Hot off the Presses: First Friday, December 2, 2016

Thanks to our wonderful artists, steadfast customers, and jazzy musicians, as well as the hard work of The Island Gallery's indefatigable crew, another terrific First Friday Artwalk was had by all here on Bainbridge Island.  The weather agreed, attendance was a steady stream, attendees including staff from the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, who especially enjoyed talking with featured ceramic and bronze sculptor Eva Funderburgh.

Why, you ask?

Here's why:

Drink Deep.  Bronze.  Eva Funderburgh

Or maybe because of this:

Bellows Beast.  Wood Fired Ceramic.  Eva Funderburgh

Or possibly these:

Soldiers.  From installation Triumph.   Wood Fired Ceramic.  Eva Funderburgh

Whatever it was - whichever, whomever? - we'll have more about these charmers
in our Gift Giving Guide (coming early next week).

After all, who on earth wouldn't love to be gifted with one of these amazing

Beastly creatures?  We'll take a whole menagerie!

Here is the creator of this charming menagerie, Eva Funderburgh,

who graciously attended the Artwalk with her husband, Ben.

Eva is seen above beside her splendid bronze piece, The Peril of Beauty,

shown below, which can also be viewed on Eva's artist page in

the Gallery's online shop, here.

The Peril of Beauty.  Bronze, patina.  Eva Funderburgh

The crowd was definitely in tune with the holiday season, enjoying
a taste of wine, a discussion with the artists in attendance,
and time spent with lovely art and good friends.

Among the many conversations had throughout the evening, when

the subject is wood fired ceramics fascinating issues inevitably

crop up.  For example, Eva spoke of some of the technical aspects of wood

firing, touching on such aspects as type of wood used by the potters.

She explained that three types of wood were used in this firing: initially

fir to get the temperature up, then alder, then maple for coloring.

And apparently fruit trees can contribute really nice colors whereas

using only fir would tend to give all black results.  Interesting!

 

One can tell from her accumulated knowledge how much she

enjoys the process, is intimate with the many details that factor

into her craft, and that she embraces the myriad unpredictable aspects

of wood firing (which we assure you is not for the faint of heart).

Also impressive to note in the actual formation of her beasts is the

way she employs contrast – for example, blending soft, rounded shapes

with not-so-soft shapes, like the critters' sharp little teeth or claws with their

often curvy, Rubenesque bodies, with the result of turning those

sharp-looking little teeth from menacing to charming, and even whimsical!

It was also remarked by another artist that her skill and passion are both

wonderful to observe and should be deeply inspiring to any artist.

Triumph.  Detail.  Wood fired ceramic.  Eva Funderburgh

We concur wholeheartedly with the above comments.  We must add that one
very important part of Eva's magic is the way she is able to capture, unfailingly,
exactly how each Beast seems to be feeling in their stance and facial expressions.
This in spite of the fact that her creatures have no eyes, thus belying the famous
quote derived from an old English proverb, "The eyes are the windows to the soul."
As an example, the very cheerful Dictator, a focal point of Eva's wood
fired ceramic installation Triumph, grins for the crowd, and there is absolutely
no question about his feelings at this seminal moment of his life!
(See more about Dictator and his minions here.)

Here Eva speaks with her fans beside her oh-so-lovable Swimming Beast.

That would be this guy:

Swimming Beast.  Wood Fired Ceramic.  Eva Funderburgh

Note sharp, white teeth and claws...

Also making big news in the Gallery - and an important bit of

information for all of you who are either already in love

with the Beasts or feel yourselves just about to go head over heels off
the edge - we understand the feeling!
But be aware:  only a few days prior to the opening of the

show we listed most of Eva's creatures on her artist's pages in our online

shop (here) for pre-sale.  By showtime on Friday, December 2nd, nearly

half of them were sold, and will shortly take up residence in new homes

all over the country, and around the world - in Europe, Alaska, Georgia,

New York, and Pennsylvania so far, not including here in the
Pacific Northwest.  In the intervening days we have

posted more; and even more are sold.

I guess what we're saying is if you plan on buying one of these, whether

for yourself or for a special someone, time is of the essence.  Each piece is
one-of-a-kind; there are no more; and Eva has a huge following.
Don't wait, or the Beast your heart beats for may be

heading off to another home.

In this photo, Eva's husband, Ben, appears behind her on the
left of the photograph.

To make the evening perfect, Ranger and Mike Sciacca of our
old friends, local gypsy jazz band Ranger and the Re-Arrangers,
performed as a duo to get the holiday season off to a roaring, and
very jazzy, start.

Come visit us soon, as next up will be our Gallery Picks Newsletter,
featuring December's Holiday Gift Giving Guide!
Don't miss it.

Stay warm, and just like the Beasts, remember during this holiday season
to show off those pearly whites, and SMILE!

A Fine Platter of Fish.  Wood Fired Ceramic.  Eva Funderburgh

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December 2016 Exhibition: A "Triumph" For Eva Funderburgh

One needn't be a potter to understand the remarkable accomplishment that has arrived in The Island Gallery for this month's First Friday Artwalk.

Ceramic and bronze sculptor Eva Funderburgh has come up with an astonishing installation, entitled "Triumph"; we will discuss it a bit further below, but first let's take a look:

"Triumph" (full procession, horizontal)

"Triumph" (full procession, vertical)

The following are close-ups of several of the individual pieces,

all of which are stunning in their detailing, and as we always

see with Eva's creatures, the amazing expressions and attitude of each

one of the charming Beastie characters shines through:

Soldiers

Spoils (nuts and berries)

Spoils (bones)

And last but hardly least, the happy Dictator himself:

Dictator

A little information and history:

All pieces are crafted of wood fired porcelain, stoneware and leather.

The Full Procession: Eleven separate pieces, some comprised of

more than one Beast and accoutrements.

Dimensions, full procession:  8' long x 1.5' wide x 8" tall.

Sold as the complete installation.

(Pricing information can be found here.)

A Roman Triumph (originally from the Greek thriambus) was a spectacular,

propagandistic military parade which took place in ancient Rome.

After a significant victory, the returning general would parade in front of

the civilians, presenting the conquered people as slaves and prisoners,

and displaying captured loot.

Some early Roman scholars trace the first Roman Triumph and the "kingly"

garb of the "Dictator" or "General" to Romulus, first king of Rome, around

the time of the city's founding in 753 BCE.

This piece, started and completed in 2015, depicts the end of the

generations-long conflict between the Elk Beasts and the Ram Beasts.

Any similarities to events of 2016 CE are purely - if oddly - coincidental.

To visit this piece and its individual components

in the online shop click on the above images.

Visit all of Eva's Beasts on her Artist pages, here.

This installation appears in the December 2016 Exhibition

Beneath Still Waters: New Work by Eva Funderburgh,

opening on First Friday, December 2nd,

running daily through December 31st.