by Marilee Jolin

When I think of art gallery openings, I picture people dressed in chic, black clothing with glasses of champagne, staring at modern art. Their heads are cocked at an angle and their brows are furrowed until someone finally says: “What is it?”

Rest assured, in the upcoming exhibition at the Hillman City Collaboratory, no such scene will occur. You won’t see any hot pink geometric shapes or melting clocks because the Collab gallery for February is an exhibition of the Seattle Realists. Landscapes, people, still-life; these skilled and carefully trained artists seek to accurately portray nature and life. Amanda Teicher, founder of Seattle Realists says, “What I like about realism is that it can be universally recognized as good. It doesn’t take a contemporary taste to like it.”

For their first exhibit, sponsored by Community Arts Create and Backstreet Bazaar, Teicher has gathered an impressive group of serious students, emerging artists and professional artists culled from her personal experience at the Gage Academy of Art and the Georgetown Atelier, known as the centers of classical realism training in Seattle.

Seattle Realists was founded with the goal of promoting and creating opportunities for artists to sell their work. “So many trained and talented artists in Seattle have too little opportunity to show their work,” says Teicher. “We intend to provide more of those opportunities, in exhibition spaces and online.”

In addition to holding exhibitions throughout Seattle, Teicher is pioneering art sales on the internet. She sees this as a way to make quality art accessible to more people and encourage new purchasers. All the art for the Collaboratory exhibit, for example, will be displayed on the Seattle Realists’ webpage in advance of the show. Prospective buyers can peruse the works online ahead of time or go to the website after the opening purchase.

Truly fine art is being created all over Seattle and for the month of February you can see some of the best realists in Seattle at the Hillman City Collaboratory. The exhibition will take place from Sunday, February 7, to Wednesday, March 2, 2016. The opening reception will start at 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 7 at The Hillman City Collaboratory, 5623 Rainier Ave. S.

 Marilee Jolin writes a regular column for the Emerald. She currently lives in Beacon Hill with her husband and two daughters.

Featured Image is of Harvest by Jeremmias Lentini