I don’t know about you, dear Artsies, but I am ready to say goodbye to 2013 and get to the good stuff that I just know is waiting in the New Year! All in all, 2013 was a pretty good year for me and Mr. Forager. For today’s This Artsy Life post, I put together a little look back at some of our favorite moments from 2013 [ in case you’re wondering about the song choice, it is “our song” and still fits Mr. F & I so perfectly ]–
No life is ever perfect and ours, though exciting and full of adventure compared to most, is no different. We learned a lot this year, about ourselves and each other. We each went down new roads, sometimes things worked out and sometimes they didn’t. But in the process, we grew and we feel like we know better now what we want and where we’d like to be.
You can catch up on the specifics of our year in the This Artsy Life archives. Starting in 2014, I’ll take a break from doing these features each week but will be posting scenes from our life on Instagram and will pop in here on the blog with an occasional This Artsy Life post when I have something special to share. Meanwhile, I’m excited to begin a daily creative exercise that I’ll be posting on Instagram each day! More on that later this week!
Mr. Forager and I wish you all the very best in the New Year! Thank you for coming along on this journey with us.
All images by Artsy Forager. Video created using the Flipagram app.
It’s not you it’s me. Ok, it’s not you, it’s us. You know how much we love you. How much we dreamed of Mr. Forager finally getting a contract here, of me finally living in a city where there was art overload. There is so much about you that’s perfect. You don’t believe me? OK, here’s a list–
Stunning views in every direction. We never cease to be amazed when the mountains “come out” ( ie, the clouds break enough to see the distant Olympic Mountains, Cascade Range & Mt. Rainier ). Few cities can boast such natural beauty.
Overabundance of delicious food choices. Coming from tiny Joshua Tree, CA, it felt like we went from famine to feast. Whatever our stomachs were desiring, you could deliver– sushi, Thai, Vietnamese, German, Mexican ( Senor Moose! ), and some of the freshest produce and seafood ever.
Diversity of humanity. We love seeing different colors of skin every where. Mr. Forager loves it when he meets a patient who has immigrated here from a far off place. It makes us feel like a part of a much bigger world.
The art. Oh, the art! It’s almost overwhelming, the amount of art happenings, museums, and galleries in the city. Tonight, there are at least half a dozen different events going on and I want to go to all of them. And the diversity of the work to be found is as varied as the people who live here.
You’re just a beautiful city. Last night, we walked down to a little park near our apartment with a view looking back toward downtown. The sun was shining brightly from the west but the city was backed by clouds. And we were reminded of the elegance of your skyline and your architectural beauty.
If we were going to live forever in a city, you would be it. When we came to you, we were overwhelmed with joy to be here, to be back in the Northwest after a long six months in the desert. Before we knew it we had signed a twelve month lease and I started looking for a full time job.
But then something happened along the way. As much as we adored you, something was off. We felt uneasy among the noise and the crowds. Our hearts longed for quiet and wilderness and a slowed pace. We’re just not sure we’re cut out for urban life. And we longed for adventure. We really hadn’t planned to stop traveling so soon, circumstances came about that kind of pushed us in that direction, but then the tide seemed to turn in the other direction almost as quickly. If we settled down, we knew we would miss the excitement, we would miss out on exploring all sorts of places we might never see otherwise. So, dear Seattle, as much as we love you, we just can’t stay. Please can we still be friends? We so want to be.
Last night, Mr. F & I ventured out for our first ArtWalk since arriving in Seattle. I know, right?!! What took us so long? And this city is by no means lacking in ArtWalking opportunities. Like Farmer’s Markets, there seems to be one going on all the time. I knew there were a few shows in the Pioneer Square district opening last night, so off we went to fight the traffic and walk some art!
You can see all the photos of art I snapped over on the Artsy Instagram feed, but I wanted to give you a little sneak peek here on the blog. Something you should know about Seattle– it’s gray a lot ( well you probably already knew that ),but when the sun comes out, the light is dazzling. It was a beautiful light-filled evening last night and as I was going through the galleries, I noticed a theme of beautiful shadows cast by some of the work on display.
So much artsy goodness! Next time I think I’ll go early & let Mr. F meet me there. Too much to see in just a few hours. Any artsy plans for the weekend?
All images by Artsy Forager. More can be found by following Artsy Forager on Instagram!
Every new place Mr. Forager & I go, I try to hit the local art museum. Not only because I think it’s important to patronize local art resources ( artsy duh ), but I also find them to be an interesting gauge of the local tastes and what’s important to the surrounding culture. After being in Seattle for six weeks, we finally ventured to the Seattle Art Museum last week.
In addition to their current special exhibition, Future Beauty ( more on that in a separate post ), there were a few other intriguing exhibitions on display. I was especially excited to see 50 Works for 50 States, selections from the Herb and Dorothy Vogel collection.
[ Codex Morales Braccio Sermugnano by Michael Goldberg and Untitled by Tony Smith ]
I am continually amazed by the collection this couple put together on a modest income! Truly inspiring to anyone who is intimidated by the prospect of collecting artwork. The Vogels collected many smaller works and works on paper, making them more financially accessible but allowing them to build an enviable collection. Such a great example to follow!
One of the things that impressed me the most about the SAM experience was the thoughtfulness given to how each exhibition was displayed and how the galleries interacted with each other. Glimpses of work seen not just within each exhibition but from one gallery to another allow the work to relate and interact in a way that allows the viewer’s eye to flow naturally throughout the space.
[ Thicket by Martin Puryear ]
A delightful surprise was the small show currently on display in the Knight Lawrence Gallery, In a Silent Way, “a quiet reflection on African American identities and histories”. This small gallery is tucked in a corner of the museum, away from the crowds and bustle of the larger galleries, which was perfectly fitting for such a thoughtful group of works. The palette of the show was almost exclusively black and white, a subtle nod to the subject matter, but each piece filled with subtext of what it means to evolve as a person of African descent in America.
From the museum’s permanent collection, an exhibition of mid-twentieth century work, From Abstract Expression to Colored Planes, features superstars of the era such as Frank Stella, Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler. The progression of that era of modern art is always fascinating– you can literally see the artists deconstructing and reconstructing the meaning of form across time. It is without a doubt one of my favorite periods of art history!
[ contemplating Frankenthaler ]
In keeping with the special exhibition’s focus on fashion, I was especially drawn to the work of Yinka Shonibare, whose Nuclear Family installation shows us a “traditional” family dressed in the structure of Victorian garb in textiles reminiscent of modern Africa. In a different, but no less interesting textile sculpture, Walter Oltmann‘s Caterpillar Suit mixes two destructive species, the caterpillar and the conquistador, while exposing their vulnerabilities and tenuous existences.
[ Nuclear Family by Yinka Shonibare ]
[ Caterpillar Suit III by Walter Oltmann ]
I love the way the Seattle Art Museum is blurring the lines between ancient and modern, leading the visitor down familiar paths only to introduce them to something new and exciting. Can’t wait to see what else is in store!
The weather in Seattle was absolutely perfect this weekend! Bright and sunny skies punctuated by cool breezes meant there were no excuses for staying home. So Mr. Forager and I grabbed our coffee and continued our island tour around Seattle, taking a ferry across the Puget Sound to spend the day exploring beautiful Bainbridge Island. Still think I could totally love island living!
And then we came back to the beauty of the Seattle skyline.. *sigh* Is this a spectacular city or what?! Want to get more glimpses into This Artsy Life? Follow me on Instagram!
In all the stress of leaving California, moving to Seattle, finding an apartment, furnishing said apartment, working, etc., Mr. Forager & I seemed to lose sight of what always made our weekends like mini-vacations for us– exploring! Sure, we were seeing other areas of Seattle, but we weren’t in our get-up-early-and-get-outta-town mode. Until this weekend! It probably helped that it was A) amazingly beautiful this weekend and B) this little heat wave made sleeping in quite unappealing in an apartment with no a/c.
We spent Friday evening hanging with some inspiring folks from Tulsa ( seriously, most everyone from Mr. F’s circle there has moved up here, can’t say as I blame them ). But then the rest of the weekend was just us two. The way we like it. We took a lovely hike to Greenwater Lake ( about 2 hours outside Seattle ) complete with ferns and moss and waterfalls, things we missed so much during our time in the desert. Then on Sunday, we took a long drive north up through Bellingham, over Deception Pass and through Whidbey Island, where we seriously contemplated whether we could be island people.
Did you give yourself a mini-vacay this weekend? Explore any new places? An artsy is always looking for new sources of inspiration! Want to see more from This Artsy Life? Follow me on Instagram!
As we thought it would, the rainy days came back full force here in Seattle, just in time for the long holiday weekend! That didn’t stop Mr. Forager & I from getting out and exploring some new ‘hoods. We checked out up & coming neighborhood Columbia City ( rumored to be the most diverse neighborhood in the US! ), discovered lots of Asian goodies & yummies at Uwajimaya Market in the International District, roamed around the uber trendy and totally fun nightlife on Capitol Hill and picnicked in the rain at Chateau Ste. Michelle, along with thousands of other Seattleites. One of my favorite things about Seattle? No one lets a few raindrops spoil their fun. Gotta love the determination!
[ columbia city ]
[ those streaks are rain drops.. 😉 ]
[ periodicals at uwajimaya ]
[ i promise, mr. f, i was trying to get a pic of the wine bottle in hand ]
[ international district ]
Hope you enjoyed lots of fun in the sun in your neck of the woods! See more from This Artsy Life on Instagram here.
This was the first weekend that felt like we actually lived here. We weren’t running around and unpacking all weekend ( although there was a little of that ). We had the luxury of sleeping in, exploring and discovering. A bike trail just around the corner from our apartment happily leads almost directly to Pike Place Market where we explored the seafood and produce stands and Mr. Forager bought me a bouquet of poppies. Which we quickly realized don’t last very long… We explored our neighborhood and searched out what are already becoming a few favorite spots.
[ calder sculpture and space needle ]
[ pike place poppies ]
[ publicly artsy ]
[ my favorite steps in magnolia ]
How about you, Artsies? Did you get out and explore this weekend? Any exciting discoveries? Want to see more from This Artsy Life? Follow me on Instagram!
So I’ve hardly made a secret out of how very excited we were for Mr. F to take a work assignment here in Seattle. We seriously have to pinch ourselves even after being here for almost two weeks!
Finally getting to be in this place that we love so much, where we fell in love, got us thinking. Why not stop here? We adore this city, the food, the mountains, the water, the music, the ART(!) so very much.
It’s something we’ve been talking about off and on for a few months. Circumstances seemed to be leading us in this direction. We’ve loved traveling and have enjoyed ( almost ) every minute of the last two years of adventure together. But we couldn’t ignore the timing and the way in which it seemed a hand was guiding us here.
So we signed a twelve month lease on our apartment and have begun furnishing it. After being married for over two years, we’re finally truly making a home together. And it feels good.
As we’ll be staying put here in Seattle for a good long while, perhaps forever we hope, it’s time for me to re-enter the work force. I’ve done a few freelance projects since we started traveling but we’ve always agreed that once we stopped traveling I would go back to work full time. And you know something? I’m kind of excited about it.
So any Seattle area artsies– if you know of any job openings in the arts ( galleries, art consultants, museums, etc ), let me know! I have several prospects in the works already. We’re feeling really positive about the choice we’ve made. This is our city. This is our home.
Greetings from Seattle! I’m finally here, way tired, a bit frazzled and overwhelmed with settling in, but officially back among the blogging. The last few weeks in the Forager universe have been a crazy mix of traveling, seeing new places, saying goodbye to old friends and hello to the new. We clocked in well over 1300 miles, 5 nights in hotels, 6 nights with friends & family, drove through 3 states and tried over 10 Seattle apartments on for size in two days. We’re still making our home here ( our bed, a sofa & a dresser is all we have so far in the way of furniture ), but we’re already finding some favorite neighborhood spots and our love affair with Seattle is still going strong.
While I scour Craigslist for furniture deals today, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few snapshots from our journey!
[ old town, san diego ]
[ bay bridge, san francisco ]
[ from the vaillancourt fountain, san francisco ]
[ fog simulation, san francisco ]
[ golden gate bridge, san francisco ]
[ lunch with a view of mt shasta while on the road ]
[ mountain greeting upon our arrival in seattle ]
Sorry for the lack of Seattle photos this go ’round. We ( I )’ve been so distracted with finding a home and settling in that the camera hasn’t come out much. Not to worry. They are coming. Just try and stop me! Back tomorrow with brand new artsy discoveries!
Want to see more from our SoCal to Seattle trip? Follow Artsy on Instagram, I’ll be posting pics from our road trip over the next few days.
![This Artsy Life: Weekend 27 [ Sunny Seattle Days ]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/20130708-133947.jpg)
![This Artsy Life: Weekend 26 [ Exploring is Our Normal ]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/IMG_0991.jpg)
![This Artsy Life: Weekend 21 [ Roamin’ in the Rain ]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20130528-111223.jpg)
![This Artsy Life: Weekend 20 [ Discovering and Settling In ]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20130520-143532.jpg)
![This Artsy Life: Weekends 17-19 [ SoCal to Seattle! ]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20130513-154145.jpg)
