A stunning house gallery of Northwest art dwells behind the gray Phinney Ridge wall.

by Contributor

The Experience
Artists from the University of Washington gravitate to Francine Seders Gallery--Northwest style, like salmon swimming upstream. Seders' adept eye knows a good thing when she sees it, starting with icon Jacob Lawrence's poignant paintings of survival--such as the Harriet Tubman series. From the semi-abstract graphic-style works of Michael Spafford and the fully-abstract paintings of Robert Jones, this art collection exudes skill and maturity. Locals flock to this non-tourist gallery to view the works of serious, mature artists, and to peek at young ones whose work sells at introductory bargain prices. Some artwork even overflows to the bathrooms. Poucette, Seders' friendly resident feline, acts as the unofficial hostess and librarian.

In the Know
Far from Pioneer Square's First Thursday traffic jam openings, Seders holds court on Sundays, when most other galleries close.

The Crowd
Very serious art collectors, but first-timers are not turned away.