The CHS Crow made it to a few Capitol Hill Art Walk stops on a seasonable second Thursday last week and met a rugby player and medical professional with words for the nightlife crowd who came out to see Kathyrn Lien‘s exhibit at Blindfold Gallery (a venue soon to say farewell), a home-grown hair stylist getting energized by David Robertson paintings at True Love and a physical therapist with thoughts about Capitol Hill development trends checking out Peaces by Lauren jewelry at Vermillion. Mingle mingle!
| Alice, 26 |
Tell me about yourself.
My name’s Alice, I play for the Emerald City Mudhen’s rugby team. Women’s rugby. It’s a club sport. I work as an EMT on an ambulance in Seattle. And I also work as a surgical tech for an organ donation company. So, doing the Seattle medical thing.
… how long have you been doing that?
I’ve worked as an EMT for five years, and then have been doing the organ donation thing for one-and-a-half.
… are you from Seattle originally?
No, I’m from Colorado actually.
… what brought you to the area?
UW, and I graduated and just haven’t left yet.
Works included in Kathryn Lien’s exhibition “White Girls” at Blindfold Gallery during September’s Art Walk — acrylic-toner-lift photo transfers on wood. “It’s something that’s almost universally relatable, but also a little bit confusing, a little bit kind of mysterious and a little bit inhuman at the same time” Lien told CHS while discussing the the two pieces that she said address and question body image, the female body and being a female in a more “direct” and “aggressive” way than others in the exhibition. “It’s not figurative,” Lien told CHS about the skin pulling in the more tightly-cropped piece on the right.
What brings you out to the Art Walk tonight?
Our friend Kathyrn Lien is putting on a gallery exhibit, and we came out to support her.
… how do you know Kathyrn?
Rugby — she dated a friend of ours. And she’s around. She flew in from Philly, because
she lives on the East Coast, just to put this exhibit on. And then she goes back tomorrow. So we wanted to come out and see her and support her show.
… what’s your impression of what you saw tonight?
Super cool. I love Kate, so by extension I like her art. It’s all pictures of her, so I recognized it. But I’m not a big super connoisseur, educated about art or modern art or any of those things. I heard her talking about it, and I was like ‘Wow, people can talk about art like this! I don’t even know how.’ …
I don’t know what my reception of it would be if I didn’t know the artist. And like I said, I’d probably just have to go to different galleries. But there’s a certain intimidation factor in the art world too, like, ‘I’m not cool enough for this’ — but that might be my own.
What are you guys up to after this?
I think I’m going to go play with her cats [points to nearby friend], wax her armpits. It’s a big party night. And then I work at midnight. So, party animal.
What do you have to say to the people of Capitol Hill?
It’s great people watching. Stop drinking so much I have to come pick you up in my ambulance.
… has there been more of that lately?
In the summer, we call it trauma season. Everybody gets drunk and stupid in the summer. More importantly: drink as much as you want, but have better friends that don’t leave you to get picked up in an ambulance — can I clarify that?
| Terrell, 29 |
Tell me about yourself.
I was born in Seattle Washington — I’m from here, and I do hair. I cut hair. I’m a barber and I’m a stylist. And that’s pretty much me, what there is to my life. I love art. Anything that has to do with art. You can get inspiration from art, from all art. That’s how you get inspiration for hair.
… are you from Capitol Hill?
No, I grew up actually in the Central Area. I stay in Everett right now.
Four of the works by David Robertson on display at True Love during the September Capitol Hill Art Walk. From right (closest) to left: “Candy Dreams,” “Orange Delight,” “Sea Scape” and “Pink Fancy.”
Is there any artist in particular whose work you came to see tonight?
Yeah, David Robertson.
… what do you think about his work here?
I love it. I love the colors. I love his color combinations. … It speaks a lot. And you feel — it just gives off a lot of energy honestly. I love it.
It’s just bright, it gives you energy. That’s all I need.
What are you up to after this?
Just going to go have a couple drinks, just enjoy whatever’s on the Hill.
… heading anywhere in particular?
We’re probably going to go to the Purr after this, I’m with a couple of friends.
What do you have to say to the people of Capitol Hill?
Be safe, have a great night — that’s about it, haha.
| Alice, 32 |
Are you from Capitol Hill?
I’ve lived in First Hill/Capitol Hill for about five years, but I bought a place about two years ago on Capitol Hill.
… what brought you to the area?
I started out as a traveling physical therapist, which basically means you’re a contract worker. And I’m from Ohio, and I really picked Seattle on a whim, like seven years ago. Came out here, did a job, but I’d also gotten licensed in California, so I went down there for about two years, and then I came back up to Seattle, and when I came back up I was like, ‘Alright, this feels right.’ So I’ve stayed here ever since. I just love it. It’s a great city. So many things to do around here.
What brought you out to the Art Walk tonight?
I came out to support my friend Lauren, and her jewelry, which is Peaces by Lauren. I wear a lot of her jewelry, and always like to come out and pick some new stuff up for holidays, and just myself — more importantly for myself haha.
Peaces by Lauren jewelry on display at Vermillion during the September Capitol Hill Arts Walk. Stones for the jewelry are gathered “anywhere and everywhere,” from rock shops found on road trips to an “awesome” “random little rock supplier” on Whidbey Island, Lauren of Peaces by Lauren told CHS.
… what do you like about her work?
The style of it. It’s stuff you see right now but it’s very well-priced. It’s stuff that’s current, but it’s not what everybody’s doing. There’s a lot of stonework she does and a lot of metal pieces, and I just like that. Long statement pieces.
What are you up to after this?
I might head out to some other galleries, pop in. Ghost Gallery‘s one of my favorites. I just actually bought a print there last month, the Olivia Knapp show that they had. Love her work.
Anything you want to say to the people of Capitol Hill?
Say ‘no’ to more high-rise condos … haha.
… what do you mean?
I love my neighborhood and I just hate that it’s turning in to, you know, these throw-up, quick-fix condos that are raising rent prices. I wanna keep my neighborhood how it is. It’s getting frustrating I would say. Walking — I walk everywhere — I still feel like, weekly, … ‘I just walked past it and it’s being torn down already!’ So it’s evolving and it’s a city and that’s how it is. There will be a new hip place I’m sure soon.
… what would do you think would be a good alternative to some of the development you’re seeing?
Well the regulations they made for developers to keep part of the building, they’re really just keeping the exterior, and they’re building crap stuff on the inside. You know, builder-basic stuff. I’d rather just see … it if … they were actually keeping them and renovating more of the inside … updating it and making lofts or something like that, instead of just these tear-outs.
Previously on CHS Crow
[…] Alice, Terrell and Anna — ‘Be safe, have a great night.’ […]