On the third Thursday of each month, downtown Modesto puts its art foot forward, and everyone is invited to stroll its streets. This is a free, family-friendly event that brings in people from around the area and shouldn’t be missed. This month’s event had a variety of art, celebrating everything from the local landscape to the spirits of the dead.
“From a business and community standpoint, I think the Art Walk is beneficial to everybody,” Jennifer Price, The Chartreuse Muse: Gallery & Art School Gallery manager, said. “It gets people down that don’t always come.”
Modesto had quite a few hidden treasures to discover, and I began my scavenger hunt on the corner of J and Ninth Street.
The first piece that left an impression was “Lessons,” on display in The Chartreuse Muse, by Joshua Andrews, a California State University, Stanislaus alumnus.
The abstract piece begins simply with one little hut and just the feet of a young boy. Then things begin to emerge out of the empty space. More huts, wildlife and eventually people arise and converge into a  mesh of human evolution, growth and the lessons learned throughout history.
Moving on to the Mistlin Gallery I was drawn in by Virginia White’s gallery, “She’s Painting the Town.”
“It represents 40 years of paintings, and some of them date from the ‘70s,‘90s into the 2000s,” White said.
As the name implies, this collection captures the scenery of Modesto and the Central Valley. Every stroke of her brush is noticeable in these incredibly detailed pieces, allowing you to feel the hot summer’s sun, or the breeze of a chilly evening out on the town.
My final stop on the Art Walk was Glam:  A Perfect 10 Salon, which featured several paintings from artist Kari Costner. Two of her pieces were on sale to help “save the ta-tas” – with 100 percent of the proceeds going towards fighting breast cancer.
The salon also had a live model on display. The nail technician on staff painted the model’s face with skull-like features and a cobweb, while the hair stylist gave her an up-do. A miniature skeleton perched in her hair next to a couple of flowers in celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Glam’s live model was far from the only live art on the Art Walk. I caught the traditional instrument performance of “The Cambodian American Experience” at the Peer Recovery Art Project, an exhibit that also featured dance performance and poetry. The effect of the music was surreal, transporting me to another land through its majestic sound.
There was so much to get lost in during October’s Art Walk. I can’t wait to lace up my shoes again when the next third Thursday rolls around.