Battery Street Gallery Sandwich Board
House Paint on Plywood Panel, 1994

PARRIS is the dean of Seattle street artists. His "primitive," linear designs appear everywhere in the city's funkier districts, particularly Belltown and Broadway, where it seems every other shop boasts a Parris sidewalk sandwich board such as this one for Robin Atlas's late lamented Battery Street Gallery, where Parris also decorated the floor with original designs in the same brown, yellow, and black pallette seen here. A self-taught painter, Parris has evolved a naive, yet deeply expressive style. Unfailingly observant and amusing, Parris's work is among Seattle's underground treasures. Watch our Gallery for a feature on Parris in coming months!