Vashon gallery and shop owners will open their doors from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 3, to share a bounty of new work by local artists.

While five shows will feature photographs of Vashon (see story on page A1), other exhibits will offer unique views of both familiar and otherworldly landscapes.

Galleries announce an Island treasure hunt

In addition to straightforward exhibits of art by Patti Bowman, Miriam Works and HOLD Studio artists Heather Joy and Matthew Olds, Two Wall Gallery and VALISE are launching a tongue-in-cheek treasure hunt.

According to Two Wall curator Greg Wessel, the galleries will display artifacts that are clues to a purportedly “fantastic hidden collection of gems.”

It’s all part of an exhibit by a fictional artist, Cecil Benthos, that curators at the two galleries have dreamed up.

The treasure hunt, however, is real.

“There is absolutely something valuable hidden somewhere on Vashon Island,” said Wessel.

Clues to the treasure include an ancient map, rock carvings, lost letters and other artifacts.

The two galleries have also enlisted businesses, including Giraffe and Gusto Girls, to participate in the hunt.

Shady Lady shows work by Steven Heino

Scuptures by Steven Heino will be shown in July at Shady Lady.

Heino incorporates offbeat materials including wood, aluminum, steel, industrial fabrics and automotive enamel in his work.

The show will also include a new effigy from his ongoing series exploring the human figure.

Giraffe shows textiles

Thanks to a returning Peace Corps volunteer, Giraffe will show Bogolan textiles from Mali in July.

Maridee BonaDea, who lived on Vashon for 10 years before joining the Peace Corps, approached Giraffe about showing the textiles at the shop.

BonaDea worked with Bogolan artisans in the town of Koutiala, the cotton capital of Mali.

Bogolan is a traditional Malian fabric dyed with fermented mud.

See art and leave a mark at Little House

Anne Gordon’s “Vashon Visions” — digital works that combine iconic Island imagery — will be on display for one day only on July 3 outside The Little House.

Shop owner Bettie Edwards is also asking visitors to paint their intials and a heart on the shop’s door.

An artist invents an alternate India

Islander Douglas Mesney will display illustrations at All India Café, with most of the work inspired by his recent trip to Kashmir.

Mesney calls his large-scale works “hyper realities portrayed in vivid colors.”

For more information, visit www.mesney.com.