Another New Venue and Exhibit

 May wrapped up to be very successful for J Gray Design!  After installing many new pieces at The Take 5 Art Gallery on Water Street in Port Townsend, I was introduced to the new owners of a beautiful vintage home decor shop in Uptown PT.  Rust & Relics Vintage carries many local artisans and offers vintage home decor as well.  So I am excited to join them there with a small collection of my Stones and Metal jewelry work.

I created these five pieces specifically for Rust & Relics Vintage, all in my signature foldform design.  The earrings are made with sterling silver ear wires.

This month I also applied for this quarter's rotating art exhibit in the next town.  Shelton is 28 miles south but within the same county.  After their jury process and city council approval, I was notified that I had been accepted to showcase my jewelry along with two other artists, from June through August.  They have displayed the pieces inside the glass case.  

All of these pieces were created for this exhibit except the two cuffs which are from my personal collection.

I'm taking a much needed break from the studio in early June but will be back creating some new designs that have been swirling around in my head.  Hopefully the next round of work will make it to the Etsy shop!  

Meanwhile if you are traveling to Port Townsend, WA. this summer, please stop in the new shops and take home a hand crafted jewelry piece from the Pacific Northwest.

New Work and a New Venue

 Last week I had a serendipitous encounter at a Port Townsend Gallery where I made an instant connection with Mara, the owner.  The conversation flowed from art to her background to her plans for the future of the gallery.  Included were plans to bring in jewelry!  This lead the conversation to my work in metal and a quick viewing of my photos.  Please note here artists, you should always have photos of your work on your phone as you never know when you'll need to show them!
She loved the work, invited me to exhibit there and we agreed I'd return in a week.

One week later to the day, I returned with new pieces I'd made especially for the gallery and a few I'd taken from my Etsy shop listings.  This made a well rounded collection and representation of the work I am producing this year in stones and metal.  

This experience is a testament to synchronicity.  Always be ready for the unexpected magic that can happen at any time!  

I met artist friends of Mara's and could see the kinship she had with them that I too felt instantly.  These are my people, artists, kindred souls.  Right away a pair of my earrings sold out of the box.  Mara went to work on plans for a display while I unpacked the items and chatted with shoppers.  I love art appreciators!  

Here are the new items that are now represented in the Take 5 Art Gallery in Port Townsend, WA on Water Street.

Please plan to visit the Take 5 Art Gallery on your next trip to Port Townsend, currently open Thursday through Sunday and 6 days a week come summer.  The gallery is a short walk from the ferry so if you come over from Seattle on the new fast ferry you can come on foot.  Take 5 is the first gallery on the right side of Water street in the Flagship Landing building.

Mara brings her knowledge and expertise from the San Francisco art scene.  Take 5 opened in June of 2021 and has grown into a magical hidden gem of quality art.

Here are some images of the fabulous space that Mara has so lovingly created at Take 5, including big name artists from the west coast and Paris!  

I hope you'll put the gallery on your destination list for the summer of 2022!

New Photo Gear

I wasted no time getting out for my first photo trip to test out the new gear.
Just yesterday I purchased a used camera with many choice lenses, several I was itching to try out in the wild.

I decided to drive up to Port Townsend as it's only an hour away and is home to some magnificent architecture as well as waterfront views.
Before I got into town however, I had an idea to first visit the Fort Worden State Park where the Point Wilson Lighthouse is.

Mind you I had not even taken the time to learn this camera, but it was very similar to my previous one.  I just fired at will in a state of complete bliss.

My favorite lens that day was the 10-20mm wide angle lens.  The sky was perfect, light odd shaped clouds and bright sun.  It was a little cold but dry for October.

Here was the take away from the lighthouse area.

These look fantastic on metallic paper too!

As I walked along the beach I came to what looked like a gate entrance, with some odd looking trees and a big metal barrel on a hill - which I'm guessing is the original "lighthouse", where a large fire would burn.

I thought I was done shooting and was about to head back to the car, when I decided instead to see where the trail lead.  I came upon a row of bunkers and when I looked to my left I was completely surprised by the largest bunker structure I had ever seen - two stories and a third floor top room.  This was a massive concrete structure with stairs and many rooms.
No one else was around as I headed toward it, but something told me to instead take some stairs to the left and down to the ground floor.
When I got down there and looked back up at this amazing mass of concrete, a rather seemly looking fellow came out of one of the rooms at the top!  He was leaning in the doorway, looking out, smoking a cigarette.  Actually I wanted to take his picture, it would have been great, however my better judgement decided not to approach him.

Here are a few shots of that area.

I was in awe at the size of it.  The tall creepy trees and interesting clouds this day really made this first trip a hit.
I did end up going into town as well and tried out a few more lenses.

All of my final images are on the Fine Art Prints page at https://jenigraybydesign.blogspot.com/p/fine-art-prints.html or visit my website at www.jenigrayphotography.com .
If you're on Instagram, find me @jenigray_by_design.