – the main reason for her recent extended stay in Israel.”  

The exhibit runs from January 5 – February 28, 2023, with the opening reception on First Thursday January 5th, from 5-8pm.  SODA ARTS by LEICHT SEATTLE is located at 303 Occidental Avenue South in Seattle. The gallery is open Friday – Sunday Noon – 5pm or by appointment.  

206.931.5030 – Guy Sofer

206.227.5332 – Hargrave

@SODA_ARTS_SEATTLE

JUAN ALONSO STUDIO

306 South Washington, Studio 104, Seattle, WA 98104

January 5 – February 28, 2023

Work Made on the East Coast – Stephanie Hargrave

PORTFOLIO CATALOGUE