Capers

Capers. West Seattle. 4525 California Ave SW.

More of a home décor store with art for sale than a gallery, Capers has been in West Seattle for over 25 years. I can remember getting coffee here on Sundays with my Grandma when I was little. So, for sentimental reasons I stumbled in and found that they’ve reduced their space and no longer sell coffee, but they also feature a selection of 2-3 artists that rotate monthly. I especially liked Beata Metzelaar’s beautiful landscapes, which are featured in the picture. It was a blustery day, and Metzealaar’s work really captured that movement, adding the quality and interplay of colors that she must have learned from ancient paintings as an art restorer. 

It seems that Capers has really perfected the warm, inviting and fresh atmosphere-- not only with their choice of artists and hand crafted furniture, but also with their staff. Many are interior designers that hold weekly classes on things like How to Buy a Sofa. Few places will invest so much in making your home one-of-a-kind like Capers does. 

Easy Street Records & Cafe

Easy Street Records & Cafe. West Seattle. 4559 California Ave Sw.

Easy Street is one of my favorite places to go in Seattle. Not a gallery per se, but there is an artist who changes the displays and paints album covers on the outside walls a few times a week. I’m always impressed and excited to come into the store, the staff is extremely well-informed in a variety of music and offer great recommendations. They have play copies of most albums, listening stations, and the staff is required to list their top ten every year which is posted on their website (http://easystreetonline.com/staff-picks). Listen to the staff, they are wise, and without them I would never have picked up some of my favorite artists, including Wolf Parade, Mogwai, Efterklang,The Decemberists, Kurt Wile, The Cave Singers, Dirty Projectors, Hauschka, Elbow, Hercules and Love Affair (I could go on and on...). Pandora has nothing on Easy Street.

Today I stopped in to use my free CD stamp, picked up Toro y Moi, and I’m really digging them.

ArtsWest

ArtsWest. West Seattle. 4711 California Ave SW.

Mostly known as a playhouse with an intimate theater holding 149 seats and world-renowned plays, ArtsWest ( www.artswest.org) also houses a rotating collection of art in it's foyer. I visited when Child’s Play was on display, a companion theme to the current play with works exhibited by three artists. Outshining the other artists with vibrant colors and humorous subjects was Jessica Dodge. She paints with acrylic in reverse on glass, and has long been a great community artist-- a woman who was also touring the gallery had worked in a booth next to Dodge’s at Bumbershoot a few years ago. 

In the exhibit, Dodge skillfully portrays simple scenes with depth, while still maintaining a sense of whimsy. For example, in Neither This Way Nor That, a fox is splayed out with roller skates on, a foot above the pavement and grimacing for the impending impact. In the other half of the frame, is a hedgehog riding a unicycle on a country road, looking over his shoulder and speaking into a megaphone. It certainly brightened my day walking into this gallery.

Avalon Glassworks

Avalon Glassworks. West Seattle. 2914 SW Avalon Way. 

You know you are close to Alki Beach when there are pieces of beach glass underneath the handblown glass. Avalon Glassworks (www.avalonglassworks.com) is a small gallery/studio underneath the West Seattle Bridge that displays a modest collection of pieces which would look great on a coffee table, like these Cocoa Pods. Lately, I’ve been drawn to shades of blues and greens because I’m working on a series of ocean paintings, but I also liked the texture, variety and the weight of the pods-- glass makes me nervous when it is too light.

This studio really excels in glass orbs, though. They feature prominently in the front windows and range in price from $25-$50, making a great gift idea. Since this is also a studio, there is a good chance that if you venture in (or even pass by on your way to the Luna Park Cafe next door for a hamburger), you will see some glass blowing in action. While I was there, two artists were collaborating on their next design. The studio is too small to teach classes,  but you can find Avalon Glasswork artists at the Pratt Fine Arts Center downtown (www.pratt.org), 1902 South Main Street. Maybe you will be inspired? 

Visting Every Seattle Art Gallery

Mural. Greenwood/Phinney Ridge. 85th & Greenwood, Next to Taproot Theatre.

I live in a city of art. A city where an arsonist burns down a building, and a mural is erected in a tribute to that neighborhood-- with a phoenix, firefighters and flaming cars. Seattle is a great place to live, but one in which I no longer will. One of my goals before leaving is to visit all the art galleries I can to gain insight on the Seattle art scene, ideas for my own work (yes, I am an aspiring artist), and also gather up as much of my hometown culture as possible while creating good memories.

This task will not be easy, since there are over 60 galleries listed in the Art Access (www.artaccess.com), and those are just the galleries that have paid $100 for this quarterly publication. Also, it is winter. The Art Access is a great place to start, though, and paired with google maps and a raincoat, I should be able to visit most of them. I plan to hit all the neighborhoods at least: Ballard, Belltown, Capitol Hill, Columbia City, Downtown, First Hill, International District, Phinney Ridge, Pioneer Square, University District, Wallingford and West Seattle.