I have the good fortune of being a moderator at Gallery 110 this Saturday from 4 to 6. 110 3rd Avenue S, Seattle. Saundra Fleming is one of 5 painters who are known as Beauty Shop. Their new exhibit opens today as part of the First Thursday Gallery Walk in Pioneer Square. Beauty Shop does The Party Mix.

“Beauty Shops were historically a third place for women to gather away from the male gaze.” The painters, Saundra, Arni Adler, Lynette Charters, Kate Harkins and Ingrid Sojit share a passion for experimentation in work that is “replete with sarcasm, idealism and plain old chutzpah.”

I love hanging our with painters because they give me new angles on making my own art and activate different parts of my brain. I am so ignorant of this art form, that it is a good place for me to moderate a discussion because I am really curious about how it is they do what they do and always relate it to my own poetry practice. Notions of improvisation in visual art are completely mysterious to me, because I can see how it works in poetry composition and music, but not painting. This afternoon should be exceptional. Please come and ask an intelligent question.