Kirkland Kicks Off Spring with the Art Walk

Kirkland’s first Art Walk of the year opened with beautiful weather Friday night and 12 downtown galleries and businesses indicating their participation and encouraging visitors with bouquets of balloons.

This year organizers have moved the Art Walk from Thursdays to the second Friday of the month, hoping to draw larger crowds. Though the main focus is to celebrate art, many businesses are looking to spur sales with the increased foot traffic.

Park Lane is host to the largest cluster of local galleries. Many of the participating locations invited artists to demonstrate techniques or simply talk to guests about their art. Snacks and drinks could be found at most galleries.

Parklane Gallery is a co-op at which member artists can display their work and where they take shifts working at the gallery. As a result, the art displayed diverges drastically throughout the space; from metal and acrylics, to oils and found-art sculpture.

The Howard-Mandville Gallery has a large collection of pastel artist Teresa Saia’s landscapes. She was busy demonstrating her striking color technique to interested viewers as we walked through the large gallery. Paintings and sculpture comprise the majority of the work at this location.

Across the street, the has a different market. Paintings still grace some of the outer walls, but large glass cases lined with jewelry and dishes take up the interior. Blown glass reflects colorfully throughout the gallery. Outside, an artist painted colorful abstract images on a canvas while a musician played guitar.

Between Milagro Cantina and Thin Pan Bistro on Lake Street is the Blaubak Gallery showing contemporary pieces. Photo mosaics sat opposite large-scale paintings with slightly confusing images of people and animals.

Each month, the Kirkland Art Walk will feature a different theme. Look forward to a family friendly month, an open house at the Kirkland Arts Center, and a month dedicated to teen artists.

As the spring turns into summer, this event will continue be a great reason to get out and see some art and visit local businesses and restaurants.