Angela on Art
First Thursday Art Walk
Pioneer Square Art Walk
There’s nothing better than a warm summer evening, on the first Thursday of the month, in Pioneer Square for the Art Walk. On June 4, Nick and Kirsty and I pregamed at the shop with cocktails and farmer’s market snacks, then headed down. It was a particularly beautiful day, which really helped get us in the mood to go out after work. Pro tip: Make a date with someone, so you are committed to go.
We started at RailSpur which had two floors of art this month. This space is always a surprise….you never know what to expect, but it’s so fun to see what’s happening there, inside and in the alleys. The architecture and what they have done to restore and repurpose the building, is part of what makes it so wonderful.
“Named for the railways that once ran through the area, RailSpur encompasses three historic warehouse buildings in Pioneer Square. Focused on preservation, sustainability, community and innovation, this cultural hub includes office, retail, restaurant, residential, and hospitality experiences.” - RailSpur
I Love Painting With The Seasons by Barry Johnson | @barryjohnson
400 Acres & a Pool, by Erlin Geffrard & Spencer Keaton Cunningham | @ erlinadonesgeffrard & @spencerkeetoncunningham
Kirsty proving that we were having fun! Notice the World Cup inspired market below.
Next, we headed to several galleries on our list, plus others that caught our attention on the way. First up, Occidental Fine Arts in Occidental Mall. This place is sponsored by the Conur Art Foundation that chooses artists to work in a supportive, beautiful environment for a full year, free from financial stress. The artists chosen for this fellowship tend to focus on realism, because the foundation believes the human figure is our most powerful point of connection. My favorite artist was Daniel Zalla but there were many others.
Todd, by Daniel Zalla | @danielzalla.art
Self Portrait, oil on linen by Daniel Zalla
Gallery at 4Culture was one of our next stops at 101 Prefontaine Place S. The current exhibit is A Life in Sticky Notes, by artist Clare Johnson. Every night she draws on a sticky note. “While making these helps me preserve memories, it is also a continual reminder that the days pass with or without my acquiescence, and we cannot hold on to everything. The project started in 2005 and grows nightly, currently including over 3,000 pieces.” Gallery 4Culture has a forty-five year history of presenting innovative and underrepresented artists and art forms in solo and small-group exhibitions.
Gallery 110, a Seattle nonprofit artist collective, is showing The Finished Line: Gage Academy Advanced Drawing Seminar. It’s amazing what can be done in shades of gray with pencil and charcoal. This show is up through June 27, 2026. Here are two of my stand-outs:
Untitled 1 by Tom Kornelis | gallery110
Stage 2 by Stephen Galey | gallery110
The TK Art Space at the Tashiro Kaplan building at 312 S. Washington Street, has many diverse studios that the artists transform into gallery spaces to wander through on First Thursdays.
An exciting discovery for us was Joseph Steininger in Studio 105. His medium is spray paint and stencils and what he creates looks nothing like spray paint and stencils! He meticulously hand cuts stencils and somehow layers them into works that look more like realism. His work is influenced by street culture and printmaking. He aims to bridge the gap between preconceived notions of what can and cannot be fine art. His work is definitely fine art!
Joseph Steininger | josephsteininger.com
Joseph Steininger | josephsteininger.com
Also in the TK Art Studios is David & James Weed Studio. Our friend David Weed, who lived right above us in our old space on Queen Anne Avenue, shares a studio with his twin brother, James Weed. Although they look alike (I’ve said hi to James a few times, thinking he was David, before I knew he had a twin) their art is very different.
David creates what he calls On/Off * 0-100s devices. He creates them from electrical boxes that he powder coats and adds switches, knobs, antennae etc.
“Each work transforms a small, deliberate action into a moment of engagement, prompting curiosity, decision-making, dialogue, self-reflection, and expression.” - David Weed
A wall of David Weed Art | davideweed.com
Survival Gear, 14x10x4, 2025 by David Weed
Excessive Force, 48x60, acrylic on canvas, 2023 by James Weed | jameswweed.com
The brothers in front of Veal, acrylic on canvas by James Weed
I really like the colors and textures of James’ abstract paintings. I wonder if he titles them after he paints them. I can’t imagine he was going for ‘Veal’ when he started it, but it’s the perfect name!
If you go to pioneersquare.org, you can find info about upcoming First Thursday Art Walks. Most of the galleries are open from 5:00 until 8 or 9:00. We stepped into a few other galleries between all of these, so by the end we were losing steam. We made it until 8:30!