Recent Stories in Visual Arts

Wheeee! When in doubt, always go with cute kids. Thanks to Seattle Municipal Archives for hurtling this freewheeling image right into the wild merry-go-round of the SunBreak Flickr pool.

If it's going to rain all week long, at least that's an excuse to wear a great pair of boots.  Thanks to zenobia_joy for setting this splash of color smack dab in the middle of the SunBreak Flickr pool.

I know that St. Patrick's Day has already come and gone (weeks ago now), but Great Beyond just shared a great story about trying to get a Shamrock Shake, via the SunBreak Flickr pool:

Not just my first and last Shamrock Shake of the season - THE last one of the season. Here I am, St Paddy's Day, running all over town, going from McDonalds to McDonalds, trying to find one.

Everywhere I go, the answer is the same "Nope, the company has ran out". Seriously, you run out BEFORE the holiday in question? What the hell!

So I find one that still has the syrup, and he starts pulling my minty green cup o' calories - when the hose starts sputtering and coughing. "Sorry, we're out of 'em it seems."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

But the manager, being the champ that she was, pulled out the jug, poured the rest of the syrup into another smaller cup, put the shake machine sucker pump into the cup and pulled the very last dregs of the season into my shake. Huzzah! My spring has officially begun!

Were you aware that Seattle has an ice hockey team? I was vaguely aware of this, but the matter never seemed very exciting until these photos capturing the Thunderbirds at play in the new ShoWare Arena by Slightlynorth found their way into the SunBreak's Flickr Pool.

Great Beyond shot this from Seattle's "most sad and pathetic park" with striking results. This peek at Seattle's industrial side brought to you by way of the SunBreak's Flickr Pool.

Yes, this week's Glimpses has already featured someone in leprechaun getup, but if zenobia_joy's shot of a dachshund in embarrassing Irish attire can't make it as the picture of the day on St. Patrick's Day then there's something seriously wrong with the universe. Send your pictures of revelry to the SunBreak's Flickr Pool for a chance in the spotlight.

I get the feeling that lucas westcoat is less enchanted and more unsettled by the exceptionally pleasant weather gracing Seattle in recent weeks. In any case, we thank him for sharing this arresting image in  the SunBreak's Flickr Pool.

Paul Swortz captured an image of an ancient leprechaun this weekend to prepare you for what it likely to be an entire week of St. Patrick's festivities. Keep an eye on the SunBreak's Flickr Pool for more sightings of creatures, magical or otherwise.

This shot--by Great Beyond over at our Flickr pool--really requires no further comment.

This Friday, March 12, from 6 to 9 p.m., Roq la Rue is having its opening night for the second annual Lush Life invitational group show. Featuring works by 18 separate artists "that contain an opulence or richness, either in subject matter or technique," Lush Life 2 serves as a sort of primer course in the pop surrealist work Roq la Rue specializes in. The show features everything from Brian Despain's steampunk paintings to Travis Louie's ephemeral old-fashioned photorealistic paintings of alternate realities. Michael Brown's animal paintings pervert Margaret Keane's famous "big eye" paintings by making them far too human and soulful, while Andrew Arconti and Madeline Von Foerster ape classical painting styles while adding in surreal twists. The show also goes beyond paintings to include sculptures by Kris Kuksi, Mandy Greer, and Boomer Torvik.

From Flickr pool contributor SlightlyNorth.

There's something about this photo--the charm of an urban neighborhood, the saturating orange glow of the sun--that reminds my of my childhood in Southeast Portland, living off Hawthorne in the 1980s. Much thanks to our Flickr group contributor :MPG: for the shot.

Flickr user Photocoyote provides this rather unique perspective of the Seattle cityscape, from our Flickr pool.

From our Flickr pool, Slightynorth captures the loveliness of a sun-drenched cafe on Capitol Hill just a couple days ago, which stands in stark contrast to our gloomy, overcast morning today.

Spring is in the offing, if not the air itself, and Jack wanted something to promote preparation for a sunny Saturday. Sadly his first pick was a photo we used last week, so here is a beautiful depth-of-fieldy Plan B. Love the darks here. shawnmebo says, "Spring is waving 'hello' with it's stubby little arm!" It's never too early in the season to jump into our SunBreak Flickr pool.

By the way, if you like Seattle photography, don't miss the Superunknownwalk tomorrow. Starts at 2 p.m.

More hockey! This time in our own backyard. Thanks to prolific Seattle photographer Chris Blakeley for sharing this fun shot with us.

The greatest success of George Lucas' life was making a robot that looks like a garbage can so cute and charming. Thanks to SunBreak Flickr pool contributer Great Beyond for this heart-warming closeup.

Like many not-regular hockey spectators, I've still got hockey on the brain after Sunday's USA vs. Canada Death Match, so this photo pairing by cherished SunBreak Flickr contributer Slightlynorth really stood out to me. Plus you've got to love the excitement on these kids' faces.

A cozy NW living room indeed. Thanks to +Russ for sharing with our SunBreak Flickr pool.

A candid moment of elsewhere, courtesy of mangpages and our SunBreak Flickr pool. I like the contrast between the action of the cropped-in legs and the little girl's complete obliviousness.

The alternate title, says zenobia_joy, is "Freakishly-Long-Armed-Man escapes from the circus and snacks in the rare February sun." This is a great use of the fisheye lens to dramatic, Stretch-Armstrong purpose. Also, I would like our sun back. Have you joined our Flickr pool yet?

I know! You're wishing every morning came with a happy goat peeking back at you. My thanks to shawnmebo for this portrait in the SunBreak Flickr pool, and my admiration on the skillful depth of field.

Spring is in the air, lawnmowers are humming, and :MPG: spotted this terrific example of protective coloration that also draws the eye. Welcome to The SunBreak Flickr pool, you fabulous creature!

It's William Seward...IN HELL!  Great Beyond put this Redscale photo into The SunBreak Flickr pool, while also schooling us on the photography technique:

A statue up in Volunteer Park of William H. Seward (the guy who bought Alaska), near the conservatory, looking very dramatic in Redscale.

The one downside to Redscale film? The emulsion scratches REAL easy, meaning I have a lot of work to do in photoshop to clean up the picture. This one, for example, was a real mess.