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 enjoy opening receptions and light refreshments at art galleries, after-hours shopping, dining and drink specials, live music and other events. www.vdausa.org.

Camas

First Fridays in Camas are themed, family-friendly events from 5 to 8 p.m. when galleries stay open late for artist receptions. Guests can also enjoy after-hours shopping, dining and additional activities inspired by the month’s theme. May’s theme is “Gnome and Fairy Gala.” downtowncamas.com

Pop-Up Exhibits

The Society of Washington Artists Spring Show and Sale, through May 5. This is Southwest Washington’s largest art show and silent auction, featuring 200 pieces of art, including paintings and 3D art by professional and semiprofessional Northwest artists. Community Room at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver; free admission. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. May 3 and 4, noon to 3 p.m. May 5. A reception will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. May 4 featuring award winners and auction results. https://www.swavancouver.com

The historic Slocum House will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month through October, featuring artwork from members of Mosaic Arts Alliance, including acrylics, mixed media, oils, watercolor, photography, and pen and ink. The artwork is available for purchase. Additional “First Saturday” events are June 1, July 6, Aug. 3, Sept. 7, and Oct. 5. The Slocum House is located on the southwest corner of Esther Short Park, adjacent to the Vancouver Farmers Market. www.mosaicartsalliance.org

Opening exhibits

“Mind’s Eye” Photography Exhibit by Blind and Visually Impaired Students, through May. See eighteen photographs taken by visually impaired and blind students. The students collaborated with sighted volunteers to create images from the student’s “Mind’s Eye,” and the students themselves took the shots. Vancouver City Hall Lobby, 415 W. Sixth St., Vancouver; free. Viewing hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

“Big Skies and Small Wonders,” through May 25, with a free First Friday reception with live music from 5 to 8 p.m. May 3, is a dual show featuring expansive landscapes that form a background for three-dimensional floral stems made of polymer clay. Mary Chant is the painter of clouds piling up on her horizons; Marilyn Slaby is the sculptor of lifelike blooms. Second Story Gallery, upstairs in the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas. Regular library hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. 360-834-4532 or www.secondstorygallery.net

Heidi Jo Curley and Anna Norris, through May with a free First Friday reception 5 to 8 p.m. May 3. Curley is a mixed media artist, working with acrylic and oil paints, watercolors, pastels, gesso, charcoal, gel mediums, paper and vintage scraps to layer and add texture to cradled wooden canvases. Norris is an acrylic and oil painter using intense hues and layering colors in shadows, creating an interplay of light on surfaces. At the opening reception, the artists will each work on a piece, then trade pieces and continue painting the other person’s work. Camas Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 408 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas. 360-817-2415 or camasgallery.com

“From Barcelona to Portland: Urban Works,” through May, with an opening reception 5 to 9 p.m. First Friday, May 3. Contemporary artist John Kay bridges the gap between photography and fine art, incorporating discarded bits of colorful torn posters to create collages. Aurora Gallery, 1004 Main St., Vancouver. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. 360-696-0449 or www.AuroraGalleryOnline.com

Liz Pike, through May 29. See Liz Pike’s original work in oils on canvas, open to the public during library hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. There will be an opening reception with complimentary punch and cookies from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 6, in the Library Meeting Room. Three Creeks Community Library, 800 N.E. Tenney Road, Vancouver. 360-906-4790 or www.facebook.com/ThreeCreeksLibrary/

C.W. Pottz, through May 31, with an opening reception with complimentary wine and chocolate from 5 to 8 p.m. on First Friday, May 3. C.W. Potzz, returns to Attic Gallery with an exhibit of new, vibrant paintings that are full of energy, life, and color. Guests are invited to meet C.W. Potzz during the opening reception. Attic Gallery, 421 N.E. Cedar St., Camas. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and by appointment on Sunday and Monday. 360-833-9747 or www.atticgallery.com