First Street Gallery features works by two very emphatic and very different artists, Tina Rousselot and Leslie Kenneth Price. Rousselot's minimalist abstract paintings and works on paper are all about the power of color and shape to evoke and communicate a new appreciation of the objects and landscapes in our lives. Price, a much respected former HSU painting professor, is showing new works from his Veil series, meditative paintings that invite introspection while presenting us with a shimmering world of layers and amorphous shapes.

Kristi Nicola Clark's oil painting, "Thread" won "Best of Show" in the Redwood Arts Association's 53rd Fall Exhibition in the F Street space. David Boston took best in photography for his "Yellow Peppers." Linda Wise, Arlene Broyles and Judy Willis also won "best" in sculpture, abstract and painting respectively. Artists galore will be at the opening reception during Arts Alive!

The 208 C Street Hall Gallery celebrates Dia de Los Muertos with a amazing array of art works by over 20 top local artists including Rachel Schlueter, whose "Skull with Life" from her Ofrenda series is shown here. Rachel explains, "Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday focused on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed on. Traditions connected with the holiday include building altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, candles, marigolds and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and often visiting graves with these as gifts." The C Street show opens Friday, Sept. 31, with a second opening for Arts Alive!, then runs until the end of November.

Los Bagels, which never misses a chance to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, features vivid, high-spirited giclée prints by Jean Foss along with Day of the Dead themed work by Susana Oropeza, Sonny Wong, Gilbert Castro and Linnea Tobias.

Photos by Julie Joynt and David Groth are featured this month at Sewell Gallery. Each of these Trinidad artist is known for crafts other than photography: Earlier this year Julie, a jeweler, and David, a wood sculptor, took time out to engage in one of their favor pastimes, hiking and backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, cameras in hand.

Also opening during Arts Alive!: The 15th Annual Junque Arte Competition & Exhibition runs Oct. 1 through Nov.27, at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. The oddly spelled "junque" in the title means all works are made from recycled materials  -- "reclaimed, reused, recovered, secondhand, salvaged, anything un-new." Aside from showing off the creativity of North Coast artists, the show intends to "heighten the awareness of renewable resources in the art making process.

Brad And Cathy Curtis celebrate the opening of their shop Parasol Arts (612 Second St. between Art Center Frame Shop and Humboldt Carpet showroom). This paint-your-own-pottery workshop/store was a great favorite of tourist and local families alike when it was located in Ferndale. Don't be surprised if you hear music poring out of Parasol Arts. There's a piano in the shop, just waiting and owner Brad Curtis is also a fine singer and actor (he stole the show and our hearts in Man of La Mancha).

The Eureka Public Art Committee celebrates a new round of sculpture installation at C Street Market Square with an Arts Alive! reception on Saturday with music by Don's Neighbors from 6-7:30.

The annual competition, presented in cooperation with the City of Eureka, was open to all Humboldt County artists. This year's winners are Alastair E Bolton, Dorian Daneau, Justin Skillstad, James Hamilton Smith and Patrick Williams.  Their work will be displayed at the square for one year; all artists have the opportunity to offer their sculptures for sale.