"Islands in the Sky," acrylic by Debra Van Tuinen

Painter Debra Van Tuinen at Waterstreet Café

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Debra Van Tuinen will be showing new paintings and some older work at Waterstreet Café for Arts Walk. Her prints combine watercolor monotypes and solar etching plates. She’s been exhibited by Oehme Graphics at the Washington D.C., Boston, New York City and Minneapolis Print Fairs; by Goodwin Fine Art …

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"Wildflower 2," ceramic by Nicole Gugliotti

Ceramist Nicole Gugliotti at Arbutus Folk School

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Nicole Gugliotti completed her MFA from the University of Florida in 2014. She has exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Tim Salen Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida and The Institute of Ceramic Studies at The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shigaraki, Japan. Curatorial projects include “Think Warm: Miami Draws …

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"Turnbuckle," collage by Evan Horback

Collagist Evan Horback at Compass Rose

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Evan Clayton Horback grew up in New Jersey and earned a degree in art from State University of New York. Between those two events, he spent years pursuing the monastic life in ashrams in New York and India. He spent 10 years as an arts educator on the East …

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From "My Love Hath / Kissed in Fixing," art by Shaw Osha

REVIEW: Shaw Osha’s “My Love Hath / Kissed in Fixing” at Salon Refu

VISUAL ARTS REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Salon Refu owner Susan Christion posted this on Facebook: “I have an art gallery, Salon Refu. This evening we finished installing a quiet, enticing, initially mysterious show of works by Shaw Osha, my friend and an important artist. Sometimes I don’t understand what Shaw is doing …

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Kate Ayers

Let’s Play Daytime Shows at OFT

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Olympia Family Theater’s “Let’s Play Daytime Shows” are interactive shows for young children, performed on the first Monday, Wednesday and Friday of every month. All shows this season are adapted and directed by Kate Ayers. They’re performed by local actors and are generally about 30 minutes long. “We have …

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The new bookmobile with artists (from left to right) Nikki McClure, Ira Coyne and Jay T. Scott.

Olympia Library’s New Bookmobile

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The downtown Olympia Timberland Regional Library now has a child-size, handmade bookmobile built by local woodworker Jay T. Scott, with a painting of otters on the back by artist Nikki McClure. On the side is an aphorism hand-lettered by Ira Coyne–“You Otter Be READING!”–and a poem, also lettered by …

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The 56th Army Band

2016: The 56th Army Band Performs for Music in the Park

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS   Keeping with a long-standing tradition, Music in the Park’s season ends with a live concert from The 56th Army Band. Based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the band plays many local and regional venues. Recently, for example, it appeared at Seattle’s Rock and Roll Marathon and performed a concert at …

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Brian Ferris, Deb Rutter, Vince Chavez, Tim Stensager, Lorraine Stensager and Evan Ogden are Blind Facsimile.

2016: Classic-Rock Band Blind Facsimile at Music in the Park

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The classic-rock band Blind Facsimile, aka Blind Fax, is Deb Rutter (vocals), Lorraine Stensager (vocals, keyboards), Tim Stensager (vocals, keyboards), Brian Ferris (guitar, backing vocals), Evan Ogden (drums) and Vince Chavez (bass). Chavez says the band “captures the heart and soul of classic rock, playing music which defined generations. …

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Blues County Sheriff

2016: Blues County Sheriff at Music in the Park

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS On Aug. 5, Music in the Park moves to the Port Plaza at Percival Landing for a show from old-style-blues band Blues County Sheriff. Band members say they live to have fun and put on a great show. “Forget the myth that blues is sad music,” they say. “Our …

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Swing 49

2016: Swing 49 at Olympia’s Music in the Park

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The gypsy-jazz band Swing 49 performs for Olympia’s Music in the Park this summer. Self-described as offering soulful vocal jazz, virtuosic guitar solos and funky horn lines, Swing 49 is Jacqueline Schafer, vocals; Tovi Newman, guitar; Forest Wilson, guitar; Logan Bean, trumpet and Joe Eunice, bass. Calling Olympia home, …

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