With their artwork already on display inside Morton’s BCJ Gallery, Kris Ellen Jenott and Kenneth J. Hurley will be in Morton this weekend on Saturday, Aug. 10, to enjoy some of the 81st annual Morton Loggers Jubilee events, according to Cecelia Callison of the BCJ Gallery.
Originally from Idaho, Hurley is also known as the “Buffalo Man,” a moniker he earned due to his many iconic buffalo paintings and sketches.
Jenott is a regionally acclaimed Pacific Northwest landscape artist whose paintings feature bright and vibrant colors.
The pair have been dating for some time living together in Grays Harbor County.
“They have lived in Raymond for some time now … They both teach art at Raymond Elementary School, too, in an after-school program for kids,” Callison said.
Callison originally didn’t know who Hurley was until she found one of his business cards on a bulletin board at the Rivers Coffeehouse and Bistro across the street from the BCJ Gallery.
“So I called him, not knowing anything about him. I was talking to him because I thought Western art would be great to have in the summer and throughout the Jubilee,” Callison added.
Both Hurley and Jenott are involved in other community events like the Jubilee and jumped at the chance to check out Morton’s festivities.
According to Callison, the couple is looking forward to catching the bed races, which begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, in downtown Morton on Main Street.
“Kris has never seen bed races before and didn’t even know what they were,” Callison said.
The races involve one person riding a bedframe being pushed by four others. Multiple heats will be held pitting two teams against each other at a time until a champion is crowned.
And while both Hurley and Jenott will be in Morton for the Jubilee throughout the weekend, Callison added the artists will be painting in the gallery as well on Saturday.
“They decided this kind of at the spur of the moment, so what their exact plans are gonna be I don’t know, but as far as when they’re going to be painting, it’ll have to be after the parade. I think maybe sometime in the early afternoon,” Callison said.
For those who can’t make it to Morton this weekend, Hurley and Jenott’s artwork will remain on display at the BCJ Gallery throughout the end of September, along with signed books by Hurley, with each also having a custom sketch or watercolor painting on the front page.
The BCJ Gallery is located at 231 W. Main Ave. in downtown Morton. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is part of the Fire Mountain Arts Council, which also oversees the Roxy Theater and Tiller Arts and Events Center, whose mission is to enrich Morton community life through the arts. For more information, visit firemac.org.
