PORT TOWNSEND — Fiber Fusion, tin can art, weaving, local quilts and and oils of huge blossoms are among the attractions of the Port Townsend Gallery Walk on Saturday.
During the free event, which occurs the first Saturday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., art galleries and venues in the downtown waterfront district show off the work of local artists while encouraging participants to explore the many nooks and crannies of the town’s historic center.
• Northwind Arts Center at 701 Water St. will host an opening reception for Fiber Fusion from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
The traveling exhibit opened at the center Thursday and will close Feb. 26. An art talk is planned Feb. 12.
The juried exhibit showcases the variety of art in Washington state that deals with surface design, which refers to any process that gives structure, pattern or color to fiber, according to http://sdafiberfusionshow.org.
Fibers used could include handmade felt, paper, fabric, clothing or basket-making materials, among others.
To these, surface designers dye, paint, print, stitch, bead and otherwise enhance or embellish. More than the methods, surface designers are interested in the unlimited options for experimenting with color, texture and design.
For more information, see northwindarts.org/news.
• Port Townsend Gallery, 715 Water St., will feature tin can art, temari and weaving in the month of February, with an artists reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Loran Scruggs has been making works out of tin cans since 1991, the first piece being a 3-D dragon head. Her plaques started after 2002. They are playful 2-D flat pieces created by cutting and nailing tin to wood.
Rebekah Cadorette and Ann Norton bring a fascination for color and a love of texture to their garments and scarves. The ponchos, ruanas and shawls are ideal for the Northwest’s temperate weather.
Norton hand-spins and dyes her fibers, making each of her shawls one-of-a-kind.
Cadorette has spent the past three years exploring the Japanese folk art of temari. Each ornament is a fusion of color and design, wrapped in complicated and eye-catching patterns.
Cadorette and Norton have been weaving as a team for over 10 years.
The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
For more information, phone 360-379-8110 or see www.porttownsendgallery.com.
• The Jefferson Museum of Art & History at 540 Water St. will feature two displays during the Gallery Walk from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
In the Court Room Gallery is “Quilting Memories,” featuring 26 quilts and the stories of the women who created them. Most are on loan from community members, while a few are from the Jefferson County Historical Society collection. The oldest quilt dates to the American Civil War.
Also on display is “The Printed Word in Port Townsend: Literary Presses of the 1970s and ’80s” in the newly created Women’s Jail Cell Gallery.
The exhibit features beautiful examples of the seven literary presses that once operated in Port Townsend, one press for every 850 residents.
For more information, see www.jchsmuseum.org.
• Gallery 9, 1012 Water St., is featuring the floral paintings of Douglas Selley Byrd during the month of February.
Byrd will discuss his work from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Byrd works in oils, his impressionistic style inspired by Monet, Van Gogh and Seurat. This month, his work focuses on flowers, with blossoms and blooms in larger-than-life scale.
A native of the Olympic Peninsula, Byrd returned to Port Townsend six years ago after spending nearly 10 years in Costa Rica painting landscapes. The influence of that tropical environment is visible in a new piece, “Wedding Bells.”
For more information, see www.gallery-9.com or call 360-379-8881.
• Red Dragonfly, 211 Taylor St., Suite B-2, is kicking off the traditional month of Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras and the birthday of the first president of the USA, George Washington, with an inaugural GOT heART WALK Day.
The gallery will offer Underground Cupcakes and hot cider from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Alchemy Stones will sponsor this fundraiser for The White Light Express, assisting in the campaign for the worldwide healing organization to become a fully recognized and registered nonprofit foundation.
A portion of every sale of Alchemy Stones for the month of February will go toward the goal.
Alchemy Stones has several surprises and new “heart-inspired” work to sell through the month of February and beyond.
The White Light Express is a global network of metaphysicians and “grid” keepers who gather virtually each month to focus positive intentions for all who ask to be in the “center of the circle.”
It’s facilitated by the Rev. Sarah Nash, who is also the co-owner of the Red Dragonfly gallery.
For more information, contact gallery proprietors Nash or Peter Messerschmidt at 360-385-1493 or see redravengallery.storenvy.com.
Shawls by Rebekah Cadorette are featured at the Port Townsend Gallery.
Ann Norton’s ornaments created with the Japanese folk art of temari are on view at the Port Townsend Gallery.
Loran Scruggs’ tin can art will be on display at the Port Townsend Gallery.
Alchemy stones will be offered at Red Dragonfly in Port Townsend this month.
