Toilet-seat art sits well with some

When it comes to bathroom décor, Seeley Springman's art brings a flush to some cheeks. Her custom toilet seats make people either laugh or gasp with embarrassment.

The Clyde Hill woman just wants to lighten the sometimes-taboo subject of visits to the restroom. After all, she says, everyone goes.

She starts with celebrity photographs, such as a curvy Marilyn Monroe in a long gown or John Wayne dressed in cowboy duds. Springman decorates the photos and seats with sequins, fake jewels, elegant gold writing or bright cartoonish words. The Wayne seat, for instance, says, "Aim high, pilgrim." Then she coats both sides with clear epoxy that stands up to repeated scrubbings and sanitation chemicals.

Bare-naked toilet seats look boring in comparison to her Ode to the Commode versions.

Springman, an airline-flight attendant, describes her unusual art as grown-up potty humor.

"Kids laugh at potty talk when they're young," she said. "We do it as adults, even though we pretend not to. How many euphemisms do we have for going to the bathroom? That's just adult potty talk."

Indeed, children probably won't connect some of the phrases with bathroom humor. But adults will certainly understand her gag lines.

Springman's fascination with toilet seats grew out of kitschy candles she created and sold at an art store in Denver. She pasted photos of Elvis or Jerry Garcia over pictures of Jesus or Mary on shrine candles and added glitzy fake baubles. She was surprised at how popular they became.

"I did it because Elvis is like a god to a lot of people," she said. "So is Jerry Garcia."

If people laughed over her Elvis shrine candles, Springman figured her take on toilet seats would be an even bigger hoot. She likes the variety of Elvis pictures — young, old, Hawaiian or in a military uniform. Most of her Elvis seats read "It's Now or Never" on one side and "Don't Be Cruel, Please Aim" on the other.

Friends who share her quirky sense of humor delighted in the offbeat gift opportunity. A demand for Marilyn Monroe, in particular, convinced Springman she was privy to a new art form.

When she and her husband sold a home in Denver, they had an elegant Marilyn Monroe seat in one bathroom and planned to replace it when the house sold.

The buyers insisted the toilet seat be left behind.

Since moving to the Eastside, Springman has slowly expanded her line in her spare time. Not that the mother of sons ages 5 and 7 has a lot of spare time.

She also helps keep her Clyde Hill neighborhood in good humor by decorating neighbors' yards for birthdays and planning community holiday celebrations, which have included a custom graveyard for Halloween. She also paints wall murals and hires out as a face painter for parties and special events. She has been on leave from United Airlines but plans to return to work later this year.

Until recently, Springman's Ode to the Commode projects were available only to friends and at local charity auctions. But requests have begun trickling in. An elegant, gold-trimmed Marilyn Monroe seat was recently added to the bathroom at an Eastside wine shop.

People who have seen her work at auctions track her down and request a specific icon for a friend. One favorite is Frank Sinatra, who tips his hat and proclaims, "I did it my way."

She acknowledges that some seats are tacky, but her creations have fetched as much as $450 at the charity auctions.

While celebrities are fair game for Springman, she refuses to take aim at politicians. With good reason. Her father-in-law is married to Metropolitan King County Councilwoman Jane Hague.

"I won't do ex-wives or ex-husbands, either," Springman said. "You want your toilet seat to be someone you enjoy seeing, because you're going to look at it every day."

Sherry Grindeland: 206-515-5633