What's happening at Whidbey Art Gallery
August 2026

Art Walk Demo: Jill Lipoti
I plan to demonstrate the preparation of some pots for firing in a saggar.  I use a number of alternative firing techniques in my work.  Alternative, in this case, means not fired in a conventional electric kiln with conventional glazes.  I like to do raku firing, pit firing, salt firing, or saggar firing.  All of these methods produce the variety of surfaces that are on my work - usually more abstract, but certainly more unpredictable, since the firing is not "programmed" so there are many opportunities for disaster or (hopefully) happy accidents.  

I plan to bring in 5 pieces that have had terra sigillata applied at the greenware stage, and then bisque fired.  I will demonstrate how I prepare the pieces for firing by using copper wire, copper scrubbies, steel wool, powdered copper sulfate, rock salt, and botanicals such as bracken fern pieces or maple leaves.  The pieces are then wrapped in aluminum foil (the saggar) and they will be fired in an outdoor, propane fueled kiln.  The timing of the demonstration is so that the "reveal" for these pieces will take place during the Whidbey Working Artists Studio tour on August 15 and 16.  We have scheduled a kiln opening at 2pm for each day!  I will be at the "Out of the Ashes" studio, which is stop #20 on the tour.  

I have placed 3 finished pieces on my display in anticipation of questions about how they will look when they come out.  However, the exact outcome is always a surprise.  The color could trend to emphasize white, red, or black, and the shadow of the botanicals could be stark or dreamy.  You will have to come to the "reveal" to find out!
​Guest Artist: Adam Bly
After years of practicing watercolor, Adam Bly has turned to gouache to pursue his expression of nature. “Painting in gouache has given me all the same mechanics that I enjoyed with watercolor, but with more color saturation and the ability to layer opaquely. Combining these techniques in the field, ‘en plein air’, makes the effort to capture nature’s moments much more exciting.”
Born and raised in Washington, near Mt Rainier, Adam Bly earned a BFA from Western Washington University with a minor in art history. After graduating, he learned to climb trees in Bellingham for a few different tree services and eventually started his own tree service on Whidbey Island. Adam found a thriving arts community on Whidbey and has taken part in
several group shows since.

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Featured Artist: Ryder Hobbs
Ryder’s love for the natural world and philosophy are essential to his unique combination of tangible and abstract elements in his style of wheel-thrown ceramics. The duality of ethereal and earthy in Ryder’s work is apparent on several levels: his functional vessels are typically carve with abstract patterns that transcend the utility of the every-day object; in turn, these carved patterns are inspired by psychedelic and organic motifs such as rhizomes, fractals, and animal markings. “My favorite thing to create is artwork that disrupts our usual habits of recognition. I want to create pottery that has a banal use, like drinking coffee, but will also take me away from the ordinary.”
Ryder learned wheel-thrown ceramics from Tina Gebbart at Gettysburg College. Currently, he is continuing his education through an apprenticeship with local ceramic artists Cara Jung and Kimberly Muller. He lives in Freeland with his wonderful partner, Madeline Buehrer.  
First Saturday Art Walk: August 1, 5-7 p.m.
Meet our artists and explore the stories behind their work while enjoying a glass of wine and some chocolates.