It's time again for fall Arts Walk in downtown Olympia. Going on today, this celebration is the tamer counterpart to spring Arts Walk. There is still plenty to do, though, with hundreds of visual and performing artists being featured at more than 100 businesses downtown.
Here are samplings of a few of the artistic gems that will be found.
For the past year and a half, Ryan Adams has been working with still life photography, changing the color scheme and simplifying with stencils - using two-tone, three-tone or more to create art that visually pops of the canvas.
"I take a black/white photograph and single out each shade of grey," Adams says. "I cut these out on paper or plastic and place them on canvas in succession from darkest to lightest. Then I paint in the layers with appropriate shades of the color I chose."
Adams photos-turned-paintings will be on display at Oly Vegan during Arts Walk. Oly Vegan is located at 313 5th Ave, Suite A and is number 50 on the Arts Walk roster.
While Adams has done a variety of designs such as Buddha, Burlesque girls and portraits, his theme of 10 to 12 paintings will be vintage pinup and antique pornography.
"It's what caught my eye this time," says Adams, who sometimes performs with Olympia's Own Tush! Burlesque as Oliver Clothesoff.
"I'm inspired by street art and stencil art," says Adams, who hopes his paintings will help others "look at their world in a different light."
The art will range in size from 15 x 20 to 36 x 36 and range in price from $50 to $150.
Down at 117 Washington Street, Olyphant Art Supply will open its walls to six different artists.
Stephen Rue, Erik Maxwell, Arrington De Dionyso, Christopher Ross, Erica Keeling and Nick Baldridge will all display a variety of art.
Baldridge, who also owns the store with his brother J.B., has a few small pieces he will display at Olyphant. Ten to 12 of his watercolors, abstract, oil paintings and photo realism prints will be at Capitol Theater, located at 206 5th Ave, during Arts Walk.
Baldridge's portrait paintings have a very surreal, dream-like quality with flowing colors complimented by real life details. They tend to be larger than life. His portrait, Steph, is 8 feet tall.
"We are looking forward to seeing the city of Olympia shine during its fall Arts Walk," Baldridge says. "There is a lot of talent in this town and we're always glad to see our local artists getting the attention they deserve. We have an fantastic show in our gallery and we hope the artists involved get lots of exposure."
For a complete list of featured artists, visit www.artswalkolympia.com