By Allyn Cantor

GOSIA WLODARCZAK: BETWEEN WANDER & SETTLEMENT Western Gallery, Bellingham, Jan 16-Mar 3 Known for her performative works and cross-disciplinary drawing installations, Australian artist Gosia Wlodarczak investigates and records properties of change and movement in transitional stages of human life. Assembled during her January residency at the Gallery, the exhibit includes a new animated film/sound-drawing installation, Mt. Baker, along with an animated film/sound-drawing derived from a 2007 rail journey in Poland, and a large drawing installation entitled Skin of the Wall from 2006.

THOMAS WOOD: INTAGLIO PRINTS 1998-2012 Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Jan 21-Feb 26 This show chronicles Wood’s impressive career over the 15 years since his 25-year retrospective was held at the Whatcom Museum of Art in 1998. The award-winning Washington artist creates poetic, surrealistic compositions ranging from naturalistic landscapes to mythological figures placed in imaginative scenes. Skilled in etching, drypoint, mezzotint, chine-collé and engraving techniques, the artwork combines the artistry of Old World printmaking with a unique and inventive approach to subject matter.

ARIANA PAGE RUSSELL: BLOUSE Platform Gallery, Seattle, Feb 16-Mar 17 Ariana Page Russell continues using the surface of her own pale skin as a canvas on which to explore personal boundaries, adornment, and the affects of internal physical and emotional processes on the skin. Changes to her skin, from a condition called dermatographia, are a resource for patterns, markings and mappings she “draws” for dramatic photo and video documentation. In the video Blouse, a tattoo mask is formed over her face as a skin-tight barrier and then deconstructed as the video comes to a close.

BEN DARBY: KICK IN THE PANTS Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, Feb 2-25 Ben Darby employs his signature mould-making technique to produce unusual sculpted acrylic forms which protrude from the surface of his paintings. These joyful, intriguing works are populated with whimsical creatures and objects that float within botanical imagery. Humour and satire merge in finely-detailed and textured compositions on luminous backdrops. The innovative use of acrylic and dedicated craftsmanship cannot help but give delight to one’s imagination.

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 3D4M FACULTY EXHIBITION Traver Gallery, Seattle, Feb 16-Apr 1 Showcased in this exhibition are exquisite works by five major artists who are also professors in the University's 3-Dimensional Forum (3D4M) Department; a consortium that includes Glass, Ceramics, and Sculpture. Doug Jeck and Akio Takamori are known for their individual approaches to figurative ceramic sculpture. Jamie Walker is celebrated for his biomorphic, semi-abstract forms, while Mark Zirpel creates quasi-scientific, glass-based sculptures and Amie McNeel responds to constant changes in the natural world through a variety of materials.