Opening: Everett gallery’s show and party honors creepy fun

Published 3:06 pm Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The costumed and the creepy. The freaky and the frivolous. The haunting and the hilarious. It’s all part of Lowell Art Works’ Halloween party and art show.

The three-day party, dubbed “TTGBITN” for “Things That Go Bump In The Night,” kicks off from 5 to 9 tonight and continues from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, All Saints Day; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, the Day of the Dead; at Lowell Art Works, 5205 S. Second Ave., Everett.

The art show part of the party will include science fiction and fantasy illustrations, large-scale sculptures, surrealistic paintings and limited edition giclees. The Halloween part of the party will involve costumes, treats and the stuff that makes your neck hairs stand up and your skin crawl.

Grand opening: The Cottage Gallery at Whittsend is holding its grand opening this weekend.

The opening is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 14620 W. Lake Goodwin Road, Stanwood. Refreshments will be served and there will be a drawing to win a free print.

The cottage has a cozy courtyard and the gallery is displaying original oil paintings and prints along with cookbooks. Visitors might also catch artist and owner Holly Whitten painting during the opening.

“Waters Alive!”: An exhibit at Women Painters of Washington Gallery in Seattle features expressive waterscapes by Everett resident and painter Janet Hamilton, with the message of protecting one of our most valuable resources.

The exhibit opens Thursday and runs through Jan. 30. An opening reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Women Painters of Washington Gallery, 701 Fifth Ave., Seattle.

Hamilton, chairwoman of the exhibition, is among the 30 regional artists featured, further emphasizing the local nature of this exhibition and its theme — “restoring and protecting our urban waterways,” Cheryl Richey of Women Painters of Washington said in a prepared statement.

The show is a partnership between the Women Painters of Washington and the city of Seattle’s Restore Our Waters Initiative. Hamilton helped organize the show because she saw an opportunity for artists to help in the rescue and restoration of urban waterways. Artists in the show will donate a percentage of their commissions to several nonprofit organizations that promote ecological citizenship.

Hamilton served as board president of the Arts Council of Snohomish County. Her talents can be seen in her waterscapes, where she plays off the shimmering effects of light and shadow when she paints still inlets, cascading waterfalls or the ripples of inland seas.

“As a visual artist, I strive to capture the movement, reflections and atmospheric effects of water,” Hamilton said in a prepared statement. “Nothing is more beautiful to me than this slippery essence of life.”

“The World of her Dreams”: Gale Johansen’s new exhibit is of a body of work comprising new acrylic paintings, mixed media, encaustic or wax paintings and 3-D objects that reflect the artist’s unique vision.

The show kicks off with a reception from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Solovei Art Gallery, 2804 Grand Ave., Everett, and runs through Nov. 29.