‘Confluence’ artists to give free gallery talks

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026

PORT TOWNSEND — A pair of artists will give gallery talks in their particular styles this weekend at Northwind Art’s downtown Port Townsend venue.

Kristin L. Tollefson, who uses sunglasses, driftwood, wire and clean baby diapers in her sculptures and wearable art, will give her talk at 3 p.m. Saturday at Northwind’s Jeanette Best Gallery, 701 Water St. Admission is free.

Tollefson, a mixed media painter and naturalist, and Darwin Nordin are exhibiting their art in “Confluence,” the show on view in the gallery through March 16. For more information about the show, go to NorthwindArt.org.

Tollefson will talk about her pieces such as “Selvedge,” a sculpture constructed out of steel, felt, glass, plastic and cotton baby diapers.

“This piece is a portrait of a period of my life defined by fierce mothering, assembling something from nothing, and making soft places tucked into hard ones,” she said.

The artist lives in Tacoma and is strongly influenced by her travels to places such as Slovakia and Iceland, where she studied folk art traditions.

Nordin, who is known for his layered paintings, will give his own free public talk at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Seattle artist, who has taught art in Centrum workshops in Port Townsend, will spend a few minutes introducing himself.

“Then we’ll do a casual walk around the gallery,” he said.

A lifelong maker, Nordin will touch on his practice of mindful attentiveness — his way of staying in the moment as he walks through the woods, observes wildlife and paints in his studio.

Nordin also quipped that he hopes gallery-goers will talk more than he does — about what they see in his artwork.

In the “Confluence” exhibit, Nordin and Tollefson’s artworks share the space but are not at all alike.

Tollefson’s sculptures are “luscious,” Nordin said. Her materials have an organic feeling, following the geometries of nature.

Tollefson, for her part, said the vivid greens, blues and yellows in Nordin’s paintings create energy that benefits her own work.

“That’s where Darwin really shines, in his use of color,” she said.

The two styles, presented together, “amplify each other. Seeing the work together helps you to see more in both of them. It’s an invitation to a conversation.”