First Saturday Art Walks

Every first Saturday of the month, Langley’s art galleries open their new shows with the First Saturday Art Walk from 5 to 7 p.m. This is a time to meet the featured artists and take in the vibrant Langley art scene.…

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Artist-Owned Whidbey Art Gallery in Langley is now home to 39 South Whidbey Artists

The Whidbey Art Gallery on Second Street in Langley is a great place to shop for lovely gifts for yourself or others. The gallery offers a variety of art mediums including oils, watercolors, acrylic, pastel, printmaking, photography, glass, sculpture, metal, mixed media, textures/fiber, jewelry, ceramics/stoneware, wood and sumi art and more. Shoppers can choose from beautiful cards that sell for just $4 each or select a unique work of art selling for $4,000 or more.

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Moe Jerome, one of the founding members of the gallery and a highly regarded oil painter, believes that working with other artists is a “growth experience.” Tom Hanify, who is the Marketing Manager for the gallery agrees and adds, “I love being influenced by others; I get inspired by what I see.”

“This is a community for us to come and gather. We help and support each other.”

The two men are typical of many of the artists on Whidbey who had other occupations before arriving on the island. Jerome worked in management for Albertson’s for 42 years, while pursuing a private passion for working with watercolors. In 1995 turned professional and became actively involved in promoting what was then the Artists Cooperative Gallery in Langley.

Tom Hanify was in computer sales. He tells the story of driving across Deception Pass 10 years ago and noticing the gorgeous colors on the rocks at sunset. He suddenly became compelled to invest in a camera to capture these kinds of moments

Whidbey Art Gallery owes its beginnings to Paul Schell, who built the Inn at Langley. In 1992, Schell approached Moe Jerome and asked if he could create something nearby that visitors would enjoy touring. Before Music for the Eyes opened in the space next to the Inn, the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery (which became the Whidbey Art Gallery) was located there. In 2011 Whidbey Art Gallery settled into its current space at 220 2nd Street.

Nancy Duncan, an exceptional digital photographer, is on the Marketing Committee and she has been impressed with the caliber of the artists who share in the gallery. A juried selection process determines the regular and guest artists. Duncan especially appreciates the community atmosphere of the gallery: “This is a community for us to come and gather. We help and support each other.”

Since its inception, over 155 local artists have collectively owned and operated the gallery. It has been a policy from …

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New Year’s Resolution: More Local Art Education Opportunities

Cary Jurriaans of Whidbey Fine Arts Studio is starting off the new year with a couple of community-minded projects, and a wish for more community involvement in promoting art education.

On Friday, January 22 at 6 p.m. at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA’s) Zech Hall, Jurriaans has invited Seattle artist and art critic Gary Faigin for a lively discussion of 10 not-to-be-missed European art experiences. The talk is titled: “10 European Art Masterworks That Everyone Should See Before They Die.”

Cost for the talk is $25 per person, with students receiving a 25% off discount. Tickets can be purchased through the WIFAS website www.whidbeyislandfas.com or at Prima Bistro restaurant on First Street in Langley.

“Faigin is a good speaker and knows his material well,” said Jurriaans. “He’s also the author of The Artists Complete Guide to Facial Expression, and is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle.”

Jurriaans is especially interested in attracting younger students to this lecture as well as to her art classes. One of her community outreach projects is the weekly Figure Drawing Group, which offers a live model each week and has a student-friendly price of just $15 per session. The group meets Saturdays at the Island County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information about this weekly group, click here. (http://www.meetup.com/South-Whidbey-Island-Figure-Drawing-Group/events/227462765)

“The figure drawing group is my community service,” said Jurriaans. “I want more opportunities for young people to be exposed to classical art and art history, but I need help to get the word out and raise the funds to bring other expert speakers and teachers to Langley.”

Community members who are interested in expanding local art educational opportunities are welcome to contact Jurriaans through her website www.whidbeyislandfas.com.

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Become an artistic glassblower, or simply enjoy all of the beautiful glass art at Callahan’s Firehouse Studio in Langley

Callahan McVay opened his glass blowing studio and art glass gallery in the former Fire Station at 179 2nd Street in Langley.

In 1988, when Callahan was only 14 years old, he discovered he had special talent for blowing glass.. He had worked with stained glass at an alternative high school in Everett, and says, “I knew at 14 that working with glass was what I wanted to do.”

callahans2He trained with several glass artists on Whidbey Island and developed his artistry to the point where he was ready to create a glass blowing studio in his Clinton home in 2000.

He became known for his glass works, and the demand for his glass art pieces increased to the point where Callahan began looking for a larger, more commercial location to develop a concept where he would continue to do his work and offer a space as a glass blowing studio where others could create their own art pieces.

The 3,090-square-foot fire station became surplus when Island County Fire District 3 moved to its new $1.5 million station on Camano Avenue late last fall. When Callahan learned about the vacancy, he checked out the space and knew this was what he wanted.
He decided to maintain the Fire House name and his business is officially Callahan’s Firehouse Studio. The site includes a “hot shop” where he can demonstrate his glass blowing skills and teach glass blowing to individuals or groups as large as 10 people. Callahan says, ““Retail isn’t the primary focus of this space,” because showing others how to work with glass is his greatest pleasure.

The gallery and studio viewing area are open to the public and handicap accessible. Callahan invites walk-ins and suggests invites people to do a one-on-one glass blowing class with him: “You can blow a float, chile pepper, paperweight, or a seasonal item,” he adds. You can also take a one-hour blow-your-own-creation class.

For more information, check out Callahan’s website.

Article originally published on WhidbeyLocal.com.

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