polarity by Sandra M. Farmer

Our incredibly talented stylist, Siddal (Sandra M. Farmer) will be debuting her brand new mixed media collection, Polarity at our West Seattle VAIN location on Thursday, December 10th from from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m for West Seattle's December Art Walk. Check out our exclusive interview with Siddal below for more information about her work, and make sure to stop by the opening reception!

Sandra M. Farmer earned her BFA in Crafts with a focus in Ceramics and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Pre-Art Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2002. Farmer focuses on figurative ceramics and mixed media and has been teaching ceramics and art for the past 10 years at various studios and institutions including the Children’s Museum of Richmond in Virginia, and The Seattle Art Museum, The Children’s Museum in Seattle, Pottery Northwest, Kirkland Arts Center, Moisher Arts Center, North Seattle Community College and Redmond Clay Studio in Washington. She's been a licensed stylist and with us at VAIN Beauty World since 2012.

You've been working with mixed media and sculpture for a long while; is that your preferred medium? Will polarity include mostly sculpture and clay works, or are you exploring other mediums?

"Yes, I've been working with clay for almost 20 years! Clay is my chosen medium because of its dimensional honesty and tactile immediacy. I use mainly a coil/slab technique creating strength while allowing the figure to emerge accordingly. This show is all ceramic sculpture with some mixed media elements. Clay is definitely my favorite medium, but I have often added other materials like found objects, metal, glass, etc. depending on the piece. Sometimes I find something that speaks to me and build a piece around that, other times I need to search for that special something that will complete the piece."

What inspired this collection? Any themes we should be aware of? Do you have a general artist statement?

"I've been thinking of the word polarity and what it means; how you can feel more than one way at a time, seeing both sides of an issue, and opposites and the threads that connect them. My work for polarity questions and explores the role of nurturer and investigates themes like fear, identity, and choice. Figures reveal their uncomfortable introspection, mostly unsure of their roles while reluctantly accepting associated burdens. I use the figure for immediate recognition and to allow the viewer easier access. My goal is always to connect to the viewer and get a response."

Tell us a little bit about your pieces. Which ones were your favorite to create? How many pieces are you including in the show?

"I made nine hand-sized pieces I've just been calling "the girls;" those were fun and much smaller in size than I normally work with. Parts of those were made with a mold but each piece is very distinctive. There are also three almost life sized heads- "contradiction ," "separation," and "antithesis," a conversation piece called "antagonism," a larger piece called "the gift" and a piece that includes three smaller busts called "The Moirai."

To read more about Siddal at VAIN, check out her profile here and RSVP to polarity on Facebook! 

Junction Shopping Event @ VAIN West Seattle !

Stop in to VAIN West Seattle on Saturday, December 5th for a Junction shopping event to celebrate Hometown Holidays! From 4 p.m.-8 p.m. enjoy 10 percent off store-wide purchases (not to be combined with any other sales offer). And when you spend over $25, you'll receive a free gift from some of our favorite brands like Moroccan Oil, Dermalogica, and Demeter fragrances and soaps.

Saturday commences the 12th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony beginning at 5 p.m. in the Junction Plaza Park on 42nd and Alaska. Keep in mind that Alaska will be closed for the ceremony, however there will be cocoa and cookies provided by Whole Foods for you to enjoy! For more information about Hometown Holidays and a complete list of events, check them out online, and stay tuned for more holiday events with your friends at VAIN! 

Shop Late Tonight @ VAIN West Seattle!

VAIN West Seattle will be open until 9 p.m. (instead of our usual 8 p.m. closing time) tonight for Shop Late Thursdays during West Seattle's Hometown Holidays celebration! Stop by and check out the boutique for great gifts, or while you're in, set up your next appointment with the front desk. Happy shopping!

VAIN @ The Annual EMP Fashionably Undead Prom!

EMP cordially invites you to the Fashionably Undead Prom -- an evening of nightmarish ‘90s fun. Grab your scrunchies and don your best babydoll dress, or dress down with acid-washed jeans and flannel for the biggest bash of the year.

Get an Undead Prom Makeover from VAIN, hit the photo booth with your crush, enjoy twisted drink specials, groove with MC Troy Nelson (KEXP, The Young Evils), and enjoy the ultimate '90s dance party from DJ Severed Hans, Lance Romance, and SuspirLeah. Plus you get a Fashionably Undead Yearbook souvenir to take home!

Dress to impress for your chance at killer prizes in our costume contests and come find out who’ll be crowned this year’s terrifying Prom King and Queen...

Do prom right this time -- come dance the night away until you feel as dead as everyone else in the room!

Tickets include admission to Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film.

Date and Time:
October 17, 2015
9:00pm-1:00am

Venue:
EMP Museum
Sky Church

Ticket Info
$25 ($18 EMP members)
21+

Find out more on the Fashionably Undead Prom FB page

VAIN @ GeekGirlCon

Attention Lady Geeks
of VAIN Beauty World!

Join us Sunday, October 11th at The Conference Center (8th & Pike downtown) for GeekGirlCon, celebrating women in science, tech, comics, arts, literature and gaming!

VAIN stylists will be near the photo booth from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. providing free guerrilla hair and makeup services for fellow geeks attending the conference, so don't miss out.

VAIN is incredibly excited for this opportunity to support female geeks! Women are not often represented well in traditionally geek-friendly industries. By providing a safe space for women involved in geek culture and industry, GeekGirlCon fosters an inclusive community for female geeks to get connected. 

For tickets and more information about GeekGirlCon, visit their website.

Books at VAIN: California Four O'Clock

Photo by: Alessandra Gordon

Author, designer, and Seattle Review of Books co-founder Martin McClellan just published his first novel California Four O'Clock and you can pick up a copy at VAIN downtown! 

Martin is a longtime friend of VAIN (he rents one of our artist studios and sees Dylan for his haircuts) so we were delighted to be the first to feature his brand new book.

Martin describes California Four O'Clock as "a stylish, gripping family drama set in mid-century Los Angeles. It’s about painting vs. photography, queer identity in a time of great repression, California’s car obsession, and that big bang moment of culture being forged by a shutter click. It’s about daughters and fathers, daughters and mothers, lovers and partners, and what it’s like to fight the ghost of a self you haven’t yet outgrown." 

Martin is throwing a book release party Wednesday, October 7th at 8:30 p.m. at Mercer Street Books in Lower Queen Anne, where he'll do a short reading as well as an interview by Seattle Review of Books co-founder Paul Constant (RSVP).

Copies of California Four O’Clock will be available for purchase at the party, at the Elliott Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill, and through Martin's Kickstarter website. Please send media inquiries and other questions to Martin at martin@martinmcclellan.com.

Seattle Made!

Seattle Made Week at VAIN was a great success, and we have you to thank! We had a great time at our Meet the Maker events featuring JMCCORMICK Designs in Ballard, Coventry by Siddal downtown and Dolcetta Artisan Sweets in West Seattle. If you missed our Meet the Maker events, visit the artists online, and for more Coventry by Siddal designs, stop into our boutique at all three VAIN locations. Thank you for supporting VAIN and other local artists and businesses by shopping local, and thank you Seattle Made for providing an opportunity to celebrate our community and economy!

Seattle Made Saturday: Dolcetta Artisan Sweets at VAIN West Seattle

Join us at VAIN West Seattle on Sunday, September 27th from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. for a Meet the Maker event featuring Andrea Terrenzio of Dolcetta Artisan Sweets!

Stop by and enjoy Seattle-made bonbons, caramels, truffles and chocolate bars. Click here to RSVP! 

VAIN West Seattle is located at 4513 California Ave SW.

Seattle Made Friday: Coventry By Siddal at VAIN Downtown

Superstar stylist and dread master Siddal will be at VAIN Downtown on Friday, September 25th from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. for our very own in-house Meet the Maker event!

Before becoming a stylist, Siddal studied ceramics and art therapy, spending much of her free time creating beautiful sculptures and handmade pieces from a variety of materials. Today, she teaches at the Seattle Art Museum and the Kirkland Arts Center and works on her own jewelry line, Coventry by Siddal, at her studio in Fremont.  

Don't miss this opportunity to check out Siddal's work and talk with her about supporting local art. 

Coventry By Siddal is available at VAIN Downtown and VAIN West Seattle.

Seattle Made Week at VAIN!

We're celebrating Seattle Made Week at all three of our VAIN locations and we couldn't be more excited! 

Seattle Made Week highlights the local makers and do'ers within our community and runs Saturday, September 19th to Saturday, September 26th, so be on the lookout for pop-up shops, Meet the Maker Events, and local goods and services in your favorite Seattle neighborhoods.

By supporting Seattle Made Week, you're also supporting a diverse local ecosystem of manufacturers and producers who strengthen our economy, employ Seattle residents, and help make the Seattle community unique. For more on Seattle Made events this week and beyond, check out the Seattle Made Calendar.

VAIN Maker Spotlight:

Belinda The Bold 

Our master waxer and makeup extraordinaire, Belinda is not only an incredibly talented esthetician (brows beware! #belindabrows) -- she is also super creative. Stop into VAIN Downtown or VAIN West Seattle to see Belinda's lovely hand-crafted collection of banners and cake toppers that are sure to please any and all partygoers. Check out Belinda The Bold on Etsy and Instagram for more from your favorite sassy lady at VAIN!

Coventry By Siddal

Superstar stylist and dread master Siddal will be at VAIN Downtown Friday, September 25th from 5 p.m.- 8p.m. for our very own, in-house Meet the Maker event. When she's not at VAIN, Siddal teaches at the Seattle Art Museum and the Kirkland Arts Center and makes pieces for her jewelry line Coventry by Siddal, which is for sale at our Downtown and West Seattle boutiques. Stop in, check out Siddal's work, and talk with her about supporting local art.

How-To Hair Girl

Our beloved DIY product mogul, hair tutorial expert, Free Your Pits Co-Founder, and all around badass stylist Roxie Hunt will feature her handmade ShamPhree & Free Your Hair products from How-To Hair Girl at all three VAIN locations during Seattle Made Week. Come check out the best in handmade natural hair care products, and follow Roxie on Instagram for product details and styling ideas.

 

Local Maker Spotlight:

In addition to featuring VAIN stylists and staff members during Seattle Made Week, we're also teaming up with local businesses and artisans to feature handmade products from our community.

On Wednesday, September 23rd from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m., stop by VAIN Ballard for our Meet the Maker Event featuring Julie McCormick from JMCCORMICK Designs.

On Sunday, September 27th from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., check out our VAIN West Seattle Meet the Maker Event featuring Andrea Terrenzio of Dolcetta Chocolates.

Other Seattle-made goods featured at VAIN during Seattle Made Week include:

+Estrella Soap Company

+Theo Chocolates 

+Wild Things Skinny Dipped Almonds

Contests & Prizes:

This week, Seattle Made Week and Seattle Good Business are hosting an Instagram hashtag contest and VAIN is joining the fun. 

Post a photo of a locally made product at your favorite VAIN location on Instagram with the tag #seattlemadecontest and you'll have a chance to win some great prizes! For a second chance to win, add #vainbeautyworld and #vainseattlemade to your post.