White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Dubsea’s Joerael Elliott shares the poster:

(click lower left of image to play slideshow, which includes audio)
By NICK FELDMAN
UW News Lab

“It’s a picture of my son,” the man in the chair said in Spanish. “Enrique is his name. When I came to the United States, I left him when he was 2 months old. It’s to have him with me all the time, to have a memory of him, because I don’t know if I’ll be able to see him again.”

Francisco Antonio Flores-Renteria came to the U.S. three years ago. When looking for a place to have the portrait done — his second tattoo — he looked no further than Dzul Studio — a place that was clean, where he trusted the quality of the art, and where he was able to converse in his own language.

The studio, run by brothers Alejandro (“Alex”) and Jacob (“Smiley”) as well as piercing-artist sisters Catalina and Elizabeth, takes the family name to heart: Dzul is a Mayan word meaning master or leader, one who stands above others in character or reputation. And that reputation has been built up over the last decade.

“I started to draw at an early age,” said Smiley, “and my friends from my neighborhood knew that I knew how to draw, so they were the ones who actually got me into it.” He sports seven tattoos himself: on his legs, right arm, collarbone, each shoulder, and his mother’s name on his back — his first, at age 16. “That’s how I started, just doing names for (friends) and their mom’s names and initials.”

After four years of doing airbrush art at weekend swap meets and homemade tattoos for friends on the side — and discovering fairs like Bite of Seattle, Bumbershoot, Hempfest and Portland’s Cinco de Mayo celebration — the brothers had amassed enough capital to open a studio.

“When we first moved out to the Northwest, there wasn’t a lot of art put out with our perspective or flavor,” said Alex. “We’re from the Southwest, and when we came in there were a lot of people who wanted art but they weren’t getting it. That’s one of the places where we come in and really shine, because we have a very unique style.”

Smiley, the studio’s resident tattoo expert, is a master of the more urban black-and-gray tattoo style, but is also a talented tribal and color artist. About 80 percent of the art done at Dzul is original, and while the brothers have “flash” designs premade — reusable and template art — they’ve found that people are more interested in art that speaks directly to them, and that both parties are often more excited to do unique work.

While the Dzuls cater to their culture, only 30 percent to 40 percent of their clientele is Hispanic. Instead, they draw on the many ethnic and age demographics that tattoo culture has infiltrated, as well as their clients from places as far away as Everett and Vancouver, B.C., who travel specifically to visit the White Center studio.

“A lot of people who speak Spanish feel good to be understood, but the population in Seattle is not heavily Hispanic,” said Alex. “We’re really pretty diverse when it comes to who walks through our doors. “

The siblings, all Queen Anne residents, are currently looking to either move or expand to a location somewhere closer to the center of Seattle. One of their main reasons for originally choosing the shop’s location was its affordability for young artist-entrepreneurs.

In addition to massive updates to the studio’s Web site — including an education-focused FAQ section — within the next year, Dzul also plans to launch a clothing line and sponsor an art exhibition with a Day of the Dead theme featuring original art, tattooing and photography.

“People come through, they get their work, it’s original,” said Alex. “They have a perspective and we just help them to make it look good. I thought it would be good to do portraits of them and their tattoos to tell their stories.”

In the words of Alex, who studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Seattle, artists always need a community of other people who share their passion. And, luckily for these four siblings, that artistic community is also blood.

“If there’s anyone you can trust the most,” Smiley said, “it’s your family.”

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(NICK FELDMAN is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)

Reminder of two events we mentioned here earlier: Saturday night, it’s the artist reception at Dubsea Coffee (full story here), 7-9 pm, and then you can move over to Full Tilt Ice Cream for the Steel Tigers of Death performance.

Greenbridge’s new Dubsea Coffee has announced its second art show, with a reception for artist Kelda Martensen coming up January 16th.

From White Center for the Arts — First: Rat City Rummage will be at Big Al Brewing from 2 PM until 6 PM, with 12 arts/crafts vendors:

Then it’s the White Center Art Walk, 6-9 pm, including these venues and artists:

The Salvadorean Bakery: Photography Students of New Start High!
1719 Southwest Roxbury Street

Café Rozella: Fabulous Artist!!
9434 Delridge Way SW

Full Tilt Ice Cream: Youth in Focus “Fear: Advanced Digital Summer 2009”
Music by Damien Jurado!!
9629 16th Ave S Seattle

Proletariat Pizza: Alexander King – photography
9622 16th Ave SW

Big Al Brewing: Photography Students of New Start High School!
Music by Ryan Burns and Crew!!
9832 14th Ave. SW

Dubsea Coffee: Joerael Elliot –
“Fractured Parables” 9910 8th Ave SW

(Also at Dubsea)

{ Hi Touch Art Show } JOERAEL ELLIOTT / Saturday Dec.19.2009. 7:00-9:00 pm

SPOKEN WORD & OPEN MIC
by Youngstown Cultural Arts Center youth with Amos Miller
DJ MURDOC will be laying down the beats!

Shelli Park sends word that the White Center for the Arts meeting’s been changed to December 16, still at 7 pm at Dubsea Coffee, and invites those with interests in culture and history to join, as well as those with interest in art.

We caught up with Rat City Rags during the West Seattle Art Walk in September, when their work was featured at Ventana Construction. Tonight, you can see, buy, mingle and drink during RCR’s first holiday party, happening 5-10 pm at Big Al Brewing!

From Shelli Park at White Center for the Arts:

White Center for the Arts is looking for artists of all media for the White Center Art Walk. We are scheduling for the next year, and would like to get as many White Center artists involved, and exhibiting/performing, as possible. Also, in the more fine weather, outdoor performances will be an option. Please contact me with your interest and pass this along to other artists.

We still need artists for the December Art Walk!!!!! Any takers?

Also, Dubsea Coffee will be the site of our next Community Artist meeting, which is open to artists of all medium, experience and age in the Greater White Center area, and to anyone interested in cultivating the arts here in White Center.

The last meeting was enlightening and productive. There is a great community of arts supporters here. When we come together, we support the work that is vital to a healthy community.

The goal is to break down the barriers that create a feeling of isolation within the community.

What, as an artist, do you need from the community in order to further your creative goals?

What, as a member of the community, can you give, no matter how small?

What would you like to see in White Center that would help you feel validated as an artist, or part of a healthy, diverse community?

Too much to think about? We also just want to have a good time talking and laughing! Come see what’s up in White Center…

Thursday, December 10th, 7:00 PM
Dubsea Coffee
9910 8th Ave SW

We previewed it recently here – tonight, it’s happening. 6-9 pm. Have a blast!

Next Saturday night, it’s the Third Saturday Art Walk for White Center for the Arts – the official poster’s just out with the lineup.

7 pm Thursday, Full Tilt Ice Cream, be there. From the invitation published on the WCFTA website:

Who is invited? Artists who live in and those who love the GREATER White Center Area/ Unincorporated King County, and a little bit outside that line. That means ALL artists. Music, dance, film, theatre, visual, 3-D, photography, written, mixed-media, young, old, in-between, student, emerging, established, etc.

What is this about? This is about creating your opportunities. What do you want/need from your community in order to further your work/goals? What can you give to your community to help strengthen it? White Center for the Arts is opening the line of communication. This is not a formal, stuffy meeting, but the first meeting of many where your voice can be heard, new alliances can be created, and we can figure out how to best accommodate you, the artist, in our own neighborhood.

Got a note from local writer Brian Barr. He lives in White Center, just two blocks away from the former home of local poet legend Richard Hugo. While there’s the Hugo House in another part of the area, in White Center, Barr was sad to discover, there’s little evidence of his existence. Read what he wrote on his own website, and see if you’d like to join his quest to change that.

Just published on White Center for the Arts’ Facebook page – who/what you’ll see during next Saturday’s Art Walk, 5-9 pm October 17th: At Salvadorean Bakery, photography by Raina Anderson; at Cafe Rozella, paintings by Robert Houk, Jr.; at Proletariat Pizza, mixed media by Amanda Helmick; at D’Zul, tattoo and airbrush urban art; at Full Tilt Ice Cream, Onion Carillo and Jodi Luna Robinson; at Big Al Brewing all month, photography by Julio Castro.

White Center for the Arts has announced it’s set the date for its next Third Saturday Art Walk – October 17, 5-9 pm, more details to come. WCFTA is on Twitter, too – @WCFTA.

Chris Stevens Surf Monkeys

Rock Cafe Rozella

Saturday October 10th

7pm-10pm

Admission is FREE

That’s a photo from “Psycho Beach Party,” in its first weekend at Burien Little Theatre. The folks at BLT e-mailed WCN to say that since part of North Highline is becoming part of Burien, they thought it a good idea to start expanding their horizons. So here’s their invitation to you to come see what their website calls “‘Gidget’ meets ‘The Three Faces of Eve’ …” Find out more here; there are shows tonight and tomorrow afternoon ($7 matinee!), and the run continues weekends through November 1st.

Head on over to Cafe Rozella for some beautiful music.  Correo Aereo rarely plays and this is an opportunity to hear some excellent Latin American music. 

From White Center for the Arts:

Join us for our August Third Saturday Art Event!!!
Prepare to be surprised and amazed at the wealth of art to be had in White Center.

We will host music, sculpture, drawing, painting, film, and an interesting installation.

Saturday, August 15, 2009
5:00 PM until 10:00 PM
9639 16th Ave SW.
(Don’t try the 17th St. entrance. It will be locked.)

Support your local artists, and the community of White Center!

Damien and his brother Drake have a new band Hoquiam, and they are playing at 8pm at Full Tilt.