The large black-and-white panels in Ryan Molenkamps latest show are grouped under the somewhat ironic name of Flood, since theres no water at all in these desiccated landscapes. The parched aerial vistas are unearthly, in a sense, a reminder what our planet would be like with every molecule of water boiled out of it. Cracked mud curls into hardened tiles; instead of being surfaced with greenery, the land is covered in crust and scab. Trained at Western Washington University, Molencamp is a Northwest mossback who appreciates where wed be without our rainforests and tree canopies. In a sense, hes eliminated all the life from our terrain by removing its one key component: water. You could say these new acrylic and graphite works belong to the genre of catastrophe art, like The World Without Us or The Omega Man. Stare at them long enough, and you begin to feel thirsty. BRIAN MILLER
Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dec. 12-17, 12-1 p.m. Starts: Dec. 3. Continues through Dec. 30, 2010
