First Friday is here again with a plethora of exhibit openings. It’s the last time before fall to join friends and neighbors on a gallery walk, so hop to it. Most openings take place from 6 to 9 p.m.
Blue Heron: Auction art
View more than 150 pieces of original art that will be offered at Vashon Allied Arts’ art auction, Sept. 21 and 22. This year’s commissioned artists are Larry Muir (jewelry), Brad Davis (wood), Jayne Quig (pastel), Olivia Pendergast (oil), Israel Shotridge (silverwork) and Don Glaister (mixed media).
Common Thread: World clothing
The cooperative space will feature “Designed on Vashon, Inspired By the World,” a line of clothing and accessories designed by Anya Weil, who recently moved to Vashon after living and working in Cambodia for more than five years.
In Cambodia, she started a clothing line called Spicy Green Mango, aimed at providing jobs and training for at-risk women. Her clothes are made using “dead stock” — materials left over from the production runs of big factories. One of the guiding aims of the company is to extend the principle of fairness throughout the retail cycle. Said Weil, “We support community-based manufacturing so that the young women who sew our clothes can stay close to their families and children, and we ensure that everyone gets a fair living wage to take home.”
PSCCU: A fundraiser for IFCH
Frederick Woodruff, Island astrologer and self-taught artist, will exhibit new abstract paintings at a show that’s also a fundraiser for the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness (IFCH).
The 16 paintings and collages — work influenced by the New York School of the 1950s and ’60s — were created in a process that combines electric, day-glo colors in acrylic and oil media. A percentage of all painting sales will go toward funding IFCH, which helps low-income Islanders keep a roof over their heads.
The reception will include a special appearance by Kelly Wyse, keyboardist for the popular Seattle-based band Pollens. Wyse, also a longtime piano instructor on Vashon, will deejay throughout the evening, providing a blend of electronic, ambient and classical sonic mixtures.
Raven’s Nest Gallery and Gifts
The gallery will open “Salmon Homecoming,” a show that celebrates salmon as reflected in Northwest Coast Native art.
The exhibit will include art prints, ceramics and apparel. A cooking demonstration featuring smoked salmon spread will take place. And there will be a few special guests, including Puyallup Tribal artist Shaun Peterson, whose work will be on display, and Mark Titus, director of “The Breach,” a new documentary film about the preservation of sockeye salmon runs.
Two Wall Gallery: For the farm animals
Two Wall Gallery will highlight Vashon’s much-heralded Vashon Sheepdog Classic with an exhibit titled, “The Value and Beauty of Farm Life.”
The show will reflect farm life, sheep and other livestock, as well as the working sheepdog. Artists from Vashon and beyond will be featured. At the opening reception, visitors can vote in the People’s Choice Award and meet video star and Unofficial Mayor nominee, Lintzilla the sheep. The exhibit’s featured artist is Bonnie Block, from Kingston. Participating Island artists include Stephanie Harlan, Wendra Lynne, Marjon McDermott, Debra Paulsen, Nannette Cotton Pawlowski, Jenna Riggs and Laura Whitmore. Artists from off-Island also have work in the show.
The exhibit is a kickoff to the Sheepdog Classic trials, scheduled to take place Sept. 14 to 16 at Misty Isle Farms.
VALISE: Outsider art from a fine collection
VALISE Gallery will present “Eccentric Visions: Outsider Art from the Collection of Mia Gallery.” The show is an exhibition of paintings, collage and sculpture that were created by “outsider artists,” or people from professions outside the art world who were inspired to create and taught themselves everything.
All the works come from the Mia Gallery, a popular Pioneer Square gallery that closed in 1997. Its closure marked a bittersweet moment in the Seattle art scene, according to press reports at the time; The Seattle Times called it “the end of one of Seattle’s most unusual and respected art galleries.”
Mia McEldowney, who owned the Seattle gallery and moved to Vashon nine years ago, says the exhibit gives her an opportunity to again showcase the work of artists who don’t capture mainstream attention. One of the best-known artists that will be featured is Rev. Howard Finster, who proclaimed his vision of salvation in his paintings and prints. He became well known after Talking Heads and R.E.M. used his paintings for album covers.
The work of Jon Serl, another featured artist, came after his career as a writer and an actor during the transition of silent films to talkies in Hollywood. His powerful expressionistic paintings — often autobiographical in theme — record the complex states of the human mind.
McEldowney will give a talk about the show from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at VALISE.
Also on display
Island Quilter will present “Trail Tails: Fabric Landscape Stories,” a collection of quilts by California fiber artist Rose Hughes that expresses her love of the natural beauty of the landscape. Hughes will be present at the reception and will give a two-day workshop at Island Quilter Sept. 15 and 16.
“Seniors Got Talent,” at Vashon Senior Center, will showcase work by some of the Island’s older artists. There will be jewelry by Mary Bomber and Darla Jones, silk scarves by Suzanna Leigh, John Moore’s wooden spoons, Dan Steel’s succulent gardens, gourds by Cathy Webster, Sue Weston’s sculptures and a quilt by Elsa Mae Williams.
The Heron’s Nest will show new paintings by Britt Freda, paintings by Lee-Sik Lim and Donna Botten, recycled glass light strings by Jean Mann and travel bags by Meredith Bric.
Blooms & Things will show recycled metal yard art by Ron and Victoria Smith. The Smiths, from Toledo, have been creating yard art for more than 18 years at Recycled Ranch Relics.
UpCycled will show color resist paintings by John Woodard.
Ignition Studios & Gallery will show “Portals of the World: A Journey in Color” by Karson Brown.
