The Sequim Irrigation Festival theme — “Where water is wealth” — inspires the aqua color theme celebrating cultivation and culture during the May 6 Sequim Frist Friday Art Walk. The color aqua expresses responsible, sustainable elements of cool fresh water, abundant salty seas, renewing rain and bright sunny skies.
Besides wearing the color theme of Aqua, everyone is encouraged to dress up in amusing and whimsical outfits for the Irrigation Festival’s “Callen Crazy Days.”
First Friday Art Walk is a fun, free, self-guided tour of local art venues in Sequim from 5-8 p.m. the first Friday of every month. Visit SequimArtWalk.com to download and print your own map, find special events, links and how to be part of art.
Initiated in 2006, the Art Walk is an encouraging and educational arts event sponsored and produced by Renne Emiko Brock with a mission to create approachable, accessible art and cultural venues that encourage the community to connect and celebrate expression and diversity.
Special events
The Irrigation Festival Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair launches the First Friday Art Walk Sequim Patron Preview along with the new Crazy Daze Breakfast for Dinner at the Sequim Civic Center Plaza, 152 W. Cedar St. The fair celebrates creativity, inventiveness and sustainability. It emphasizes reusability, repurpose, and recycling, as well as high quality hand-made craft products with the opportunity to engage directly with the artists and learn about their art practice and passion. Join us for shopping, food, photo ops, entertainment, demonstrations and fun as we honor the innovation that turned Sequim into a growing, productive community.
Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair Artists, Food, and Nonprofit Vendors include: 3D Wood Maps, 10 Buffalos Art, Aloha Smoothies, Ansley Art & Images, Artisan Sea Glass, Blue Mountain Baking Co., Bottleworks451 Recycled Material Art, Cal Sal Pies, Colibri Sustainable Living, Contour Vision LLC, Coyotesong, Designed by Meg, Dougerly Candle Co., D’s Nuts, Egg Roll Hut, Fairview Lake Studios, FOCC, hue are you?, Lil Log Cabin Creations, Lisa’s Designs, Little Green, Mary B Truly, Northwest Niche, Olympic Peninsula Authors, Olympus Hot Dogs / Gyros, Paperwings Studio, Peninsula College / Morning Star Designs, Peninsula Craft Studio, Peninsula Friends of Animals, Pop’s Sausage Grill, The Crusty Clam, Sassy Glass, Sequim Bee Farm, Sequim Botanical Garden, Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market, Smoothie Essentials, Reuse Art Spotlight with City Arts Advisory Committee, and Irrigation Festival Merchandise.
Friday’s entertainment schedule includes Crazy Daze Community Skits from 6-7 p.m. Sara Shea and Group from 7-8 p.m. at the performance stage. DR Callen, nicknamed Crazy Callen, was the designer of the first irrigation ditches in Sequim that took water from the Dungeness River to the Sequim Valley. Each year we honor this amazing pioneer with a breakfast — no tickets are required — and we welcome the whole family to join us for this year’s Crazy Daze “Breakfast for Dinner,” with live entertainment, fun skits and music.
Blue Whole Gallery, 129 W. Washington St., features the exhibition “Create from Nature’s Order” with fractal artist Dan Brewer and Dennis (Doc) Pangborn, a painter of two-dimension art.
Brewer started messing around with computers in 1970. When he stumbled upon fractals he began to explore how they are made. The early personal computers (PCs) took a painfully long time to process and render their images. A single change could take nine hours. However, as processing chips got faster and the fascinating fractal world continued to draw him back, his interest in building computers grew. Seven PCs later, newer monster computers had whittled that nine hours per change down to less than five minutes. Dan’s fractal work remains true to the generating equations. It has no layering or partial editing of color. Nor is it redrawn, touched up, or painted in or out of the computer. For Brewer, fractals are templates for the imagination to play on.
Pangborn shares, “Having been here a few years now, I continue to be amazed at all the possibilities for compositions. I have a growing fascination with clouds and skies and how best to capture them on canvas. I enjoy experimenting with various painting processes to get the results I’m looking for in my compositions. Palette knives, paint rollers, sponges, and brushes can all play a part when I paint.”
Sequim Museum & Arts, 544 N. Sequim Ave., features Keith Ross of Keith’s Frame of Mind in Sequim, in the Judith McInnes Tozzer Gallery. Ross is widely-known and respected for his wildlife photography, and for his event and portrait photography as the official photographer for the Sequim Irrigation Festival season. This exhibit is called “Heavy on Herons,” featuring a full gallery of framed Great Blue Heron images, along with a laser projector slide show of 283 heron images on a 10-foot big screen.
Ross also captures live events like ballet and concerts, using his mastery behind the camera. His images and the story of the rescue of a pair of bald eaglets were published in Scholastic Magazine, and distributed nationally to all the schools in the country. He is also the creator and administrator of the Sequim Outdoors Facebook group, created to allow our local artists and photographers to post their work on a safe platform.
Cedarbrook Lavender Gift Shop at 120 W Washington Street has delightful farm fresh lavender creations, treats, and inspired vintage décor items.
Sequim Spice and Tea at 139 W Washington St. has heartfelt unique art including glass, pottery, illustration, and photography by local artists. You can also find artful, creative tea blends, colorful and fun teapots and cups, and cheerful culinary gifts.
From 6-8 p.m., Rainshadow Café at 157 W. Cedar St. has live music with Dawn & Steve. Come sing your favorite songs with a full menu and drinks to enjoy. Some dancing is encouraged too. Rainshadow Café is also hosting the joyfully talented artist Sarah Necco. She shares, “I am a professional artist and photographer local to Olympic Peninsula, WA. I have been creating art my whole life and enjoy working in a variety of mediums, as well as photography and making jewelry. Most of my work is inspired by my love for flowers, nature, and landscapes. When not working on a creative project, I can be found in the garden, on a hike, or spending quality time with my family and pets!”
Pacific Mist — Books, Cards & Gifts, 122 W. Washington St., hosts By the Sea Simple Luxuries by Kathy Snoden connecting with the Art Walk’s aqua color and water theme.
Wind Rose Cellars, 143 W. Washington St., hosts The Wazoo (rock, blues and a little folk music) and local artists Bob Allen and Verna Allen. Wind Rose Cellars is also hosting Peninsula Art Friends art exhibit through the month of May. Participating members are Beverly Beighle, Connie Drysdale, Melissa Doyel, Allyne Lawson, Roger Huntley, Cecilia Olivera-Hillway, Shirley Rudolf and Randy Washburne. Partner live music, art, and award winning artfully crafted wines and appetizing tidbits at Wind Rose.
For more
To participate as a venue or artist on the Official First Friday Art Walk Sequim map, listing and website, contact Brock at 360-460-3023 or renne@uniqueasyou.com. Artists of any media are encouraged to get information to her for publicity and opportunities.
Join the Art Walk Facebook page at facebook.com/sequimartwalk.
First Friday Art Walk Sequim
When: 5-8 p.m. May 6
Where: Various venues near downtown Sequim
“Autumn Splash” by Dennis Pangborn, a featured artist at Blue Whole Gallery in May. Submitted art
“Dharmadillo #3497” by Dan Brewer, a featured artist at Blue Whole Gallery in May. Submitted art
Submitted ART Connie Drysdale’s work is on display at Wind Rose Cellars, 143 W. Washington St., during First Friday Art Walk on May 6.
Sequim Museum & Arts, 544 N. Sequim Ave., features the photography of Keith Ross of Keith’s Frame of Mind, during the First Friday Art Walk on May 6. Photo by Keith Ross
Check out a variety of vendors and artists such as Paperwings Studio at the Irrigation Festival Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair this weekend.
Check out a variety of vendors and artists such as Fairview Lake Studios at the Irrigation Festival Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair this weekend. Submitted art
