SEQUIM — A reception for the artists who created “Out of the Forest,” a collection inspired by the forests of Olympic Peninsula, will be among the celebrations during the First Friday Art Walk from 5 to 8 tonight.
The exhibit by members of the Olympic Peaks Camera Club opened Tuesday at the new location of the Sequim Museum and Art Center, 544 N. Sequim Ave.
The artists’ reception tonight will include music performed by Al Harris, Ed Donohue and Elaine Gardner-Morales.
Harris, a music producer, is the piano player for the Dukes of Dabob, Chez Jazz (Sarah Shea) and Jessie Lee, and has played at Stymie’s, 7 Cedars, The Cellar Door, OTA and various other venues.
He’s currently the director of the Port Angeles Symphony’s Adventures in Music program.
Donohue (trumpet, flugelhorn) has toured with the jazz group “Abraxis” and also has performed with Clark Terry, Ethel Ennis, Mark Murphy, Phil Woods, Joe Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Bobby Shew and Shelly Manne.
He teaches band at several Port Angeles schools.
Gardner-Morales is the bass player for the Olympic Express big band and for the Dukes of Dabob. She’s also the Peninsula College director of the Jazz Vocal Ensemble classes.
The reception is part of Sequim’s monthly, self-guided tour of art venues.
The First Friday Art Walk always has a theme color. This month it is blue.
“The color blue relates to creativity, imagination, inventive inspiration, thoughtful research, and reliable community-minded achievement,” said organizer Renne Emiko Brock, in a press release.
“Like the sky, lofty and ambitious blue can be dreamy, peaceful and hopeful, yet it also is strong and honest full of productivity, responsibility and constructing alliances.”
Other attractions will be:
• Design2Scan3D, 207 W. Spruce St., will continue a local author series with Beverly Hoffman, who will read a chapter from her book, “Creating a Pause … Changing an Ordinary Moment to the Sacred.”
After the reading, Hoffman and Design2Scan3D owner Chris Kresa will create a ceramic art piece together in the studio.
• Pacific Pantry, 229 S. Sequim Ave., will feature area artist and teacher Catherine Mix in a one-woman show.
“I paint in watercolor, pastel, or oil paint to capture the fascinating patterns of light and shadow on a person or an object,” Mix said.
“Here on the North Olympic Peninsula, we are spoiled for choice with spectacular vistas of mountains, water, forests, fields, gardens and wildlife and I am always excited to paint these subjects.”
• Rainshadow Café, 157 W. Cedar St., will have live music with Ches Ferguson along with locally-roasted coffee, Northwest craft beer, wine, cheese platters and charcuterie plates.
• Blue Whole Gallery, 129 W. Washington St., will highlight “Autumn bloom” featuring gourd artist Debbie Cain and painter Sally Cays.
About her work, Cain said, “When I did my first gourd about 16 years ago, I was totally captivated and very excited to explore the possibilities on this new 3D canvas. I began with wood burning and then was introduced to carving. I use both techniques in most of my work today.”
Cays is frequently commissioned to do portraits of people and pets, many of which will be on display at the gallery. She is planning a workshop to teach “Portraits of Children” later this year.
• Pondicherri, 119 E. Washington St., will showcase fine art photographer Jan Kepley.
“I have been dabbling in the arts all my life, working in many directions: music, writing, painting, photography, recording and food creation,” Kepley said.
“Some of my photographic images are concept pieces begun like paintings with general decisions about what I want to say and what visual elements I want to use to say that. I go out and collect the elements photographically and from there an image grows and changes along the way.”
• Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave., will host live music with Peninsula newcomer Christopher Melgar starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Gathering Hall.
Skilled in classical guitar and violin, trumpet, vocal performance, piano, percussion and select folk instruments, Melgar’s main focus is classical guitar.
First Friday at OTA is always free to the public, where the snack and beverage bar will be open.
• Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St., is the venue for an open jam hosted by the city of Sequim and the City Arts Advisory Commission.
This is an informal gathering of people who like to make music, playing from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
All acoustic instruments are welcome as well as singers, keyboards, practice basses and other electronic instruments. Those looking to play certain songs are asked to bring multiple paper copies of songs or PDF files.
Inside the civic center, the last month of “The Beach” art exhibit continues. It features work by Lora Armstrong, Lynne Armstrong, Gary Bullock, Jane Burkey, Jeannine Chappell, Patrick D. Clark, Gdane Curposney, Melissa Doyel, Christopher Enges, Marilynn Evans, Cindy Fullwiler, John Gussman, Paulette Hill, Rick Hill, David Johannessohn, Mark Kennedy, Rita Kepner, Katherine Loveland, Melissa Mann, Natalie Martin, Stacey Martin-Lopez, Linda Martz, Gail McLain, Sharman Owings, Sallie Radock, Claudia Serafin, Linda Stadtmiller, Morgan Stephenson, Ryoko Toyama, Patty Waite, Donna Wilson-Sommer and Sandy Wolf.
• Wind Rose Cellars, 143 W. Washington St., will host artist Randy Radock and live music with Bread and Gravy from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Bread and Gravy is a husband and wife team, a duo that performs a mixture of songs from the 1970 through the 1990s.
• Herd Gallery inside Big Elk Restaurant, 707 E. Washington St., will feature “The Poetry of form & color” from painter/poet Gary McMannon.
McMannon’s work was created during decades of travel to diverse locales, such as Kentucky, Ireland, Madrid, Spain, South Africa, Wyoming, Seattle — as well as the North Olympic Peninsula, where McMannon has lived for more than 20 years.
Visit online at SequimArt Walk.com to download to print a map and find special events and links.
More information also can be found on Art Walk Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sequimart walk.
