Joe Bar Cafe
810 E. Roy
Seattle, WA 98102

(206)324-0407

Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.
H. L. Mencken 1922 Prejudices, Third Series

September brings a series of unusual small paintings at the Joe Bar. Cris Crites takes common brown paper grocery bags and uses them as an acrylic painting surface. The images are taken from police mug shots and rendered in a highly suffused Northwest serial pop fashion. The hues on the acrylic paint dance against the mellow, banal brown surface.

By using the compositional form of the mug shot, the artist has dispensed with one element of formal control. Crites is forced to rely on color to convey emotional meaning and this factor forces the artist to resort to an over the top, theater like presentation. The background surface mutes this hubris into a genuinely workable piece. The scale of these works make for an intimate aesthetic experience.

The paintings populate the Cafe like both a mute chorus of sinners and at the same time the sinned against. They stare with glassy frozen expressions which remind the viewer of an old tin-type or formal carte-de-visite from the Victorian era. The stiffness of the individual portraits could suggest fear, fatalism, or pure evil, it is up for you to decide. They certainly leave room open for your own interpretation.

The paintings will be on view through the end of September. The show was curated by Jess Van Nostrand. An archival note, grocery store bags may or may not contain acid in the paper pulp process. You might want to consult a paper making expert about the care and conservation of grocery store bag paper.


An opening reception will be held at the Joe Bar Wednesday, September 8 from 6 to 8 pm.