Tom is a committed artist who is passionate as much about his community as his art. Rich in…read moreexperience from his extensive travels, his work reflects maturity that can not be calculated. He is masterful at connecting both people and colors. He "owns" a special hue of yellow, even! He and his wife Leslie own and operate a gallery in downtown Vancouver that should be the first stop on the First Friday Art Walk. Above & Below on the corner of Main and Evergreen.

Tom's work is outstanding on many levels but the hidden depth of his process that only he can share…read morewith you when explaining each work might be the most important piece to soak in and let simmer as you admire them.

Looking to improve your painting skills in a relaxed environment? Bev offers classes from the…read moreinexpensive brush up or beginning classes to the well worth it more expensive classes from nationally known art instructors, some of which you may have seen on TV. If you are short on supplies, she also has those for sale. It's a fun way to learn or improve (I have taken classes with beginners and experts that are there to improve their skills, learn new techniques or just to paint with others.). I always enjoy the class. I'm not a professional but have been going to her classes or those near my former residence on the east coast with the same traveling art instructors for about 20 years. Go, you'll be glad you did.

Come to the Arts Desire for the best painting class in the Portland Orego/Vancouver,Washington…read morearea. Beverly is an excellent instructor and a wonderful Artist in her own right . she teaches Watercolor, Oil, and Acrylic painting. if you're missing any supplies she has a complete art store on the premises. Her instruction prices are unbelievably low . At the time of this writing, she charges $15 for a 3 hour class. It has to be the lowes cost for classes in the area. Dont let the price fool you, however, Bev is the best instructor I've been to or seen on the internet and I've seen A LOT. The other classes I've either taken or priced in the area are $20-$100 per hour or more. If you love to paint and would like to improve your craft you owe it to yourself to take classes. And from the best: Bev Birdwelll at Arts Desire. On St Johns in Vancouver near the old High School Pharmacy.

This was my first time taking a beginner glass making/blowing class with 3 friends at Firehouse…read moreGlass and I had an amazing time! Our instructor, Andrew, was fun, entertaining, and skilled at teaching to a variety of learning styles. He created a positive and safe space for us to practice multiple techniques. We completed three projects in the 4 hours of class time and were given a tour of their expansive studio space. If you have ever been interested in learning about glass art, I highly recommend this studio!

OMG what can I say about the work performed by the skilled glass artist at Firehouse. My father…read morerecently passed away. His wish was to be cremated which we honored. My mother had passed away a few years ago and was also cremated. I wanted to find away to keep them TOGETHER FOREVER. My wife and I worked with Jessica to design a glass orb. The center of the orb contains the ashes of my Mother, surrounding her ashes are the ashes of my Father. This symbolizes the LOVE they had for each other and allows my Father to protect my Mother for ETERNITY. We then surrounded their ashes with a layer that contained their favorite colors. These came out so BEAUTIFUL. The work put into these make them PRICELESS to our family. The price for each orb was extremely affordable. I was expecting a higher cost. I will recommend Firehouse to anyone that is looking for a special memory. Thanks Firehouse.

What a way to live a month full of Halloween festivities. A block that keeps the spooky spirit…read morealive. I haven't visited during Christmas, but I promise I'll be there to see it this year! I'm so excited. The Halloween event made my heart sing of ghouls, bats, and candy!!

The folks in this neighborhood, and especially the big main house that's the center of it all, do…read morean unbelievably incredible job decorating for Halloween and Christmas! They decorate for other holidays as well, but Halloween and Christmas are the showstoppers. They sometimes have special performers such as Frankenstein or Santa wandering around, too. I recommend following them on Instagram for updates & schedules. It can get busy, especially at night on the weekends, but it's usually easy to find parking in the neighborhood. I definitely would suggest parking and walking around so you have time to truly take it all in and perhaps take some photos.