Seaside Signal July 9, 2019
Update: Gallery moved Astoria, Oregon September 2020
By Eve Marx
Tucked inside the 100-year-old Beacon Building, the Angi D Wildt Gallery, is a very special space.
I’m a gallery geek who doesn’t mind saying the Wildt Gallery reminds me of those great venues that popped up in century old buildings in lower Manhattan in the 1980s, SoHo’s golden years. Freed from the restraints of the stuffy Upper East Side, the new downtown galleries possessed a spirit of raw energy and sometimes a walk on the wild side.
Wildt’s gallery represents local artists inspired by region’s natural beauty and majesty. She is pleased to announce Dave Bartholet, a self-taught watercolorist who left the Gilbert District Gallery after 15 years, has decided to sell his work in her year-old gallery at 737 Broadway. He’ll be showing 10 pieces, nine of them originals, and one print. Wildt will also carry his cards.
“I’m really excited to have him here,” Wildt said.
Wildt and Bartholet are not strangers. She became aware of his work 15 years ago while working in Cannon Beach at her first gallery position.
“Dave gave me advice when I was about to open my own gallery,” Wildt said. “He’s always been supportive.”
She described Bartholet as a Western painter. “He’s prolific; he has thousands of pieces out there all over the world,” Wildt said. “He’s best known for his local beach scenes, Haystack Rock, wildlife. He’s versatile.”
She said people like to take a piece of the coast home with them, and Bartholet’s work speaks to that.
“Being in a gallery of this quality is truly an honor and to have it right in my home town is icing on the cake,” Bartholet said. “I’m most grateful Angi took a chance on me and has afforded me this opportunity. I can’t wait for this summer so the people from out-of-town can enjoy my artistic efforts at the Angi Wildt gallery.”
Bartholet has a prominent social media presence and an enviable following. Wildt noted when Bartholet posted on his own page he was coming to her gallery, there were over 300 comments.
“He’s going to put me on the map,” Wildt said.
She’s featuring his work in the First Saturday Seaside Art Walk on March 7, taking place in downtown Seaside from 5 to 7 p.m.
Her show is called “Reflections,” and is a mixed medium show featuring artists inspired by the reflections on the Oregon Coast shores and other bodies of water.
It’s a group show exhibiting the work of Dave Bartholet, Richard Burke, DC Yorksie, Ty McNeeley, Quata Cody, Christine Kende and Wildt’s own photography work. Michelle Lindlom’s mixed-media monotypes depict another kind of reflection, that of looking into the soul.
If you haven’t attended a First Saturday Art Walk you’re missing big. Seaside Yarn and Fiber is unveiling a new collection of handmade weavings.
The Whet Spot is showcasing the art of Billy Lutz, another Seaside treasure. Lutz is a self-employed artist and sign painter who has provided for his family of five as a painter. Shine Fair Trade, SunRose Gallery, Blue Bond, Pacific Heirloom Art and Collectables, Fairweather House and Gallery, Art-in-the-Loft at Beach Books and Westport Winery are participants of the art event, as well as the Starry Night Art Hotel and Inn, Seaside Coffee House, the Seaside Antique Mall and Dough Dough Bakery.
Wildt said she’s proud to be part of Seaside’s burgeoning gallery scene.
“There’s a lot happening in Seaside,” she said.
https://www.seasidesignal.com/news/local-news/a-new-art-gallery-in-seaside/article_a64d5682-98ff-11e9-bfc1-13190c4fbee7.html