 The rain fell in Seattle for 27 straight days. If we seem web footed and waterlogged, it is because in the absence of sun, we look to are for the only other illumination (metaphorically speaking) so readily available in Seattle, the visual arts. January 2006 offers several delightful treats in and about the city. From paintings and works on paper to challenging video installations, there is a veritable buffet, a feast for sensitive eyes in this land where the sun makes infrequent appearances. Five exhibitions stand out as tasty stops in between the raindrops.
 Alexander (Shura) Petrov at Davidson Contemporary
Alexander (Shura) Petrov presents "New Paintings". His surreal slice of life snapshots often border on how Burke defined the sublime "That which stikes awe and terror at the same time". Petrov’s oeuvre contains a strong narrative element. Petrov, who lives in Moscow, spent several years in Seattle and Portland. He derives references from both cultures. Petrov’s new paintings demonstrate his superb technical skills as a draughtsman as well as his empathetic sense of color. He derives references from both cultures. The Gallery points out that in the U.S. Petrov is identified as a Russian artist, while in Russia he is considered an American. His ironic world view is always a strong element in his painted allegories.
 Psychogeographies at Soil
The exibition runs: January 5 – January 29, 2006
Asking, "in what place do we want to be?", this exhibition explores the construction of emotions and feelings of security in relation to our attachment to our environment. Through the use of sculpture and video, the show examines the rub between the places we encounter and the ways we interpret them. It will also deal with the simulation of the emotive qualities these places hold in order to question our desires for a surrogate place.
 Midge Williams at Gallery 110
The large-scale paintings in her show Fast Lane are freeway inspirations. These colorful works based on aerial views of Los Angeles freeways, show landscape in a way that we do not consider while driving through it. "The lines that represent the roads started looking like words to me,"says Williams, "so I work with that thought. You might see something resembling an alphabet." She also portrays the backs of anonymous buildings. Her paintings personalize those landscapes both aesthetically and emotionally .
 Brian Murphy at Winston Wachter Fine Art
Murphy uses watercolor to create introspective self-portraits. He uses colors to transcend the ego of the self-portrait by candid self-representation. Murphy creates areas, which refer to the mass and solidity of the human form. In 2001, Murphy received the Seattle Art Museum's Betty Bowen Memorial award. In addition to his solo exhibition at Winston Wachter Fine Art, Brian Murphy will be participating in a group show at the University of Puget Sound's Kittredge Gallery. On Thursday, January 26th, from 6-7:30pm, Winston Wächter will be hosting a talk with the artist, Susan Dory and guest lecturer Elizabeth A. Brown, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions & Collections at the Henry Art Gallery
 Mary Ann Peters at James Harris Gallery
James Harris Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Seattle artist Mary Ann Peters, entitled "Works on Paper". The show of small and large scale works on paper is her first solo exhibition in five years. Peters creates her own encompassing universe of form, line and color. Inspired by her Lebanese heritage, Peters’ work investigates a combination of Western aesthetic elements with Arabic influences. This cross-cultural interest gives Peters’ work a unique personal vocabulary and an immediacy given current events.
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