Engaging, Captivating and Entertaining
If you think an art walk is looking in the windows of a closed studio on your way to where you parked the car, you are missing out on a great experience.
The Edmonds Art Walk has featured local artists in neighborhood galleries since 1961. There are 20 to 30 stores, studios and galleries that open their doors on the third Thursday of every month from 5pm to 8pm. The art walk is actually a cooperative, so by its very nature, it offers a variety of talent.
For instance, Gallery North at 401 Main St. is currently featuring incredible underwater photos of colorful reef creatures of the Caribbean, which were captured on film by Mary Bess Johnson. On another week, there might be the warm and smooth wood sculptures, all hand-tuned by Stan Rust. Recently, we have seen the vivid and intricate mosaic pieces done by Christy Rommel. There are also elaborate handcrafted pieces of jewelry by Eve Ingram which are both bold and distinctive. Another medium often on display is that of the fused glass contemporary dishes by Kevin Creekmore.
Each gallery or studio reflects the different tastes of the owners and the emotions of the featured artists. The Dragonfire Neighborhood Gallery is one of the newer galleries to join the art walk organization, and enthusiastic owner and director, Kurt Mattingly, aims for surprises in his presentations. One of their first exhibits was the dramatic glass works by local William Davis, with huge, glass figures that seem more like active persons than stationary sculptures.
Denise Cole is an artist and owner of Cole Gallery and Cole Art Studio at 107 Fifth Ave. S. She offers workshops and classes in all mediums. Her students have been inspired by what they have seen and are encouraged to create and show their own work. Mary Camarata, a Woodway resident, purchased an oil painting during last month’s art walk and then decided to renew her interest in painting by taking classes again.
Aria Studio Gallery is at 535 Main St. Owner and artist, Joan Archer, teaches painting classes on-site in her studio. Her paintings are a splashy mix of flowers in bright colors or muted bouquets in pastels. Then she surprises the eye with abstracts in yellow, orange and black.
Zinc Art + Interiors, located at 102 Third Ave. S., features a curiously magical experience of how we journey through life and uses animals and abstract shapes to portray the energy forces we encounter.
It would seem that a successful art gallery in Edmonds must be diverse and actively change their featured artists regularly to attract the discerning buyer. Just about the time you’ve seen the graceful oils on canvas in one gallery and decide to buy it, around the next corner is a gallery with fused glass dishes that would be such a conversation piece in your home. Or maybe exposure to the arts is awakening a desire to create on your own. Isn’t that what the Edmonds Art Walk is all about? We can showcase our abundant local talent, artists can find a market for their work and encourage a range of new artists to freely express their new-found creativity.
By now, you are looking at the calendar to see when the next third Thursday occurs. Let me help you plan your excursion. The ideal art walk night might start with an early light supper in town. You can then begin your walk at the signal of Third and Main at Zinc, where you can visit the animals of Uyen Tran-Gjerde. Then walk across Main St. to Gallery North, where owner and director, Kathleen Johnson, will have a smile and an open door to welcome you. Continue up Main St. past the fountain to Aria Gallery and see what’s going on in the studio. Retrace your steps to the fountain and go down Fifth to the Cole Gallery where Denise Cole, who is also president of the board of Edmonds Art Walk, is certain to have exhibits that will cause some lively discussion. Finally, turn up Dayton St. to the Dragonfire. Kurt Mattingly will undoubtedly have a few surprises in store for you.
By the end of the evening, you will have walked off your dinner and been entertained and emotionally challenged by the local art scene in Edmonds.
Can we ever have too many art galleries in Edmonds? I don’t think so! Join your neighbors on the next third Thursday and see for yourself.
For more information, visit www.edmondsartwalk.com.
