Roq La Rue
presents
“Lush Life 3″
group show invitational
opens Friday December 9th 6-9pm
music and festive treats provided!

Artists include: Femke Hiemstra, Chris Berens, Josh Keyes, John Brophy, Travis Louie, Marco Mazzoni, Madeline Von Foerster, Jessica Joslin, Joseph Park, Chris Conn Askew, Christian Van Minnen, Andrew Arconti, Lindsey Carr, Zoe Williams, Michael Alm, Corine Perier, Mia Araujo, Peter Gronquist, and Mia Brownell.

Roq La Rue is very pleased to end this year with a bang, by offering up some of contemporary art’s most exciting, technically skilled and imaginative artists who all created a work of art based on the theme of “Lush Life”. This is our third “Lush Life” show and the theme has quickly grown into some of most favorite and successful shows in our roster. While we keep the theme loose and subject to the artist’s interpretation,this year the work seems to skew heavily into flora and fauna territory. We hope you will join us for our big opening and holiday party on December 9th!

Chris Berens

Joseph Park

Photos courtesy of Roq La Rue Gallery

Facebook Event Page for “Lush Life 3″ Opening Party

The Matryoshka Show!

Curated by Michael Alm

Thursday, December 8, 2011

5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Ghost Gallery

504 E. Denny Way at Summit (entry on Summit side), Seattle, WA 98122

Join us in celebration of Matryoshka!

(pronounced mah-tree-YOSH-kah)

Curated by Michael Alm

Featuring:

Jess Rees

Rich Lehl

Chris Crites

Joey Bates

Troy Gua

Cait Willis

Kelly Lyles

Allyce Wood

Jody Joldersma

Kendal Tull-Esterbrook

Mary Elise Bolam

Ryan Molenkamp

Jessica McCourt

Laurie Kearney

Stacey Rozich

Tim Marsden

Zoe Williams

Michael Alm

Live Russian classical music set by Victoria Parker & friends!

Opens during BLITZ~ On view thru Jan. 8th 2012

Ghost Gallery

Facebook Event Page for the Matryoshka Show!

•  image designed by Kendal Tull-Esterbrook  •

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Roq La Rue Gallery
presents

Femke Hiemstra
” The Timid Cabbage “
new drawings
and

Ryan Heshka
” Instinction “
new paintings

Opens Friday November 11th from 6-9pm
show runs through Dec 3rd.
Music, refreshments provided

Femke Hemstra

Femke Hiemstra’s meticulously tight, jewel like mixed media paintings and exquisitely rendered black and white drawings are homes to a dark fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with animal neighbors. Lollipops become ship captains, strawberries become giant wrestlers, and vegetables become Halloween gods with lantern eyes. Femke occasionally uses typography in her work, using words from various languages and letters in her paintings to further enhance the narrative while still retaining a playful sense of mystery, or as a visual device to frame in the scenery, as if you were looking at her world through a secret window. Drawing from a range of influences, from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vibrant playground for the imagination, with each piece looking like a portal for a fantastic adventure, which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story that lies inside. This show will feature 11 black and white drawings, which depict the adventures of a “The Timid Cabbage”, based on a poem written by artist Charles Krafft.

Ryan Heshka

Ryan Heshka unapologetically pays homage to Golden Era sci fi pulp while creating a style that is also uniquely his own. He explores themes of man vs nature, (even though often the “nature” is from another world) as well as the exploring the ideology of pushing the limits of science as a tool to help and further mankind, and the technological terrors that can be inadvertently unleashed as a result.
His work is acrylic painted on wood panel, heavily varnished and embellished with tags cut from pulp magazines, which serve as inspiration and explanation of each piece.

at

Roq La Rue Gallery

•

Seattle artist Billy King has created a special and unique gift to the city he loves, a spectacular mural in the Pike Place Market. Though his murals usually cost $10,000, he tried to raise $2500 through Kickstarter and had decided to donate the rest of his time, but the public rose behind the effort and he raised almost twice what he asked for, to create this work of art in the market.

Like a snapshot in time, this mural will forever document a time and place, the market as imagined by Billy King.

Roq La Rue
presents

Yumiko Kayukawa
” Coming Home ”
new paintings

opening Friday, September 9th 6-9pm!

Japanese painter Yumiko Kayukawa jokingly says “My father is Ninja, my mother is Geisha…and I was raised by wolves!” and that playful irreverence is also seen in her dynamic, rock-pop, color saturated paintings of independent women surrounded by animal totems and Japanese traditional motifs. As much influenced by the natural world as by fashion, film, and hard rock, Kayukawa’s paintings are vivid slices of east-western fusion full of symbolism and sly puns.

Kayukawa’s celebrates her ten year of exhibiting by returning to Roq La Rue Gallery where her career was first launched a decade ago. We hope you will join us for the opening night party!

Roq La Rue Gallery

“Purveyors of Fine Pop Surrealism

and Contemporary Art Since 1998″

www.roqlarue.com

The Blab! Show

curated by Monte Beauchamp

Opens Friday August 12th

at Roq La Rue

Show runs to September 3rd, 2011

•

Roq la Rue
presents

John Brophy
and
Melissa Forman

opening Friday June 10th 6-9pm

On the occasion of Roq La Rue’s 13th anniversary, Roq la Rue presents new works by John Brophy and Melissa Forman. Both artists paint semi-mystical narratives featuring otherworldly female protagonists in a highly technically refined style. Imbued with a slight darkness, the works also reveal a subtle transcendence.
Please join us for the opening party on Friday June 10th from 6-9pm!

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John Brophy painting

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Melissa Foreman painting

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Congratulations John and Melissa for an exceptionally beautiful show of your work, and congratulations to you Kirsten Anderson for 13 wonderful years of sharing great artists with us in your Roq La Rue Gallery. Seattle is so lucky to have your vision strong in our hearts. -jd

Credits for the lovely preview photos go to High Fructose and Roq La Rue Gallery

Beautiful and evocative paintings by Christine Gedye are featured in East of Here, her new series exploring the sensuous landscape of the Palouse region of Eastern Washington. The show will also feature a handful of Green Lake paintings, her signature subject.

Christine creates luminous fine art paintings of Northwest landscapes, lakes and mountains and is particularly influenced by the ever-changing scenes around her neighborhood of Green Lake.

Preview Reception

Thursday, May 5^th, 5-7pm

Opening Reception, featuring live music by friend concert cellist Kevin Krentz

Saturday, May 7^th, 5-7pm

Fountainhead Gallery

625 McGraw Street, Seattle 98119 (near the Macrina Bakery)

 The BURNING HOUSE, a marionette opera
by Carter Family Marionettes

 April 29 – May 8, 2011

Esterhazy, Franz Josef Haydn created this opera especially for The Royal Marionette Theater at Esterhaza Palace. This opera features splendid live baroque music lead by the internationally acclaimed Margriet Tindemans.

Exquisite cast and sets by Carter Family Marionettes. The Carter Family presented this opera to sold-out crowds at the Sanssouci Palace Theatre of Frederick the Great.

“The Burning House” makes a triumphant return from Europe with a limited engagement of only two-weekends in Seattle.

Don’t miss your chance to see this masterpiece of music and marionettes!

SHOWTIMES:
Fridays at 8pm / Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm / Sundays at 2pm

Tickets available at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/131198

or call: (800)838-3006

Review of Carter Family Marionettes’ production of “The Burning House” from Berlin’s newspaper: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/wen-die-liebe-je-entzuendet/722300.html

Thursday, April 7 · 4:30pm - 9:00pm

xom fine woodworking/Cassie Hibbert Design

610 2nd Ave   •   Seattle WA

“We are delighted to welcome Cassie Hibbert as she begins her residency at 610 2nd Ave, also known as the xom fine woodworking gallery, now to be known as xom fine woodworking/Cassie Hibbert Design!

Cassie will be showcasing her fabulous pendant lamps, and she’ll also have her CNC machine out for viewing (and possibly experimenting).

As if that weren’t exciting enough, we’re also terribly pleased to be hosting the reception for the Spring 2011 Storefronts Artists. At 6 PM, Vincent Kitch, the new (brand new, fresh-off-the-airplane new) director of our Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, will share some remarks.

So, come on down to meet Cassie and Vincent, and, of course, as always, to commune with the woodstuffs. Did we mention that Matt has some stunning new work in the shop, including a collaboration with respected local artist Jacqueline Barnett?”?

xom

Roq la Rue Gallery

presents

Travis Louie

and

Kris Kuksi

Opening Friday April 8th 6-9pm

Libations and music by DJ Vodka Twist

Roq La Rue is very pleased to present new works by Travis Louie and Kris Kuksi.

Travis Louie will be showing a series of his signature monster infused alt-Victorian daguerreotype style paintings featuring “people and their pets”, (as well as a few Lovecraftian entities on their best behavior.)

Kris Kuksi will be showing his astonishing “post industrial rococo” mixed media sculptures, and as a special treat will also be exhibiting several hyper intricate drawings.

Both artists will be in attendance and also signing copies of their books, “Curiousities” by Travis Louie and “Divination and Delusion” by Kris Kuksi. Books will be available at the gallery.

Roq la Rue Gallery

2312 2nd Ave Seattle WA 98121

www.roqlarue.com

Ries Niemi

That’s Not How I Remember It.

April 7 – 30, 2011
Opening Reception: 5 – 8 pm, First Thursday, April 7
Exhibition Link

Once again, Ries Niemi amuses, bedazzles and confounds us at PUNCH gallery. This time, Niemi embroiders on the truth with a series of embroidered works on handmade paper. Continuing in his series of stolen and appropriated text, mash-ups and samplings of pop imagery and middle-aged angst, the 8×10 inch “sketches” are executed by a computerized sewing machine.

As a counterpoint to the embroidered sketches, Niemi was compelled to create a sculpture as well. In his misreading of the book The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass, Niemi has decided the skirts under which Oskar’s grandfather hid really were HUGE, and has recreated a tent-sized dress in Oskar’s honor. Made from blue tarps woven over a steel armature, the gown fills the entire gallery. It could be the prom dress of Baba Yaga, or a nomadic tent from a tribe of goddess worshipers. Inside the dress, the artist has made a low table and 4 stools from hand-forged steel and recycled lumber, where he will sit and drink tea and pontificate for the first weekend of the show – April 7, 8 and 9. His intentions were to be there pontificating on the final weekend as well, but much to his dismay (and ours too), he realized he was double-booked as he will be a featured demonstrator at the Northwest Blacksmiths Association’s Spring Conference in Mt. Vernon that weekend. Bummer.

The Decision to Flee Came Suddenly

Embroidery on handmade paper, 8″ x 10″, 2011

PUNCH Gallery

Hours: Noon-5 pm, Thurs – Sat, or by appointment: art@punchgallery.org

PUNCH, 119 Prefontaine Place South, Seattle, WA 98104

www.punchgallery.org, (206) 621-1945