A Study in Styles - First Friday Art Walk in Ashland

The sidewalks teem with people bustling from one gallery to another on the first Friday of October in Ashland, where the monthly Art Walk is taking place. People fairly burst with expressions and individuality, ranging from burny-hippie-punks with raver hair and arm cuffs to conservative tourists in their fifties. There is talk and laughter and infinite greetings, as Ashland-ers and out-of-town guests bump into friends, acquaintances, and long-lost hairdressers on every corner. The art walk is as much a social scene as an art exhibition, with the galleries serving wine and treats and giving the patrons something to talk about; and the subject is, of course, art.

There is plenty of it, and in all shapes and sizes. A huge canvas in a gallery by the plaza sports a colorful nude figure, alive with reds and blues and yellows. The thick lines of the sketchy body create a feeling of motion, drawing the eye to their curves and hollows. A surrealist painting of two dogs in human clothing, staring straight at the viewer, is unnerving and a little strange; while a collection of carefully assembled dolls and puppets with clown faces draw looks of fascination.

There are abstracts and landscapes, dynamic portraits and bizarre statues. There are tastes ranging from classic to eclectic, and each group of people gravitates to their own taste in artwork. There are paintings, crafts, and photographs; But most beautiful of all is a collection of hand-blown glass that graces the shelves of our last gallery.

A bright blue lizard perches as if it would skitter away any second, tail swirled above it and glassy eyes alive and glittering. It is one smooth curl of fluidity, a moment of lizard-ness captured in glass. It looks both dreamlike and surprisingly real, the bright colors contrasted with the feeling of movement and life. The next shelf over, an Asian-painted vase catches the light, translucent gold with patterns of purple bamboo and a single black crane.