It's Holiday Time! As our gift to you, we have assembled some of our favorite things currently new to the Gallery - always a daunting task, because our
amazing artists constantly - well, simply
amaze us. We hope you will enjoy seeing their work, too. To view these pieces in person stop in for a visit, or for further information simply click on each item's individual link to be swooshed off to the online shop.
VISUAL ARTS
A beautiful work by Bainbridge Island's own Irene Yesley,
this piece is created from separate panels of plexiglas, painted
in acrylic and gold leaf. The process allows for a constant play
and shift of images as the light changes, casting shadows on
and through the various layers. A stunning piece.
About Irene:
Irene describes herself as a geometric abstract minimalist,
designing
flat, hard-edge patterns against a relatively flat background. Physical
textures,
such as brush strokes, play a minimal role to the interplay of
positive
and negative shapes, and the emotional impact of color.
Irene describes her journey:
I
earned an MFA in printmaking from Arizona State University.
After
graduation, I bought two floor looms and started making
rugs and
tapestries. Eventually I grew frustrated with the restraints of
weaving,
the warp and the weft, and especially the fact that I could never
change anything, so I sold my looms and started down the path of
rediscovering
what kind of artist I wanted to be. I attended Haystack
School of Arts and Crafts
in Maine, where I was fortunate enough to have
Warren Seelig as my
instructor. He opened the door to all sorts of
materials and experimentation.
Since
then I have used pencil, pastel and oil stick on paper,
done reverse
painting on Plexiglas, acrylics on wooden panels and
gesso board and now
I have returned to painting on layers of Plexiglas
and stacking them to
make three-dimensional paintings.
The
outdoors is the biggest influence on my work. The first landscape
I
knew was Spokane, Washington, where I grew up. That was followed
by the
cactus of Arizona for 5 years, the urbanscapes of Boston and
Washington,
DC, the chaparral of Topanga Canyon, and 22 years in the
desert of
Santa Fe, New Mexico. For six years
until 2004, we had a
condo in Kas, Turkey, on the Turquoise Coast of the
Mediterranean,
where I spent six months a year.
Now
I live on an island across the sound from Seattle in a
temperate
rainforest. Without even being aware of what was
happening, each new
location has changed the
shapes and colors in my work.
FINE FURNITURE
Nakashima-inspired, this fabulous chair is not only visually
pleasing but also comfortable and functional. A true work of art!
Each of John's pieces is individually hand-crafted with great
care and finished with his own oil finish. Perfect in sets for the
dining room (around a fabulous walnut table? We think so) or
even singly at a desk or as an occasional chair in the living room.
About the artist, who is new to the Gallery:
John Spivey is a studio furniture maker who lives in Santa Barbara,
California. His work is executed in North American hardwoods - primarily
walnut, maple, and cherry. Much of the work utilizes flitch cut boards
that retain the natural edge.
Spivey's design inspiration lies
in the flow of lines within
Japanese brush calligraphy and within
sumi-e painting.
The unadorned lines live in dynamic relationship with
the grain
of the wood and with the flow of the natural edge in an effort
to
express the soul of the tree in relationship to the soul of the
maker.
SCULPTURE
Well, well - here's an iconic fellow, perfectly and whimsically
captured in Ken Lundemo's walnut and stainless steel sculpture.
He looks quite proud and self-assured in this rendering, and
if you're ever worried that Slick might not be listening to
his constituents, consider this: he must be, with that natural
formation in the wood - a very prominent ear!
(Look closely!)
Ken Lundemo has shown his work at the Gallery for many years,
from wood-fired ceramics to wood and stone carving,
metal sculpture and drawings, and we always look forward
to seeing what that fertile mind of his comes up with next.
Here's a little about Ken:
Ken Lundemo is a native of Washington State, born in Tacoma in 1931
and
raised in the Puget Sound region. He has lived in the area all his life
and now resides in Seabeck, Washington with his wife Inez. Their home
and his studio is located on twenty acres of woodlands where he also has
an anagama wood fired kiln. This kiln is an important meeting place for
potters in the Northwest who are working in wood fired ceramics.
Ken
first studied art with Harrison Blass at Olympic College in 1949-50
and
returned to study there on the GI Bill in 1955 after four years in the
Navy.
He studied commercial and fine art, attending evening classes
while working
as a lineman and cable splicer for Pacific NW Bell. Ken
later took classes
in ceramics and bronze casting at Olympic College,
receiving an
Associate of Arts degree.
Ken works with wood, stone, metals, plastics, glass, found objects
and ceramics. Sculpture is his primary focus with raku and
wood fired
pottery his second love.
Ken is a founding member of Collective Visions, a cooperative
art
gallery in Bremerton where he regularly shows his sculpture and
pottery.
He also shows his work in other regional galleries and
competitive
shows. His work is represented in many private and corporate
collections
and he has won numerous awards. He was commissioned
to do the first sculpture
purchased by the Washington State Arts
Commission for its percent for
art in public places
program in 1975. The sculpture was a steel Viking
longship
for the Poulsbo Elementary School in Poulsbo, Washington.
“I have drawn inspiration from nature and our beautifully diverse
countryside here in the Puget Sound area, exploiting native materials
as
well as exotic and imported wood and stone. The human figure and
wildlife provide many avenues for exploration and abstraction. The
female form has been a favorite and I’ve done drawing and sculpture
on
the subject for fifty years.
Wood fired stoneware and porcelain pottery and sculpture
has
preoccupied me since building an anagama kiln a
few years ago.
Squeezing in some stone or woodcarving has been a
challenge.
Printmaking has been on hold too, but maybe this
winter I’ll get some
time for it.”
This remarkable sculpture of alder wood is around eleven feet
tall, and resembles a canoe or longboat, carved or "dug out" of
a tree trunk. Relying as all artists must do on a certain fortuity in conditions
of nature, especially with "found" objects, Bainbridge Island artist Alan Vogel
recognized art in this piece of fallen alder; with some persuasion, he
cleaned - literally dug out - a center that was slowly succumbing to
the elements. The result is a fascinating look at the inner workings of the tree,
its channels and valleys forming a natural sculpture aided by the artist's
craft, talent, and inspiration.
Dug Out is temporarily lighted from the inner bottom by a rather
ingenious "flashlight"; the lighting could be made into a more
permanent feature by special request and after consultation
with the artist.
WEARABLE ART
A terrific design, fabulous fabric, and excellent price points
add up to wearable art at its finest. This is what we see throughout
our new collection from Katrin Noon for Spirithouse, who
has sent us some of the best basics paired with very
special pieces we've seen in ages. Her EveryDayWear line
goes anywhere without wrinkles, so is perfect for travel
or work, and is super-comfortable. Currently in the Gallery
is a wide selection of pants, leggings, tops, tunics, and
jackets, often in black/grey basics but with touches of
color, such as prussian blue, aubergine, teal and claret.
Katrin will also do special orders for us upon request.
A customer trying on a pants-and-top set several days ago
said that (a), she didn't want to take it off, and (b), she wanted
to go home and wear it to bed. She purchased several complementing,
uber-comfy pieces and planned to wear them in varying
configurations throughout the holidays.
And that, we believe, tells us all we need to know
about this excellent clothing line.
Introducing our newest jewelry artist, Maia Evans of Bainbridge Island.
Maia's wonderful eye for gemstones and exquisite workmanship will,
we are sure, make her a favorite with our jewelry customers.
So Gentlemen: if you're looking for something really special
for that special someone this season, look no further - Maia's
spectacular necklaces and earrings are waiting for you in our
jewelry case!
A little about her work, in Maia's own words:
My inspiration comes from my family, the desert I grew up in,
the
beauty of the places where I have lived, and from the materials
provided
to me as an artist from the earth.
As a traveler
of the world I have been inspired by the places I
have seen and by the
people I have met. All those experiences
have influenced my designs.
[My] jewelry pieces are all unique, created to inspire the people
who
wear them. They feel good against your skin because they
are created from high quality materials; Sterling Silver, Gold,
Precious and
Semi-Precious gems.
If you're looking for something truly unique in jewelry -
perhaps a little funky, with loads of visual interest and a
uniqueness as daring as the artist himself - you really
want to take a look at Lou Zeldis.
And if you've followed our blog for a while or visited the Gallery,
you've already heard about Lou. A highly-regarded artist
worldwide, we've been delighted to carry his work for many
years; and while deeply saddened by his death several
years ago a few of his wonderful pieces remain
with us - not only jewelry, but his amazing textile work
in batik and ikat, both as wearables and art for the wall,
the home, and the soul.
These wonderful earrings are 22k gold (yes, they're expensive,
but hey, this is Lou Zeldis we're talking about), extremely lightweight,
and feature Lou's trademark inches-long ear wires. Which are of
course also gold. He has a very specific name for this earring style,
but we must tell you privately as it might be construed as a bit
naughty. (But hey, this is Lou...) If your curiosity simply can't
be controlled, please ask next time you're in.
One last word about these earrings for you
bold holiday shoppers:
Stocking-stuffers.
GLASS ART
And finally, a gentle reminder:
Don't forget that we carry these fabulous Ted Jolda hand-blown
glass ornaments, as well as his glasses and goblets. We
have a few tiny golden pears left, a pomegranate or two
(here),
assorted fruits and other whimsical pieces, including several
jolly little snowmen and even lumps of coal for those among
us who have been very, very naughty.
If you've been in the Gallery and looked at Ted's work
you've heard his story. But if you haven't, or you just can't
hear it often enough (it's a sort of cross between a fairy tale and
a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable), here it is:
Working
in wood, metal, fabric, and glass, Ted Jolda has been a
creative
individual all his life. He has attended classes at Simon Fraser
University,
Western Washington University, and Sheridan College
School
of Craft and Design. Ted co-owned Andrighetti Glassworks in
Vancouver
(1988-1993) with Joanne Andrighetti. After the death of a
close
friend, he sold his share of the studio to Joanne and took off
on
a year long round-the-world tour. Working with artists in Australia
and
Europe, Ted saw and learned a great deal about his art and himself.
He
resides with his family on an island off the west coast of Canada.
Currently
he is one of Canada's best known glass artists and has
been
called the nation's pre-eminent ornament maker. Working
primarily
in glass since 1985, Ted has received international recognition
for
his work. As well as being in the collections of the royal houses
of
England and the Netherlands, his work is also in the collections of
the
Canadian Craft Museum and the Corning Museum of Glass, and
has
been exhibited internationally in numerous group shows
representing
the finest of contemporary Canadian Art. Ted was chosen
to
create the goblets for the formal table of the Lieutenant Governor
of
British Columbia and later was asked to expand the set to accommodate
the
eighteen heads of state attending the 1999 APEC conference in
Vancouver.
His work has been presented to presidents, prime ministers
and
heads of state around the world; he counts U.S. President Bill
Clinton
and Oprah Winfrey as fans.
Ted
comments on his recent brush with retail nirvana:
"This
is one of the things I get asked most about . . .
No
I didn't meet Oprah. Nor did I send her any of my work.
I
had an agent, who for a couple of years took my stuff to the
big
Gift Trade Shows out east. In New York some of Oprah's personal
shoppers
saw my ornaments at the booth and liked them. Bought some
and
took them to show Oprah. She liked them and put them in her magazine.
I
knew nothing of this until about a week before the magazine came out.
It
was great. It was amazing. It was an incredible year. I made little else
for
the next year. My income (for that one year only) more than doubled.
We
were able to buy a new washer, a new - to us - car, and a new refrigerator.
Paid
a bit off the mortgage. That's it, that's all. The next year I was no longer
the
'new thing' and sales went back to their old - well actually slightly worse
than
their old levels. I had lost some clients that I couldn't supply with other
work
while I was making pears. I'm not complaining. Variety is good.
But
it was amazing while it lasted."
Oprah put Ted's golden pears on her O-List that season, the
list of holiday-oriented items one simply could not do without.
Ted spent the entire following year personally hand-blowing
over 10,000 back orders of those golden pears.
Whew! We're breathless!
And on that note, we leave you with several points to ponder as we head into the holidays: You deserve and should seek all that is beautiful in life; enjoy every minute you possibly can; and be extremely careful what you wish for!
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We'll be back with the January edition in 2015, but in the meantime our very best to you, and Happy Holidays!
