What’s happening at the Blue Whole Gallery
Jewelers Brian Buntain, Coffee Miklos and Ed Crumley are teaming up with watercolor painter George Zien for a show called, “Portraits and Pendants” on display through Oct. 31.
The foursome – who are calling themselves “The Men of Black” – have very different backgrounds but share a mutual passion for art.
Crumley’s fascination with jewelry design and fabrication began 40 years ago after he first was introduced to the cutting and polishing of semi-precious stones.
“When we moved to Sequim in 2006 and set up a studio in our home, I began to experiment with ideas and techniques,” Crumley recalled.
“The challenge of taking hard shapes and trying to create a softer and more organic look by hammering and shaping the metal is quite rewarding.”
Miklos is no stranger to the jewelry industry; He designed and sold jewelry for the past 35 years in high-end retail shops on the East Coast. Nowadays, his work is a product of his surroundings.
“My inspirations are found in the water vapor that forms dew drops in the trees, the intricate labors of a beaver building a dam, the downpours of rain in the mountains, the action of water cutting through rock to find the ocean again, the inevitability of an ice sheet that floats and clings tenuously to the pond’s shore and swaying of eelgrass in a saltwater bay,” Miklos described.
Buntain’s designs are influenced by adornments from ancient, classical and non-Western civilizations and cross-cultural motifs. From the mists of Mesopotamia to the mysteries of the Nile to the grandeur of the Yucat?n, cultures of the ancient ones fuel his mind with inspiration.
Bringing some color to the exhibit, Zien’s vibrant watercolors capture the images that appeal to him.
“For me, art is a form of communication,” Zien stated on his Website. “Although I tend to be a realist, I like a bit of mystery in my paintings.”
December featured artists of the month are watercolorist Ryoko Toyama and wood turner Carl Baker.
The next First Friday artwalk is scheduled 5-7:30 p.m. Nov. 5.
For more information, go online to www.bluewhole
gallery.com.
