It’s everyman’s art, with some graphic novel, comic book super-surrealism thrown in for kicks.
That’s what you are going to see if you visit the “Lowell Brow Art Show,” a collection of pieces that celebrates “lowbrow custom culture.”
This unique art show kicks off with a free catered reception — try the tartlettes — from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Lowell Art Works, 5205 S. Second Ave., Everett. “Lowell Brow” will run through April 12.
“It’s lowbrow and quite simply it’s the opposite of highbrow,” said curator Mike Capp, whose artwork will also be in the show. “Highbrow is the kind of art for the last 50 years that is all the minimalism, abstract expressionist’s stuff that’s out there. There will absolutely be not any of that at this show.”
What there will be includes tiki torches, skulls, hot rods, hot chicks, zombies, devils, rockabilly rebels and monsters.
There will also be artists delivering on the pop-culture theme with imagery pulled from graphic novels and comic books, along with some 3-D pieces and a lot of sculpture, Capp said.
Capp said the artists presenting during the lowbrow show are some of the best around. He described them lovingly as artists representing the “mossy tattooed underbelly of the Puget Sound.”
Rob Schwartz is a master at monsters. Justin Hillgrove does huggable monsters. Don Deleva paints oils on wood, and his pieces are far out and almost seem to derive from a “twisted reality,” Capp said.
Capp, who paints whimsically busy pieces that challenge the viewer to look closer, chose the lowbrow theme because it’s his favorite art genre.
He also believes the art appeals to everyone.
“It’s the stuff that real society likes to hang on their walls, not the upper 1 percent of society,” Capp said. “Everyone has that little bit of rebel in them … And if you are that 1 percent of society, you are trying to show off your wild side. We’ve all got skeletons in the closet and that’s what this art represents.”
Other art happenings include:
It’s in the genes: Brother and sister painters Bruce Nesland and Karen Nesland-Robles are displaying their work through April 23 at the Lynnwood Library Gallery, 19200 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood.
Shannon Danks is the featured artist for March at WiseDesignz Gallery, 2908 Wetmore Ave., Everett.
Danks is showing a variety of her works, including a sampling of her mosaics. A reception is planned from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the gallery.
Danks enjoys experimenting with and developing different mediums. She shows her artwork in many local venues and also performs with her band Smokin 66 at various hot spots. She is also art and music director at All Aboard, which provides activities for mentally and physically challenged adults.
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