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Five working artists – all women – have teamed up for the seventh annual GreyBird Barn’s Artist Studio Sale, set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 8-9.
The sale is located at the barn studio of etched-metal artist Shane Miller, 11 Carroll Ave., in Glenn Cove. Many of the artists represented have been selling in the show for years.
The GreyBird Barn artists, whose work runs the gamut from found-object sculpture to photo-etched jewelry to mixed-media painting, plan to be on hand both days to explain their processes and answer questions.
New to the barn sale this year is Suquamish artist Diane Haddon, who specializes in assemblage and found-object collage. Returning artists are Linda Jarvis (mixed-media, sculpture and assemblage), Lynn Anju (metal etchings, sculpture and jewelry), Loran Scruggs (colorful reused tin and bottle-cap creations) and GreyBird Barn studio owner Shane Miller (photo-etched jewelry, narrative boxes and sculpture).
Miller has been a working artist for about 25 years, starting out in large-scale steel sculpture; over time, her work has evolved to include photo-etched metal boxes and three-dimensional opening frames. She is now branching out to paper and collage work – still using some of the same photo processes she uses in her etchings – gluing tiled gampi paper onto larger canvases to create large, composite images.
In recent years, Miller has switched from using harsh chemicals for photo etching to a process which uses electricity – provided by a car battery – and a strong salt water solution. Miller says she’s happier with the results, and the process is far less toxic than using conventional photo etching chemicals.
A thread running through Miller's artwork, regardless of media, is narrative – every piece tells a story. Her "narrative boxes" hang on the wall and open up, inviting viewers to open each panel to find out what the rest of the story might be. Miller's work is available year around at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts.
Miller came to Port Townsend in 1993 for the sea kayaking, and stayed, in part, because of the thriving regional arts scene. The barn – which serves as her studio space when it's not being pressed into service for the sale – has become a way for a group of what Miller calls "like-minded artists" to come together once a year and create an intimate, informative way of selling their work. All of the artists sell their work at regional galleries, but having "at home" time offers people a chance to talk with the artists about their processes, tools and intentions for a piece.
The barn is located in a quiet, semi-rural area in little-traveled Glenn Cove, just outside the Port Townsend city limits. From State Route 20, take Fredericks Street and follow the signs to the bottom of the hill. Sale hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday Oct. 8-9. For more information, call Miller at 379-5421.
