Now through November 1, community members are invited to stop by the City Hall Gallery to see Face Time, a group portraiture show featuring colorist, Nahom Ghirmay; multi-disciplinary artist, Madison Boewe; graphite artist, Gary Rubin; and expressionist, Michael Riester, located in the gallery space at Bothell City Hall.
Self-portraiture is the creation of self-narration. It allows for autonomous control over the image an artist portrays about themself. Nahom Ghirmay’s self-portrait was derived during a personal meditative exploration of how color helps define how he perceives himself outwardly. The colors and brush strokes reflect the weight of emotions and feelings he experienced in the moment his self-portrayal was set to paper.
Madison Boewe’s self-portrait titled “Lighthearted” is large, up-close, and shows the duality of who she is: approachable and kind, yet fierce and undaunting. Madison’s goal is to spark inquisitiveness in the viewer–to create a stirring that isn’t so much about the impact the art has on someone, but the ability the art has to give back and inspire viewers to begin their own creative journeys.
Portraiture of others is also on display, and Gary Rubin’s subjects were inspired by the challenges faced in isolation when racial injustices were exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Each subject lived within the frame of Gary’s television. His work represents the internal juxtaposition of completeness and incompleteness found in all human subjects by allowing the negative space of his drawings to complement and oppose his graphite subjects brought to life.
Utilizing a comic book influence, traditional painting and drawing techniques, and expressionistic mark-making, Michael Riester’s work examines our existential time on this plane. Michael’s portraits explore both facial expressions and body functions in a beautifully hectic, but expansive space, while each figure maintains a sense of comfort and awe. Through the push and pull of his process, the chaotic and ethereal atmosphere often finds his subjects in moments of vulnerability, isolation, and bewilderment.
The City of Bothell Gallery at Bothell City Hall features regional artists and their work during regular office hours Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8-5pm; and by appointment only on Mondays and Fridays. The gallery is closed on weekends and major holidays.