Community Calendar

In John’s words: "I love to paint portraits and chose musicians from my young adult years. As I age, loss and death of good friends is ever present. In this series, my choice of subject matter links my memories of good times and great friends to these music legends. Some are deceased and some are still performing. All of the work is painted in oil on canvas."

Stop by the Historic Liberty Building this Aug to view John's paintings ~ stop by First Friday Aug 7 to Meet the Artist 5-8pm.

RRAFA members are BUSY in August. Over 25
artists with 75+ works at Barrister Winery (1213 W Railroad Avenue), 15 artists showing 30 works at the Liberty Gallery (203 N Washington), Janene Grende, Katie Garner, and Mary Thomas at Indaba Coffee (512 W Riverside), and Joni Michels at the Garland Sandwich Shoppe (3903 N Madison). All addresses are Spokane unless otherwise noted. For many more events, see River Ridge Association of Fine Arts on Facebook and visit www.RRAFAofSpokane.com.

In John’s words: "I love to paint portraits and chose musicians from my young adult years. As I age, loss and death of good friends is ever present. In this series, my choice of subject matter links my memories of good times and great friends to these music legends. Some are deceased and some are still performing. All of the work is painted in oil on canvas."

Stop by the Historic Liberty Building this Aug to view John's paintings ~ stop by First Friday Aug 7 to Meet the Artist 5-8pm.

SHOW STATEMENT:
The word rice bowl in Korean ("bab geuleus") functions as both a specific object and a figure of speech for livelihood, and survival. In my work, the bowl becomes a stand-in for what cultural memory is carried, emptied, and carefully protected in diasporic life. Meticulous craft disguises an understated humor that examines the tensions between preservation, translation, and disappearance.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
Commonplace objects embody a philosophy and culture that construct our lives. I recreate objects found from old family photographs as delicate paper sculptures. As I look through the photos, I pick out common objects that those in the scene would have had the most interaction with. My making process is intentionally repetitive and careful. This meticulous labor elevates the handmade objects through the time and care spent producing it. The limiting characteristics of paper emphasize the replicated-ness of the realized object and I am interested in this preservation that deconstructs the original. I find the accessibility and fragility of paper very poetic. The handcrafted sculptures are a ritual of labor and time meant to carry the viewer beyond the immediate object to a thoughtful connecting point. These works are not about the objects, but rather the time of the objects. Recreating these objects is a study of my family that I have always felt disconnected from, but cherish. The ghostly visual of the sculptures produces a sense of preservation and loss. These sculptures are an exercise for locating my Korean American perspective. As I make the work, I project myself into experiences I was not always present for. These objects are identifiably hand activated because I want the viewer to be able to recognize that action and insert themselves into an imagined scene with the work, participating in my attempt to connect.

The landscape isn't simply a place, but a record of time.

That statement lies at the heart of The Long Run, a new exhibition of paintings by Seattle artist and Spokane native Jeff Olson.

Inspired by years of walking, observing, and painting the landscapes of the American West and beyond, Olson's newest work moves beyond the depiction of place to explore the passage of time and the marks it leaves.
"I paint the landscape because it remembers."

Working through extended series, Olson allows each painting to grow naturally from the last. Every canvas becomes both a conclusion and a beginning, carrying forward colors, gestures, and ideas that evolve over weeks and months into an interconnected body of work.

"Every painting is both a destination and a departure. It resolves one conversation while beginning the next."
The resulting paintings suggest forests, weather, cliffs, rivers, and geological formations without settling into a single narrative. Like landscapes themselves, they continue to change as viewers spend time with them.

"My paintings are not about describing a place. They are about observing how time is recorded, both in the landscape and within ourselves."

The Long Run will be on view August 7 through August 30 at Marmot Art Space in Spokane. An opening reception with the artist will be held Friday, August 7, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

RRAFA members are BUSY in August. Over 25
artists with 75+ works at Barrister Winery (1213 W Railroad Avenue), 15 artists showing 30 works at the Liberty Gallery (203 N Washington), Janene Grende, Katie Garner, and Mary Thomas at Indaba Coffee (512 W Riverside), and Joni Michels at the Garland Sandwich Shoppe (3903 N Madison). All addresses are Spokane unless otherwise noted. For many more events, see River Ridge Association of Fine Arts on Facebook and visit www.RRAFAofSpokane.com.

In John’s words: "I love to paint portraits and chose musicians from my young adult years. As I age, loss and death of good friends is ever present. In this series, my choice of subject matter links my memories of good times and great friends to these music legends. Some are deceased and some are still performing. All of the work is painted in oil on canvas."

Stop by the Historic Liberty Building this Aug to view John's paintings ~ stop by First Friday Aug 7 to Meet the Artist 5-8pm.

SHOW STATEMENT:
The word rice bowl in Korean ("bab geuleus") functions as both a specific object and a figure of speech for livelihood, and survival. In my work, the bowl becomes a stand-in for what cultural memory is carried, emptied, and carefully protected in diasporic life. Meticulous craft disguises an understated humor that examines the tensions between preservation, translation, and disappearance.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
Commonplace objects embody a philosophy and culture that construct our lives. I recreate objects found from old family photographs as delicate paper sculptures. As I look through the photos, I pick out common objects that those in the scene would have had the most interaction with. My making process is intentionally repetitive and careful. This meticulous labor elevates the handmade objects through the time and care spent producing it. The limiting characteristics of paper emphasize the replicated-ness of the realized object and I am interested in this preservation that deconstructs the original. I find the accessibility and fragility of paper very poetic. The handcrafted sculptures are a ritual of labor and time meant to carry the viewer beyond the immediate object to a thoughtful connecting point. These works are not about the objects, but rather the time of the objects. Recreating these objects is a study of my family that I have always felt disconnected from, but cherish. The ghostly visual of the sculptures produces a sense of preservation and loss. These sculptures are an exercise for locating my Korean American perspective. As I make the work, I project myself into experiences I was not always present for. These objects are identifiably hand activated because I want the viewer to be able to recognize that action and insert themselves into an imagined scene with the work, participating in my attempt to connect.

RRAFA members are BUSY in August. Over 25
artists with 75+ works at Barrister Winery (1213 W Railroad Avenue), 15 artists showing 30 works at the Liberty Gallery (203 N Washington), Janene Grende, Katie Garner, and Mary Thomas at Indaba Coffee (512 W Riverside), and Joni Michels at the Garland Sandwich Shoppe (3903 N Madison). All addresses are Spokane unless otherwise noted. For many more events, see River Ridge Association of Fine Arts on Facebook and visit www.RRAFAofSpokane.com.

In John’s words: "I love to paint portraits and chose musicians from my young adult years. As I age, loss and death of good friends is ever present. In this series, my choice of subject matter links my memories of good times and great friends to these music legends. Some are deceased and some are still performing. All of the work is painted in oil on canvas."

Stop by the Historic Liberty Building this Aug to view John's paintings ~ stop by First Friday Aug 7 to Meet the Artist 5-8pm.