Local art featured in First Friday Artwalk

Two First Friday retailers highlighted art with a local flare on Friday evening. The Fabric Basket featured fabric art, blankets, medicine bags and other items by local artist MaryAnn Rainey. The Tlingit-inspired designs are made using red and black felt, and incorporate other elements such as beading, sea otter fur trim and shells.

Rainey was inspired about eight years ago to create table runners and her art just took off from there, she said. "I have so many grandchildren [18 and 2 great-grandchildren], I just wanted to share something with them."

"It's part of my culture, I've learned some of the stories that some people have told me. I'm not traditional, I use materials that weren't available ... I just try to be creative. I just went from table runners to other items," said the 69-year-old Rainey.

Rainey's work will be on display until Friday.

The featured artist at Wild Celery was Janine Gibbons; with her unique hand-crafted jewelry and a painting series of some familiar scenes.

"I wanted to tell a story ... just with the everyday things that you see," the 35-year-old artist said. Gibbons, who grew up in Petersburg, chose familiar buildings, boats and scenes as inspiration for her paintings.

Gibbons uses a process using black house paint as a base, and then builds up layers of color for her urban and natural landscapes. She paints from photographs and even introduces elements such as plaster. She also makes the frames by hand.

"There's a ton of age and crackling and depth just from the picture, and I wanted to capture that," she said.

Gibbons, who is part Haida, lives in Colorado. Her artwork will be on display for the rest of the week.