A bold showing for First Friday

May 26—Enjoy an evening of live music, local makers and artworks from creators of all ages for this First Friday.

Support local businesses right off the street at the ArtWalk, which is organized by the Arts Council of Kern.

From 5 to 9 p.m., dozens of vendors will set up along 19th and Eye streets, offering paintings, jewelry, woodwork and other crafted goods.

Celene le Violoniste, a local violist known for performing in a variety of genres including pop, country and Latin, will play during the event.

(Local artists and artisans who would like to take part can contact the council at info@kernarts.org or call 661-324-9000.)

The Bakersfield Art Association Art Center will highlight the work of Mark Engelien, a retired architect and accomplished artist, with a solo show.

While attending Cal Poly SLO, Engelien studied drawing, ceramics and watercolor, which had long been a passion.

Parenting and a busy work life — first as an architect then also as director of the Bakersfield Museum of Art — left Engelien pursuing his own art primarily during his travels.

He began using ink sketches to create memories of places he and his family visited and gave some to friends and family to help commemorate shared adventures. Starting in 2018, the artist began to augment his sketches with digital rendering and watercolors.

During the pandemic, Engelien worked in watercolors as his primary medium. His subjects include architectural structure and urban spaces as well as portraits, wildlife and nature.

The current solo show will include giclée prints of commissions, gifts, as well as favorites of the artists that have not been offered for sale, in addition to new pieces not previously shown in exhibitions.

An artist's reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the art center, 1607 19th St. Refreshments will be served.

There will also be a virtual show on the Bakersfield Art Association's website (bakersfieldartassociation.org), Facebook (facebook.com/BAAartists) and Instagram (@bakersfieldartassociation) pages.

Over at Dagny's Coffee Co., a BAA satellite show location, painter Lisa Miller Faulkenberry will exhibit her work.

A New York native who now calls Bakersfield home, Faulkenberry's artistic pursuits have included woodworking, interior design and photography in addition to sketching and painting.

That broad love for all things art helped fuel her passion while she also raised three children, built a career and pursued her lifelong dream of raising and showing horses on a ranch with her husband in the sprawling foothills of the Central Valley.

Creating art remained on the backburner until she found solace in it after the loss of her mother. Seeking peace, she picked up her mother's paintbrushes and began to paint.

This return to creativity has helped Faulkenberry find peace and understanding in her loss, "a healing that continues to soothe her soul with each brush stroke," according to her artist's statement.

There will be an artist's reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Dagny's, 1600 20th St.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art offers free admission on First Friday, which will allow guests a view of the new summer exhibitions.

"The Circle of Sam Francis: Experimenting in California" features not only work from the 20th century's first internationally known abstract expressionist painter but also that of fellow artists who were inspired by and worked alongside him.

The Visual Arts Festival features more than 30 artists who through paper, textiles, photography, and three-dimensional objects explored the show's theme of saturation through repetition and color choice.

"Nostalgia: Selections from the Students in the BMoA ArtWorks Program" includes art from the 15 local high school juniors and seniors who took part in the recent youth art program.

The museum's current exhibitions also include "Rotem Reshef: Vista," a large-scale installation of scrolls and stretched canvases painted using imprints of native flowers, trees and shrubs.

Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the museum (1930 R St.) offers free admission for First Friday.

(The museum will also offer free admission on Saturday as part of the Museums on Us program with Bank of America. The first Saturday of the month, Bank of America, Merrill, and Bank of America Private Bank credit or debit cardholders can enjoy free admission to BMoA or California Living Museum by showing their card and ID.)

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.