I once heard someone describe Spokane, WA as the ugly duckling of the Pacific Northwest. Upon first glance, the Lilac City seems exactly that — unsightly, kind of grungy, maybe a little gross at times. With further investigation, you come to understand that Spokane is in constant flux between the picturesque and the unseemly. In a single evening, for example, you might experience a taste of the sublime watching the sunset over the Monroe St. Bridge and on the way home spot an abandoned toilet on the curb of the neighbor’s yard.

 

Landmark Locals is an homage to the city that has been my host these last few years. It’s also a depiction of some of the grungy sights that have endeared Spokane to me. Once you live here long enough, you learn to spend time seeking out the hidden gems of the city, discovering layer by layer the wonderful things that lay buried beneath the surface. 

 

I’ve often thought of cut paper relief as a medium that reflects my own thinking. Much like my evolving affection for Spokane, each cut paper piece is built with painstaking detail, becoming increasingly comprehensive, intricate, imperfect and complex with every additional layer. Even if Spokane truly is this region’s ugly duckling, I have had the great pleasure of watching it become something greater: my home.

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Photo by Toshi Shimizu