The Jan. 7 First Friday Art Walk Sequim’s color theme is silver — with hints of black and white — to celebrate the New Year filled with idealistic goals for the future, optimistic hope and civic reflection. To create inclusion between venues, artists, and audience, everyone is encouraged to participate in the Art Walk’s monthly color themes as a fun community activity in any creative form they wish to express it.

First Friday Art Walk Sequim 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.

Out of an abundance of caution and community care during the COVID-19 pandemic, the eighth-annual “Whodunnit Downtown? — The Case of the Sterling Reputation” Mystery Game is postponed to January 2023.

Several venues will not be open on Jan. 7, extending well-earned holiday rest and revitalization. Expect them to return on Feb. 4 with a red theme.

Sepcial events

Blue Whole Gallery, 129 W. Washington St., features the exhibition “Some Old and Some New,” highlighting artist and teacher Mary Franchini. From landscape to portrait, she approaches the subject with a fresh viewpoint, producing paintings with a lasting impression, often with symbolic elements.

“The collection that will be shown is a look forward and back, some way back,” Franchini said. “Some have been repainted, and some just reframed but are all mine. Over time I have used many different mediums and combined lots of them.”

Franchini’s main medium now is acrylic, she said, but others get thrown in now and then.

“I have had many great teachers — mostly in workshops,” Franchini said. “One thing that I loved about Robert Burridge was that he gave us a yellow piece of paper with big black PERMISSION printed on it. I took that permission to heart and felt free to paint whatever I wanted, and how I wanted, at any given time.”

Olympic Theatre Arts Center, 414 N. Sequim Ave., has Buttercup Lane performing on Jan. 7. Band members Mike and Diane Johnson, Rodger Bigelow, Dave Keyte and Joe D’entrone — all Sequim residents — each have an extensive background in music.

“One of the neat things about playing for the First Friday Art Walk at the Olympic Theater is that we have the opportunity to enhance the Buttercup Lane wardrobe,” Mike Johnson said.

“The guys in the group wear color matching long-sleeve dress shirts and Diane wears a color matching blouse or scarf. Since the Art Walk has a different color theme for each month, and since this is our seventh time to do the show, our wardrobe now boasts of red, blue, green, white, yellow, orange and for the month of January, silver dress shirts – we’re really styling.”

Buttercup Lane is a cover band, and though members have written some original material, the group’s primary focus is to cover some of their favorite music from several different genres, from jazz and classic rock and roll to big band swing, blues, pop and country.

About Art Walk

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.

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.

To create inclusion between venues, artists and audience, everyone is encouraged to participate in the Art Walk’s monthly themes as a fun community activity in any creative form they wish to express it. January is silver, February is red, March is green, April is pink, May is aqua, June is white, July is purple, August is yellow, September is blue, October is orange, November is brown and December is gold.

Join the Art Walk Facebook page at facebook.com/sequimartwalk.

“3 Pears” by Mary Franchini, the featured artist at the Blue Whole Gallery in January. Submitted art Submitted art “3 Pears” by Mary Franchini, the featured artist at the Blue Whole Gallery in January.