Royal Oak Art Walk returns for second year

ROYAL OAK — The Royal Oak Art Walk is making a comeback for its second year in a row on Aug. 9 at various businesses located in downtown Royal Oak.

The event will be from 5 to 9 p.m. and include interactive activities, live demonstrations of art, and opportunities to purchase art from the local artists attending.

Each artist will be paired with a Royal Oak business, where they will set up shop and wait for attendees of the walk to come in for a look at their work.

The Art Walk is sponsored by the Royal Oak Arts Council and the Royal Oak Commission for the Arts, with the Downtown Development Authority.

James Anderson, the head of the Royal Oak Arts Council, said that this event is one people are not going to want to miss.

“We haven’t done something like this in Royal Oak before (last year), but several cities, both in Michigan and nationwide, do this kind of activity,” Anderson said. “We just thought it would be fun to do here.”

In 2023, there were around 30 artists stationed in about two dozen businesses, according to Anderson. He also said that he received “great feedback” from participating businesses and artists, and particularly from the public.

Artists are paired with businesses in the downtown area who have been chosen through a registration process. Anderson said that the artist placed in a business is chosen in a meticulous manner.

“What we ask is what their interest is regarding the type of artist, what kind of space requirements they have, or in other words, what limitations, and what can they offer,” he said. “We try to pair the business with the appropriate artist.”

The event is completely free for the artists, businesses or people wishing to attend the Art Walk.

“This is really just a community event in order to promote the arts locally here and provide something different on a Friday night in Royal Oak,” Anderson said.

Local artist John Nagridge said that connecting with the community is one of the best aspects of being a part of the art walk.

Nagridge participated in the walk last year and was stationed at Lily’s Seafood, where he said he got to paint live, next to the bar, for people to enjoy.

“They actually got to see me work,” Nagridge said. “And if there are kids, I always let them make a mark on my painting to see what it’s like, and I love showing kids how to paint.”

Nagridge has been an artist since he was 6 years old. Later he studied art at Macomb Community College, the Center for Creative Studies and Wayne State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in printmaking and drawing.

His specialty is a medium called knife painting, where the artist uses a knife to make various different marks with acrylic paint that come together to form a picture.

Nagridge began knife painting when he was inspired by fellow artist Kim Rhoney, whose work Nagridge noticed at an art fair in Northville.

“I loved her work, and then I took a couple of workshops with her and got hooked,” he said.

The Royal Oak Art Walk provides exposure for the artists who participate, according to Nagridge. Showing people his passion for art is one of the main reasons why Nagridge loved participating in last year’s art walk.

“I love people to come and ask the same questions over and over. I’m fine with that, because people are curious,” he said. “It’s fun, it’s fun to watch someone paint, people have a lot of questions because they know nothing about it, and I love talking about it.”

Nagridge also has a passion for encouraging people to start painting, and to take the chance to create something, even if it isn’t “perfect.”

“It’s scary. People say, ‘I don’t know how to paint, I can’t draw a straight line, I can’t do this,’ and I can just show them right there at the booth how to be comfortable with creating art,” he said. “I have them come up and make a mark on the painting, we make a mark together, anybody could do it, and I would love for everybody to paint.”

For more information on the Royal Oak Art Walk, visit royaloakarts.com/royal-oak-art-walk.