Fremont Art Walk.

I made it to four of the venues at the Fremont First Friday art walk last night. If I can find a venue with an artist, then I will spend extra time talking to them, if they are available, and hopefully getting a picture or two to put on my Flickr account, which shows up here.

Such was the case last night. I got an early start - before the art walk officially began, and was notified of such by one shop owner. In the reporting business, it's called "getting the scoop" isn't it? Okay, so I'm not a real reporter. And I don't have my I-phone (yet!), so it would not have made it up here anyway. I really was just hoping to make it through the whole walk in one night.

Anyway, I went to Fremont Coffee Company before the 6:00 start. I liked what I saw. A lot. I asked if the artist was going to be there, and was told she was. I took my daughter, Natalie, to dinner across the street at Norm's Eatery & Ale House. There I had a Mushroom & Gorgonzola Burger, that was fabulous, and a tasty ale. Nice atmosphere too. It is also a dog-friendly place, so be prepared to share your space with a few canines.

After dinner, we headed back across the street where I met up with artist Christen Shaw (ChristenShaw.com).

Do you remember horror movies before the in-your-face death and destruction and bloodletting that began with Alien, perhaps, or maybe Halloween? The horror then was psychological, and always perceived, than shoved in your face.

That is the type of art Christen brings us. There is no way to label her work other than dark. Dark, is a given. But the questions that her work poses - what is going on here? - are much more potent and thought provoking than what lies on the surface. Not that a clown, standing a good foot taller than a grown man(?), and painted in black (with perhaps dark red tones) and white, won't be enough to give you bad dreams. Or perhaps it is the little girl with an enormously over sized head cocked to one side with a large pistol at her side, that will give you the deepest chill.

The characters in the paintings hearken back to the old-time horror flicks, I mentioned before. Was it House On The Haunted Hill?, or Hound of the Baskervilles?, or maybe Abbot & Costello Meet the Werewolf?, but in one of those, or maybe all of them, a sinister portrait hung on a wall. Did the eyes move as someone walked by? If you can dream of such things as being scary, then this work is for you. Perhaps the Abbot & Costello movie analogy is the more accurate, for there is also a touch of humor in these pieces. They are not seriously scary, but scary nonetheless. I also liked that each one is different. Christen is able to think of unique ways to scare you in each painting, ie she has a vivid imagination.

Her paintings are reasonably priced, too. If you want a conversation starter, but one which is also very well done, you will want to consider purchasing her work. At the least, drop by Fremont Coffee for a look at this refreshing body of work.

My next stop, was at Fremont Jewelry Design, where I met artist Nick Orban. Nick is new to Seattle, having been here less than a year. But he has picked up the Northwest scenery and made the adjustment of colors here that our clouds and weather cast, and given us some beautiful oil paintings. The paintings in Fremont all included water in them. I am not sure how a painter can include the grays and blues influenced by the weather here, and yet make a painting that springs to life on a wall, but Nick finds a way with an effect that is at once relaxing and yet vibrant. These paintings would look good in almost any Northwest home.(NickOrban.com)