PORT TOWNSEND — A variety of artwork will be on view during the First Saturday Gallery Walk in Port Townsend.
The monthly walk is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., mostly in the downtown area.
Among the galleries staying open late for the walk are Gallery-9, Port Townsend Gallery and Northwind Art’s Jeanette Best Gallery.
Gallery-9
Gallery-9’s featured artists for February are Katy Morse with acrylic paintings and Melissa Moller with driftwood carvings.
Gallery-9, 1012 Water St., is a cooperative of local artists open Wednesday through Monday with winter hours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is always open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month.
As a student of feminine mysticism, Morse’s archetypal images tell stories of redemption and empowerment.
She is certified as a Color of Woman Teacher and Red Thread Circle Guide. Following in the stardust lineage of Shiloh Sophia and the MUSEA Center for Intentional Creativity, Morse is a journey woman with the Intentional Creativity Guild, she said.
She works to guide women on their transformational journeys through creative spirit expressions.
Her recent work includes angels and Madonnas.
“These are medicine paintings,” she said. “Each one tells a different story. They invoke an inner source of reflection through the act of painting and witnessing what has been revealed. Taking risks on the canvas is a safe space for shifting old patterns and finding new perspectives.”
Moller, who has a long history of working with stained glass and driftwood, is inspired by the flow of light illuminated in reclaimed materials.
Her movement of creativity has evolved into Flow Studios, based on the foundation that life is the flow of energy.
Moller quotes from “Flow: the Psychology of the Optimal Experience,” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi:“It is the air we breathe, the force that moves the weather, the force of all minds combined. It keeps the rivers flowing, our hearts beating, and the sky blue.”
She says that flow is the movement of creativity and that she finds hers working with driftwood, reclaimed woods, resin and stained glass.
She learned the art of stained glass in the early 2000s and began doing large projects like doors, sidelights and stain glass fountains. She started putting glass with driftwood, noticing the flow of light illuminated in the wood.
She expanded her exploration of wood by adding glass, rocks and resins to enhance the overall piece.
Her home decor business in Gig Harbor was called Sea Hags. In 2022, she moved to Port Townsend with her husband and she displays her wood creations at Gallery-9.
For more information, see https://www.gallery-9.com.
Port Townsend Gallery
“Valentines and Flowers” are on view at the Port Townsend Gallery, 715 Water St.
The gallery is featuring selections from its 26 artists for February.
Their work is an eclectic collection including fine art jewelry, art creations, ceramics, photography, watercolors, Japanese styled handbags, collages, abstracts, oils, woodcuts, pastels, metal work, mixed media, layered hardwood miniature bowels, hand-spun wraps and luxury scarves, Temari art balls, Batiks, pen and inks, and whimsical carved wood.
The public can meet artists during Saturday’s art walk from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
The gallery is routinely open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily as well as by appointment.
For more information, phone 360-379-8110 or see www.porttownsendgallery.com.
Northwind Art
Northwind Art’s Jeanette Best Gallery, at 701 Water St., hosts Showcase 2024, with artists expected to be on hand during Saturday’s art walk.
The Showcase exhibition fills the entire back space of the Jeanette Best Gallery through the end of the year.
“Every three months, we’ll bring in a new remix of artists from around the region,” said Northwind Art spokesperson Diane Urbani.
“The show opens with artwork from 17 makers from Port Townsend, Quilcene, Sequim, Port Angeles, Chimacum, Indianola, Bainbridge Island and San Juan Island,” she added, noting that more than 100 works of art are part of Showcase 2024.
For more, see https://northwindart.org or call 360-379-1086.
“Harvest Home” by Katy Morse is among the artwork at Gallery-9.
