The Whidbey Art Trail is inviting Whidbey artists to be a part of the tour and promote their art to the community and people from far away.

Since 2011, the Whidbey Art Trail has been solidifying Whidbey as an arts destination and the “Puget Sound’s largest artist’s colony,” according to the art trail’s website.

Between March 8 and March 15, people can apply to be part of the upcoming season, which starts on June 1 and ends on May 31, 2025.

Janis Saunders, the art trail’s interim program director, said it’s an opportunity for people to meet the artists in their studios and ask them questions about their creative process and vision, and a way for artists to get more exposure and support their craft.

People can choose to experience Whidbey’s artsy community all in one day, or in small doses, perhaps using it as an excuse to visit the island on multiple occasions.

The program supports local artists by marketing their work online, on social media and print ads and by distributing brochures to the Clinton-Mukilteo and Coupeville-Port Townsend ferries, the various chambers of commerce around the island and more.

The brochure and the website include a map of all the destinations, which can include galleries, studios and sculpture parks displaying the works of painters, sculptors, glass artists, basket weavers, wood workers, metal workers, mixed media artists and photographers.

The current map, which will be available until May 31, lists 25 destinations, including the Price Sculpture Forest in Coupeville, which feels like walking through a bizarre and whimsical fairytale dimension, Katrina Hude’s colorful and hypnotic hand blown glass display in Greenbank, and the peaceful Rob Schouten Gallery and Sculpture Garden in downtown Langley.

David Hundley is a professional photographer who has been part of the trail for the past four years, and is submitting his application for the fifth time.

Hundley, who is also the president of the Whidbey Island Arts Council, advises artists not to expect people to simply visit and to promote themselves and the trail through social media and websites.

“It’s a lot of effort on the artist’s part to also help publicize where they are and when they’re available,” he said. “The first year there was very little traffic because I didn’t do anything, I thought it all just kind of happened.”

Hundley has worked in Paris as a freelance photographer and worked as a senior staff photographer for a packaging and design firm. Now, he works as a photographer full-time.

Currently, he is focusing on abstract expressionism and portraits, and is having fun taking photos of Whidbey artists.

People can find the abstract photography in his studio, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and located at 4027 Junco Road in Greenbank.

Some of the works that stand out the most include full and colorful images taken from junkyards and salvage yards, but also photos of eerie and abandoned places on Whidbey Island and landscapes from around the world, which are also available on his website davidhundleyphotography.com.

Saunders wishes more people were aware of the trail, and invites everyone to take the tour or to apply.

“It’s very popular for art lovers,” Saunders said. “I enjoy seeing it all, the wonderful things that human beings can do.”

To apply, visit whidbeyarttrail.com.

Some toys from the Freeland Recycle Center. The photo is part of David Hundley’s “Abandoned Whidbey Island” collection. (Photo by David Hundley)

According to Hundley, this is the largest building in Bush Point, a neighborhood on South Whidbey. The photo is included in his “Abandoned Whidbey Island” series. (Photo by David Hundley)