Ari Glass Unveils New Installation at Pacific Tower

It’s been eight months since we last checked in with Ari Glass, one of the 10 artists included in the 2017 installment of City Arts’ annual Future List. Back then, we called him a “spiritual painter.” Since then, Glass was commissioned to create an installation at the North Tower entrance of Pacific Tower, the massive Art Deco building at the top of Beacon Hill that once housed Amazon's headquarters and originally opened as a Marine Hospital. The building's restored lobby features artwork by painter, muralist and Northwest Mystic Kenneth Callahan that focuses on seamen and their lives; now Glass' new work, supported by the C. Keith Birkenfeld Memorial Trust, will reflect the diverse community of nonprofits and cultures that are present in the Tower today. The piece took Glass four months to complete and, in typical fashion, he’s keeping it under wraps until its unveiling tomorrow.

Pulling up to Glass’ Mt. Baker studio, I’m met with a huge double-exposure mural, pictured below, put together by Glass and collaborator Craig Cundiff. Cundiff typically laces pink and magenta hues in his work while Glass’s signature blue, red and gold set off the background of the piece, crescendoing into a beautiful union... Read more

Ari Glass unveils golden vision of South Seattle at Pacific Tower

“When it comes to creating a better world I feel like artists are the ones that are going to be in the forefront,” said painter Ari Glass as sun streamed in through the bay windows of Compadre Café on the first level of Artspace Mt. Baker Lofts.

Glass — blinged out in prayer beads and a tiny golden Buddha in a clear teardrop-shaped bead that hung from his neck — greeted me with a hug, though we had never met. I was there to learn more about the new paintings he’ll be unveiling at the Pacific Towers on Thursday, but our conversation quickly veered towards deeper waters.

“A lot of my first show was about migrations,” said Glass. “How did people get to different parts of the world? What’s the unity behind it all? That’s what I’m searching to find behind the artwork, behind the creative process.”... Read more