Greetings! I’ve been busily painting and documenting, and haven’t written in a while. I’ll be brief with some great news, and will follow up later with more details and thoughts.
I’ve got two solo shows soon in the South Sound (as we call Pierce, Thurston, and southern King Counties). Tacoma Community College’s Gig Harbor campus (3993 Hunt Street NW, Gig Harbor – near the Wollochet Dr. exit from SR 16) has a building with a bright, airy atrium, white walls, and high windows, perfect for showing artwork. I’ll be exhibiting a dozen paintings in “The Impossibility of Knowing” series from 20 June to 11 August. I’ll be there to greet visitors and ask your thoughts on at least two late afternoons or early evenings – dates and times in my next correspondence. The space is open to visitors Mondays-Thursdays 9AM-6PM.
The Tahoma Center Gallery is housed on the second floor of the Tahoma Family Center at 1323 S Yakima Ave, Tacoma. This is the former St. Leo High School, and the second floor hall is a very wide, very long space lit to show off artworks. Twenty of my “MBTW” paintings will be on display in July and August. These are 3-foot square abstractions that I produced joyously in 2021-22. I’ll have an evening opening event in early July, and the space is open during business hours.
Bremerton is at the same latitude as and a breathtaking ferry ride from downtown Seattle, or a 35-minute trip up SR 16 from Tacoma. The Collective Visions Gallery (331 Pacific Avenue) is two blocks from the ferry terminal. In July, it’s featuring works from local artists in a wide range of styles: I’ll be displaying Le Nuvole di Como there. The gallery is open 11-4 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and 11-7:30 on Fridays.
Back in Seattle, the Berkano Gallery has opened within the re-developed Seattle Labour Temple (2800 First Avenue). Gallery director Trevor Doak has selected a dozen of my paintings to join those of several other artists. It’s worth a trip to see how beautifully this historic building has been redeveloped. These pieces will be on display through the summer, during business hours – and during the Belltown First Friday artwalks.
Finally, Gallery 110 will have a booth at the Seattle Art Fair, 21-24 July at 800 Occidental Avenue S. The gallery’s curator will select 1-2 of my works to show. If you love visual art and have not been to the SAF before, please go! I’ll be at the booth through most of the show. Buy tickets in advance and allot some quality time to see artworks from around the world.
If you’re in the greater Seattle region this summer, I hope you can find time to view some art and purchase something from (especially) local artists! Every piece tells at least two stories – within the composition and about the person who created it.
JWH painting updates
Embracing Black and White /
I’m thrilled about my first solo show at Gallery 110 in Seattle (110 Third Ave. S., in Pioneer Square), 3 March – 2 April. The show is titled “Embracing Black and White – and the infinite shades in between.” The show feature 14 monochrome paintings, which I call MBTW for the only two pigments used: Mars Black and Titanium White. Each canvas is 36” square, large enough to make a difference in an interior space, and enigmatic enough to reward multiple interpretations. We’re also displaying two 12”x 12” paintings on wood panels, also black/white/gray.
The show opened this Thursday. I’ll host a more focused tour and discussion from 5 – 8PM on Thursday 10 March. I’ll also be in the gallery from noon to 5:00 each Saturday, 5 March – 2 April. The gallery is open 12-5 PM Thursday-Saturday. I hope you can come by – I’m eager for you to see these pieces “in person.” I’ve printed 11”x 17” publicity posters, which feature MBTW26 at 11”x 11”. I’ll be happy to sign one for you at the gallery!
In the meantime, you can view the paintings online at jwharrington.com/mbtw.
Current & upcoming shows in Seattle /
Welcome to 2022!
I’m pleased that The Impossibility of Knowing (12) was selected for Gallery 110’s annual juried show, from over 1,200 entries reviewed by Emily Zimmerman, Director and Curator of Seattle Jacob Lawrence Gallery. That show opens on Thursday 3 February and runs through the month. You can also view the show and purchase works online at gallery110.com.
“The Impossibility of Knowing” refers to the strength of memory and imagination, compared to what is “real” or “observed.” In these paintings, a solid shape, figure, or silhouette interacts with its mirrored outline, against a shadowed background.
I’ve just completed the 30th painting in my series of monochrome paintings, which I call MBTW for the only two pigments used: Mars Black and Titanium White. Each canvas is 36” square, large enough to make a difference in an interior space, and enigmatic enough to reward multiple interpretations. I’ll display 12-14 of these in my first solo show at Gallery 110 in Seattle (110 Third Ave. S., in Pioneer Square), 3 March – 2 April. The show is titled “Embracing Black and White – and the infinite shades in between.”
The show opens on Thursday 3 March – I’ll be there for the evening reception, 5 – 8 PM. I’ll also be in the gallery from noon to 5:00 each Saturday in March. The gallery is open 12-5 PM Thursday-Saturday. I hope you can come by – I’m eager for you to see these pieces “in person.” I’ve printed 11”x 17” publicity posters, which feature MBTW26 at 11”x 11”. I’ll be happy to sign one for you at the gallery!
MBTW /
My goal for some compositions is to reduce or eliminate a distinction between “object” and “background.” In those compositions I try to give black, gray, and white near-equal precedence, so that one does not appear to be painted “over” the other.
Before working on the canvas, I sketch each composition – roughly at first, to develop the balance of forms and values that I want, and then in exact scale and value. Each painting is thoroughly planned. However, there is a “discovery” stage, when I study the finished painting in each of the four orientations afforded by the square canvas. I select the final orientation based on its psychological and interpretive impact.
I want to maximize the impact of each painting, but I don’t want to determine the nature of that impact. That’s why I’ve given each painting a simple numerical title. You’re welcome to develop your own, personal subtitle for each painting – I have!