Galleries to display artists’ work during First Saturday Art Walk

PORT TOWNSEND — A variety of artwork will be on view during the First Saturday Art Walk this weekend in Port Townsend.

The monthly event will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, mostly in the downtown area.

Among the galleries that will stay open late are Gallery-9, The Port Townsend Gallery and the Jeanette Best Gallery.

• Gallery 9, 1012 Water St., will feature the oil paintings of Jinx Bryant and pine needle basketry and cabochon jewelry created by Nancy Aikman.

Bryant grew up in a family of artists, potters, painters and musicians and worked in clay for many years.

When she moved into painting, she began with watercolors, then pastels before moving to oils.

”I love the initial excitement, when light describes an object, a scene, a sound, and I can think of nothing else until I sketch the concept, start the painting … set in motion the creative process,” Bryant said.

Her work is created to carry the viewer beyond first impressions with a subtlety only discovered in the details.

Aikman creates artistic pine needle basketry from southern long leaf pine needles, semi-precious stone cabochons, glass beads, Irish waxed linen and other natural items such as shed deer antlers, bone beads, recycled glass and metals.

Cabochons are natural gemstones, found throughout the world, that are shaped and polished rather than cut. They typically have a flat side with a domed face, and the patterns in the stones can complement a basket or jewelry design.

“I found my life story through expressing my connection and respect for nature in the creation of baskets and jewelry,” Aikman said. “Each basket is unique and takes on a life of its own, waiting to find their place of belonging to a special individual who feels it was always meant to be there.”

Bryant’s paintings and Aikman’s baskets and jewelry can be viewed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at Gallery-9 throughout October.

For more information, visit www.gallery-9.com.

• The Jeanette Best Gallery, 701 Water St., will host a book signing by Mary Lou Sanelli from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sanelli will sign copies of her new book, “In So Many Words,” a collection of essays.

Sanelli is the author 14 books and has written poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and children’s books.

Visitors also will be able to explore the gallery’s current exhibitions: “Potluck Banquet,” a show about food, and “Showcase 2025,” which features the work of 14 local artists.

• The Port Townsend Gallery, 715 Water St., will host a reception for its featured artists, Rebekah Cadorette and Kay Gaul, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Cadorette, a Port Townsend fiber artist known for her handwoven garments and linens, will exhibit the Japanese folk art of temari during Saturday’s Art Walk and throughout the month.

Temari began in Japan as children’s toys but has evolved into highly valued art. They are constructed by wadding up pieces of cloth into a ball, then wrapped with strips of fabric.

Over time, the exterior stitching became more detailed and the balls began to display elaborate embroidery.

Traditionally, temari were constructed from recycled materials such as pieces of old kimonos. Cadorette adheres to that and uses loom leftovers for her temari.

Cadorette, who has a level 2 certification from the Japanese Temari Association, is working toward level 3, the association’s highest level.

Gaul creates realist paintings in acrylics that reflect her interest in forgotten spaces, ruins and the surfaces of materials such as wood, iron and metals as they age. She has found inspiration at Fort Worden, Fort Flagler and other local sites.

She also paints bright images of food, flowers and everyday objects as well as landscape paintings that capture places in Montana and Washington.

The work of Cadorette and Gaul will be on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily throughout October.

For more information, call the gallery at 360-379-8110 or visit www.porttownsend gallery.com.