Artists’ creativity pours out at BI winery

By Staff report • November 19, 2021 1:30 am

The Bainbridge Island Wednesday Watercolor group has created a unique art exhibit of and at the Rolling Bay Winery.

It can be viewed during winery hours from noon to 5 p.m. on weekends through the end of the year.

For two sunny days in September, WW painted during bottling week at the winery. The resulting art captures the color of that phase of wine production.

The artists, who also include a photographer, have been working together for more than 15 years. In spring and summer, they paint outdoors not only on BI but also around the Olympic Peninsula. Sites are chosen for their natural beauty or architecture. Other artists sometimes join them. Summer sessions usually end with a two-day retreat in Port Townsend.

In the fall, on nice days they can be seen outdoors painting fall colors. Local pumpkin patches are a favorite location. But when the weather dictates, the group paints together in one of the artists’ studios.

Wednesday Watercolor past group exhibits and public activities include Bloedel Chateau, Bainbridge Library addition, Harbour House Pub, Pegasus, Friends of the Farm Winslow Street Fair and a Winslow waterfront mobile sculpture in memory of WW artist and patron Ruth Carr.

During COVID-19, the group shared and critiqued each other’s works each week via ZOOM. Instead of their off-island retreat, they met at both the original and new sites of Rolling Bay Winery.

As for the winery, it started as a local family enterprise in a stone building called Rolling Bay Cottage Winery. Winemaker and current owner Alphonse de Klerk joined with Alfred Newhouse, whose family owns some of the oldest vineyards in Eastern Washington, to create a vineyard-winery relationship now in its third generation.

As the winery grew it changed its name to Rolling Bay Winery and expanded the tasting room to 11272 Sunrise Drive NE.

For details go to www. rollingbaywinery.com