In Our Gallery: Rodolfo Rios Garza

Join us for West Seattle Art Walk on second Thursdays in the coming months, and you’ll get to see this quarter’s artist, Rodolfo Rios Garza.

• Thursday, July 14

• Thursday, August 11

• Thursday, September 8

In the artist’s own words:

“I am mostly self-taught but early on benefitted from the mentoring of the late renowned Southwest artist Mel Casas, and from Peruvian artist, Francisco Grippa.

I get my inspiration from my surroundings, both natural and man-made, photographs, music and from images in my dreams.

This exhibit focuses on trees. Trees are such an endless source of inspiration for me. Trees speak to me in many ways. In them I see energy, love, sadness, and so much more. Their texture lends itself to detailed expression while their limbs can denote a range of moods and resurrect memories.

As is my practice, I also include new pieces outside of the show’s main theme as a means of hinting at where my mind wonders and where that wondering might lead me creatively. ”

Remember, if you come to the tasting room on West Seattle Art Walk Thursdays, you get to view these works while also trying out the latest lineup of Viscon Cellars wines for no tasting fee.

In Our Gallery: Pam Hemmerling

Join us for West Seattle Art Walk on second Thursdays in the months of April, May, and June to check out our quarterly artist Pam Hemmerling!

• Thursday, April 14

• Thursday, May 12

• Thursday, June 9

We’ll let Pam introduce herself:

“I’m Pam Hemmerling; an unexpected artist living with my family in Seattle. At the age of 50, I took my first art class crossing the threshold into an unforeseen creative journey. In hindsight, creative threads are interwoven throughout my life but it was the freedom of mixed media art that propelled me forward. My hope is that I could inspire others to be open to their creative process; to try, to practice, to learn. I believe that art is for everyone.”

Remember, if you come to the tasting room on West Seattle Art Walk Thursdays, you get to view Pam’s mix of expressive portraits and abstract artworks while also trying out the latest lineup of Viscon Cellars wines for no tasting fee!

In Our Gallery: Priyanka Parmanand

Join us for West Seattle Art Walk and view our quarterly artist Priyanka Parmanand.

• Thursday, February 10th

• Thursday, March 10th

Priyanka describes herself as a self-taught artist living in Issaquah, WA.

“My art gives hope and is full of exciting colors and textures which represent positive energy and spirit towards life. Today I actively participate in local art exhibitions and love being an art instructor in schools, local art galleries, and senior centers.

I am also the founder of Crimson Canvas Arts, a company that mentors budding artists and is present in more than 10 different schools in Issaquah and Redmond. In today’s busy world where art has taken a backseat, my goal is to nurture budding artists to become future creative thinkers and problem solvers!”

Stop by the tasting room on Art Walk Thursdays from 5PM to 9PM to check out Priyanka’s abstract artworks while sipping on some Viscon Cellars wines! 

In Our Gallery: Jessie Summa Russo

Join us for West Seattle Art Walk!

• Thursday, October 14th

• Thursday, November 11th

• Thursday, December 9th

This quarter, Viscon Cellars is hosting returning artist Jessie Summa Russo from October through December. Jessie studied art and illustration at Sarah Lawrence in New York and Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and has called West Seattle home for the past two decades. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

My recent work is inspired by my life as a musician as well as the lives of my relatives. My grandfather was an Abstract Expressionist painter in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, and I feel like his paintings both defined him and I understood him through them. My mother went to art school when I was a toddler; some of my earliest memories are of the printmaking studio with giant black press wheels taller than people.

When making art, I don’t think about anything, and that is the primary joy of the process. It feels like a pure meditation on visual interest and the nature of time (there was nothing, and now there is art), and a simultaneous, unfettered expression of that meditation.

I use coffee filters, candy wrappers, vintage record sleeves, yellowed sheet music, and fragments from my Grandma’s scrapbooks. (She kept everything.) I cover and reveal elements with paint until the effect reminds me of a wall plastered with posters and graffiti that have worn away over time. I like to bring a hint of goofiness to a beautiful, textured aesthetic, and campy ‘50s ephemera is perfect for that.

I’m drawn to art with texture for its mystery—how can it be beautiful as it reminds us of entropy and death? How will I view this work as I change with time? For example, I’ve begun using my 25-year-old etchings in collages, and by ‘using’ I mean ripping out bits and gluing them into new worlds, sometimes even painting over them completely—transforming the fraught past into a hopeful future with new meaning.

I want to deliver room transformation to friends and strangers that they enjoy as much as I enjoy my own collection. I want them to look at the work and see something new every time.

COMMISSIONS: Email Jessie directly.
INSTAGRAM @summarusso

Stop by the tasting room on 10/14 from 5PM until 9PM to have a look and enjoy complimentary snacks with some Viscon Cellars wines. 

In Our Gallery: Jenna Roby

We’re thrilled to host Jenna Roby’s lovely watercolors for spring!

From her website: As a creative watercolor artist, Jenna strives to create beauty out of the chaos. Jenna’s paintings are created by vibrant washes of watercolor mixing together to create unique and unpredictable combinations. Then she molds and shapes the image and slowly builds while still highlighting the chaotic first layers. Life is unpredictable, live free…paint free.

Jenna has been teaching watercolor for the past 6 years at many wonderful locations such as Bellevue College, South Seattle Community College and Daniel Smith in Seattle (current).

For commission inquires, please contact Jenna directly.

INSTAGRAM: @JennaCreates
Facebook: Jenna Creates

In Our Gallery: Amy Stone

Join us this Thursday, January 10th for the first West Seattle Art Walk of 2019.

Abstract artist Amy Stone will be at the Tasting Room to introduce her work to all you local oenophiles, so be sure to stop by and say hello.

In Amy’s own words:

"I have been painting and drawing my entire life. I have a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado and a Masters in Art Education from Hofstra University, but it wasn’t until my family and I relocated from New York to Seattle that I began to create art daily. 

I am drawn to the idea of balance and imperfection and how that translates to the paper or canvas. Without knowing this was my goal, someone recently told me that my work reminds them of the Japanese term Wabi-Sabi.

Wabi-sabi represents Japanese aesthetics and a Japanese world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. We are forever growing, changing, learning, transitioning and it is difficult to find a balance of wife, mom, artist, friend, daughter, niece, cousin, aunt, and me.  This idea is translated to my work as I strive to create a balance of color, texture, movement, and energy.

One can say that an artist’s work is never done, and mine is certainly never perfect, but we should all seek to find beauty in life’s imperfections.”

Take the opportunity to browse Amy’s work while enjoying some Viscon Cellars wines this Thursday. If you miss it this weekend she’ll be up through the end of March.

In Our Gallery: Megan Simmons

Join us tonight for the first autumnal West Seattle Art Walk and meet Megan Simmons, whose work will be up in our Tasting Room through the end of the year.

We’ll let Megan do the talking:

"For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been making or creating something with my hands. I went to art camps as a kid -- was a designer on the yearbook staff -- learned how to sew clothing, quilts and home décor -- became a graphic designer -- and even learned to build furniture in woodworking school. I would be lost without my tools, fabric and a wide range of art supplies. Most recently, my tools of choice are paint brushes, water-soluble crayons and lots of acrylic paint.

I get lost in the layers of paint, while mixing colors and creating texture. I’m inspired by bold statements, raw textures, street art, nature, and the spaces between objects. Painting on paper gives me the freedom to make mistakes and explore more freely. I find relaxation in the chaos of scribbling, doodling and mark making… covering up layer after layer until I discover areas that I don’t want disturbed.

A resident of West Seattle for more than 18 years, I live with my husband and two teenage daughters. I am a freelance graphic designer for several local non-profit organizations and small businesses, and I volunteer in the community. Now, I am excited to be sharing my art with you.”

Instagram/FB: megartstudio

Take a look and take the opportunity to enjoy some Viscon Cellars wines! 

In Our Gallery: Debbie Bianchi

Join us at Viscon Cellars during regular tasting room business hours to view the artwork of Debbie Bianchi from the rest of this month through September 2018. Her whimsical nature-themed paintings add a jolt of lively color to our walls this summer that should be seen in person!

To meet the artist, your next opportunity is during the West Seattle Artwalk in September (second Thursday). 

"I am proud to say I was born and raised in West Seattle and now have the opportunity to share my perspective of what is beautiful with my fellow lovers of art and creativity. Free birds dance across the canvas among fanciful, fairy tale inspired blossoms, trees and landscapes. Freedom of motion speaks to me and I try to capture this sense of magic and indulgence in my work. These creations grow from acrylic paint, paper, charcoal and pastel.“

Stop by the tasting room to take a look and enjoy some Viscon Cellars wines. 

In Our Gallery: Jessie Summa Russo

"777" Mixed media on canvas

Join us on Thursday, April 12th for West Seattle Art Walk.

This quarter, Viscon Cellars is hosting the mixed media collages of Jessie Summa Russo from April through June. Jessie  studied art and illustration at Sarah Lawrence in New York and Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, but has called West Seattle home for the past twenty years. 

She has exhibited etchings, paintings, photography, charcoal drawings, and mixed media collages in several local galleries and cafes.

"My daylight basement functions as both art studio and band practice space, and I love it even though it is too hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. I enjoy doing commissions, and recently I have been building my own custom wood frames and designing the mats too, adding a new layer to the overall composition. I believe art is for everyone and bare walls make me sad.“

Stop by the tasting room on 4/12 from 5PM until 9PM to have a look and enjoy complimentary handmade pasta and homemade cake with some Viscon Cellars wines. 

"Electrodynamics"
Mixed Media on vintage album cover

"Airmail"
Mixed Media on wood

"Top Name In Sound" Mixed media on wood

"Stereo Fidelity" Mixed media on vintage vinyl record

"Sleep" Mixed media on vintage vinyl record

In Our Gallery: Greta Musland

Join us Thursday, January 10th for West Seattle Art Walk.

Viscon Cellars is hosting the artwork of Greta Musland from January through March. 

"Appreciating both abstraction and figuratism, I often find myself combining both in a single painting as well as incorporating graphite within the confines of the oil painting or oil bar with acrylics.  I enjoy experiencing the contrast of paint's fluidity and the precision of drawing and often find them quite compatible."

Stop by on Thursday to browse Greta's mixed media pieces and sample some Viscon Cellars wines.