A light box piece created by Northwest artist Paul Marioni in 1981, and previously shown only once, upon its completion. It offers a glimpse, both humorous and ominous, of a possible future. Yet because the nature of the threat it represents remains unclear, it allows a sensation of foreboding to transcend time, so that the work remains as poignant today as at the moment it was first seen.

In a barren wasteland of snake-filled holes that stretches across the full range of the desolate landscape, and under a glowing, magmatic sky, The Premonition relegates the human presence to the darkness of a shack. A solitary pitchfork rests outside the window, and the shadow it casts doubles the feeling of helplessness and uselessness of the tool as last resort against an unnamed menace. The piece is pregnant with a sense of impending catastrophe, and we are left to wonder whether it may be an environmental calamity affecting the planet or an ethical disaster of the soul.

The exhibition features several other works created between 1981, when The Premonition was made, and 2007. Among these are Bagman Blues, 1987; Hiroshima, 1988; Whistling Vase, 2000; Looking Back, 2001; and The Kiss, 2006. Each piece was selected as a token representing the multifaceted and experimental creativity Marioni’s work has achieved over a span of three decades.

This exhibition was organized by Bellevue Arts Museum and is on view in the Pilchuck Glass School Gallery.