Enjoy the last gasp of summer on Vashon, as the first Friday of September brings the final edition of Summer Nights, sponsored by the Vashon Chamber of Commerce.
In the center of town, Vashon Highway will be closed to traffic as galleries, shops and eateries welcome islanders, and just after sunset will come a treasured Vashon tradition — Stupid Bike Night, a pedal-powered parade to light up the night.
The annual ride features a pack of Vashon’s most clever performers and party people, riding contraptions that might include a flame-throwing rig equipped with a working bar and grill, flower and foliage-festooned bikes and trikes, bikes hauling tiki torches and pole dancing platforms, and too many other outlandish adornments and modifications to mention.
Also expect wild, colorful costumes of the riders: superhero capes and masks, disco attire, space suits, butterfly wings, neon wigs, rainbow unicorn suits, and plenty of glow lights and glitter.
Local band EOS will play at Sportys during the First Friday Gallery Walk on Sept. 6 in support of Stupid Bike Night. The band covers legendary rock songs but also brings original tunes to the stage. Its members are Henry Porter, Zelda Porter, Nano Infante, Geno Kuhns and Greg Martin. The band will start playing at 7 p.m., with two sets of music broken up by a bike-watching break as riders roll through town.
Want to help the organizers of Stupid Bike Night continue to host the event in years to come? Visit gofundme.com/f/keep-vashon-stupid.
Caffe Vino Olio
Landscape and figurative paintings by two dedicated women artists will be on view at Caffe Vino Olio in September. Joy Thal Mann, who lives on Vashon, and Margaret Skove, from Cleveland, Ohio, will be in attendance at an opening reception from 5-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6.
Thal Mann, who is from Seattle but has been an island resident for 35 years, said her work was most influenced by Carol Schwennesen, a renowned island painting teacher who was part of the VALISE collective.
Among Thal Mann’s work in the Vino Olio gallery is a stunning self-portrait that swirls with energy. Other acrylic works, according to the artist, “depict my obsession with sunflowers, vessels, and always, color. Color is my main theme.”
Margaret Skove, a former museum director, has a family connection to Vashon. She said her goal in this group of paintings was to create art that “encourages a viewer to think of being on a plane, watching out the window at the landscape as the plane takes off and sharply shoots upward… it’s all nuanced shifting color and contradiction.”
The works will be shown in the Vino Olio gallery all month. The gallery hours are daily, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Mondays, hours are extended to 9 p.m.
Giraffe
Girls to Girls, a local club affiliated with Seavuria, a nonprofit organization that provides high school scholarships for students in Taita-Teveta, Kenya, will sell baskets woven by scholarship recipients’ mothers at Giraffe on First Friday. The fundraising project will boost the club’s ongoing efforts to provide additional scholarships for Kenyan students.
PSCCU Gallery
Five artists from Quartermaster Press Studio will be featured in an exhibition of their work, with an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, at the credit union on Bank Road. Participating artists include Michael Darr, Lisa Guy, Sue Hardy, Christina Nichols, and Rachael Osborn.
Lift, the traditional Celtic and old-time American music duo of islanders Karen Dale and Lawson Cannon, will entertain at the reception.
Quartermaster Press Studio is a collective of 11 printmakers who share an etching press and creative inspiration at their studio at the Beall Greenhouses. The collective’s artists make prints using a variety of techniques including copper etching, wood and linoleum cuts, print collages, and monotypes. Quartermaster Press was founded 30 years ago by Vashon artist Valerie Willson and its members have participated in dozens of shows on Vashon. Some offer their work for sale at Swiftwater Gallery.
VALISE Gallery
VALISE Gallery is latching on to the zany excitement of Stupid Bike Night with their latest offering, “We Dunno Show”.
Expect loopy and colorful paintings and off-the-wall humor by the usual cast of VALISE characters as they ride the inspiring wave of the stupid and stupendous bicycles.
“We’re pumped up to share our work on this auspicious night of fun and frolic on the main drag,” said VALISE member Gregory Burnham. “No flat tires here.”
In addition to Burnham, other participating artists are Lenard Yen, Dot Cherch, Hita Von Mende, Pascale Judet, Bill Jarcho, Rachel LordKenaga, Stephen Schildback, Sharon Shaver, Robert Passig, Jiji Saunders and George Wright.
The show opens from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6. A soft opening will be held that day from 1-6 p.m. Regular September hours are 1-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery is located at 17633 Vashon Hwy SW.
Vashon Center for the Arts
Six Vashon artists will come together for “Art Becomes You,” a group show that explores the journey to becoming a full-time artist, the artistic process, and how art enhances our lives.
The collection includes work by Morgan Brig, Brian Fisher, Joanne Hammer, Pam Ingalls, Cathy Sarkowsky, and Erin Schulz. The show opens with an artists’ reception from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, and runs through Sept. 29.
Each artist has approached the theme of the exhibition differently.
For Cathy Sarkowsky, the exhibit has prompted 21 works on paper titled “The Desire to be Special” — a very human urge that ranges from striving for excellence, distinction and recognition to narcissism and egotism.
Using highly decorative vintage brooches as a starting point, Sarkowsky’s images reference and signify an adornment that is typically worn to be noticed. Graphite lines form the solid structure of each image, with watercolor spreading beyond, signifying the control and chaos that come from experiencing the desire to be special.
VCA’s regular gallery hours are 12-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Visit gallery.vashoncenterforthearts.org for more information and to see the exhibition online.
Vashon Senior Center
An opening reception for an exhibition of works by the Senior Center’s Photo Club members will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 6.
“Wind Ensemble,” by Erin Schulz, is included in Vashon Center for the Arts’ group exhibition, “Art Becomes You.” (Courtesy photo)
A work by Cathy Sarkowsky is part of her series, “The Desire to be Special,” which can be seen at VCA in September. (Courtesy photo)
Margaret Skove’s finely executed “Summer Meadows” (oil on canvas) can be seen at Caffe Vino Olio. (Courtesy photo)
A self-portrait by Joy Thal Mann is part of a showing her work at Caffe Vino Olio. (Courtesy photo)
