The North Coast doesn’t really do seasons the way the rest of the world does. We don’t believe in dividing the year into four neat periods, each with their own weather. Instead, mix up our rain and fog, darkness and light in varying quantities and distribute it in ever surprising ways throughout the seasons. Our […]
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Posted inStories
Theater Kids
Arcata Playhouse founders Jackie Dandeneau and David Ferney met as young actors touring the Canadian Fringe Circuit in the summer of 1995. The story goes that her sketch comedy troupe crashed his comic acrobatic troupe’s show in Edmonton. After that first encounter, “I chased her around the world. Literally,” says Ferney. They eventually moved to […]
Posted inStories
Iron in the Blood
Welcome to my shop. I live at the end of a long dirt road in Ettersburg in Southern Humboldt County. Every morning I pull the chains to open the two large rollup doors, reintroducing the cold steel layout table, the anvil and rows of tongs and hammers to the rich, quiet beauty of the forest […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Redwood Borough
A tiny Humboldt County-inspired redwood forest is taking root in downtown Brooklyn as part of a public art project set to open on Oct. 1. Spencer Finch’s Lost Man Creek exhibit — which replicates a 790-acre section of the Redwood National Park on a 1:100 scale with some 4,000 dawn redwood seedlings being planted by volunteers. “Lost […]
Posted inShopping
Hurly Burly
Welcome to redwood burl country, where artisans and craftspeople are turning knotty local wood to create wild and wonderful things. Korbly Wood Products Since the early ’70s, Bernie Korbly’s been turning out gorgeous wooden bowls on a vintage lathe. You’ll recognize him — he’s the guy in the San Francisco Giants ball cap sprinkled with […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Curtis Otto Retrospective and Sale
If you’re in Grant’s Pass, Oregon before March 25, you can stop into the Grants Pass Museum of Art for a jam-packed retrospective of the late Curtis Otto‘s paintings. Otto, a fixture in Humboldt County’s art scene, died in his Eureka home on Nov. 7 at the age of 92, leaving behind a community of […]
Posted inPerfect Trips
Perfect Winter Trips
Welcome to winter, Humboldt’s unsung hero. The days are shorter this time of year, but we make the most out of them. We venture into the rain, exalt in blustery weather and cozy up in style. Grab your rain boots and your travel mug. You’re just in time. Outdoorsy Type Lacks Creek is one of […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Curtis Otto, 1923-2015
Painter and local icon Curtis Otto passed away in his Eureka home yesterday at the age of 92. Since September, his condition had weakened and he was receiving in-home care, according to his wishes. Otto’s paintings spread out in front of his house on E Street were a landmark and curiosity to passersby. He painted […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Chalk it Up
Pastel artists filled the Arcata Plaza with creative energy and multi-colored chalk dust on Saturday, Oct. 3 and covered the surrounding sidewalk with a wild mix of imagery — all in support of the 28th annual Pastels on the Plaza benefit for Northcoast Children’s Services, which provides free or low-cost preschool and family services throughout […]
Posted inStories
Eureka’s Mural Walk
Working on a walking guide to Humboldt County over the past year led me to the far corners of our region, but some of the best discoveries turned out to be incredibly close to home. For example, the walk that visits the murals dotting Eureka’s Old Town is a perfect way to get some exercise, […]
Posted inArts + Scene
So Long, Sewell Gallery
Take a good look around Sewell Gallery Fine Art during Arts Alive! this Saturday. The gallery, opened in June of 2011, will be shutting its glass doors at the end of April. Owner Jack Sewell said the gallery simply isn’t selling enough work to pay for its overhead. The large space on F Street is […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Chalk It Up
It was a real scorcher in Arcata today — mid 70’s — making for a sweaty Pastels on the Plaza as dozens of local artists plied the plaza pavement with chalk. It’s a colorful affair. If you didn’t make it today, the sidewalk art should linger for some time.