PORT TOWNSEND — Julie Read, an acrylic painter and painting teacher, is taking her turn at curation for the first time with a surreal show at the Aurora Loop Gallery.
The gallery, at 971 Aurora Loop in Port Townsend, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Read enjoys the spooky and strange celebrations happening in October and decided a surreal show would fit nicely into the atmosphere.
For years, she has been working with an eclectic group of locals who attend her open studio. When the opportunity to curate a show came up, several students expressed interest in participating, but for some, Surrealism was a mystery. Read decided to spend the summer hosting Surrealism nights with her students as a way to understand and explore the art movement.
The group explored automatic drawing, frottage and collage. Painting happened, too, being the primary medium Read teaches.
Many of the pieces in the show are works created by students participating in the Surrealism nights. For some, it will be their first time showing in a gallery.
There are a few invited artists from the community to encompass the wide array of mediums that Surrealist art has been presented in, such as Harold Nelson, Steve Parmelee, Robert Tognoli, Holly Varah, Margie McDonald, Mary O’Shaughnessy and Charlie Van Gilder.
The show runs through Oct. 29.
For more information, visit www.auroraloop gallery.com
