A new documentary by Vashon artists Bo Bartlett and Betsy Eby, “SEE: An Art Road Trip,” will be presented by the Vashon Film Society as its First Friday Art Film, following the gallery cruise. It will show at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Vashon Theatre.

Bartlett, an internationally recognized realist oil painter, collaborated with his wife Eby, an encaustic painter, to make the film.  The documentary covers the couple’s search to capture images of iconic American land art sites, art world luminaries and historic art studios. For over seven years the duo traveled to and filmed places from the spiral etty in the Great Salt Lake to Mount Rushmore and visited historic art studios as well as art world luminaries such as Andrew Wyeth and his famous model Helga.

Bartlett and Eby were intent on conveying their philosophy that “art is everywhere, you just have to open your eyes to see it.” But when Bartlett unexpectedly began to experience real-life vision problems during the road trip, the film’s story evolved from its focus on beauty and art to an existential meditation on seeing art in the everyday.

Bartlett and Eby live part-time on Vashon and are currently spending most of the year in Georgia because of the establishment of the Bo Bartlett Center at the College of the Arts at Columbus State University.

“SEE: An Art Road Trip” runs 75 minutes. Tickets are $7, for all ages, at the door.