Young and old

Two shows represent generational divides

Published in the Weekly Volcano, March 12, 2009
Pictured, top: "Skagit," bottom "Paved" oil on canvas by William Turner


How different can you get? William Turner — showing at Handforth Gallery, Tacoma Public Library — is old school modernist with roots in the heart of a strong Pacific Northwest painting tradition (he studied with the great Michael Spafford and Alden Mason). Eli Hansen and Joey Piecuch at The Helm epitomize the young and daring new face of art. These two shows may well represent the best in both the older and the newer generations of contemporary art. The old masters and the young upstarts.

Jen Graves writing in The Stranger said the Hansen and Piecuch exhibition is a “funny and fabulous show that includes bits of brick from Ted Bundy’s house” and something about making moonshine right in the gallery. How can you beat that? I haven’t seen this show yet, but I take Jen Graves at her word because she was cool enough to wear black-rim glasses years before they became popular. If you haven’t seen this show you might be missing something grand.

Speaking of grand, Turner’s landscapes from the “Valley” series are grand visions of cultivated land as seen from an aerial viewpoint; although they are literally viewed as seen from a passing car on the freeway. Turner says the series was originally inspired by “a little remnant of farmland I studied every evening on my slow commutes home to Tacoma from my Studio in Seattle” but were painted “in my Laguna Beach studio during our year and a half in Southern California.”

Turner is a Tacoma native and a painter whose work is well known in Western Washington (he’s shown extensively in Seattle, most notably at Foster White Gallery). Whether his subject matter is landscape or the human figure or interior scenes, his paintings are nearly always semi-abstract works that, while inspired by nature, are mostly investigations into the visual relationships between colors and shapes on a flat surface. The paintings show influences from Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud, two of the America’s greatest post-abstract expressionist painters.

Turner’s paintings are like jazz improvisations composed of a patchwork of contrasting colors.

The show consists of 17 paintings, most of which are three-by-four feet in size. The colors are vibrantly muted with deep purples, blues, burnt oranges and a sandy yellow tone bushed in with soft edges. Space is mostly up-tilted in a tradition going back to Matisse and Cezanne.

Among the best paintings in this show are the ones in which perspective is minimized and flowers, fields, hills, streams and sky all become patches of color, such as in "Paved" and "Skagit." Note how in each of these the areas toward the top of the canvas are lighter colors, which pull them forward. Less successful are paintings in which a winding road recedes in linear perspective.

[Handforth Gallery, The Valley Series, William Turner, through April 11, Tacoma Public Library 1102 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma]

[The Helm, Truths We Forgot To Lie About, Eli Hansen and Joey Piecuch, through March 15, 760 Broadway, Tacoma]

Crucifer of Blood

Published in The News Tribune, march 6, 2009
Pictured: L to R Dean Wilson, David Roby and Mark Waldstein as soldiers of the Raj in India
Helen Harvester as Irene, Laurence Hughes as Sherlock Holmes
Photos by Michelle Smith Lewis

From the opening curtain it is immediately clear that the Sherlock Holmes mystery, “Crucifer of Blood” at Centerstage is going to be a highly stylized melodrama, which will probably be applauded by fans of the genre but problematic to many modern theatergoers who are not particularly enamored of Victorian-era stylization.

The stage is set when Holmes’s companion, Dr. Watson (Dean Wilson) steps out to introduce the story in a sonorous voice. The case began many years ago in India, Watson tells us. Then red and blue lights come up to bathe a latticework archway in a warm glow. Seated in the archway are two Indians, and standing in profile between them is Sherlock Holmes (Laurence Hughes) in his trademark hat, cape and curved pipe.

He walks off stage; his momentary presence enough to set the scene and the mood.
Three British soldiers: Pvt. Jonathan Small (David Roby), Maj. Alistair Ross (Patrick Allcorn) and Cpt. Neville St. Claire (Christopher Martinez) are tempted by a fabulous treasure into committing murder and robbery; and they swear one another to secrecy with a pact signed in blood -- the crucifer.

But they are haunted by a curse that is fated to destroy them.

Flash forward to London many years later. Maj. Ross is now a bitter and severely crippled old man. Bedeviled by personal demons, Cpt. St. Claire (called Nelly) is an opium addict with a dead wife and a beautiful daughter. And Pvt. Small is an escaped convict with a peg leg, having lost one leg presumably to either a shark or a crocodile, and he has come to London with murder in mind. The crime Holmes is called upon to solve has not even happened yet.

The convoluted plot unfolds gradually and involves many subplots such as Watson falling in love with Nelly’s daughter, Irene (Helen Harvester), Nelly’s opium-induced hallucinations, and dead men coming back to haunt the living. It is a long play at two hours and 40 minutes, and it drags a little in the second act, especially during an overlong scene in an opium den.

Without accepting the stylized and melodramatic nature of this play, it might appear ridiculous and over acted. The most histrionic actors are Allcorn as. the older, embittered Maj. Ross, and Roby as Pvt. Small. Both play cripples with strange ways of hobbling about -- Maj. Ross with the help of a cane and a wheelchair, and Small on his peg leg. The physical demands of these roles are severe. I especially admired the way Ross wheels around maniacally in his wheelchair, and I found Small’s peg leg to be absolutely convincing.

Many of the actors play either multiple characters or the same characters at different ages, and they handle the changes well. Wilson, for instance, easily metamorphoses from the serious and dignified Dr. Watson to the screaming, fearful and superstitious Indian Durga Dass. And Mark Waldstein plays not two but three distinctly different characters: Inspector Lestrade, a mincing servant named Birdy, and an evil simpleton named Wali Dad.

By far the most outstanding acting job is turned in by Harvester as the beautiful and sensitive Irene, who -- like every character in this play other than the unflappable Holmes -- goes through an amazing change of character.

The sets by Craig Wollam, lighting by Mark Neumann and costumes by Clare Hungate Hawk are outstanding. Unfortunately but unavoidably the audience is asked to put up with a number of laborious set changes. Usually I think it is best for theaters to avoid or minimize set changes that have to be done by actors or stagehands in full view of the audience, but in this production I think it was worth the distraction, because the story needs the flow from India to London to an opium den and to a boat on the Thames.

Fans of Sherlock Holmes mysteries should enjoy this play, but I won’t wholeheartedly recommend it to a wider audience because the acting as a whole is (debatably) a little too histrionic, because it is long and tiring in places, and because the surprise ending becomes predictable just a few minutes too soon.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through March 15
WHERE: Knutzen Family Theatre, 3200 SW Dash Point Road, Federal Way
TICKETS: $8 to $25 depending on age
INFORMATION: 253-661-1444, www.centerstagetheatre.com

The Odyssey

Malcolm McLaren’s take on Homer’s voyage

Published in the Weekly Volcano, March 5, 2009
Pictured: untitled drawing by Malcolm McLaren

There’s a machine gun on the wall at mineral. It’s made of bread, seed and salt; it’s in a glass-fronted display case with wire mesh, and it looks like some bizarre archeological find as if machine guns existed in the time of Homer’s Odyssey.

That’s my imagination at work and probably not the artist’s intent, but it is part of Malcom McLaren’s exhibition of drawings, paintings and sculpture based on Homer’s epic tale, The Odyssey.

As described in a press release, McLaren’s art “focuses on women, on travelers of the past and present. The sea dark thoughts of these emanations keep sailors awake at night and the homeward-bound faithful.” There is a giant moose rack with jewelry hanging from the horns, many distorted and in some cases disturbing drawings of men and women, a painting of little gold houses on what appears to be burnt burlap, a strange totemic sculpture standing in one corner, and lots of little drawings of moose-like animals. I don’t remember a moose in The Odyssey. I do remember a not-very-bright Cyclops and sexy sirens luring sailors to their death, none of which are to be found in this exhibition. There is a ship, however, a very dark and abstract sailing vessel that appears to have been made out of wood (none of the pieces have labels with titles or media).

Rather than focusing on the more obvious images from Homer’s voyage, McLaren has chosen to focus on what may have been going through the minds of the sailors during their long voyage home. There are a lot of naked people, male and female, indicating perhaps that the sailors were haunted by sexual yearnings. Many of the images are also dark and foreboding, which would certainly make sense because they were in constant danger.

To me, the best works in the show are the little ink and wash drawings of figures, a drawing of a moose, and one abstract with two rounded objects that look something like pineapples delicately balanced side-by-side. The moose is seen in profile with long legs and very few details to the body and face, and it reflects in a marvelously interesting way in the jewelry case that stands in front of it. (Also displayed, as always at mineral, is Lisa Kinoshita’s very inventive jewelry.)

The figure drawings are done mostly with a flat, pink wash and free-flowing contour lines — details such as eyes, mouths, breasts and genitals sketchily indicated with a few hastily-drawn marks. These drawings are like Rodin figure studies distorted and reduced to a bare minimum of detail. They also display a line quality reminiscent of Henri Matisse. There is tremendous energy and passion in these drawings. Some of the other drawings — such as the chiseled, dark and brooding face pictured here — lose that energy and look overly labored.

It’s a fascinating little show with a lot to see in a small space.

[mineral, noon-5 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and by appointment, 301 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253.250.7745, www.lisakinoshita.com]

Another teaser for the Backside

The Backside of Nowhere tells the tale of popular movie star David Lawrence who has not spoken to his detested father in more than twenty years. When the old curmudgeon has a heart attack and careens off the top of a parking garage, David goes home to the little bayou town of Freedom to be with his family. While there, he falls in love with his old high school sweetheart, confronts a lifelong enemy (the local sheriff), and discovers that his beautiful adopted sister, Melissa, is not who he thinks she is.

A hurricane is heading toward Freedom, and within the family a different kind of storm is brewing. David’s obstinate old man, practically on his death bed, decides to throw a hurricane party and ride out the storm with friends, knowing he’s about to die and wanting to go out with a bang. When the storm hits, the Lawrence house is swept off its foundation and washed down the bayou with everyone trapped inside. It comes to rest against a pile of debris. Water fills the lower floor. David’s father and Melissa are trapped underwater, and it is David and his old enemy the sheriff who must save them.

This is my latest novel, the one I am currently shopping around to agents and publishers. It is filled with floods and hurricanes and riots at football games, and yet it’s not really about all that action at all; it’s more about the inner storms that rage in the fetid bayous of memory and long-held secrets.

Don’t miss quirky comedy ‘Absent Friends’

Published in The News Tribune, Feb. 27, 2009

Pictured
Top, from left: Christian J. Doyle, Mathew Vail, Lisa LeVan.
Bottom, from left: Leischen Moore, Julie Drummond and Mark Lewington.
Photos by Dean Lapin

The “Absent Friends” play at Lakewood Playhouse is an excellent ensemble piece. It’s a tongue-in-cheek, irreverent comedy in which the love of close friends is severely tested.

Written by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn (“Absurd Person Singular” and “How the Other Half Loves”), “Absent Friends” reminds us that lost loves, anger, depression and betrayal can elicit cockeyed and humorous responses.

Colin (played with bright humor and natural poise by Mathew Vail, who fittingly is returning to Lakewood Playhouse after a four-year absence) is the absent friend who hasn’t seen his old chums in over three years.

Colin’s girlfriend recently died by drowning, and now Diana (Leischen Moore) has called all the old pals together to cheer him up. It’s a ridiculously dysfunctional group of friends who seem to need cheering up much more than Colin, who – at least on the surface – seems perfectly well adjusted.

For starters, Diana suspects her husband, Paul (Mark Lewington) is having an affair with John’s wife, Evelyn (Christian J. Doyle and Lisa LeVan). But when their ditzy friend Marge (Julie Drummond) confronts her while Diana is out of the room, Evelyn denies the affair, explaining that it wasn’t an affair but just a one-time sexual encounter on the back seat of his car, and he wasn’t very good. John, who is portrayed by Doyle as a man with some of the oddest nervous tics known to mankind, knows about his wife and his best friend but prefers to act like he doesn’t because he doesn’t want to jeopardize his business dealings with Paul.

Everybody’s quirks, foibles and secrets come to light after Colin arrives, including those of the other absent friends, who are never actually seen: Marge’s husband, whom we learn is fat and constantly sick, and Colin’s dead girlfriend, who was way too perfect to be real.

The set by Art Fick is a living room with doors to other rooms plus exits to the outside through which actors enter and exit. The flow of movement as blocked by director John Munn is seamless, well timed and seems tailor-made for the in-the-round setting of Lakewood Playhouse.

Diane Runkel’s costume designs do wonders in terms of highlighting the personalities of the characters – from the very normal-looking Colin and Paul to the bizarrely eccentric John and Evelyn.

Evelyn dresses like a punk teenager and wears makeup that makes her look like an extra in “Night of the Living Dead.” LeVan plays her with a marvelous set of slouching postures, bored expressions and a heavy cockney accent. When she flirts with both Colin and her husband, it’s a wonder they don’t both run for their lives.

Skinny with a shock of red hair and wearing an absurd pinstriped suit, Doyle jerks and twitches and walks like a manic windup toy and is hilarious in his bumbling attempts to speak.

Drummond plays Marge as a giggling and well-intentioned airhead who constantly says the wrong thing. And Lewington is believable as the tightly wound control freak Paul, who loses control of everything, most notably his wife, played with charm by Moore, who quickly flip-flops with one set of expressions for the audience and an entirely different set of expressions for her husband and guests. (It would be a stretch to call them friends).

This is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy – quirky, unpretentious and true to life.

This is the final weekend.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through March 1
WHERE: Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood
TICKETS: $22 general, $19 seniors and military discounts, $16 younger than 25, $14 younger than 15
INFORMATION: 253-588-0042, www.lakewoodplayhouse.org

Pink dog

Now showing at the Washington Center in Olympia

Published in the Weekly Volcano, Feb. 26, 2009
Pictured: Garden Window, mixed media on paper, and Molly as Olympia, oil and charcoal on canvas
Photos courtesy of the artist

I went to the Washington Center for the Performing Arts to see the Afro-Cuban All Stars last week and was struck with the artwork throughout all three floors of the center. I’d seen a couple of Marilyn Bedford’s paintings recently in group shows at both South Puget Sound Community College and Tacoma Community College, but had never seen this much in one place.

I must say at this point that my companions were not in the least impressed, and I can understand why. Bedford’s paintings and monoprints are not exciting in any easily recognized way. Her subject matter tends toward the pedestrian, there is a kind of crude quality to her drawing that can be off-putting, and her images tend to have almost no hue or value contrast; which means that without giving them the long hard attention they deserve they tend to look rather boring.

Having acknowledged all of that, I really like her work. She’s an accomplished artist who seems to be true to her personal vision.

Due to the crowd there for the concert I limited my art viewing to the mezzanine and upper floors. There seemed to be three distinct series and, since the show is billed as a retrospective, I assume they’re from different periods. There are the dog pictures, some monoprint landscapes and a group of abstract paintings in mixed media on paper.

Her signature images, which I’m guessing are also her most recent, are the dog paintings. Each has a single dog in either a recognizable setting such as a home or isolated in a field of a single color. In the best of these there is a noticeable flattening of space with the dog seemingly pressed into the background. They also feature quirky placement of the dog, typically far to one side and to the bottom, making him appear tiny and lost in space. In some of these, such as one at the stairwell in the lobby, this odd placement does not work well; but when it does work well it works beautifully.

From my seat in the auditorium while waiting for the concert to begin I kept looking at one painting through the open door to the mezzanine. I was mesmerized by it. It’s an oil painting called "Molly As Olympia" and features a bright pink dog lying down against a dark blue curtain on the extreme left side of the painting with its legs stretched out toward a pot of yellow flowers in front of an acid green curtain on the right. Deep blue-black shadows create the impression that the dog is being stretched and pulled across the space of the canvas — implied dynamic movement in a figure at rest (that, by-the-way, is what made Michelangelo’s sculptures so arresting; not that I’m comparing Bedford to Michelangelo).

Also on the mezzanine is a group of abstract paintings on paper in muted tones of gray, white and black. I particularly like her scruffy brushstrokes in these, the combination of line and wash, and especially her use of transparencies and semi-transparent white over darker areas.

On the upper level there are a number of landscape monoprints in muted tones with practically no contrasts. Very dull looking upon a cursory glance, but amazing in how her brushstrokes create the feel of air and wind and clouds and rain without clearly delineating any of those.

Bedford sums up her work in a statement written for this exhibition: “The immediacy of painting, the fluidity of the material; the physical connection to the surface through the gesture of the brush is compelling to me. Spatial relationships activate the composition and are essential to the simplicity I seek. The importance of line is the connective thread in my work.

“I make art because I enjoy the physicality of it; the drag of the brush across a canvas, the feel, the smell, the getting your hands dirtiness of it all.”

She also makes some interesting statements about her choices of subject matter, but to me that is secondary to the physicality of the work.

Also showing in the Washington Center is a huge installation by Jeremy Zweifel called "Gordian’s Knot." It is a twisted entanglement of wood strips in circular and triangular formations that float in the open area between floors and simply has to be seen from all levels to be appreciated.

[Washington Center, Marilyn Bedford retrospective, through March; Gordian’s Knot, installation by Jeremy Zwiefel, through June, 512 Washington St S.E., Olympia, 360.753.85858]

Note - two additional comments: First, as soon as this review was published and I saw it on www.volcano.com I realized that the photos seem to belie my statement that there was little hue or value contrast. It seems I picked the two images that most clearly contradicted my statement. Second, the title "Molly As Olympia" does not refer to the city but rather to a painting by Edouard Manet. The dog is playing the part of the naked lady in the Manet painting.

Wow!

I was blown away by a letter I just received about my novel Imprudent Zeal. Forgive the gloating, but I have to share. The letter said:

Alec, I have been reading "Imprudent Zeal" with equal parts - big parts - shock and admiration. Admiration for your great courage in telling a story that must be to some degree autobiographical; one that is brimming with immense intelligence, empathy, humor and compassion. Shock because - well, it's just always a shock to discover a gifted writer of fiction right in one's own backyard. Thank you so much for writing this book. Thank you for bringing to light the life-changing, real-life work of Everything for Everybody and its members. And thank you for asking fundamental questions through the voice of Jack Scully/Scully McDonald and all of your characters. This novel is like a gorgeous prism that flashes the unique struggles of very different kinds of individuals, from the known to the anonymous.

... I couldn't restrain myself from saying how damn good the book is! I am saving the last 30 pages of IZ to read - unhurried - tonight after work. Congratulations on a very fine piece of writing. - Lisa Kinoshita, artist, Tacoma, Wash.

Wow! I'm so pleased. When I hear things like that I feel like Sally Fields when she won the Oscar: "You like me! You really like me!"

Imprudent Zeal and all of my books are available on amazon.com