On a sunny weekend, I walked a mile up the west side of Capitol Hill. The newspaper kiosks were full of this image as I started at the edge of Interstate 5. Walking up Olive I saw that there were major renovations completed on the old used bookstore site. I became curious and started on an mini trek of up the hill stopping by faire gallery|cafe, Crawl Space, and OK OK. Here is what I found strolling up the hill.

faire gallery|cafe:
Scapes by Aaron Bagley
Faire will have regular art exhibits, music shows, performance art/ drama, and poetry readings.
faire Mission Statement
With a noble Mission Statement and a unique philosophy the Cafe has risen like a phoenix from the dead ashes of once was Filippi's Used Books. What makes this cafe unique is the loft area gallery. An attractive space with loads of natural light. My second shock was seeing the work that was on the cover of the April 20, 2006 The Stranger, a beloved alt. weekly in Seattle. I recognized the work instantly as Aaron Bagely. The painted image seemed to have the form of a cloud cosmic jellyfish in a dream induced by altered states. I told Aaron Bagley to paint fluffy clouds in this photo essay and he has moved into his own world. I don't understand it fully, but that makes me enjoy it even more.

Three large canvases compose the loft space. The furthest work to the right is entitle "Africa" measuring sixty five by forty eight inches. The cloud form is vaguely in the shape of the continent set against a matte black landscape. The two nearer canvases have the wispy cloud in formation with the yellow and back graphic clouds. Bagley seems to combine a pop aesthetic with a dash of Northwest Magical Realism. The combination is very striking visually from different vantage points. The works are on display April 10 through May 12. Cafe Hours are 7 am to 11 pm Monday through Sunday. faire gallery|cafe is located at 1351 East Olive Way NE, Seattle, Wa 98122 Phone: 206.652.0781

Crawl Space:Personally Public
New Public Projects Exploring the Personal,
Interpersonal and Intimate Face of Public Art
Curated by Diana Falchuk and featuring work by Vaughn Bell, Peter Bonnell, Elizabeth Conner, Ezra Dickinson, Diana Falchuk, Peter Gaucys, Sarah Kavage, Nicole Kistler, Ron Lambert, Kristen Ramirez, SuttonBeresCuller, Ashley Thorner, and Robert Zverina. Of note is a piece by Ron LAMBERT in which he offers pedestrians a sheltered walk in the rain under his two-person umbrella. The photo documentation along with the umbrella and the Rain Suit make a very compelling installation

SuttonCullerBeres have a corner installation from their Sears Portrait Studios Series. Set on a properly Victorian Baroque table in dime store frames is the fictitious flotsam and jetsam of imaginary lives banal and mundane with some type of wicked twist which makes them unsettling. The nondescript lamp completes this fragment of an environment which makes me think that it is a study for a larger project or a fragment from a previous one. The piece draws you in like a magnet through the space into the corner.
April 16 - May 14, 2006 Crawl Space, 504 E. Denny Way, #1, 206-322-5752, www.crawlspacegallery.com. Noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

OK OK Mildew Clouds and Skull Spores
Works by Derrick Hodgson and Parskid
I have found some hypocritical notions in applying my art to some commercial endeavours but when I think to hard about it my brain hurts and I start to get bored. I have met a huge batch of great folk via the collaborative and commercial work I have engaged in &
Derrick Hodgson
The K2 snowboard rests beautifully against the rail of this interesting, quirky, off beat show. Through his book, My Mania: The Art of Derrick Hodgson the artist takes you into the altered world of Madreal. Simian Extraterrestrials, zombie scouts.populate a graphic dystopian landscape drawn in Hodgson's flat doodle style. The book is published by Magic Pony.
Hodgson grew up in Kettleby, Ontario, 45 minutes north of Toronto. Hodgson's agrarian outlook is the basis for his principle of character farming.

"Basically, I'm planting little crops of characters. I scan in all these drawings, build up all my characters and categorize them, so it is like building little seed banks. I'm always going to them, using one or two to start my images which are basically big crops of characters. Every time I develop a new character that I feel is where I want it to be, that I'll want to use over and over again, I'll just put him in the seed bank. Then, when I go to build these compositional montages, it is just like going into the back of the utility shed, filling the seed drill with a bunch of my lines and then going out and building a crop and seeing where it goes. Each show I do is like a new season, a new harvest."
Derrick Hodgson
All Quotes from the Archives of The Montreal Mirror: Jan 12-18.2006 Vol. 21 No. 29. Ok Ok is located in the historic Loveless Building at 709 Broadway East, Store hours are 11 am to 7 pm Tuesday through Saturday and Noon to 5 pm on Sundays.