Art shows

First Friday

Vancouver

Art galleries and local businesses celebrate this month’s art shows with a First Friday Art Walk in downtown Vancouver. From 5 to 9 p.m., visitors can explore opening receptions at participating art galleries, along with events and local music. Visit www.vdausa.org for more information.

Camas

First Friday in Camas runs 5 to 8 p.m. with art galleries offering artist receptions, plus after-hours shopping and family-friendly activities in downtown businesses. This month’s theme is “Plein Air Art Event” featuring plein air art by local artists. Visit downtowncamas.com for more information.

Opening Exhibits

“Stories that MIGHT be True,” through September. Art at the CAVE’s newest exhibition features Women of the PNW telling “Stories that MIGHT Be True,” in the form of works by visual artists Michelle Allen, Wendy Armstrong, Rachel Aponte, Marthe Aponte, Erin Dengerink, Lesley Faulds, Bea Garth, Mar Goman, Cynthia Heise, Anne John, Linda Kliewer, Carson Legree, Michelle Marusek, Kathi Rick, Sandy Sampson, Sharon Svec and Crystal Zeller. There will be an opening reception from 5 to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Sept. 7, featuring appearances by belly dancers from across the Pacific Northwest. The CAVE Art Gallery, 108 E. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. cave.gallery.vancouver@gmail.com

Oregon Landscapes by Jean Schwalbe, through Sept. 29. The Attic Gallery of contemporary art in Camas will exhibit the work of Jean Schwalbe, with a chance to meet the artist at an opening night reception from 5 to 8 p.m. First Friday, Sept. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. Schwalbe, born in Portland, paints large acrylic canvases using vibrant purples, reds, yellows, oranges, and blues with bold brush strokes. Light refreshments will be served and guests will enjoy live music by guitarist Paul Chasman. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment. 360-833-9747 or visit www.atticgallery.com.

“Earth Elements,” through Oct. 27, features watercolor paintings by Denise McFadden and stone sculptures by Al Sieradski. McFadden works on dampened paper and mixes color directly onto her painting, rather than a palette, creating wonderful effects and textures. Sieradski is a retired mathematics professor from the University of Oregon who carves contemporary abstract sculpture, primarily of stone, creating “shape therapy or sculptural art for well-being.” The exhibit opens on First Friday, Sept. 7, with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m. Stop by for complimentary light refreshments and to enjoy the artwork. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and on First Fridays until 9 p.m. Art on the Boulevard, 210 W. Evergreen Blvd. 300, Vancouver; free. 360-750-4499 or artontheboulevard.org

Camas Plein Air Art Event will put artists all over downtown Camas Sept. 7, painting its charming streetscapes. At least 75 percent of the painting or drawing must be completed on site and outdoors to be considered “plein air.” Artists will work in downtown Camas from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on that day. Artwork will be shown outside the Camas Gallery that evening from 5 to 8 p.m. for the downtown First Friday event. The People’s Choice award will be given to the piece of art that garners the most votes from attendees. Artwork will then be auctioned off at the Dinner in White event on Sept. 8 at the Port of Camas-Washougal, and works will be on display at the Camas Gallery, 408 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas, through September. 360-817-2415 or www.camasgallery.com/plein-air.html

“Double Visions,” through Sept. 29, is Aurora Gallery’s joint exhibit featuring works by Linda J. Baker, who paints contemporary still life with oils, and Gretha Linwood, who uses pastels to draw vivid landscapes. The gallery will host an opening night reception from 4 to 9 p.m. during Vancouver’s First Friday Art Walk on Sept. 7. The reception is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served and there will be an opportunity to meet both artists. For more information, visit www.AuroraGalleryOnline.com.

Portraits & Landscapes: Art by Doug Kessler & Jason Mayer, through Sept. 25. Kessler’s portraits reveal emotional variations in faces, rendered as a menagerie of portraits of real people as they might appear in a parallel universe. Mayer presents spontaneous figurative landscapes in monotype. Works by both artists will be featured at this joint show. The public is invited to meet the artists at an opening night reception from 5 to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Sept. 7. Regular gallery hours are noon to 4, Wednesdays through Fridays, and by appointment on Saturdays. Enter through Niche Wine Bar. Angst Gallery, 1015 Main St., Vancouver. 360-553-1014 or www.angstgallery.com

“In the manner of…” through October. This show features contemporary reinterpretations of artwork by renowned artists of the past. A First Friday reception with light refreshments will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 7. The gallery serves as a working studio for its members and accepts submissions from the public for its bi-monthly shows. The Artist Loft, 1001 Main St., Suite C, Vancouver. Gallery Hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday, or by appointment. 1 to 9 p.m. First Fridays. 360-519-4019 or www.artistloftvancouver.com

Continuing Exhibits

The Art of Lehuauakea Fernandez and Jason Phelps, through November. Phelps experiments with materials such as salt, rust, shells, and other natural elements juxtaposed with spray paint and stencils. Learn more at jasonwadephelpsart.com. Fernandez explores her native Hawaiian heritage through a collection of paintings, “He Wai E Ola,” on raw canvas that have a delicate sensibility balanced by bold mark. Learn more at lehuauakea.com. Esther Building Art Space, 610 Esther St., Vancouver. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 360-566-7808 or erincdm@gmail.com

“Lift Up Life: Slivers of Hope,” through Sept. 30, with a silent auction Oct. 5 in honor of Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month. The National Alliance for Mentally Ill’s Southwest Washington branch hosts this show — featuring works by artists of all ages and skill levels — to promote awareness and prevention of suicide. The works depict the hope people need when choosing a path other than suicide. Works will be displayed Sept. 1-30 at Three Creeks Community Library, 800 N.E. Tenney Rd., Salmon Creek; Wahkiakum County Library, 100 Main St., Cathlamet; and Skamania County Chamber of Commerce, 167 N.W. Second Ave., Stevenson. The show runs from Sept. 11 to 30 at the Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St., Vancouver. Art will be auctioned off at the Lift Up Life Silent Art Auction from 5 to 8 p.m. on First Friday, Oct. 5, at Cellar 55, 1812 Washington St., Vancouver. 360-695-2823 or namiswwa.org

Photography by Abhisar Gupta, through Sept. 29. See the colorful, wondrous world of Gupta’s macro photography, with a series of fascinating, vibrantly hued close-ups of soap film. Gupta, a computer science engineer, has won numerous awards for his work, which has been displayed in galleries in Colorado and New Mexico. The exhibit is located in the “Loo-vre” (a bathroom exhibit space) at Niche Wine Bar, 1013 Main St., in Vancouver. Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

Barbara Van Nostern, permanent rotating exhibit. Nostern will exhibit select works from her watercolor paintings, changing seasonally. Rand Jewelers, 112 E. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver. Gallery hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. 360-314-2474.

“Into the Light,” through Sept. 29. Mary Alred and Julie Ann Smith will display their watercolors and oil paintings. Second Story Gallery, Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas. Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. 360-834-4692 or www.secondstorygallery.net

“Stitched Heart Art — A Geek’s Art Exhibit,” through Sept. 30, features original paintings by Glo McCollough, whose entire portfolio will by on display. McCollough’s work, inspired by various pop culture fandoms, has been exhibited at Angst Gallery, The Artist Loft, Splendorporium, and Portland 5. The Vancouver Art Space is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information, contact Barbara Sheehan, 360-787-8772 or VancouverArtSpace@gmail.com. Artist questions should be directed to Glo McCollough at 818-634-8066 or glo.lamden.mccollough@gmail.com. Vancouver Art Space, 8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Dr. (located on the second floor of the Vancouver Mall near Macy’s), Vancouver. 360-787-8772 or vancouverartspace.com

Cheryl Mathieson, through Sept. 30. Mathieson’s paintings interpret and document her outdoor experiences. She works primarily in oil as a painter of landscapes, still life and people, aiming to synthesize and sharing her feelings about her natural subjects. Recently, she has been producing a number plein air paintings–often under challenging conditions–bringing greater authenticity to her studio work through direct, immersive observation of a place or object. There will be a reception for Mathieson from 5 to 8 p.m. First Friday, Sept. 7. This event is free to the public. Camas Gallery, 408 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas. Regular gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. 360-817-2415 or www.camasgallery.com