PORT TOWNSEND — Two conversations are filling Northwind Art’s Jeanette Best Gallery now, with the opening of “Ars Poetica” and “A Closer Look.”

Those are the two new exhibitions of locally made art debuting today — both at the gallery, at 701 Water St., in time for First Saturday Art Walk.

“A Closer Look” pairs genre-bending art by Elissa Greisz with unusual sculpture by Maxwell Yakush. The total of 20 pieces from these Port Townsend artists combine stones from North Beach, iridescent diffraction foil, recycled aluminum and other materials into gleaming, sparkling art.

Both Yakush and Greisz said they hope their artwork inspires curiosity and a sense of wonder — at the unusual shapes, the animals and titles such as “Like a Siren’s Song” from Greisz, and “Where We Leave Our Things” from Yakush.

“The art in ‘A Closer Look’ is mysterious. It really draws you in,” Northwind spokesperson Diane Urbani said.

“It’s definitely something different that people have not seen before in our gallery.”

At the same time, the “Ars Poetica” exhibit at Jeanette Best Gallery brings together 12 poems, all by Washington state poets, with 12 pieces of fresh visual art. Everything will be displayed in the gallery, and a gathering for poets, artists and the public is set for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 12.

More about Northwind’s gallery shows and art classes can be found at https://northwindart.org.

The people behind the “Ars Poetica” artworks made them in the Feb. 22 “Paint from Poems” class at Northwind Art School at Fort Worden, with Port Townsend artist Meg Kaczyk leading the way.

“I love guiding artists through the different ways we can visually express the effect of a poem on our hearts and through our hands,” Kaczyk said.

Angela Howard created her art in response to Barbara Hoonan’s “Haiku IV” — a short piece she chose. In class, Kaczyk invited each artist to share the poem they selected and what inspired them about it. She then discussed the many ways they could visually represent the poems’ ideas and feelings, and gave examples from various artists.

“This presentation with examples really helped me understand the possibilities,” Howard said.

“She also helped us work with different mediums and techniques,” she added, “so we could realize our own visions of what we wanted our artwork to be.”

The Ars Poetica show, which includes posters with the inspirational poems, will stay on display through May 12, while “A Closer Look” will run through May 19. Gallery hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, plus 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and May 3 for the First Saturday Art Walk.

In addition to Howard and Hoonan, the Ars Poetica artists and their poems include: Kim Ramsey, who responded to “Under the Arc of Stars” by Kristen Hotchkiss; Teresa Greco, whose poem is “To the Window Box Owner” by Sharon Carter; Merilee Nyland, whose art was sparked by “Homeward” by Eliza Soule; Raea Stika, who responded to “Native Roots” by Gary Wood; Amy King, whose art responds to “Nasturtiums” by Eve Epstein; Jaime Duyck, whose poem is “In Between” by Jenny Sinanan; Steven Park, who responded to “The Attic Visit” by Diane Moser, and Susan Berry, whose art was sparked by “More Colors” by Emily Jane Mockett.

Artist Andrea Mercado responded to Sharon Ostenson’s “Ribbons in the Sky,” and Kate Schinhofen chose Kelli Russell Agodon’s “Accidental Devotion to Poets with Smoldering Wings.”

Kaczyk also contributed a painting inspired by Adam Rabinowitz’s “Reflection.”

Angela Howard’s mixed media piece, sparked by “Haiku IV” by Barbara Hoonan, will be part of the Ars Poetica show. (Northwind Art)

“Where We Leave Our Things” by Maxwell Yakush will be part of “A Closer Look,” the new show at Northwind Art’s Jeanette Best Gallery. (Northwind Art)