Calendar of Events

Join Travel Journal Sketch Artist Darsie Beck and learn how to create your own travel sketch journal. Enhance your travel experience with memory creating sketches. Learn the centering qualities of sketching and the practice of daily journal keeping. Experience the ease of working with watercolor pencils, micron pens and water-brush to enhance your sketching experience.

Launch your fall studio practice in watercolor painting while exploring methods for success and understanding the work of contemporary and recognized masters. Develop sophistication in your interpretive abilities, compositions and handling watercolor medium based upon strong visual resources and guided techniques for adventuresome beginners and advanced painters. A scheduled one-hour private portfolio review will provide greater insight into specific concerns and inquiries by each student.

Who doesn’t need a little rest & relaxation in the middle of the week?? Join us every Wednesday the whole month of October for Wine Down Wednesday! Enjoy $3 selected wines by the glass, and 25% off selected wines by the bottle – ALL. DAY. LONG.

Yup, you heard that right, we hope to see you there!

Join us on October 17 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Reveille at the Commons.

For October’s wine dinner, fall in love with France. Enjoy carefully crafted Rhone wines produced from anywhere south of Lyon to the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Chef Donald Cobb Jr. will prepare French favorites with a Northwest twist to tantalize the taste buds. We invite you to listen, learn, eat and drink in the ambiance of our beautiful seaside property!

Pricing ranges from $55-$65 based on this month’s selections. Reservations can be made online, BOOK NOW!  Please call 360.344.4400 ext. 522, M-F 9:00-4:00pm with questions.

On Friday, October 18 at 6pm, Taps at the Guardhouse presents a return solo performance by Jeanie Murphy with old time banjo tunes and songs, and the stories that accompany them. Old-time music fans are well aware of Murphy’s work, whether her role as an instructor around the nation at events like the Festival American Fiddle Tunes, or her performances at square dances or her duo project with her husband Scott Marckx, a fiddler and luthier.

When Murphy first approached playing banjo, it was to accompany her singing. Now, it is a rare treat to hear her perform old-time songs with solo banjo — or more appropriately, ‘banjos’. She will bring several banjos from her home on Dundee Hill, from fretless minstrel banjos to instruments that mark the golden age of banjo making in Boston at the turn of the last century. One of the banjos in her performance collection is a “modern” fretless made in Port Townsend with a banjo head made from sailcloth.

Jeanie Murphy describes her solo sets as comprised of “old tunes, new tunes,and lots of different spooky sounds to the beat of the clawhammer, the strum of the old style picking.” She will include “nods to Hobart Smith, Dock Boggs, anonymous players caught by the Lomaxes, and the first banjo tune Doc Watson ever learned.” The songs cover a wide variety of subject matter, she says, including “songs about dying cows, water that tastes like wine, rocky hills, wild hogs, bobbed hair.”

Don your finest blue & green gear and head over to Taps at the Guardhouse to enjoy $15 pitcher & chicken wing specials ALL DAY LONG. This week, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Centurylink Field to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, October 20 with a kickoff at 1:25PM to battle for the week 7 win. Come cheer on your team on game day at Taps! We’re talking to YOU 12’s!

Have you experimented enough in pastel to know you prefer working on textured, sanded or velour paper? Painting primarily in hard rather than soft pastels? Or vice versa? Do you like working realistically or abstractly? If you find you are still intrigued and maybe even hooked on pastels, continue to build your interest and hone your methods in this 2 day course.

We will revisit the basic practice of layering pastels from hard to soft and dark to light on various substrates. Chris will demonstrate on how to work from photographic reference material along with offering further instruction in specific techniques. There will be an emphasis on mark making and strokes. You will gain confidence as you practice and begin to develop your own techniques and distinctive style.

Bring your pastels and any substrates you like to work on. An apron, protective gloves and hand wipes are suggested. There will be a $15 materials fee (more papers and pastels to try!)

Who doesn’t need a little rest & relaxation in the middle of the week?? Join us every Wednesday the whole month of October for Wine Down Wednesday! Enjoy $3 selected wines by the glass, and 25% off selected wines by the bottle – ALL. DAY. LONG.

Yup, you heard that right, we hope to see you there!

What is abstract seeing? And why is it important? How is it useful in my art making practice?

Seeing abstractly is a way to grow self knowledge and to recognize (or break) patterns in composition or design. It is a way of honing ideas and opening up our vision and curiosity. It is a path to discovery. This workshop is useful to all artists —for anyone pursuing either Abstraction and/or Representation.

This two day workshop is a concentrated study in Abstract Seeing. It is designed to both shake up what is known and to deepen the understanding of Abstraction in general. Through experimentation, various techniques and methods and materials, we will exercise new ways of seeing. This workshop explores various approaches that unravel abstract ideas, expand compositional possibilities and help to create useful sketchbook habits. Each student will create a individual responses to the suggested exercises. All sessions will contain a brief topic for conversation, a large amount of hands-on time to explore assignments and ask questions, followed by group discussion. Suitable for all levels of experience, from beginner to advanced.

Collage materials will be provided. However, you are welcome to bring your favorite paints (water-based, please) drawing materials, or other studio supplies and tools.

Materials fee: $5.00 cash or check payable to the instructor at the beginning of the workshop.

NOTE: Olympic Art & Office and Quimper Mercantile offer 10% discount for PTSA students.

On Friday, October 25, Will Jevne will perform solo at Taps as part of the Friday Night Live Series from 6-8pm, presenting original songs alongside old-time numbers. Hailing from Sequim, singer and guitarist Will Jevne is a familiar face in the local music scene, whether on the bandstand or in jam sessions across the North Olympic Peninsula.

Jevne works with the Sweater Weather String Band, which performs a mix of old-time country and honky-tonk music, also also branching into other styles like Irish music. Sweater Weather String Band periodically performs at venues and dances here on the North Olympic Peninsula, also at larger regional events like the Subdued Stringband Jamboree or the Bellingham Irish Festival.

It’s a special experience to hear Will Jevne perform solo, away from an ensemble, with his heartfelt delivery and rich guitar work framing thoughtful song choices. As with the band, Jevne performs a blend of old-time country songs, honky-tonk numbers and more.

This is a two day class.  The first day we will build understanding of the skull and anatomy of the head. Just like sculpture it is important to have an armature to build from.  In Drawing this armature is the knowledge of the skull and anatomy of muscle and fat that overlays the bone on the human head. During the first day we will also study proportions of the human head and a method of drawing the head from multiple directions. This can be useful if you want to more accurately portray people in your work.

The second day we will focus on rendering the human head and creating a portrait of someone you know or yourself. We will talk about value and texture in drawing.  We will also cover a little about what makes a good portrait. We will have plenty of time on the second day to get a very good start on a portrait, you may have to do the finishing touches on your own.

No supplies needed

Please bring 3 photos printed in black and white of people’s heads that you would like to draw. A good photo the size of a normal piece of typing paper will help you get good results.

ABOUT RICK

There is one constant in my life and that is change. Meeting new people, moving, learning, and traveling is life’s adventure to me. I have been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. I spent hours drawing dragons, comic characters, and so much other fantastic stuff. Art has always been in my life and recently it has become the focus. My wife and I recently took 2 years off to travel. Then we moved to Port Townsend in 2016 and I attended The Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building. The traveling and school made me realize how much of my life is informed by what I create. Drawing is my kinesthetic approach to learning about the world around me. With the inspiration of the trades in Port Townsend my art has taken on a Maritime theme. I love detail and process so I attempt to show both in my work.

“Setting new standards and a fresh direction for the blues…”

At the crossroads of blues and American roots music you’ll find Brooks Williams. Setting new standards and a fresh direction for the blues, says Blues In Britain, and creating a beautiful fusion (Keys And Chords). Just when you think he can’t sing a bluesier note, he sings it. Just when you think he can’t strum a deeper groove, he strums it.

Brooks Williams was born in Statesboro, Georgia, USA (the town made famous by the classic song Statesboro Blues), and did his apprenticeship in the small bars and coffeehouses of New York and Boston, following in the footsteps of Chris Smither, Rory Block, Shawn Colvin, Maria Muldaur, David Bromberg and Leo Kottke, all whom he gigged with from time-to-time when he was starting out.

The result of those early years is an unflagging career that goes from strength to strength. Lucky Star, Williams’ 28th solo recording, is already turning heads and making itself known on playlists throughout the world. The Second Line groove that runs throughout every track would make the late Allen Toussaint proud.

Williams performs hundreds of solo and band shows throughout Europe, North America and the UK each year and regularly collaborates with an impressive list of fellow musicians, including Hans Theessink, Guy Davis, Sally Barker, Boo Hewerdine, Paul Jones, and Rab Noakes.

Ranked in the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists, he’s a mean finger-picker and a stunning slide guitarist. Plus, he has a beautiful voice, says AmericanaUK, that you just melt into. That voice earned Brooks a nomination for Best Male Vocalist by Spiral Earth, one of the UK’s most respected roots music publications.

He’s no slouch as a songwriter, and has an impeccable ear for a good cover. “Williams original songs are typically sophisticated musically, and yet sound immediately familiar a sign of a skilled songwriter, writes Down At The Crossroads. His massive repertoire spans classic roots and blues. Check out his version of Dave Alvin’s King Of California and follow it with Williams’ instant classic, Gambling Man.

Brooks Williams has played all the major stages, like The Birchmere in Virginia, The Guthrie Center in Massachusetts, The Tolbooth in Scotland, The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in England, Meneer Frits in The Netherlands, Harvest Blues in Ireland, The Avalon Theater in Maryland, JazzLand in Austria, The Stables in England, and Blues Au Chateau in France. And he gets invited back. He has also played the Fairport Cropredy Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Costa del Folk, Shrewsbury Festival, Celtic Connections and the Glastonbury Festival.

Brooks has recorded for labels as diverse as Signature Sounds, Green Linnet Records, Reveal Records, Solid Air Records, as well as his own Red Guitar Blue Music. He’s learned the studio trade first-hand working with roots music producers like Colin Linden (Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn) in Toronto and Phil Madeira (Buddy and Julie Miller, Emmylou Harris) in Nashville.

His instructional guitar workshops frequently sell out, and his teaching is in demand at music camps and colleges around the world. His music has featured on the BBC (UK), RTE (Ireland), CBC (Canada), NPR (USA) and Sirius XM (USA), and he has charted on the FOLKDJ chart, EuroAmericana chart and Blues Lists around the world. WUMB-FM in Boston (USA) voted him one of their Top 100 Artists.

Praised by Blues Matters, fRoots, Rolling Stone, the Boston Globe and Mojo, Williams is at the top of his game. His tour schedule has never been busier. He writes and records at an astonishing pace. He loves it and that love exudes from every note.

In this class series, you will learn how to use the simple craft of papier-mâché to make useful and beautiful vessels. It’s playtime for grown-ups! In this hands-on experience, you will make your creations using common objects such as bowls, cups and plates as forms. Then you’ll successively layer the form with newspaper strips and simple flour-and-water paste to build a rustic, sturdy vessel. To finish the pieces, we’ll look at pattern design – from nature, history and different cultures – to inspire your painted surface decoration. You’ll use bright colors and shapes painted with water-based liquid acrylic to make your vessels friendly and inviting. In this class, you will learn how to make the most of the beautiful flexibility of this art form. And they make wonderful gifts!

Beginners are welcome and all materials are provided.

Decades ago, I began to take the childhood craft of papier-mâché into an area of creating objects that had both beauty and purpose. I love the versatility and simplicity of the medium.

Who doesn’t need a little rest & relaxation in the middle of the week?? Join us every Wednesday the whole month of October for Wine Down Wednesday! Enjoy $3 selected wines by the glass, and 25% off selected wines by the bottle – ALL. DAY. LONG.

Yup, you heard that right, we hope to see you there!

Who doesn’t need a little rest & relaxation in the middle of the week?? Join us every Wednesday the whole month of October for Wine Down Wednesday! Enjoy $3 selected wines by the glass, and 25% off selected wines by the bottle – ALL. DAY. LONG.

Yup, you heard that right, we hope to see you there!

Marvel at the immediate and fascinating results of acrylic pouring with Ginny King. This recently revived acrylic paint technique sensation is suitable for students age 8 and up and the workshop would be a fantastic adventure for parents or grandparents and their young artists!

Colors swirl, dragons and various amorphous shapes appear.  Beach scenes ebb and flow.  Your results will be startling and endlessly fascinating.

Acrylic pouring is an easy technique that also offers increasing challenges for artists compelled to develop advanced skills.

Students will learn Flip Cup, Dirty Pour, Negative Space Pouring, swiping, puddle Pouring and the Ribbon Pour.

Materials Fee: $10, payable to the instructor at the start of class