Puttin' On The Ritz

Sometime last summer the gallery was contacted by a British-based design firm who had seen a wood-fired ceramic piece displayed in our web shop (www.theislandgallery.net/shop/) and was interested in having two made especially for one of her projects. The ceramic piece was local artist Shane Watson's Skyline Vase; the project was the world's tallest hotel, the new Hong Kong Ritz Carlton.

Shane went to work. Despite the extremely high level of difficulty, including the threat of clay body shrinkage and the high failure rate often associated with wood kilns, he was able to produce on time and to the hotel designers' exact specifications two big, magnificent pieces that look something like this:

Wood-fired Skyline Vase Shane Watson, 2010

The vases were delivered (very carefully) around the beginning of the year and now grace the Ritz Carlton's Fire Pit Lounge & Bar on its 102nd Floor. The hotel opened its doors on March 30, 2011.

Great thanks to Walsh Greene Art & Design Consultancy for a challenging but smooth transaction, and Congratulations, Shane!

Bread Pudding Bake-Off Winners

5th Annual Bainbridge Island Pro-Am Bread Pudding Bake-Off

Official Results!

As usual, every pudding was amazing. An extra vote here or there could easily have changed the outcomes! However, after several recounts and the occasional battle over hanging chads, here are the Official Results:

Best in Show and Gold Amateur Winner Katie Brown (left)

Silver Amateur Winner, John Sydor (right)

Best in Show

Katie Brown

My Own Bread Pudding with dried apples, raisins marinated in liqueur, with caramel and dark rum sauce

Gold Amateur

Katie Brown

My Own Bread Pudding with dried apples, raisins marinated in liqueur, with caramel and dark rum sauce

Gold Pro

Doc's Marina Grill

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Silver Amateur

John Sydor

Blueberry maple sugar creme brulee bread pudding

Silver Pro

Salmon Canyon Cafe

Classic bread and butter pudding with blueberries and apricot glaze

Bronze Runners-Up

Amateurs:

Kate deVeaux

Jennifer Montgomery

Bobbie Morgan

Joan Sandler

Keith Thackray

Pros:

Bainbridge Thai

BIBBQ

Metro Market Catering

Clair Younker Moe

My Kids' Cookies

Pain d'Amore

San Carlos

Stephanie Of Course

Streamliner Diner

Our grateful thanks to all the magnificent bakers who put their time, talents and hearts into making this a success. Special thanks to our event partner, My Kids' Cookies and Barbara Reininger, who so generously invited our amateur bakers into her commercial kitchen, without which the true community spirit of the Annual Bainbridge Island Bread Pudding Bake-Off would not have been possible.

Bread Pudding Bake-Off Returns!!

Calling all bakers: The TASTIEST Local Benefit is back! Announcing:

THE 5TH ANNUAL BAINBRIDGE ISLAND PRO-AM BREAD PUDDING BAKE-OFF!

All Proceeds Benefit Helpline House

The Island Gallery, in conjunction with My Kids' Cookies, is delighted to announce the return of one of our most popular events. Local pro and amateur bakers gather together, wielding their finest bread puddings (sweet or savory), and slug it out for the honor of being named the baker of Bainbridge Island's Best Bread Pudding! The judges - anyone with a dollar for a taste and a vote - sample the entries and cast their vote(s) for best pudding. The ballots are counted, and Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in both Pro and Am categories and overall Best of Show are awarded!

(Returning Amateurs: Please read the Rules of Entry carefully - we've made some important changes.)

DATE: First Friday, February 4, 2011

TIME: 6-8 pm

LOCATION: 400 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island. The tasting will occur in the lobby area of the building, right next to My Kids' Cookies.

There are several ways to make sure your bread pudding is registered for the Bake-Off:

1. Below is a downloadable Entry Form, and the Rules of Entry. To download the form, right-click on the image, hit Save As, and choose a file to save it to on your computer. You can then print it, fill it in, and return the form via regular mail (address is on the form) with your $20.00 registration fee (checks are fine), or drop it off at the gallery no later than February 2.

2. If you prefer, you can e-mail your information to sr@theislandgallery.net and call 206-780-9500 to register with a credit card.

Could it be any easier?

Yes!

3. Call 206-780-9500 and register over the phone. We'll fill in the form for you and answer any questions you might have.

Brick and Mortar: Fiber and Metal Sculpture of Britt Rynearson

Time to put the upcoming First Friday Gallery Walk on your calendar!

Fiber and Metal Sculptures of

Britt Rynearson

The Bainbridge Island native draws inspiration from the abstract beauty of aging building structures. Also featured: Britt's line of home furnishings, clothing and accessories.

November 5-28, 2010

Artist's Reception November 5, 6-8 pm

Featuring Ranger and the Re-Arrangers in concert on the plaza

and

The Winslow's Open House

Celebrating the Beginning of

the Holiday Season!

Music - Wine Bar - Appetizers

Don't miss this one!

The Island Gallery is Moving!

We are truly delighted to make this announcement: As of August 15, 2010, The Island Gallery will have a new home! We're moving from the corner of Madison and Winslow Way, downtown Bainbridge Island, to The Winslow, 400 Winslow Way East, #120. This lovely modern red-brick building is located on the corner of Winslow Way and Ericksen, a hop, skip and jump from the ferry, and across the street from Town & Country Market and Bainbridge's ever-popular retro-style Streamliner Diner. How will you find us, you ask? Well, as you stroll down Winslow Way you won't be able to miss us: The beautiful patio in front of our space will greet you with its bright foliage, along with the eight-foot-tall James Kelsey sculpture, Tangerine Blade (bright orange!). It will look pretty much like this:

As soon as we have good photos of our new location, we'll post them.

Upcoming: Connie Castellano

Coming right up is our May show, which features the incredible jewelry of local artist Connie Castellano.

City Lights

New Collection of Work by

Connie Castellano

May 7-30, 2010

Artist's Reception: First Friday, May 7th, 6-8 pm

Also Featured: Sale on Select Wearables, just in time for Mother's Day!

[Show Jewelry Excluded.]

The Extraordinary: Su Olsen's Jewelry

We are honored to have carried Su Olsen's exceptional jewelry here at the gallery for quite some time now, but only recently have we added her to our online web shop. If you love ancient beads coupled with beautiful metalwork, Su's designs come highly recommended.

She also makes beautiful contemporary-look earrings and necklaces in reticulated sterling silver and copper, stretching her considerable talents down new pathways. We'll be putting examples of those in the web shop shortly.

Here are a few items we love to show off:

Silver, Sherpa Coral and Glass Necklace.

Yemeni beads of black coral embellished with silver, 1800s, and silver beads, 1800s; sherpa coral; coco disks and sand-cast glass beads from West Africa; Lohan carved beads from Asia, representing the guardians of Buddhism; pre-1700s Persian spindle whorls; and Su’s signature hand-fabricated sterling silver clasp.

Sherpa Coral, Black Coral and Silver Earrings.

Su has combined Sherpa coral glass beads from the Himalayas (1700s) with very rare black coral embedded with silver in Yemen (1800s); old silver beads from India; woven disks of fine silver from the Hill Tribes of the Golden Triangle; and hand-fabricated sterling silver.

Sherpa Coral and Silver Earrings.

Sherpa coral glass beads from the Himalayas (1700s); small black Peking glass from the Hill Tribes of the Golden Triangle; silver beads from India; hard-carved stone beads from China; and hand-fabricated sterling silver.

For further information on these and other pieces, please visit the Jewelry Section in our online shop.