By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A 1955 sky blue Ford Fairlane will welcome art fans to a display of Gerri Guthrie’s photography at the Sitka Work and Rugged Gear Store Friday at the Spring Art Walk.
Down the street, Teal West at the Sitka Lighthouse Company Store will host Shelby Oredson, who will exhibit her watercolor paintings and prints.
“I love events like the Art Walk because they bring the community together to make connections, and I also love the amount of variety we have for the Art Walk,” West said.
The Greater Sitka Arts Council event is 5 to 7 p.m. Friday from one end of Lincoln Street to the other, with one pop-up gallery in the Venneberg building on Harbor Drive.
In the Art Walk, held twice a year, Lincoln Street businesses – and always at least one off Lincoln Street – host art exhibits, often with the artists present. Several of the stores will feature musicians to make for a lively evening.
Participants pick up passports at any of the businesses, and collect stamps at every stop. Those with 10 or more stamps can drop off their passports at the Island Artists Gallery Cooperative to enter a drawing for door prizes, donated by the businesses.
At last count, 19 stores planned to open their doors for the Art Walk.
Sitka Work and Rugged Gear is one of the stores participating for the first time, but co-owner Joe Ieremia says he’s looking forward to it.
“I’m pretty excited about participating, not only from us getting into it, but having businesses from this side of Lincoln Street kind of blowing it up, and one more reason for folks to come down here,” Ieremia said.
GSAC board member Bobbi Jordan said she was pleased to see so many stores wanting to take part, and their enthusiasm about the art walk.
“Everybody’s excited,” said Jordan, whose photography will be up at Island Artists Gallery. “It was very positively received by the merchants, and we have some people who don’t usually participate wanting to take part.” Also display work at the gallery is Dillon Sprague, who will display original “fumage” artwork and prints.
The Island Artists Gallery is pictured today. Work of artists at the cooperative, including newest member Dillon Sprague whose work is seen at center, will be on display during Friday’s Artist Walk. (Sentinel Photo)
West added that she has enjoyed art walks in the past for the variety of media she sees, and is a particular fan of the spring walk.
“This one kicks off summer season,” she said. “It’s nice to see familiar faces and friends after a long winter.”
Oredson, of Broken Paddle Studio, said she’s looking forward to being a featured artist at the Lighthouse Company store and visiting with art walkers. She has selected a handful of original watercolors and art prints to display.
She has displayed her work at arts markets and bazaars during her three years in Sitka, but is leaving town this summer as her family is being reassigned by the U.S. Coast Guard.
She started learning watercolor four years ago, although she minored in studio art in college.
“It was actually my least favorite subject in college,” she said. “Maybe it’s my age, but now I appreciate how delicate it is, and if you make a mistake, you have to adapt and work with the mistake and turn it into something that’s beautiful.”
Gerri Guthrie, who will exhibit at Work and Rugged Gear, is a professional photographer whose work is available in town. She has two Sitka calendars, one featuring bears for the Fortress of the Bear, where she works. Her other calendar is of landscape photographs.
On Friday, Sitkans can see her landscape photographs and images of antique and modern-day cars. She has been a photographer for 35 to 40 years.
“I’ve always been interested in photography,” she said. In her school years she was a photographer for the Sitka High yearbook. Today, she and her sister, Heather Merrill, run the photography business G&H Photography. “We just love to share our view of the world,” she said.
