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I'm not sure whether this is a photograph for exhibition or whether it's just a picture of where the artists in question made their art: in a creepy basement, undoubtedly in Tacoma, caught between the poles of gross methmaking and romantic moonshining. It's definitely a regional portrait of a sort.

"Why is the Northwest home to so many bootleggers, meth cooks, serial killers, and craftspeople?"

That's the question that appears with the photograph in the description of the show Truths We Forgot to Lie About, opening at the Helm Gallery (in Tacoma) Thursday night. The artists behind the show are Eli Hansen (of Elar fame) and Joey Piecuch.

What they're showing exactly, I don't know, but it sounds terrific. It's "a series of objects, chemical reactions, and tinctures to study historical and geographical connections in the Northwest," created by "garage chemistry, traditional craftsmanship, backyard naturopathy, and a limited budget." Piecuch's background is in chemistry and botany, Hansen's in bookbinding and glassmaking.

Charlie Krafft, you're going to this, right?