Dead Man’s Cove at Cape Disappointment State Park, captured by Nellie Hux.

This year’s Readers Choice Awards included a new category dedicated to the arts, including choices for favorite local artists, musicians, performers, photographers and venues for music, dance and theater.

Nautically inspired

Don Nisbett, who works from a waterfront studio and gallery at the Port of Ilwaco, is no stranger to honors.

His work and gallery have long been local favorites, appearing at festivals and galleries for decades.

Nisbett is a prolific watercolor artist who also paints in acrylic and on glass.

He’s self-taught and his goal is to create art that is accessible, content with being an “an artist for the people.” Nisbett and his wife, Jenna Austin, opened their first gallery in Battle Ground, Washington, in 2001. They started the Ilwaco gallery 18 years ago.

Nisbett was born in the Midwest, but has lived in the Northwest for several decades. He’s wanted to paint since he was a child, and is inspired by people and creating work to match personalities.

Don Nisbett Art Gallery

167 Howerton Way, Ilwaco

Open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, Sundays and Mondays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, closed Tuesdays

www.donnisbett.com

Appropriately for Ilwaco, Nisbett’s work is often nautically inspired, featuring sea creatures, mermaids and boat portraits. This year, he was readers’ first pick as Best Local Artist. He feels honored by the award and expresses his gratitude for the support of the community and his family.

‘Crabgrass’

Readers’ pick for Best Local Band/Musician is the mainstay group Brownsmead Flats, who play acoustic music that they describe as “crabgrass,” a folk and bluegrass style with a maritime flavor.

The band has a strong focus on vocal harmonies.

Many of their songs are composed by group members and reflect on living in the Northwest. The group includes Dan Sutherland on the hammered dulcimer, fiddle and mandolin; Ray Raihala picks the banjo, guitar and mandolin; Ned Heavenrich plays harmonica and guitar; John Fenton keeps the band together rhythmically with the bass; and Larry Moore rounds out the group with his expertise on mandolin and occasional fancy footwork.

At Brownsmead Flats performances, audiences are encouraged to sing and dance along. The name of the group is inspired by the town of Brownsmead, an area settled by farmers and fishermen from Scandinavian countries.

There, gatherings and potlucks were frequent, followed by music, singing and dancing. These get-togethers inspired the band’s creation, and they’ve been performing together since 1984. Since then, the group has played at events throughout the Northwest and as far away as Costa Rica, where they toured in 2015.

The band has produced five different albums, their most recent being “Strings and Yarns,” released in 2011. On any given weekend, members of the group often play at T. Paul’s Supper Club in Astoria. They also play the opening weekend of the Astoria Sunday Market annually. Their next appearance is scheduled for April 30 at the Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival in Astoria.

Though the group has been playing together for almost 40 years, they still cherish their time together.

“Making music is a joyful experience for us all,” Ned Heavenrich said, “and we love interacting with audiences, especially the children.”

The group is grateful for community support at their shows over the years. “We’re so grateful to be loved by so many and supported by this community, and we love them all in return,” Heavenrich said.

Capturing the coast

In first place for Readers’ Choice Best Photographer is Nellie Hux, whose captures of local scenery have appeared in local blogs and newspapers, including in the Chinook Observer.

Especially memorable are Hux’s photos of birds and wildlife and her landscape images of Cape Disappointment State Park.