Vashon’s monthly gallery cruise will offer a rich array of visual treats. So bundle up and head for the streets this Friday night, when Vashon’s galleries and shops will open their doors to Vashon’s many art lovers. Openings are from 6 to 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
A walk on the wild side
Painter Kesler Woodward and photographer Paul Bannick, two nationally known artists who are also avid outdoorsmen, will show their work at The Blue Heron for the month of January. The two will also speak at the Blue Heron as part of Vashon Allied Arts’ arts and humanities lecture series at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Woodward, originally from South Carolina, has lived in Alaska for 30 years. He has worked as the curator of visual arts for Juneau’s Alaska State Museum for many years; he also taught art at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks for two decades until he retired to paint full time.
His expressionist paintings — some in acrylic, others in oil — capture the color and beauty of Alaskan and Pacific Northwest landscapes, many inspired by the North Cascades. “I love painting reflections of forest and water,” he said.
Bannick, an award-winning wildlife photographer, has long been fascinated with the natural history of North America, particularly birds and their habitats. His first book, “The Owl and the Woodpecker,” published in October 2008, continues to be one of the best selling bird books in North America.
Bannick says owls are his current favorite subject (he’s working on a second owl book), but his gallery exhibit will include many bird species. A former senior manager in the software industry, Bannick now works as the development director for Conservation Northwest, an organization dedicated to protecting and connecting wild areas from the Pacific Coast to the Canadian Rockies.
Blue Heron’s Friday night gallery opening will include music by Steve Meyer, Fletcher Andrews and Jack Barbash.
Sculptural poetry
Tom Hughes, an artist who works with language and simple structure to create sculptural and architectural spaces, will display his work at VALISE Artist Collective and Gallery during January and February. He’ll also serve as an artist in residence at the small Vashon gallery, developing a set of these sculptural works on site using locally available materials. VALISE will function as an open studio space, with the public welcome to visit, watch, play, talk and help, according to the gallery.
Hughes, a former art professor at Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York, recently relocated to Vashon. He has had numerous exhibits in various parts of the country and as far away as Brazil. His materials have ranged from firecrackers to steel and most recently adapted to found, recycled materials such as cardboard and plywood.
Hughes will be at the gallery Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Gallery walk, pillow talk
Vashon Fiber Arts & Textile Collective, the Island’s newest hub of creative expression — will present a collaborative show featuring pillows for the month of January. The pillows will be made by the various members of the collective — a group that includes Rebecca Wittman, Jenni Wilke, Laurel Boyajin, Kim MacDonald, Anya Weil, Carla deCrona, Sharon Schoen, Jan Staehli, Suzanna Leigh, Linda Stemer, Marnie Nordling and Heather Flanagan. Colorful and creative, the pillows will be crafted from the various mediums used in the space — including silk, knit, up-cycled and quilted.
The collective is located in the former home of Books by the Way.
Visions of Vashon
Three Vashon women who have been meeting together as a vision group for the past three years will show their paintings, photographs, prints and books at the Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union.
The artists — Claudia Hollander-Lucas, Ann Leda Shapiro and Linda Sedgley — will be on hand, with acoustic music provided by RedPearl, a duo made up of Daryl Redeker and Sarah Perlman.
Oil paintings at Luna
Local Artist Madeline Waits will show her original oil paintings as part of a show called “Explorations of Solitude and Place” at Café Luna.
Born and raised on Vashon, Waits now lives in Olympia, where she practices a variety of art making. She says she’s heavily influenced by the work of Marc Chagall, Ana Mendieta, Andrei Tarkovsky and T.S. Eliot and that her work explores the ambiguity of time, place and identity.
Painted fabric and a celebration
Lida Enche, a West Seattle artist, will show her original artwork-turned-to-fabric at the Vashon Quilt Shop. The shop will also display some of the artwork that will adorn Enche’s future fabric collections.
The opening will be held at the shop’s new location — the former site of Robinson’s Furniture, where it will have more space to display its wares and hold classes. It will be a busy weekend at the shop. A tea will be held 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, where Islanders can get an introduction to its classes, and a grand opening will be held noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Also on display
Blooms & Things will display the work of Tom Thompson, a photographer from Graham inspired by the rich colors in nature.
Mary Jacobs, a free-style quilter who creates her own patterns, will exhibit her work at the Vashon Senior Center on Bank Road. It will be open from 5 to 8 p.m.
Dewain Gauntlett, a self-taught nature photographer, will show his work at the Heron’s Nest.
Vashon High School junior Jasmine Acosta will show her bright, bold acrylics at Uninhibited Ink!, a hair and tattoo salon located in the Vashon Village.
