The late Jay Steensma goes down in the books as a second-generation Morris Graves, and it’s true that he painted brushy birds and faces and flowers on delicate papers. But really, his lesser-known visions are darker, stranger, and humbler than the Big Mystic’s, and they can crawl right into your little heart; they just want some rest. By contrast, self-taught artist Ree Brown—a longtime friend of Steensma’s—makes essentially happy paintings. They’re bright, sweet, and contentedly imperfect. (Vermillion, 1508 11th Ave, 709-9797. 4–11 pm, free.)
Jen Graves (The Stranger’s former arts critic) mostly writes about things you approach with your eyeballs. But she’s also a history nerd interested in anything that needs more talking about, from male... More by Jen Graves
I saw this exhibition during the last Capitol Hill art walk and I gotta say it: the “art” kinda sucked. Love the venue, though.