PORT TOWNSEND — A variety of artwork will be on view during the First Saturday Art Walk this weekend in Port Townsend.
The monthly event will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, mostly in the downtown area.
Among the galleries that will stay open late are Gallery-9, the Port Townsend Gallery and the Jeanette Best Gallery.
• Gallery-9, 1012 Water St., will feature oil paintings and cloisonné jewelry by Linda Lundell and hand-felted hats and eco-print silk scarves by April Bederman from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Linda Lundell earned a bachelor’s of fine art degree from California State University at Long Beach and a master’s in fine art from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, R.I.
Lundell has developed a unique impressionistic style of realistic oil paintings in which they look real from a distance, but up close, the viewer can get lost in abstract dabs of color.
“I have been focused on water for the past several years. Most specifically on Lake Crescent,” Lundell said. “After all these years of painting the Olympic Rainforest in Washington, I am more alarmed than ever about pollution and climate change. To me, there is nothing more important than a clean life-giving environment.”
Lundell also creates cloisonné jewelry pieces, capturing miniature replicas of hummingbirds, irises and other sacred symbols of nature. Her process uses colored enamels in finely powered glazes with several firings followed by polishing each piece to a high gloss.
Bederman is a fiber artist interested in functional art who was introduced to felt while working summers in Alaska. She makes hats from extra-fine merino wool with silk embellishments and a blend of carefully selected colors.
Felting, although simple, is a time-consuming process that involves applying layers of carded wool to a form or pattern, establishing the color and design sequence, then adding water, soap, agitation and, most importantly, elbow grease to shape the final product.
Bederman began eco-printing silk scarves while living in Austin, Texas. Her eco-printed scarves have the impressions of leaves from the forest floor and are comfortable in all seasons, both cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
The artwork of Lundell and Bederman will remain on exhibit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily throughout December.
For more information, visit www.gallery-9.com.
• The Jeanette Best Gallery, 701 Water St., will host multidisciplinary artist and musician Leila Block from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Block, an alumna of Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend, Voice Works and Acoustic Blues festivals, will sing and play guitar surrounded by the “Small Expressions” gallery exhibition.
The exhibit, which will feature an array of more than 100 works by local artists, is continually changing as new pieces are added.
“Small Expressions” will be on display from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays until Jan. 5.
For more information, visit www.northwindart.org.
• The Port Townsend Gallery, 715 Water St., will host a reception for jewelry artists Addy Thorton, Martha Collins, Beverly Saito, Andrea Guarino-Slemmons and Kristen Wade from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Thorton has integrated glass into her jewelry designs, utilizing dichroic glass in pendants and earrings to evoke a sense of landscape. She fabricates metal elements to complement and enhance the visual impact of the glass.
At present, Thorton is focused is on crafting rings, carefully filing and shaping the stone’s bezel to match the ring’s contour.
Collins crafts bracelets, pendants, necklaces and earrings from sustainably harvested exotic and domestic hardwoods along with hand-dyed maple veneer. Her bangle bracelets vary in size and can feature anywhere from 26 up to 1,000 individual wood segments.
Saito creates necklaces with traditional beadwork techniques that are enhanced by both antique and modern centerpiece elements.
Wade will show a range of gemstone solitaire pendants and earrings as well as silver and gemstone pieces from her Celtic Knotwork and Botanical Prints collections.
Guarino-Slemmons will present a collection of earrings and necklaces crafted with beach glass and stones, gathered from the region’s coastlines. She matches stones and glass by size to create visually appealing earrings that highlight the distinctive qualities of the natural environment.
The jewelry will be on exhibit at the Port Townsend Gallery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily throughout December.
For more information, call 360-379-8110 or visit www.porttownsendgallery.com.
