Seattle hosts Salon

Like Paris in centuries past, Seattle is hosting an art salon for international painters this weekend. Before today I didn't even know there was such a thing as an organization of decorative painters.
Hubby and I made a trip downtown this afternoon to look over the shoulders of artists after reading this story in the Seattle Times. Watching painters create faux marble, wood-inlay patterns, tiles, trompe l'oeil and other imaginative creations was a real education. Usually, when I watch an artist in the act of creating in a museum gallery or Plein Air, I have to sneak a peak (pretending to be interested in the work of art being copied or the landscape) because being watched renders many painters unable to continue. These seventy artists from many countries were encouraging their watchers to ask questions. We saw some amazing work up close and personal, watching the application of paint with fat brushes, rags, and skinny little brushes.

To make the afternoon even more fun for us, the event took place in the recently restored Union Station, a huge, light, and usually empty hundred-year-old former train station in what's now known as the stadium district. It's a beautiful space and one we haven't seen since its makeover.

In case you want your old card table to look like it's made of rarest mahogany, it's a sure thing that one of these talented people could make it happen. The salon continues through Sunday.