PORT TOWNSEND — Enjoy the closing out of the summer season by taking a stroll, viewing original art and greeting the artists who created it Saturday during the Port Townsend Gallery Walk.
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.
Here’s a sampling of events:
• Gallery 9, 1012 Water St., during gallery walk will feature works by artists Michael Hale and Michael Kenney, who both will be on hand to greet the public and discuss their art.
The exhibit, titled The Two Michaels, features jewelry and acrylic paintings.
Kenney is a jeweler whose designs celebrate 44 years of passionate immersion in the discipline, according to a news release.
Kenney cuts his own stones using diamond lapidary tools, seeking to bring out the natural beauty within each stone, he said.
He said he treats each stone as the beginning of an outward flow, designing in precious metal and a presentation to delight and compliment the wearer.
Kenney said he views his jewelry as his art and the wearer as his gallery.
Hale, who has lived and painted in Port Townsend for 17 years, will be displaying two new large acrylics on canvas, as well as two to three smaller pieces all related to boats, according to the release.
This is in celebration of the 40th annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival which will be from Sept. 9 through 11.
Hale created this year’s Wooden Boat Festival poster which will also be on display at the gallery, according to the release.
For more, visit www. gallery-9.com or call 360-379-8881.
• The Jefferson Museum of Art &History, 540 Water St., during Gallery Walk will feature an exhibition of contemporary Native American art titled Persistent Vision: Northwest Native Art.
This will be the last chance to view the exhibit before it closes, according to a news release.
The exhibition features the works of Joe Ives Sr., Jimmy Price, Marvin Oliver, Isleta Pueblo, Bill Martin Jr., Cathy MacGregor and Dusty Humphries.
Artwork is complemented by historical pieces from the Jefferson County Historical Society collection including intricate baskets, carvings and tools ranging from 100 to 4,000 years old.
For more information, visit www.jchsmuseum.org.
• The Port Townsend Gallery, 715 Water St., this month will feature painter Mike Biskup and photographer Mitchel Osborne.
During Saturday’s Gallery Walk, both artists will be on hand to greet the public and discuss their works at the gallery.
Biskup is a contemporary watercolor painter of imaginary landscapes and abstractions, according to a news release.
His paintings can be found in the collection of Oscar winning actress Patricia Arquette. He currently shows at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts on Bainbridge Island and The Port Townsend Gallery.
He also is curating and participating in an international exhibition at Northwind Arts Center in April that explores how artists use social media to inspire each other daily around the world in a way that was previously unimaginable.
Osborne has been a contributor of photography to international travel guides, travel magazines, books and major editorial publications, according to the release.
The majority of his career was in New Orleans before moving to Port Townsend in 2006.
Living in Port Townsend, Osborne said he began photographing local maritime subjects and “discovered a new appeal in the beauty, craftsmanship and preservation of the boats in this historical setting.”
Featured in this show is a select series based on water reflections that explore the fusion of colors, water and boat details, according to the release.
Mitchel said his photography displays the “marvel of hand crafted boats from the whimsical to schooners to the majestic Tall Ships.”
More information
For more information, call 360-379-8110 or visit www.porttownsendgallery.com.
