Stephanie Pui-Mun Law: Immortal Ephemera

I'll be honest with you: I don't know what "ephemera" means. It doesn't really come up in daily conversation for me. In fact, I think Stephanie may be the first person I know that actually used the word in my presence, or rather, in an email sent to me about four or five months ago.

After her wildly successful show in March 2014, I asked her to show again for 2015, and she readily accepted. Neither of us had any idea what she'd do this time around, but I knew she'd stew it over for a while and something would pop up.

Towards the end of January, I shot her a quick email asking if she finally
decided on a theme for her show. She wrote me and said yes, and then dropped the e-bomb on me. "Ephemera".

It means "things that are enjoyed or used for a very short time". It also means things that last no more than a day. In the case of Stephanie's collection of work, she was clearly meditating on the comparatively short life of insects, one of the Earth's most ancient of creatures. Insects are literally everywhere: earth, air, water, fire (well, maybe not fire). Many of them live in complex societies, produce fibers or honey, weave or build geometric homes and often live such short, basic lives. They are so lowly, yet feature so prominently in our myths and legends.

Immortality, Watercolor

Stephanie pulled and stretched and magnified the insect, often to sizes over 200% larger than life (such as in "When Flowers Dream'). Its as if she meditated on her subject's very soul, dipping into the ink of Life and quilling the results in watercolor pinks and blues. Labyrinths and ghostly trees dapple the landscapes, signifying the mysteries surrounding these critters (what signals their rise and retreat? what is their purpose? who guides them?). Elfin figures appear and recede from sight. There is clearly a magical element being expressed within these compositions beyond just the beauty of these insecta subjects. Stephanie teases out the transcendental qualities through color, texture, and intent.

When Flowers Dream, watercolor and gold leaf

True to form, Stephanie did not abandon her fairy world and created a small series of fairies called "The Hidden Ones", painted on birch wood. Her discovery of absorbent ground (a type of medium that allows you to paint watercolor on any surface) opened up a whole world of possibilities, including  painting on wood, metal, pretty much anything she fancied. Additionally, this medium has enough body to create textures, giving her pieces an extra dimension and allows play with light and shadow (such as with "Immortality" - the butterflies are built up in absorbent ground).

Amidst the Brambles, from "The Hidden Ones" series, watercolor on birch

I always say that art must be seen in person - as difficult as that can be for most of us - and Stephanie's work is no exception. Her work changes with the light, when seen close up or far away, and at different angles. It's luminous and vibrant, yet delicate, like porcelain. She adds elements of surprise into her pieces, much like Easter eggs, and each time one observes her paintings, a new object, element, shape will pop up, giving the composition a whole new life and meaning. Much like "ephemera", I suppose!

Cicada, Watercolor and gold leaf

"Immortal Ephemera" will be open until July 3rd, 2015. Work is available to purchase online or direct, and the online catalog is available through July 4th.

-Julie Baroh, June 2015

Quoth the Raven

 About a year ago, artist and editor Jeff Menges commented to me that I should consider doing a show about corvids, specifically ravens and crows. He knew I had a thing for crows: I had been keeping tabs on the mated pair that lived in my neighborhood for years, and they often popped up in my artwork. I'd been devouring the works of author and avian expert John Marzluff, marveling at the intelligence and marvelous adaptation this bird possesses. I also knew that for some strange reason, crow and raven art tended to sell quicker than any other animal or bird art at Krab Jab Studio. Even skull studies sold to eager collectors.

"Corvidae Skull", Benjamin A Vierling

I ran the idea by a few artists and illustrators to gauge interest. A barrage of positives came back at me. I think the only reason that some of them weren't able to participate had more to do with time constraints than interest.

People simply love this black bird.

Crows and ravens weren't always so loved. In fact, not too long ago the American Crow was the target of a mass holocaust, with thousands being destroyed, often in very bloody ways (such as blowing up their roosts with dynamite). They were considered a pest by farmers (think "scarecrow"), despite their usefulness at eating the bugs and worms that threatened crops far worse than they did. Honestly, the crow (and it's shy cousin, the raven) challenges our belief that we, Man, are the superior rulers of this earth. When we look to the sky in the western hemisphere, it is that black bird that dominates. Wily, social, talkative, clever, playful, excellent parents, scavengers, with amazing memories, the raven and crow simply challenge our superiority. And they crap on our cars. On purpose.

I was really curious to see what artists would come up with for this show. My one worry was that we would have multiple images of a Raven cawing ominously at something in the distance, but I was pleasantly surprised at the pieces I received (although we did get an excellent example of the raven caw in Halsey Swain's work).

"Raven", Halsey Swain

Myth was a popular topic. Morrigan, the Irish triple-goddess who often took form of the crow in battle, is featured in the work of Yoann Lossel and David Thierree (and hinted at in Olivier Villoingt's dark drawing) - all three artists hail from Brittany, France (a coincidence that they chose this Celtic goddess? Possibly!).

"La Morrigan", Yoann Lossel

"The Soul of War", Olivier Villoingt

"Morrigan", David Thierree

Norse's god Odin kept two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, that brought him news all around the world, the subject of which Echo Chernik, Jason Engle and Stephanie Pui-Mun Law tackled.

"Huginn ok Muginn", Echo Chernik

"The Messenger", Jason Engle

"Raven-god", Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

The crow as a symbol of omen was chosen by artists Braden Duncan and Margaret Organ-Kean. The divine roots of counting crows (called orniscopy, or divination by observing birds) was reduced to a folksy rhyme by the 18th century.

"One for Sorrow", Braden Duncan

"Corvimancy", Margaret Organ-Kean

Crows and ravens in literature was also tackled. Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem The Raven was the subject of Stefanie Vega and Samuel Araya, and hinted at by Robert Tritthardt. Poul Dohle referenced the Raven King from Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Allen Williams ties the corvid and the book together beautifully in his graphite drawing.

"Sentimental Damned", Stefanie Vega

"Dark Wings", Robert Tritthardt

"Plutonian Shore", Samuel Araya

"Raven King", Poul Dohle

"If Beauty were a Book", Allen Williams

The magical, shamanic qualities of crows and ravens were apparent in three pieces by Sandra Everingham, Yuko Ishii and Yvette Endrijautzki. It's interesting to note that while we think of crows and ravens as a more masculine symbol, there is a very strong element of the feminine in these works, especially when seen in the positive, mystical aspects of the crow and raven. Perhaps our ancestors have noted the strong maternal connections crows have to their chicks - they make very protective and loving parents, with the female patiently teaching her young what to eat, how to speak, and how to behave long after most chicks leave the nest.

"Transmutation", Sandra Everingham

"Die Raben Koenigin", Yvette Endrijautzki

"Entrance (Healing Magick)", Yuko Ishii

 Our macabre obsession with crows and ravens is reflected in Kyle Abernethy and Jethaniel Peterka's work. Even Benjamin Vierling's simple skull study has a slight sinister element to it. Death permeates the world of crow and raven - infamous scavengers of carrion, we naturally connect them with death. Even the wistful works of Jeff Menges and ShirrStone Shelter Dolls touches on death.

"Dominion", Kyle Abernethy

"Visitation", Jethaniel Peterka

"Lignum Corvus "RAMUM"", ShirrStone Shelter Dolls

"Bare Branches and Dark Wings", Jeff Menges

Crows are silly birds, they really are. Coupled with another silly animal, Drew Tucker anthropomorphizes the crow in his painting, further reflecting our strong connection to this bird.

"Family portrait:  Putnam Co. #8", Drew Tucker

Sara Otterstatter uses her work to tackle the very really issue of extinction: the Pied-Raven is now extinct, and there are a few other breeds of crow that are on the verge of extinction, notably the Hawaiian Alala Crow, of which there are less than 100 left in captivity. A portion of our proceeds will go to support crow conservation and research.

"Nevermore: The Pied-Raven", Sara Otterstätter

-Julie Baroh, January 2014

NOTE: We will be having one last hurrah on January 30th, 5 - 8 pm! If you are local to Seattle, come visit and see the show - including all the European pieces stuck in customs during our opening reception!