First Friday Art Walk – July 5, 2019 – Featured Business: Armstrong Art Gallery & Amelia Wynn Winery

Winslow Way and surrounding area, Downtown Bainbridge Island
First Friday of every month, 6-8 PM
Produced by Bainbridge Island Downtown Association
Sponsored by the City of Bainbridge Island

Once a month, Bainbridge Island Downtown Association and the City of Bainbridge Island present the First Friday Art Walk.

Spend an evening experiencing all that downtown Bainbridge has to offer, enjoy visiting participating galleries and businesses, have a glass of wine or other refreshments at various venues, and whet your appetite with small plates offered by participating restaurants. The walk begins on Winslow Way (near the ferry terminal) from 6pm to 8pm.

This month’s featured business is Armstrong Art Gallery & Amelia Wynn Winery

The Armstrong Art Gallery shares space with the Amelia Wynn Winery Tasting Room in downtown Bainbridge Island, on Winslow Way, just a short walk from the ferry terminal. The gallery is curated by Wendy Armstrong and she frequently displays her work and the work of other local and regional artists. Wendy’s husband, Paul Bianchi, has been making wine since 1998 and runs the Amelia Wynn Winery. Their combined creative spirit makes the gallery and tasting room the “go to” venue for amazing art work, wonderful wines, and light appetizers.
The gallery and tasting room feature sidewalk tables, indoor space and a covered patio/garden space in the back.

Wendy Armstrong has spent decades as an artist, exploring various mediums and genres, creating unique pieces that span from furniture design, lighting, ceramics, glass, crystal, etching, casting, metal and stone sculpture, jewelry, and of course, painting in watercolor, oil, pastels and acrylics. Her choices in mediums and genres are drawn from necessity—the desire to fulfill whatever it is she wishes to create.

“These explorations have led me to wonderful opportunities that I may not have experienced had I been limited to the comfort of working in just one medium, nor would I have had the opportunities to meet and work along with others that have mastered their favorite mediums and shared their knowledge with me.”

The gallery and winery tasting room are evolving, and new, wonderful things are on the horizon. The tasting room will be moving to a new location, with a new spin—The Amelia Wynn Winery Café is slated to open soon (on the corner of Winslow Way and Erickson Avenue), as always, one can taste their amazing selection of wines, but in addition they will also have a full commercial kitchen and menu. The gallery will remain in its current location, and will still offer wine, coffee, tea, etc., as well as small bites to nosh on. However, there will be so much more to it! Wendy is remodeling to provide a “creativity space” where patrons can come in and paint on various mediums such as canvases and glass (supplies provided by the gallery). She’ll also be working with Winslow Art Center to feature lectures and other art related programs. This will be a family friendly atmosphere, where both children and adults can explore their creative side. In addition, she plans on setting up her own permanent studio in the space. She’ll continue to display the art work of other artists as well. Wendy will also continue her “Bottle & Brush” events, for more information on that, click here.

The gallery and tasting room are children and pet friendly, and located at 450 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island, WA. Open seven days a week and most holidays, for seasonal hours click here.

Please note: tours of the winery itself are by appointment only, please contact Paul to schedule a visit (info@ameliawynnwinery.com or (206) 251-9094).

Unfortunately, time didn’t permit for a full article on the winery itself, but please check back in a month or so to read a full feature on Amelia Wynn Winery and the new café/tasting room.

*Artwork poster provided by Bainbridge Island Downtown Association
*Photographs of winery/gallery by Margaret Millmore