PORT TOWNSEND — Fort Worden will exhibit the work of multiple artists through September, part of an exhibit called Art in Gathering Places.
Since May 2016, Fort Worden has been exhibiting regional, emerging artists in this series.
The program started with exhibits in Taps at the Guardhouse, a former military jail turned pub, and has since expanded to include Reveille at the Commons, a café by day and restaurant by night. Exhibits are available for viewing seven days a week, during regular business hours.
Local artist Jesse Joshua Watson’s abstract acrylics are on display at Taps at the Guardhouse; Kate Flores’ contemporary oils are on display at Reveille at the Commons, now through September.
Artist receptions are planned Wednesday.
Flores’ will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Reveille, Building 210 at Fort Worden.
Watson’s will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Taps, Building 300.
The artists
Flores’ life changed at the age of 10, when a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago introduced her to Claude Monet’s larger-than-life paintings of waterlilies.
“I could not have articulated it then but it was the thrill of discovering a world I didn’t know existed,” she said. “I’d never seen paintings at that scale or fathomed that a person could devote their lives to art.”
That day, she decided to become a painter.
Flores spent time as an artist, educator and graphic designer for 20 years before relocating to the Pacific Northwest to devote herself full-time to studio practice.
Her work is held in public and private collections, and she was represented by Monika Gabriel Fine Art in Sonoma, Calif.
For Watson, painting is a lifelong pursuit.
His work has been exhibited up and down the West Coast as well as in New York City.
Watson has illustrated more than 30 children’s books and is currently working on a follow-up to “Ghetto Cowboy,” which is now being made into a motion picture.
“For years I have been painting land and seascapes of the Pacific Northwest but with these paintings I have jolted my normal process with the inclusion of mirrored imagery,” Watson said.
In addition to painting and exhibiting fine art, illustrating books for youth and raising his own kids, Watson plays soccer religiously, music frequently, and surfs the chilly waters of the Pacific Northwest as often as he can.
Watson lives in Port Townsend with his wife and sons.
Artists based in Jefferson County interested in exhibiting at Fort Worden are encouraged to contact Megan Claflin at mclaflin@fortworden.org.
Jesse Joshua Watson’s abstract acrylics are on display at Taps at the Guardhouse.
