Alameda Arts (and Crafts, and Cars): A Weekend for Fun and Creativity

Let your creative side have free rein this weekend with these mostly arts-oriented events:

Redux Studios & Gallery, 2315 Lincoln Ave. (off Park Street) will celebrate its second anniversary on Friday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. It's also the opening for a new exhibit by Leon Kennedy of Oakland, one of the top-rated folk artists in the country. Artists who work at Redux will hold open studios, and guests can shop for vintage finds until 9 p.m. while listening to live jazz. Wash it all down with wine from Rock Wall and beer from Linden Street Brewery, and munch on Nothing Bundt Cakes and food from the Kitchen of Champions culinary training program. Redux is a project of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County, and they will be collecting gently worn coats to help folks through the winter ahead — so check your closet before heading to the gallery.

Also Friday from 6 to 9, the new Gary Francis Fine Art, 1419 Park St., celebrates its grand opening with an artists' reception for its first exhibition, "Transported." The works, which will be on display through Nov. 3, celebrate a love of cars, trains, motorcycles, bikes and other forms of transportation. (Car lovers, the gallery will be open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday during and after the Park St. classic car show.) Owner Gary Francis Comoglio does art consulting as well.

Both events are part of Park Street's Second Friday Art Walk, and other galleries will be open too.

If the "Transported" exhibit whets your appetite for gorgeous old cars, don't miss Park Street's 20th Annual Classic Car Show on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out the old-time transport, from vintage fire engines to antiques, muscle cars, hot rods, motorcycles and even bicycles along Park St. from Encinal to Buena Vista. It's a family-friendly event, with prizes and entertainment, and DJs will be spinning music from the 1950s and '60s. Valet parking for bicycles will be provided.

If you want a break from cars, detour over to Glass Hand Studio at 2527 Clement Ave. Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a tour of the studio and live glassblowing demonstrations. Check out their classes while you're there — it's a place where you can learn the esoteric art of glassblowing yourself.

A few steps away from Gary Francis Fine Art, also in the Park Street Plaza mini-mall at 1419 Park, Artistic Home Studio & Boutique will hold a class for DIY enthusiasts Sunday, Oct. 13, at 10 a.m. on using Chalk Paint® to transform a battered piece of old furniture into a treasure. Samples show a lovely soft matte finish, although pieces can also be waxed for a bit more gloss. Owners Ja Ying Wang ad Rachel Gingold say this special paint, developed in England, is exceptionally easy to use because virtually no prep work is required. You can register for the workshop here; more dates coming up if this Sunday doesn't work for you.

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