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Mar 11 2010 - 6:00pm Apr 25 2010 - 5:00pm Jay Steensma (1941-1994) is considered to be part of the second generation of the Morris Graves-founded “Northwest School," an art movement near Seattle that peaked in the 1930s and 1940s. Known primarily for his expressionistic, stark landscapes and sincere portraits, he incorporated mystical references of chalices, snakes, houses, clouds and fish in his mixed media work. Occasionally using house paint and mixing oils, acrylics, crayons and pencil, he painted on everything from scraps of paper bags the size of a postage stamp to large canvasses that he would partially deface out of frustration. He always had a sketchbook nearby and gifted many friends with his prolific work at random. It was known that he had struggled with manic depression most of his life and was notoriously eccentric, complicated and passionate, but he found a way to organize his life around his art and find peace before he passed away from a heart attack. Ree Brown (1926- ) is a highly regarded “naive” or outsider artist without any formal training or degree, but with a charmingly awkward relationship to the formal qualities of painting. He paints delicate portraits of neighborhood cats, birds, dark-skinned children and women with colorful dress onto scraps of paper, cardboard, bits of matting and brown paper bags. Late in life, these two artists became close friends and supportive partners who encouraged and influenced each other in many fascinating, intuitive ways. Vermillion is honored and excited to introduce these two highly regarded artists to a new demographic and neighborhood and to invite longtime friends, collectors and admirers to see some work that has not yet been seen. Special thanks to co-curator Mark Mueller. Opening is March 11, 6-9 PM (with music by Toy Boats) and show will run until April 25, 2010. Vermillion |