This week I would like to feature an artist that has showed with us a few times in Seattle and Tacoma. This artist is John Osgood and his style is very interesting. John is a painter, muralist and illustrator. This artist is part of an artist collective known as Bherd Studios. I really like his style because it is truly unique and something I have not seen in quite awhile. Here is a sample below and his bio:

Enjoy

John Osgood is an urban contemporary artist and muralist who grew up in Edmonds, Washington. He graduated with a BA from WSU with a minor in Fine Arts. He is a 2008 Artist Trust Edge Graduate; was selected in 2009 by the Arts Council of Snohomish County as their poster artist for their annual “Fresh Paint” art festival and also a selected artist in 2009 for the Bremerton Arts Commission for their public art banner project. Osgood paints idiosyncratic characters with a bold palette in a graffiti art style. His collection of colorful & odd characters are inspired by life and the uncomfortable, forlorn and many times humorous circumstances that happen within it. Osgood was recently recognized in a feature story in the Seattle Times for his mural work (along with 2 other artists) on a transformational memorial mural in Greenwood after the neighborhood was targeted by an arsonist. The arson mural is a good example of how he uses heartbreaking situations and turns them into a work of art. He currently has a studio and gallery in Seattle called Bherd Studios in the Greenwood neighborhood where he curates shows monthly for other up and coming PNW contemporary artists.

If you are interested in sculpture then this is your day. Saturday at the Frye art museum’s studio artist Marita Dingus will be encouraging people of all ages and skill levels to attend a demonstration and lecture regarding mixed media sculpture. There will also be some hands on work for everyone as well. The event goes from 10am – 4pm  Check out the event here
here is a excerpt from the event description:

Experiment with local artist Marita Dingus! Various methods of attachment and construction are covered within a context of experimentation and personal development. Students will delve into low-tech means for creating complex and unique sculptural forms.

Marita Dingus
All levels of students
February 20 and 27, 10 am–4 pm

Marita Dingus has been subject of solo exhibitions throughout the world. She received a B.F.A. from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and M.A. and M.F.A. degrees from San Jose State University. In 1999 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. sedersgallery.com

Artist Troy Gua is going to be giving an artist talk at his closing reception at the Fulcrum Gallery about his latest installation. I highly recommend going to this if you are down south. The closing reception takes place from 6-9pm. The Fulcrum Gallery is located:

1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Tacoma, WA 98405

6-9pm Tonight!

253.250.0520

It’s that time of the month again! After a successful show at lofi in Seattle it’s time for my top 5 photos from the evening. I would like to personally thank everyone who came out and a big thanks to Jimmy Anderson for taking the event photos…I have some video too that Jimmy shot and will post that soon. Peep the rest of the photos here.

Enjoy!

This week I wanted to feature a couple up and coming artists…the artists are Hera and Zelot. I decided to feature both of these artists this week because they work great together as a team. Both artists were responsible for painting a room at the new art hostel in Seattle, and the artists main medium is aerosol. I think that these artists work keeps getting progressively better. I asked them to create some artwork for an upcoming Tacoma show and they did not disappoint. I am excited to be working with these artists and expect great things from them. Here is one piece that they did for the Tacoma event…more info on that to come!

The below piece is titled Hip-Hop Deity

Enjoy

Redefine Magazine in Seattle is having a contest for their Feb 2010 issue. All you have to do is submit some artwork whether its a painting an illustration a drawing a photo or whatever. The Redefine Magazine contest ends on Friday so if you have some great artwork that you think will fit well on the cover of an art magazine follow this link and submit!! I’m about to submit a photo right now.

There is an interesting installation coming to The Seattle Art Museum in May. What is this installation you ask? Well, the installation is about Kurt Cobain. We all grew up listening to Nirvana and that band was what “grunge” was all about. I think that this exhibit will be very powerful and nostalgic as we remember what we were all doing while this artist was still alive.

Check out more info here at the SAM website

This excerpt is from the SAM website:

Grunge music is arguably Seattle’s greatest cultural export of the past 20 years, and Kurt Cobain was that movement’s central figure. The historical impact of Kurt Cobain cannot be denied or overestimated. During and after his brief career—which came to a premature end in 1994—his life and work have reverberated across the globe. Kurt celebrates that influence, in particular the effect he had on the creative lives and thought processes of artists.

I just found out that The Tacoma Art Museum is having a 75th anniversary. A few years ago the museum was remodeled and it is one of the best art museums around. They have great exhibits and an open art studio where museum goers can stop by and create artwork with the vast supplies that are in the open art studio. I really enjoy going there whenever I am down in Tacoma….Sundays are my favorite day to visit the museum. Check out the TAM sometime if you are ever in Tacoma.

Anyway, here is a little history about the TAM from their website:

75th Anniversary Founded in 1935, Tacoma Art Museum celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2010. Check back for details about ways to help celebrate this momentous occasion. History Until 2003, Tacoma Art Museum had never inhabited a building that was designed and constructed especially for us. Since 1935, when we were founded as the Tacoma Art Association, we had adapted to buildings created for other, starting with The Tower at Jones Hall at the College of Puget Sound.

Jones Hall, College of Puget Sound, circa 1952. Photograph courtesy of Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studio Collection.

1935 – 1958
Jones Hall, College of Puget Sound. Jones Hall now houses the University of Puget Sound’s administrative offices.

1958 – 1963
A rented storefront gallery space at 742 Broadway, currently a martial arts studio.

1963 – 1971
The Allied Arts Center (also known as “The Old Jailhouse”) at 621 Pacific, in use today as an office building.

1971 – 2003
The former National Bank of Washington building—now Sound Inpatient Physicians—at 1123 Pacific Avenue, donated by Mr. and Mrs. L.T. Murray, Sr. In 1997, the museum’s continued popularity and expanding exhibition and education programs prompted the launch of a capital campaign to construct a new building designed specifically as a museum. Ground was broken in January 2001.

2003 - Present
Doors opened for the new building on May 3, 2003, with a twenty-four-hour party for the community. Designed by internationally known architect Antoine Predock, the building responds to Tacoma’s industrial history and the Northwest environment, particularly the quality of light, the preponderance of water, and the dramatic vista of Mount Rainier.

In the past five years, nearly 500,000 people have experienced the exhibitions, programming, and special events that Predock’s elegant building has made possible. The promise of our building is a crucial component of our mission to connect people through art, to focus on Northwest art and artists, and to provide dynamic experiences that reach diverse audiences.

It’s Friday!! That means it is also time for another Artifakt Artist Profile. This week I would like to feature photographer Jimmy Anderson. This artist has a wide range when creating photographs. I have seen everything from bands to street scapes to flowers to post apocalyptic imagery. The photographs are very interesting to look at and each photo has a story to convey. Jimmy and myself did a collaboration last year and we focused on some interesting imagery that raised quite a few questions when the artwork went on display. This artist’s website is under construction but you can check out his myspace here

Enjoy!

artwork by Jimmy Anderson

Oh yeah, if you are going out tomorrow be sure to go to the baltic room. The Feeding the Frenzy and Lost Boys have a new night called Trashed and it is sure to be a great night!

I was tweeting the other day and I found some tweets with links to some great opportunities for artists in the greater Seattle area. The first link is for Greenwood-Phinney artwalk and the second link is for getting published in a magazine! I’m going to apply for both and I thought I would share this info with everyone…get noticed, get your name out there!

Call for Artists:: Call for Artists: Call for Artists – Greenwood-Phinney ArtWalk http://bit.ly/a8FaXH

Call for Artists:: Call to Emerging Artists: Emerging Artists Publication Opportunity http://bit.ly/bSzXtL

Good Luck!