Art – Page 21 – Sequim Daily Photo

Masterful carvings

The carvings of Dusty Humphries, Sr. were featured at the Peninsula College Longhouse for three months recently. I got there last week on the second to last day of the exhibit. I’m sorry I couldn’t publicize the beautiful show to locals before it closed.

Humphries is of the Jamestown S’Klallam and Makah Tribes and his work explores Native American themes. The detail above is part of a seabird paddle.

This is a Salmon spindle whorl. I’ve lightened the shot to show more of the detail. It’s a deeply colored red cedar piece, approximately 18 inches (approx. 1/2 meter) across.

Early versions of these contemporary combs have been found in local archaeological digs. Similar pieces from one dig were displayed by the Lower Elwah Tribe a couple of years ago but photos were not allowed. I was pleased to photograph these contemporary beautiful, functional pieces.

This piece was carved from yew with applied abalone shell. There were other works on display but these were some of my favorites.

Working wood

There was an exhibit of the beautiful wood carvings of Dusty Humphries, Sr. at the Longhouse of Peninsula College in Port Angeles recently.

Humphries’ work features traditional Native American themes. These handmade tools were part of the display.

Most tool users can appreciate the beauty of these pieces.

Can you make out the piles of wood chips in this old photograph? This is a massive tree trunk being worked into a traditional Native American boat, chip by chip. The Native woodworker here is using an adz, variations of which are shown in the top photos. The man was photographed around 1914-15 by Fannie Taylor, an early postmistress in Mora, an early white settlement on our coast that no longer exists. This photo was in an office in the Longhouse.

Come back tomorrow to have a look at some of the work of Dusty Humphries, Sr.

Bottle art

I like the way that light plays on just about any kind of glass. But sometimes I just don’t get bottle art.

Late note: I failed to see that this is a dragonfly. Thanks to those who observed better than I did .

Lunch at the Brothers’ House

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe recently opened The House of Seven Brothers, a new restaurant in their Seven Cedars Casino in Blyn.

A friend and I figuratively had lunch there with the brothers the other day. The masks on the wall of the restaurant represent and honor seven brothers whose genealogy is part of the Tribe’s present day lineage.

The dining room was remodeled from a previous buffet restaurant and enlarged with space from a former gift shop. As with other Tribal enterprises this one is nicely done and very attractive.

An open kitchen stands at the back of the restaurant. Based on our lunches, it produces tasty food. The new restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Stump carving

You can find stump carving here and there around town but it isn’t commonly on a tree stump that’s still in the ground as this one is.

Here’s a closer look at at one of the sweet bears peeking out midway down the stump.

Juan de Fuca Festival 2

When I said yesterday that the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts draws performers from far and wide I wasn’t exaggerating. One of the groups we saw perform twice on Saturday, All Our Exes Live in Texas, hails from Australia.

The singer-songwriter group has won the ARIA, Australia’s Grammy, for best roots/blues album of the year. They came to the festival in Port Angeles as part of a world tour.

Halie Loren, above, is based in Oregon and has also toured internationally. Her rich, bluesy voice was perfect for her set which included an unexpected version of the 1967 hit, “Ode to Billie Joe,” best I’ve ever heard. And she set a fresh new standard with many of her other songs. Top notch.

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. It’s a time to remember and appreciate our veterans who gave their all. These service men and women have always made America great.

Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts

We’re spending the weekend immersed in live music and performance at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles. It’s a four day lineup of talent from near and far, and an opportunity to be saturated with awesomeness.

Chris Swenson was a highlight of our first day. He calls his work “human jazz,” a description that barely scratches the surface of voice/song, movement/dance, and performance that defies easy characterization. Check out his website to get a better idea and see him in action.

The program reads, in part, “His work is unique in its cross-cultural synthesis of theater, dance and music and its willingness to unbridle the imagination.”

The festival is a family event with a street fair and free outside entertainment. As the day progressed, kids joined the fun and danced joyfully around the periphery of the main stage.