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: 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