SAM PARTY IN THE PARK PART 1

Every year the Seattle Art Museum holds a gigantic fundraiser in the Olympic Sculpture Park called "Party in the Park."  The event is very glamorous and over the top.  They roll out the white tents, set up tables, bars, music all on the top of the hill of the sculpture park.  While you are eating your three course meal and free booze by famous Seattle chefs, you are overlooking the Puget Sound.  Each table is decorated by a local artist or designer inspired by this years's them, "Northwest Modernism."

Cable and I decided to collaborate on the table together because I have been doing a lot of textile work lately, and we thought we could incorporate his painting style in the textiles.  Also, I had a ton of leather scrap I wanted to use too.

Our theme was mountains, trees, and found flora.  I made these leather napkin holders to match Cable's mountain pattern on the tablecloth (more on that later.)  The tablecloth was going to be dyed with indigo, so I dyed the napkins a lighter shade of indigo.

The tablecloth was painted by Cable with a resist, and then we dyed it together.  It took a couple dips in the indigo vat to get the right color.  We had some problems with the resist, but I sort of knew that would happen because I was too impatient to actually find the right kind.  We probably should have used wax, but I am always breaking the rules like that.  I like how varied it is, it was never meant to look perfect.  It has that Batik look to it that we wanted.

We used ferns for the main flower vases that I wrapped in a thick vegetable tanned leather. Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the main centerpieces during the making process.  But, I will reveal the finished product in part 2.

AGNES MARTIN

{page images; Agnes Martin: Painting, Writings, Remembrances, by Arne Glimcher}

This book.  Agnes, oh Agnes.  I really needed that.

This book is amazing!  It is a massive book with full page spreads of her work.  Along with the fabulous biography written by one of her long time dealers, there are inserts that look like notes and letters Agnes had written herself.  I had never read about Agnes' life, have you?  She took a long hiatus from painting at the peak of her career.  She moved to a remote place and then started painting again. She devoted most all of her time to her work, living very modestly.  She struggled with mental illness, poverty, and alienation.  Although, I am not sure she would ever put it that way.  She seemed okay with the way she was, focusing her thoughts and energy on her work in an obsessive way.   Her work is just so mesmerizing.   Painters, in my opinion, air on the side of obsession when it comes to their work.  But I notice this is mostly portrayed as a male painters' obsession in the history books.  But, this is far from the truth.  Women are obsessed too. Not in a bad way at all, just a very unique connectivity they have with their work that is not often seen in other mediums.