the dirt thrower recommends

* xoxo
howard and lorraine barlow bring us private moments and a place to put them in xoxo. juxtaposed in a forest of matches, little glass vials sealed with melted wax pack a punch at punch gallery in pioneer square - thru March '13.

*capitol hill celebrating second anniversary of blitz art walk- thursday, june 9

*jaimie healy's 'final' show (till we bring her back as visiting artist) promises to be dangerous, controversial, meaningful. opens at joe bar - thursday june 9

*absolutely breath-taking: deborah butterfield's driftwood horses at the greg kucera, pioneer square thru july 9

*elin christopherson does it with honey mead- delight in her still live experiment at the foster/white thru june 25

* gordon edberg edberg's fractured earth series captivates with color. quilted layers of soil & seeds, earth forms & erosion tell deeply touching stories in oil on canvas. at museo in langley - south whidbey - thru May.

*on the south wall of the g. gibson thru april 16th, jonah samson's nasty little historical photos are must-peeks.

*roger shurtleff's encaustic rockets are whimsical and, as a waxweaver myself, nearly unfathomable. play along at gallery 110 thru April 2.

*sunday supper at volunteer park cafe benefits 'raise haiti' march 20. reservations going quickly. moving photo exhibit will move you to help raise haiti - every day but monday all month long. cheers brad & company!

*including a link to ruthie v's humor, and her brilliant choice of materials at work in the shift cooperative space would spoil it for you. trust me. fridays and saturdays, noon-5 thru feb 27th.

*nichole dement's newest encaustics feel like spring. with her partner at the rock/dement, and saint valentine, she invites visitors to open their hearts in this season of unrest.

*studio 619 is bubbling over in creativity. bare witness to this fading cultural sanctuary, and blooming social justice movement to save the soul of seattle. too many floors for me to cover in one art walk... interested in joining me to climb some stairs?

*missa braund-allen's birds and bum cheeks- an elegant, eclectic mix of species and technique at 22 doors in capitol hill through february.

*olympia provides outstanding character studies and achingly beautiful models of ecological integrity, access to transportation alternatives, and advocacy for art, culture, history and economic development in the coming weeks. the legislative session kicked off on january 10, and two opportunities to view a gallery of bill passers in person (at least) are not to be missed:

** wednesday feb 2 join the washington state arts alliance in some performance art, advocating for pioneer square's (and the state's) 4Culture.

** thursday feb 10 join bicycle alliance, transportation choices coalition and cascade bike club in yet another piece of artful advocacy for pedestrian, transit and human-powered access in our state.

*get artsy / get political... advocate 4culture! the new legislative session is underway. read up... a lot is on the line

*starving artists needn't look as far for a venue in this economy. one merchant's misfortune is...

*just a couple few more days for the chance of a lifetime: SAM presents picasso thru january 17th, and then it's gone. happy hours thursdays and fridays... need a date? jingle me...

*larry calkins blends wax and wire, ashes and whimsy in his not-to be-missed rule of thumb at the g. gibson: jan 6-feb 19.

*mark thompson's icy images in oil at the g. gibson, pioneer square: nov 18-dec 29

*SOIL's fun at SAM's expense... the other picaso exhibit & gift shop at the co-op, 112 3rd avenue so. in pioneer square through december

*alison farmer's long-awaited paintings- part of the odyssey exhibit at windows in wallingford; nov 3-30

*an afternoon with david varnau's human figure opens nov 6, with art walk on the 18th- gallery north in edmonds

*dr. randolph hester speaks at the NOWurbanism design conference, uw - nov 17 & 18

* jaimie healy's savory collection, part of (un)wrapped at the columbia city gallery thru nov 14

* mary mcintyre's women at la familia pioneer square thru oct

* 72 people i'll never know by chris crites at the rock dement in the tk artist lofts thru oct