Tacoma's Third Thursday Art Walk, I discovered last night, was not, strictly speaking, wine walk.  Sure a couple of glasses were bestowed upon me, and there were some lovely treats to eat, but the evening seemed, fittingly, more about the art.

Mindy Barker’s works were particularly arresting, at the Sanford and Son shops.  She had painted canvasses displayed in zinnia, and a number of multi-media pieces in her own space. These intrigued me, with their photographic starts morphing into a different telling of the photograph’s story.

Also noteworthy were Jeff Olson’s pieces in Embellish Salon’s new space.  His carrot with a SKU caught me off guard, and when he explained it was a commentary on genetically modified foods, hence it’s title “100%GMO” I had one of those illuminating “AHA!” moments one gets when understanding art.

Patricia Lecy-Davis was also on hand at her Embellish space, and I had a quick chat with her about Art Walk, in general.  She’s happy that Art Walk has grown to what it’s become, with spaces like hers, which are not, strictly speaking, galleries, getting some notice.

“It’s been good night,” she commented, and I think Olson heartily agreed, though he seemed a bit in shock by the night.  One woman asked him if he had any more pieces â€" she explained she had a great space, and left it at that â€" and he sold five of the eight pieces he showed.

Naturally, a celebration was on order, and the crowd transferred to Tempest Lounge, where a crowd was buzzing and the bar appeared to be at max capacity (when the deck wasn’t taking a portion of the crowd outside.)  The glitterati of the local art scene mingled with a pre-wedding rehearsal dinner crowd, making for a fun yuppie-meets-artsy scene. I met up with Claudia Riedener, who introduced me to Lynn Di Nino, who introduced me to James Bender; as I talked to all the others I met, I recognized names and faces (James Hume, Ryan Loiselle, among others.)

Fun times always must end; I had my last sip of wine.  I drove home loving that in Tacoma, the arts aren’t stuffy, and the artists and super cool. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler