Valentine's Day: Very Special Treats

If you happen into the Gallery this month you will see, besides the usual extraordinary art, some brand-new treats on hand just in time for Valentine's Day gifting.   Here's a quick peek, and note that all of these items are also currently available in the Gallery's extensive (and very fun!) online shop.  Simply click on the images to visit from your favorite electronic device.

For that Special Someone who happens to be a ceramics enthusiast, or anyone

who enjoys a perfect bowl of noodles (although by no means do we recommend

restraining ourselves by serving ONLY noodles in these gorgeous coppery-red

glazed wood-fired bowls), imagine these gracing your table:

Dave Berfield, Red-glazed Noodle Bowls.  Wood fired

A vision of creamy French Vanilla ice cream topped with

luscious strawberries quickly springs to mind.  On the other extreme, a

toasty-warm breakfast of oatmeal beckons (blueberries always taste

wonderful in red bowls, don't you think?) or phabulous pho.

We at the Gallery are in that above-mentioned group of dedicated ceramic

enthusiasts, particularly when it comes to wood firing, and beyond a doubt

the crusty, rustic anagama look is something that is a wonder to behold.

But these cheery, deep, functional bowls are simply perfect.  So much so

that we use ours literally every day.  Adding to their attraction is the fact that

the artist lives, works and fires these beauties right here on Bainbridge Island,

so really, what could be better?

Oh, did we mention:  they are offered at a special price this month,

as well as this elegant piece below, which has a matching glaze

but is wider and shallow, to function perfectly as a serving dish:

Dave Berfield, Red-glazed Serving Bowl.  Wood fired

There is more of Dave's attractive, accessible work, including vases

and seed pots, to be found in the Gallery or here, on his Artist Pages.

Here's something sweet and soft for a loved one to tuck into a pocket,

display on a desk, sit on the mantel, or generally to snuggle:

Jacki Moseley, Felted Wool Hearts.  Merino Wool

Perhaps better known for her large hanging felted sculptures (which can be

viewed here on her Artist Pages), Jacki's offerings of these Pretty Somethings

are a bit more personal and, as you can see, quite delightful!

These tactile pleasures are also made on Bainbridge, as is this

line of sumptuous, cushy pillows from Island artist and

designer Tom Johnson:

Tom Johnson, Love Grows Here pillow.

On an island where gardening is king and art

flourishes right alongside the roses and raspberries,

the sentiment of this particular pillow fits right into our

prevailing mood, and the current chilly season.  There are a number

of other pillows currently available waiting for new homes, which

can be viewed in the Gallery or on Tom's Artist's Pages (click here).

Tom also enjoys custom orders, so if you have something in mind

to fit in with your decor, please contact us.

 Finally, we've just received a shipment of limited edition

tee shirts from remarkable shibori artist, Mary Jaeger.

These are unmistakably a fit for your Valentine (or for you...):

Mary Jaeger, Love Shibori Tee

Long-sleeved to combat our lingering winter cold and soft as can

always be expected from 100% cotton, these are available in

varying sizes and, as is true with Mary's line of tees, unlikely

to last long in the Gallery.  They're just that good.  Come in or call for

additional information, or to quickly see these and more of Mary's

sophisticated textile pieces, click on the link to head over to her Artist Pages.

Also, and always available in the Gallery but never more in
demand than right about now, are Karen Chaussabel's
Art Cards:

Left, Food Is Love Card
Right, Card in Pink and Grey

Karen original works are encaustic on paper, with the addition
of found objects such as string or thread.  The cards can be found online
as well in the Art Card section of the shop; descriptions of Karen's
process and a look at her original works can be found in various posts elsewhere
on this blog and on her Artist's Pages by clicking here.

WINTER HOURS

Tuesdays - Saturdays 11:00 – 6:00 pm

Sundays Noon – 5:00 pm

Closed Mondays

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 Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Dave Berfield, Ceramist: #3

The Flowers and the Wedding

Over the past few months, we have chronicled the design, construction and
firing in a wood fire kiln of ceramic flower vases for artist Dave Berfield’s
daughter’s wedding. This blog post follows the final artistic preparations
and use of the vases.

We first visited the project as Dave was designing and building the
vases and preparing them for firing (see Post #1).  Then we observed Dave
and his friend, Joe O’Brien, as they fired the vases (see Post #2).
On the Wedding’s Eve, it was time for another set of artists to
demonstrate not only their loving support for the couple,
but also their skills as Master Flower Arrangers.
 

Flower Arranging is an ancient art that requires an eye for floral
composition as well as a keen understanding of the physical attributes
of the plants that are used.  After all, even the best floral display
loses its luster if wilted!  The wedding was blessed with the contributions
of two outstanding floral artists: Suellen Cunningham, who lives here on 
Bainbridge Island, and is a neighbor of the Berfields; and Brian Choy,
who lives on the island of Oahu.  Both are longtime family friends and
have watched the bride grow up.  They volunteered to be a part of the
artistic effort.  From raw clay to display, these art works are
truly a labor of love.

Both floral artists started learning their craft young.
Suellen, a lady of the South, grew up in Lumberton, North Carolina.
There was no florist in town when she was a child and Suellen
assisted an older lady in creating floral displays for others, often for
funerals and other events.  It was a volunteer effort and there was never
a charge.  The art form became a part of her life that continues to this day.
Brian, who grew up in Hawaii, was influenced by his Grandmother
who taught him floral arrangement.  An award winning Lei-Maker and
long-time teacher, for over ten years he oversaw the floral arrangements
in the Honolulu Museum of Art.  He retired from that job but continues
to volunteer with several ladies at the Honolulu Museum of Art creating
large floral arrangements on a bi-weekly basis.  He also occasionally
still makes lei for the May Day Lei Competition in Honolulu.

The Wedding Eve was a beehive of activity at Suellen’s home.
 Earlier, Brian and Suellen had selected the floral materials and by
the time the blog’s reporters arrived they had laid out materials and
were already hard at work. It all starts with buckets of flowers and ferns.
Actually, that is not accurate:  It all starts with a good eye, talent, and
experience.  The two artists have these in abundance.

The construction process of each display very much resembles the
painting of a picture, much like laying out the paints before beginning to
paint, as each flower or fern is selected by the artists for its color and
texture.  They then cut it and shape it, place it in the vase, critically
examine the effect, then select another and repeat the process. 

Soon, they have created a three dimensional picture ready
to WOW the viewers the next day. 

The artists have to be careful not only in gauging how the plants will look,
but also the structure of the piece so that it artistically holds together.  It requires
a great deal of experience and skill to blend the individual pieces into floral art;
not only the plants themselves but the structure of the vessel must be taken
into consideration.  In this case, they had begun working with Dave early
on in his design process, which resulted in the inclusion
of partitions in the vase tops.

As the works were completed they were moved into a cool spot
to wait until the morning.

 

The next day the arrangements were placed on the tables
and the celebration began.

The Bride and Groom:

Congratulations to the Bride and Groom.

And, most especially, our thanks to them, their family and artist friends
for letting us tag along on this artistic journey.

It was, without a doubt, a true labor of love. 

To view more of Dave Berfield’s wonderful ceramic art, click here to visit

his Artist’s Pages in our online Shop.

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