 Christopher Hoff | Painters working on location have always been a relatively rare sight on the streets of Seattle. In earlier times, when outdoor artists were plentiful in places like Laguna Beach, or Santa Fe, there were fewer artists of any sort in the Northwest. Now that the artistic community has grown along with the rest of the area, plein-air landscape painters are still in short supply — victims of an art marketplace that has moved on to other things, not to mention the famously gloomy climate. Nonetheless, the practice of painting the city scene on the spot still persists, and by coincidence, two of the most skillful local practitioners are on exhibit in separate shows this month. Michael Stasinos and Christopher Hoff not only paint some of the same locations, they have occasionally painted side-by-side. Their work bears the imprint of two very distinct takes on the city scene. Here with our review is KUOW art critic, Gary Faigin. |
