Civil Architectures – A Snapshot of an Era
Author
William E. Elston
Published
Apr 09, 2015
Tags
'Civil Architectures' is based on the view from the studio of the late Ako Lindley, where I was teaching painting workshops at the time. It’s a gray, overcast day, very typical of Seattle. Ako’s studio was in the 619 Western building, at one time called the Ace Novelty building, later condemned after the Nisqually Earthquake in 2001.
The painting became the cover image for a show at Davidson Galleries, also called Civil Architectures. It appeared on the showcard, and also on a tee shirt that was produced to advertise the exhibition. It was my last show at Davidson before I moved to Woodside/Braseth Gallery for about 6 years. I eventually went back to Davidson Galleries, and had several more shows there before Sam Davidson decided to phase out his Contemporary Painting and Sculpture department to focus on prints.
The opening reception for Civil Architectures was crowded, and music was provided by Jazz singer Jay Clayton, accompanied by the great trombone player and composer Julian Priester.
The painting was sold about 5 years later to Daniel Smith, Inc., the manufacturer and dealer in art supplies. They also leased the image to grace the cover of one of their annual catalogues. The price of the painting exceeded their budget by a considerable amount, so we agreed that I would take the difference in art supplies, some of which I’m still using almost 10 years later.
Today Pioneer Square is being transformed. The Alaska Way Viaduct, also damaged by the earthquake, is coming down and being replaced by a tunnel. Substantial renovation is planned, and galleries and shops that made the area unique are starting to relocate. The gallery scene itself is becoming less concentrated and less focused. The heart of Pioneer Square, Elliott Bay Book Company, moved out many years ago. Pioneer Square has always been at the mercy of land owners and property managers that have generally mixed high rent expectations with a low vision quotient. Older developers tended to favor more interesting mixed use development, but urban renewal fads favoring either high-end office space, or later high-end urban residential seem to create more instability for the neighborhood. I lived there during one of its brief periods of glory, in the 1990s, when the mix of galleries, artists’ live work-spaces, quaint shops and cabarets created rich material for paintings and café culture. I’ve missed it ever since.
'3 Men' is another image from those years in Pioneer Square.
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Civil Architectures, oil on canvas, 42 X 60 inches, copyright ©1999
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3 Men, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, copyright ©1996
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