The Frye Museum + LINEAJES Exhibit Mural

Nov 10

is a love letter documenting my murals and community partnerships. Please enjoy!

THEY LET ME PAINT ON THE WALLS!

I was invited, commissioned, and painted on the walls of one of Seattle’s most iconic museums The Frye Museum. Literally she is a crowd favorite! I posted a cute little TikTok of me painting a portion of the installation (see below) and immediately 3 people commented how much they LOVE the Frye. So yeah, the pressure is on. This is also the very first time the Frye has done something like this and it was such an immense honor for me to have been The One.

This all came about in March of this year with an introduction by Antonio “Tony” M. Gomez, a multi-faceted and talented artist, musician, and community leader to the staff of The Frye. I’ve had the pleasure to work with Tony’s on a few projects, including being a member of the Accelerating Creative Enterprises (ACES) cohort which supports entrepreneurship in the arts through Tacoma Arts Live where he is Director of Community Engagement and Extended Learning. Tony’s vision as curator for his exhibit LINEAJES or Lineages in the Frye Salon was set to unveil in November and he wanted a visual element to complement the collection and auditory presence.

Learn more about LINEAJES

“179 whose larger than life mural work disrupts the typical gilded museum gallery and transforms it into a wilderness of vines and tendrils that serve as an allegory for the countless roots and branches that bind our shared cultural forest. ”

— Antonio M. Gomez

@onesevennine
Painting on the walls of the Frye Museum for an upcoming show.
♬ original sound - 🤍

About the Exhibit: LINEAJES shakes up the elegant paintings on display at the Frye Salon by bringing to the forefront an artistic heritage often overlooked by the Western art world. This exhibit showcases Tony’s research into the rich history of world music, connecting it to the experience of mixed identities shaped by the meeting of various cultures and explores the musical connections between the Americas, the Mediterranean, West Africa, and beyond.

I’m still in awe I was invited to interpret the lines and lineages of our history in the language I know the best; muralism.

I went through revisions with the Frye Museum staff and Tony to make sure what I envisioned for the mural aligned with the theme. My style is so organic, it’s a call and response to the space and energy of the environment. Paul Nunn, fellow artists and friend who assisted me with painting said it best when he called it “intuitive” painting. I will honestly say it was a challenge to communicate the vision. Generally when I’m asked to paint this style it’s very free-flowing. You point at the place to paint and my brain and heart will take it away, but with the Frye Museum who are stewards not just of the art, but of the space, they needed more than just an idea. I needed to have a plan. Additionally this year has been the most chaotic for me in terms of work and personal life. Since the Seattle Kraken Jersey release business has been so good, but I forget that I’m just one woman and it’s so easy to get overwhelmed in the success. It was also really important that we stick to a strict timeline. The gallery I’d be painting in will not only house the collection of instruments for the LINEAJES show, but also displays the collection of art the Frye holds. In order for the construction of the shelving for LINEAJES to be built and the installation of the art back on the walls I only had a 5 days to paint. And because I had COVID last month I’ve been delayed in several murals, 2 of which are still incomplete. Therefore I really only had 3 days.

Day 1 The space was so much bigger than I remembered it! I started at the top of the salon using their scissor lift. I wanted to make sure I completed this area first because this will be the first place people look; top to bottom. I listened to St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves on audible and the last story took me out. I don’t want to ruin it, but I too feel like a wolf cub trying to appease the world by masking the feral inside me. Many of the stories had a touch of Ray Bradbury set on a tropical island. I’ve been trying to listen to books as of late. They help me focus on creative problem-solving by keeping my anxiety at bay. Specifically because the first day of any project has so many challenges. Set up takes so much time! It starts at home loading all the supplies I’m going to need into the Subaru and then loading it all into the venue. Once I get there I need to get organized and settled because I literally will live at the site until the project is complete. Then I need to prep the paint and protect the space from accidental paint spills. When all of this is finally done, then I can get to work painting. And usually by then half the day is gone. Then it’s hyper-focus time. I’ll literally go hours without eating, remembering to drink, or talking. Is it passion? Maybe, but most likely adult ADHD which I was diagnosed with this year after years of being confused why everything was so hard for me and others seemed to have had life all figured out. Since then, I’ve been able to manage my brain better now that I understand her more. I’ve also learned to be kinder to myself knowing nothing is necessarily wrong with me, I just learn different. With all this in place, I was able to get most to of the placement of the leaves and vines done before wrapping up for the night.

Day 2 Paul came to save the day. We started off with a bacon snack on the way to The Frye and then got to work placing the leaves and vines on the ground level. Paul was amazing and helped set up the work station. Having worked for Urban Artworks as their project manager and being a phenomenal artist himself, I felt really comfortable letting him take the lead on the bottom part of the mural. And as a bonus he even packed an amazing lunch for the both of us. What a good egg! I continued the work on the lift to complete the details on the top portion of the salon. There’s something so fascinating about being able to paint on the walls of a museum where traditionally they are kept stark white. And with the addition of the very European oil paintings set against my street mural style work, I am very interested in seeing what the final result will be.

Day 3 We continued the paint frenzy. We added more layers of color and continued placing leaves and vines in areas that we wanted to accentuate. Since this is intuitive painting it was challenging initially finding the balance between letting Paul have artistic freedom which is necessary for the loose and organic nature of the work while also retaining the style in which I paint. Paul did it though and I appreciated his confidence in the unknown. I’ve mentioned Paul is an artist himself, but he’s worked with other talented artists assisting them in their work and really has developed a skill of listening and execution. So 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, I would definitely recommend Paul to any artists that needs a hand installing their work.

It happened again, I started painting and the next moment I looked up it was time to go. And this was supposed to be the final day of painting, but I just couldn’t quite get the last few leaves done. Shane thankfully allowed me one more day to come in so I had the weekend to recharge and make a game plan to complete the rest of the work Monday morning.

Day 4 and the last and final day. I jammed out to a playlist I found called ‘Old Skool Funk’ which is 14 hours of songs by artists like Zapp and Roger, Evelyn ‘King’ Champagne, Rick James etc. I think I’ve turned into my mom! While dancing and singing very badly I completed the final of the leaves. I was even able to do some of the corners I’d been eyeing to really tie in the vision of jungle vines wrapping and intertwining with the gold-gilded frames that will hang in the salon. I’m so thankful of this extra grace time Shane was able to extend. I always forget just how much work goes into painting with acrylic. Spray paint is easy, you just pick up the can and go. Acrylic you have to mix, clean brushes, paint second coats etc. But this is why we have Paul! I will officially name him MVP for this project.

I was able to finish with enough time in the day to rest. Below are some final pictures of the work I installed. I’m so excited to see the artwork placed in the salon so we can really see the full impact of the collaboration. As I was leaving Shane and Ken were bringing in the shelves to start putting together the instruments for LINEAJES. The show continues to take shape.

Later in the week I was able to drop off to the wonderful Frye Museum Store some of my Golden Hummingbird stickers and pins for purchase. Please excuse my painty hands, I did a stencil workshop with Seattle Public Utilities prior. Like I said, it’s been a busy year! Be sure to check out the museum store because it is curated so exquisitely with so many treasures! I’m excited for the audience of the Frye community to view my work and share this incredible experience with.

Showing in the adjoining gallery is the work of the fascinating Hanako O’Leary. Their show Izanami showcases their ceramic work as sculptures which reinterprets Izanami, the Shinto goddess of creation and death’s legacy, “embracing the mystical feminine realm in its entirety and celebrating the right to create or destroy what lies within our own underworld.” It’s incredibly powerful and I adore the 200+ masks Hanako created for the show.

I’m so excited to see the full installation tonight. I’ll add the portfolio button* later when I get final pictures with the salon gallery fully installed to this entry.

Special THANK YOU to the staff at the Frye Museum: Jamilee, Amanda, Laura, Shane, Ken, Rachel, and Rachael! MVP status to Paul Nunn for all his assistance. And finally, much love and admiration to Tony for bringing me along on this amazing exhibit.

I hope to see you there!

Artfully yours,
Angelina V.

*Final Installation