This summer, beginning Friday, June 2, and recurring on July 7, Aug. 4, and Sept. 1, the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce will close the main highway uptown from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., from Subway to the Vashon Theatre, to add to the excitement of the already vibrant First Friday gallery cruise.
There will be a detour southbound to Beall Road around the east side of Thriftway, and northbound to the west side of IGA to Bank Road.
The festivities will include restaurants and stores sprouting up in the street, live chalk art at the main four-way stop, live-streaming from Voice of Vashon, and a word-art project for kids held around town. For more information, visit vashonchamber.com/VashonSummerNights.
Here’s what’s happenings at some of Vashon’s art spots on Friday.
Granny’s Attic
The island’s beloved nonprofit thrift store, benefitting healthcare causes on Vashon, will be open from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, June 2, offering specially priced items. What do you need? Get it at Granny’s.
Outstanding in its Field
From frolicking otters to sunset-hued shorelines, water-themed art returns to the Outstanding In Its Field Gallery. Dive into “Spash 2,” running from June 2-July 2, and compare how 13 Vashon artists explore the world in, on and around the water through painting, sculpture, weaving, photography, ceramics and pastels.
A portion of the proceeds benefits Vashon Nature Center.
The Outstanding in its Field Gallery is located at 10524 S.W. 188th St, just west of Sawbones, and will be open from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and weekdays by appointment, after calling 206-419-0199.
The show will include shoreline sunset oil paintings by Rose Belknap; water-inspired woven tapestries and baskets by Barb Gustafson; Lynn McClain’s marine life mono prints; Gail Hapeman’s stained glass panels and stepping stones; encaustic paintings from Marc Pease; soft pastel waterscapes from Barbara Benedetti Newton; Jeff Good’s watercolors; fish-embossed ceramics by Marla Smith; Peter Hapeman’s photography; Jennifer Hawke’s watercolors and sculptural assemblage; Lisa Witherspoon’s decoupage shells; and bas relief bronze sculpture and etched glass from Lindsay Hart and Jeff White.
The First Friday celebration on June 2, from 5 pm to 8 pm, will include the chance to meet the artists, drink tropical lemonade and eat freshly baked treats, and enjoy a performance by guitarist Daryl Redeker. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets or camp chairs.
The gallery respectfully requests that visitors wear masks while inside the gallery itself.
Starving Artist Works (SAW)
SAW’s featured artist for June is Josie Cadman. Born and raised on Vashon, Cadman is a self-taught watercolor artist who began studying and creating watercolor art at the end of 2022. She enjoys the possibilities of watercolor, working in both a “loose” style and with more detail, and especially loves the unpredictability and surprises that come with the medium. She is inspired by nature, her family, and her work as a nanny.
VALISE Gallery
In June, VALISE will present “The Weight of Cake,” an exhibition by three artists who love cake almost as much as they love to paint: Sharon Shaver, George Wright, and Lenard Yen.
For this show, Sharon Shaver used acrylics to create a painting of a crème frosted cake with strawberries and blue-lit candles, being enjoyed by four friendly purple rats nibbling and gnawing.
Island artist George Wright sees similarities between building a pastry and an encaustic painting.
“The resemblance to an encaustic painting is remarkable,” she said. “Slowly, each layer is painted on and fused together to make a base on which good things emerge.”
Wright, who is also a renowned baker, has promised “mountains of cupcakes” for the show’s opening reception on First Friday.
The opening reception takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 2. The show will run at VALISE through July 1. The gallery is open from 1. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, at 17633 Vashon Hwy SW.
