Arts & Culture
Work by Zack Bolotin in the “By Others” Gallery at Board & Vellum
The Capitol Hill Art Walk is coming up again, and here at Board & Vellum’s By Others gallery, we are hosting a show by local artist Zack Bolotin. Read our Q&A with him to learn a little about his midcentury-inspired prints ahead of the March 8th opening reception.
March 1, 2018
Hey, everyone. We are excited to share some details with you about the latest show now in our By Others gallery: Zack Bolotin, proprietor of Porchlight Coffee and Records on Capitol Hill, has hung a series of prints that capture a midcentury vibe.
The show will run for a couple months, so stop by and check it out, but on March 8th, from 6 to 9 PM, we will host an opening with the artist, and we’d love it if you joined us!
To get your interest piqued, here is a quick Q&A with the artist.
Hayley: Tell us a little about the work you are showing. Is there an underlying story, or a thread that you pull through this show?
Zack: This whole midcentury series was started without the intention of it becoming an ongoing project. Years ago, I was on tour with a friend’s band and we made a pit stop somewhere near the California/Arizona border. The truck stop shared a parking lot with a shuttered diner that I thought was pretty beautiful with its hanging globe lights, big windows, and rock wall. Its the sort of design that was fairly common, or maybe even forgettable at the time, but much more rare these days, and more exciting to find in the middle of nowhere in 2010, so I took a quick photo. When I was looking at the photo back at home, it inspired me to start drawing my own rendition. Then slowly, similar buildings and images sparked the same idea which led to this project.
Hayley: What media do you work in, and in particular, what type of work do you have on display in this show?
Zack: These prints all started as black pen drawings on white paper. Then they’re scanned and colored digitally. Almost all of my work is done this way and the end result is digital giclée art prints (such as all of these), or screen prints.
Hayley: So, you are from the area, right? How does that influence your work, if it does?
Zack: I grew up in Woodinville, then moved to the Central District when I was 18. My mom and dad both grew up in here Seattle and my grandfather emigrated from Russia to the Central District in the early 1900’s so I’ve always felt a pretty deep connection and interest with all things Seattle. The first place I rented as an 18-year-old was, coincidentally, blocks from where my grandfather lived as a teenager. Hearing stories of what used to be where and being familiar with those sites always piques my interest, not to mention having parents that grew up in midcentury Seattle has greatly influenced me on many levels.
Hayley: What is it about the Seattle World’s Fair and other ’50-to-‘60s-era subject matter that attracts you?
Zack: Both of my parents are historians and historical non-fiction authors, so research and the past have always been present in my life. My dad is a collector and expert on all things Seattle World’s Fair and his dad was a union machinist that worked on the fairgrounds. Growing up, our house had a healthy supply of World’s Fair posters, pennants, mugs and other souvenirs that I didn’t have much interest in as a teenager, but now I find myself scouring antique stores for the same little artifacts to display at my apartment. I know that midcentury design is a very broad term and currently very popular, but I think what personally draws me to the era is the color palette, the ingenuity in things like bent plywood furniture, the simplicity and accessibility of a 1000-square-foot rambler, to the exact opposite in Lautner’s Chemosphere. There’s such a gigantic spectrum of “midcentury”, but I think it’s an incredibly interesting time of transition between handmade and mass-produced that resulted in some beautiful products and concepts, as well as some not-so-great and justifiably ephemeral goods.
Hayley: One last thing: is the work for sale?
Zack: Absolutly. You can purchase any of the work through my online store, including the framed versions in the show. Of course, those will stay up in the gallery until the show comes down.
Hayley: Fantastic. Thank you for sharing with us, Zack. And, to everyone else, we hope to see you soon at By Others!
