Get in on the fun of First Friday all over downtown Bakersfield.
Learn how the West was fun with the current exhibition by Tom Wright at the Bakersfield Art Association Art Center.
Wright was just a preteen when the imagery of the Old West took hold in his imagination thanks to a charcoal drawing created by a neighbor.
Facing limited artistic resources, Wright stuck with paper and pencil to depict athletes and comic book characters as a budding artist.
At Bakersfield High School, he was influenced by other artists including teacher Norma Plunkett who encouraged him to expand to oil painting and watercolors, according to his artist’s statement.
Named “Most Artistic Student” in his graduating class in 1972, Wright studied basic design and basic drawing at Bakersfield College for one year before needing to enter the workforce to make a living.
After retiring as a salesman in 2020, he dipped back into art during the pandemic shutdown, creating a series of drawings for his grandchildren of their favorite animals.
In 2020, Tom retired from his day job as a salesman. During the pandemic he decided to do a series of drawings for his grandchildren featuring their favorite animals.
Wright’s love of drawing was rekindled and he sought more exposure for his work.
The artist lives on his small ranch west of Bakersfield with Faye, his wife of 49 years. He favors western-themed subjects inspired by his childhood around horses and livestock and the years he spent on the rodeo circuit as a bull rider and team roper.
A reception for Wright will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the center, 1607 19th St.
BAA displays are also highlighted on the Bakersfield Art Association’s website (bakersfieldartassociation.org), Facebook (facebook.com/BAAartists) and Instagram (@bakersfieldartassociation) pages.
At the BAA satellite location Dagny’s Coffee Co., Wendy Johnson takes a break from her mural work to display her smaller pieces.
Born and raised in Bakersfield, the artist takes inspiration from the natural beauty of the Central Valley. Her murals often reflect regional native plants, wildlife and landscapes combining vibrant color with organic forms.
An active member of the Arts Council of Kern, Johnson has displayed her work at Bird Dog Arts at the Outlets at Tejon and the Bakersfield Art Association.
Recent public art projects have included large-scale murals for Caltrans and the city of Bakersfield, made possible through grant support from ACK, the California Arts Council, California State Parks, and Parks California.
Johnson will be at Dagny’s, 1600 20th St., before 6 p.m. Friday to discuss her work.
Also at the coffee shop will be the First Friday Open Mic, organized by Kern Poetry, which begins at 6 p.m. (Sign-ups at 5:50 p.m.)
The event will also include readings by those who have signed up to perform. Kern Poetry suggested summer prompts for poets including family vacations, heat, water, picnics or baseball.
Visit the Bakersfield Museum of Art (1930 R St.) to take in the new summer exhibitions for free.
Currently on display is “Taking Form: Selections from the Students in the BMoA ArtWorks Program,” which features the work of 15 teen artists, including Silvia Lozano, Abril Ortiz, Alec Ramos, Ethan Smith and Ava Zimmerman, who took on the theme of “foundations.”
Visitors can also take in the stunning still life paintings of Carmel-based artist Pamela Carroll in her exhibit “The Beauty Inherent.”
“New Acquisitions: Expanding the Vision of BMoA” highlights more recently added works that provide a look at the artists’ cultural, social or personal narratives.
Artists included in this exhibition include Sam Francis, Joey Terrill, Rotem Reshef, Enrique Castrejon, Sydney Croskery, Bryan Ida, Jacqueline Valenzuela, Kacy Jung, Mary Weatherford and Jun Yang.
“From the Vault: Works from BMoA’s Collection,” highlighting works from glass and wood vessels to oil paint and serigraph printing, is an ongoing exhibition that is also on display.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
Visit bmoa.org for more information.
Artist Johnny Ramos will have his work on display at his Moderngigi Gallery (900 18th St.), which will be open from 5 to 9 p.m.
The Arts Council of Kern will cool things off this month in preparation for a big celebration in September with the return of Latination for the 12th year. The two-day celebration on Sept. 5 and 6 will include an art exhibition, live music, food vendors, cultural performances and more.
For the latest, head to kernarts.org/artwalk or @artscouncilofkern on Instagram.
Celebrate National Girlfriend Day at Jerry’s Pizza and Pub (1817 Chester Ave.)
Treat your sweetheart to a heart-shaped pizza, which the restaurant will serve starting at 10 a.m.
Customers can choose from 14-inch or 6-inch heart-shaped pies.
Pricing ranges from $8 to $30, depending on if the pizza is one-topping or a specialty pizza.
To ensure availability, diners are encouraged to preorder, which is available now.
Call 661-633-1000 and have your payment ready as well as your preferred pickup time.
Over at Tiki-Ko (1919 K St.), enjoy one of the drinks from its summer menu, which is offered from Wednesday through Sunday. (The regular menu is also served.)
Banana Daquiri, made with lightly aged Jamiacan rum, banana liqueur, lime juice and demerara syrup; Pearl Diver, a blend of Puerto Rican and Demerara rums, lime and orange juices, bitters and creamy gardenia mix (butter, honey, vanilla liqueur and pimento dram); Help Me, Dr. Zaius, a mix of banana cream and coconut liqueurs, dark Jamaican rum, creme de cacao, coconut cream and walnut bitters; and Hang Nine, a tropical sipper of coconut, pineapple, lime and vodka.
Each cocktail is $14. For each Hang Nine sold, $2 will be donated to Tony Alvarado, a friend of the bar who is in recovery from a workplace injury.
Enjoy dinner at Locale Farm to Table (1727 18th St.), which now offers dinner on Thursdays and Friday until 8 p.m.
Along with its daily menu, the restaurant also has dinner options such as a caviar burger ($59), an Autonomy Farms grass-fed beef patty topped with a truffle egg sunny side up, garlic créme fraîche, jack cheese, sea salt and dill fried onion strings, with a side of caviar and served with fries and garlic aioli; pastrami tacos ($16.50 for two), pastrami, jack cheese and Brussels sprouts slaw on a corn tortilla topped with a custom crafted mustard and sunny side up egg; pimento cheese burger and pimento cheese deviled eggs, topped with pecorino and roasted red pepper romesco.
Visit Locale’s Instagram page (@locale.eatery.bakersfield) for more information.