Winemaker Ben Viscon, entrepreneur Jessica Trouillaud and artist Lindsay Peytonare planning a unique event for the next West Seattle Art Walk, beginning at 5 p.m.on Thursday, July 13 at Viscon Cellars, located at 5910 California Ave SW. 

 “We’re bringing three different forms of art together in a really fun and interesting way,” Trouillaud said. “And we’ve all migrated from Texas to West Seattle on different paths and walks of life to create art here.”

Matching the perfect wine with reading material is Trouillaud’s speciality – and she has built a business around her passion entitled “Words & Wine.”

Part book club, part online wine retailer, Words & Wine is designed to appeal to both wine lovers and bookworms.

Shoppers select a book they want to purchase and Trouillaud selects a wine to go with it. She includes a postcard explaining her selection as well as a bookmark with reading notes and tasting notes printed on it.

For the West Seattle Art Walk, Trouillard will select books that go with the wines available at Viscon Cellars.

And for visual pairings with Viscon’s fruit of the vine, oil paintings by Lindsay Peyton will be on the walls.

Peyton, Trouillaud and Viscon not only share Texan roots; they also all work to create unique experiences through their craft.

“Lindsay’s paintings are incredibly expressive and beautiful,” Trouillaud said. “Ben’s wine is full of impressive character, each having a great background story. And with Words & Wine, I bring together literature and wine in a way that highlights each.”

Peyton said that in addition to great wine, the tasting room at Viscon Cellars has a special ambience, which makes it a natural fit for art and community.

“Viscon Cellars almost has its own life,” Peyton said. “People are more friendly there; they talk to each other, to strangers. Ben has made it a gathering space for friends and neighbors, with a warm, inviting feel. I hope my paintings are the same way – so that viewers feel like they can walk into the interiors and spend time there.”

It is no coincidence that Viscon Cellars has become an art gallery and venue for the West Seattle Art Walk. 

Showcasing local artists has been a part of the vision owner Ben Viscon has had for his tasting room from the start. 

“I love the arts,” he said. “My family owned some art galleries in El Paso, where I grew up. My dad had a kind of combination art gallery and artist supply studio that he owned and ran. As a kid, I worked with him all the time on weekends and summer breaks. I gained an appreciation for all forms of art.”

He wants to help local artists share and sell their work.  

“Now that I am a small business owner myself, it is important to me to support art,” he said. “I want to feature local artists and help them tell their story. It is also a conversation piece with my customers. They come in for the wine, and then they start noticing the walls are full of beautiful art and start asking questions.”

Viscon said Trouillaud’s pairing of wine and literature was a natural fit. 

“After hearing Jessica’s story and enthusiasm, I had proposed that we have her match up a couple of my wines with books and put some packages together,” he said. “Then we decided to add in another Texan by featuring Lindsay and her amazing talent during the art walk.”

For more information about Lindsay Peyton, visit lindsaypeytonart.com.

For more information about Viscon Cellars, visit visconcellars.com.

For more information about Jessica Trouillaud and Wine & Words, visit words.wine