Jade Black, a talented artist with a unique approach to her craft, is opening her first art gallery in downtown Ocean Shores.
The dark, forest green walls inside her upstairs gallery are a real contrast from the walls throughout the Clovis Building at 740 Point Brown Ave. NE Suite H. It’s a little unusual to see darkly painted walls in an art gallery since the traditional look is light-colored walls so the art stands out. But in Black’s studio, which started from bare walls and none of the character she and her husband Junior have brought to the space, the dark paint is just right.
“This was a white box, it was all white, all white, it was very stale,” Black said at the front entryway of her approximately 400-square-foot studio. “It reminded me of a shoebox.”
Why the dark walls? Black’s interior walls in her home are painted the same.
“I would like my guests to feel like they’re walking into my personal space, like my home,” Black said. “This is the same feeling my home has.”
Black said this particular color — Jasper — is for her dearly departed pet, Jasper. She liked the paint color and then learned of its name.
“I painted the walls Jasper so I could feel like he’s here with me,” Black said.
Before the gallery, Black welcomed the public into her home for studio tours of her art.
“I want those people to still feel like they are at my home getting the same experience, only not in my home,” Black said.
The first room, just past the entryway, will not stay the same. It’s her formal gallery space.
“This is where my series work will be displayed,” Black said. “Every time I switch the series in here, the installation work is going to change.”
The art inside the frames isn’t the only work Black’s done, the frames themselves are hers too. She made them out of baseboard and then went through a specific process to get the right effect. The other reason for her own frames is “it’s really difficult to find square frames, so I just built my own,” she said.
A notable sight amongst the art in that formal gallery is the pair of eyes on the right wall. Black credits Scott Hahn, a local sculpting artist, for molding Black’s own eyes.
“He did a plaster mold of my face so I could use it over and over again,” Black said. “He makes the molds of my eyes and then I’m painting them to look real. Doesn’t that creep you out just a little?”
While they aren’t “creepy” as Black wondered, it’s not something you see every day. Black said she hadn’t seen it before.
Working studio area
In the second space — where windows surround the art — that’s going to hold some of her current work. It will serve a couple other purposes too.
“This is also going to be a working studio area,” Black said. “I do master study oil painting. So when people come in here they can see works in progress. They can see me working.”
On the right side of the second space — as you look toward the windows that face the street — she’ll offer her guests tea and coffee.
“We can sit down and talk art,” Black said. “Also I will be offering First Friday on the first Friday of every month.”
She wants to be part of the First Friday Art Walk, which Aberdeen already has. Black will be the only one in Ocean Shores.
“Hopefully the other galleries will jump onboard so it’s more of a multiple gallery art walk for people to visit,” Black said.
In addition to the eye-popping art, including the painted molds of her own eyes, Black spoke about why an Underwood typewriter sits in the corner of her working studio area. It’s because she has to type the prose that will go along with the work, similar to a museum providing a little description.
But it’s not standard paper you can find at any appliance store.
“I’m really inspired by old things and the old ways of life when things were a little bit more simple,” Black said. “You don’t need electricity so I don’t need WiFi. I don’t need all that stuff. I can just type on my typewriter. Plus it gives an authentic feel. It feels like it’s from another world.”
To keep the 1800s feel, Black uses 100% cotton deckle edge paper. The paper feels like it’s experienced the writings from late artists, such as Edgar Allan Poe.
While the prose will describe the painting, there’s more to Black’s process than that.
“It’s more poetry than just ‘I made this,’” Black said. “It’s more fantastical, a little bit of a story to the piece.”
Black shared an example of her prose.
“Awoken from her dream, she wakes in yet another,” Black read. “Returning sea and boiling skies of power. Through her will, towering orbs, she risks it all to live in storms.”
Head to her Instagram page: Jade.Black.Artist to see some of Black’s work.
The amateur interior designer Black is, she almost went to school to learn interior design, she said the details are essential. Her gallery is no exception.
“Everything has to feel like you sort of stepped back in time,” Black said as she started pointing out some of the details inside the space. “The candelabra, the old books, the vintage lamps with the crystal, the pirate hat, and it smells like oil paint. I love it.”
Labor of love
“He makes my dreams come true,” Black said about her husband Junior. “When I have a vision for something, he makes it happen.”
Junior is a contractor by trade and his skill as a contractor paid dividends when she needed to decorate her space. She had a specific vision. He added to it.
“There’s a lot of engineering that went on in here, which is really important,” Black said. “My husband is a contractor. I told him I wanted a faux fireplace mantel.”
With materials they found, Junior built the faux fireplace mantel so she could have a fireplace.
“He also installed this wall,” Black said. “It hides a very modern kitchen that does not go well with my style so I wanted to hide that. It’s very convenient but it’s not necessarily what I want in my formal gallery area.”
In addition to all that, the couple also removed the shelf tracks from a dresser. She didn’t need the drawers. The dresser now holds books with her published art and prose, plus journals. She explained why she’s selling the journals. It isn’t to make a quick buck.
“I fully believe in the healing power of art and writing,” Black said. “So I hope to encourage people to grab one of these so they can journal or draw, or sketch or paint, just do something creative instead of turning to unhealthy coping habits.”
Fast assembly
Black received her keys on Dec. 31. That same day, she and Junior started painting. Black explained why they spent no time to get the gallery painted — the first stage of preparing the gallery. While there is still much to do, it was a big first step.
“I don’t sit around and wait for my dreams to come true,” Black said. “We are both go-getters. You’ve gotta work for what you want. You can’t wait for it to come to you.”
Saturday, Jan. 27
4 p.m. — True, Gonzo’s Attic, Clear Nothing — The Loading Dock — 202 E. Wishkah St., in Aberdeen
6 p.m. — Of Lioness, Gonzo’s Attic, Rullen Neifert — Messy Jessy’s — 212 S. I St., in Aberdeen
*The above show is a joint venue show. If you pay for one concert you get into the other one for free
8 p.m. — Hogue & Moore Band, Mike Pierce Project — ShuJack’s Bar & Grill — 326 W. Main St., in Elma
Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Jade Black stands next to one of her husband Junior’s contributions to Jade Black Gallery — a faux fireplace mantel. She couldn’t have spoken more highly about how her husband supports her. “He makes my dreams come true,” Black said. “When I have a vision for something, he makes it happen.”
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Jade Black calls this piece “Alice.” “It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, which is a constant inspiration to me,” Jade Black said. “Lewis Carroll was really talented.”
