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

But why wait...

Click here to visit us 24/7 in our extensive online shop

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 Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

You're Invited: First Friday Artwalk, April 1, 2016

Artwalk is upon us, and here's some information for our April show.  Ranger will be playing as part of a duo, and of course we'd love you to join us for conversation and a sip of wine!

Spring brings a renewal of all things.

Join us in celebrating the new season and the return of our colorful feathered friends

with exciting wearable, wall and sculptural art.

Featuring:

Ashley Licht, Susan Petersen, Carol Lee Shanks, Spirithouse

Christine Sundt, Diane Turner

Opening Reception:

First Friday, April 1st, 6-8 pm

In Concert:

Ranger and the Re-Arrangers

Bainbridge Island’s Own Gypsy Jazz Band

About the Artists: 

Ashley Licht is a textile artist whose current artistic passion is screen printing.  Her felted birds are delightful as a single little buddy or congregated in flocks to offer assistance to we hapless humans.

Ashley comments:

“My life is well described as up in flight, the only consistency being art. I love to create a design and then see it come to life on a fabric surface... A big inspiration for me is my pet sparrow, Pip, who can frequently be found perched on my shoulder while I work.  In the future I hope to see myself expanding my skills, products, and continuing to work as an artist full time.”

Susan C. Petersen: After 20 years as an art consultant, framing designer and framer, Bainbridge Islander Susan C. Petersen resumed her art career in 2002, working in several mediums, including cards, collages, paintings, illustrations, handmade books, and poetry.  She is strongly influenced by Asian art and philosophy, haiku poetry, and the day’s social and environmental issues, informed by her strong connection to nature and music.  These influences are readily visible in her Wabi Sabi cards, a collection consisting of over 50 regular designs and original Bonsai and Ikebana styles.  More recently she has introduced a Shoji and Paris Market series, as well as a whimsical Sans Souci Café collage series. This series incorporates small, intimate caricatures presenting a rogue’s gallery of characters from the lighter side of her imagination, in which every picture tells a story.

Susan comments on her work, and the qualities of Wabi Sabi:

“All cards are hand-collaged using pressed flowers, leaves, and other natural materials I hand-gather and preserve, as well as papers from around the world… impermanence, imperfection, and incompleteness... Wabi Sabi connotes the transient beauty of all things.  It is the state of flux between beginning and ending.  It exists in the wear or patina of objects as they age.  It is defined by what is rustic, modest, and natural.  Nothing lasts.  Nothing is perfect.  Nothing is finished.  All things will pass away... My work as an artist pays homage to the transient beauty of life in the delicate intimacy depicted in each card or caricature I create.”

Carol Lee Shanks is enjoying a 28-year career dedicated to designing unique handcrafted clothing designs and textile art pieces. She has a great reverence for cloth, allowing it to be the foundation of her inspiration and personally constructs each garment, one by one, building collections made from carefully selected fine materials. Her dressing concept encompasses coordinated silhouettes layered for style and comfort. She has designed an understated, timeless look meant to be collected piece by piece over many seasons.

Carol has a degree in Textile and Costume Design from the University of California at Davis.  She now works and exhibits her clothing and textile art from her Berkeley, California studio.  Her work is shown and sold in galleries throughout the United States and has been included in international shows and fiber art publications.

Katrin Noon for Spirithouse: An unconventional twist on traditional design, plus a dedication to comfort, is the hallmark of womenswear by Spirithouse, a Los Angeles clothing company. Katrin Noon, its creative force, creates collections that explore proportions and combine modern edginess with romantic detailing.  Noon studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, and pattern drafting and draping under Simone Sethna. After graduation, the artist traveled throughout the British Isles, Europe and Western Asia, an experience that would solidify her love and interest in textiles.

Christine Sundt:  "Pieces of metal, faceted or natural stones, colors, textures around me are the forces that help me shape and make my one-of-a-kind jewelry creations. I draw inspiration from art and nature, but seldom start with a firm idea of what the outcome will be. My drawings are merely records of thoughts rather than plans or patterns. Works come together on my workbench as elements find each other through proximity, association, and chance."

Diane Turner:  With a farming background and as an animal lover, Diane has always loved art as passionately. In 1997 she and her husband began their own farm journey, with a variety of animals; but a year ago they  discovered angora goats. With their comical antics, sweet, affectionate personalities and gorgeous fleeces, Diane was hooked and began felting with their wool and fleece.  For Diane, combining animals and art could not be a more perfect fit!

Diane’s lovable creatures are made from wool and fleece which are chemically the same as human hair and dirt resistant. The process begins with cleaning the wool to remove "field particles" and the lanolin. She designs a pattern for each character which is cut from wool felt, felted, sewn together, sculpted and then felted again. The result is nothing short of charming.

About the Band:  Bainbridge Island’s Ranger and the Re-Arrangers play “Gypsy jazz” or “hot jazz,” an upbeat style created in the 1930s by Django Reinhardt and other European stringplayers who embraced American jazz. The band’s repertoire appeals to everyone who enjoys swing standards, traditional Gypsy jazz songs, and world music originals. The band features young violin phenom Ranger, whose creative, syncopated leads complement the band’s steady, swinging rhythms.

Ranger Sciacca’s performances and compositions reflect his extensive studies in classical, jazz, and folk music. His Suzuki teacher, Alice Kanack, publishes books and CDs on improvising classical music.  Ranger also studied folk and dance music for seven years with renowned Seattle fiddler Stuart Williams.  Ranger’s main influences include guitarist Django Reinhardt and jazz violin greats Stuff Smith, Claude Williams and Stephane Grappelli. Ranger studied jazz theory and history at Whitman College.

Michael Sciacca, Ranger’s dad, has been his rhythm guitarist for many years; they have performed as a swing jazz duo since 2001.

Percussionist Jeffrey Moose has a 30-year career in both music and fine art. His collaborations and band projects include work with Joined at the Head, Heliotroupe, Dog Superior, Stiff Kitty, Atoke, Zayah Emmanuel, and Sam Andrews, founder of Big Brother and the Holding Company. He is currently director of Jeffrey Moose Gallery in Seattle.

Mandolin player Dave Stewart is also a classically-trained pianist.

Event Location: 

The Island Gallery, 400 Winslow Way E., #120, Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Underground parking is available at The Winslow off Ericksen Avenue.

What's New 3/4/16: Online Shop

Just to sweeten that last post, here's an up-to-the-minute peek at two more luscious vests we received yesterday from Maggy Pavlou.  Lucky us!

Both of these are pretty perfect, from the fun, modern vibe of the black and turquoise to the elegant form of the grey and white:

 And as always, we love the buttons!  An extra touch that delights.
 

The elegant look of this one - which Maggy has named "Just Lines", fittingly - is most pleasing, with its slimming vertical aspect and clean, geometric styling.

Click on the links for further information in the online shop, or to see all of the items currently available from this outstanding artist, start here at her shop pages.

November 2013 Gallery Picks Newsletter

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and our focus in the Gallery this month is on Holiday Tables, with wonderful things to put on, over and around them.  Naturally, we have a few other amazing items to share with you that might not work very well to dress up a table, but they will certainly dress up an outfit!  And a wall!  So please scroll through and enjoy the view.  Oh, and don't forget to click on the links to visit each individual piece in our online shop, and for more information.

*** Advance warning:  We already have a very special December Newsletter in the works, which will do double duty as our usual Gallery Picks and a mini-Holiday Gift Guide, so be sure to check your inbox over Thanksgiving weekend for a relaxing-by-the-fireplace glimpse of items to give or, if you prefer, to receive!

Now, without further ado, on to Many Beautiful Things.

Walnut Farm Table

This is so gorgeous!  A splendid farm-style table using stunning

walnut boards that show off deep, dark walnut alongside its own
light-colored sapwood for a most appealing visual contrast.
And the price might just surprise you...

Chairs sold separately; please contact the Gallery for further

information.

Large Footed Bowl.  Robin Hominiuk

A little something to put on top of any table, and perhaps to put a little
something in, this glorious wood-fired bowl will hold an abundance of
fruits, nuts, bread, muffins, foliage - whatever you love to present to guests
and family during the holidays.

But its not-so-secret little secret:  the interior of the bowl shows off

its own fascinating embellishments, so it is perfectly happy to

sit empty and alone, basking in its own beauty.

(It isn't at all vain, however; merely self-confident!)

Walnut Table Slab

WOW!!

Yes, WOW!

This table slab is beyond beautiful.
Crafted from walnut grown in Chico, California and dried slowly in the
gallery over many years, this fabulous piece is expertly bookmatched,
finished, and ready for custom legs.
Whoooooo wouldn't love this?

(That was a little joke....)

(If you didn't get it, take a closer look at the table.)
(If you're still puzzled, contact us at ssn@theislandgallery.net.)

Desert Sunset.  Mark Bowles

We are delighted to introduce Mark Bowles, a most talented artist
whose dynamic, colorful landscapes are quick to grab the eye.

A little about the artist:

Mark Bowles was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and has painted
all his life.  His passion for interpreting what he sees brought him to study
at the California College of Arts and Crafts and then at the Institudio Allende
in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  His work is shown extensively
throughout the West, with two US Embassy Exhibitions in Kathmandu, 2010
and Mexico City, 2009.  His work is represented in numerous private
collections and publicly in the Denver Art Museum, Tucson Museum
of Art, and Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California.

Comments from Scott Shields, Ph.D., Chief Curator, Crocker Art Museum:

Bowles' paintings are subjective, reductively simple, and filled with blazing
light and color - a harmonious balance between the landscape he knows well
and his passion for abstraction and the physical act of painting ... [His] landscapes
are individual statements that have emerged with individuality from a rich tradition
of California landscape painting... Whereas many practicing Northern California
landscape painters find richness with riparian settings or city-scapes, Bowles
primarily features the broad plains of the Central Valley as his favored
subject matter.  Often, distinctive landmarks are visible in a setting that
is on the verge of abstraction.

Some words from Mark:

Whether I am working with a still life, the human figure, or landscape,
I am always fascinated by texture, form and color which I use in expressing
how I feel about what I am seeing.  I do not limit myself in what I paint or how
I might interpret what I see.  This freedom allows my work to move from
representational to minimalist to abstraction.  My work is ever changing,
ever challenging and always a passionate delight.  It is always my
intention to address the canvas directly, honestly and boldly.  My heart is
always pushing my work to find new language in expressing what I see
and how I feel about it.  The result therefore is not just an intellectual
exercise for me, it is being involved in the "Now" ... ... ... always open
for change and challenge ... ... ... always evolving.

We will have two of Mark's stunning landscapes in the Gallery shortly; in the meantime,
you can enjoy them here.

Moth Lamp.  Berwyn Benoit

Yes, we know, we're featuring a lot of wood products

this month, but what can we do?  There is so very much

to choose from at the moment!

For example, this spectacular lamp by our newest wood artist is

blowing our minds right now.  The base is crafted from oak burl;

the shade is custom-made linen.  The result is absolutely stunning!

Both the wood, bathed in soft light, and the comforting texture

of the linen shade just glow.

Felted Wool Jacket.  Maggy Pavlou

Lightweight, soft, warm, colorful, and some of the planet's

best buttons (where does she find them??) - these are Maggy's

trademarks.  This jacket is one of several new offerings

that are scheduled to arrive in the Gallery any day now.  We're

expecting both jackets and vests, and having carried Maggy's

remarkable work for many years we know that each

and every piece will be wonderful.  We'll be putting the

entire collection up in the web shop as soon as we can, but

in the meantime you can view this piece and several of her past

works right here.

Now, despite mentioning that we're showing off way too much wood....

Walnut Cutting Board.  Dave Thompson

Hold onto your heart!

This cutting board is one of several currently available, and they are probably

the most beautiful hardwood cutting boards we've ever presented in the Gallery.
(The design is an exclusive to The Island Gallery, by the way.)

These pieces have so much going for them we thought we'd create a little list of

their considerable virtues, hopefully without stating too much of the obvious.

Here's what you can expect from one of these lovelies:

A work of art that is fully functional.

Rich walnut, some with irregular edges and some straight-edged.

Simple yet beautiful construction.

 Sturdy feet with non-slip padding for ease of use and table-top protection.

Use for cutting, chopping, or as a singularly brilliant presentation piece. 

A selection of sizes.

An amazing price so it makes a perfect gift.

(But get one for yourself first!)

(And yes, that's Robin's lovely large bowl sitting beside it

in the above photograph.  They look quite contented together, don't they?)

(And by the way, is there such a thing as way too much wood??)
(Shame on us.)

Flame Dance Neckpiece.  Christine L. Sundt

This piece is so new to us that we don't even have it in the

Gallery yet!  But we're expecting it any day now, so if you're into

getting glam for the holidays (or whenever, of course), take a

peek at this colorful - dare we say jolly - neckpiece from the studios of

the inimitable, multi-talented Christine.

(There are matching earrings on the way, too, as well as several
other new pieces, which we will post online somewhere in here.)

Shibori Dyed Scarf.  Amy Nguyen

A splash of color to drape around your neck, hang on your wall,

or run across a table, this magnificent shibori-dyed linen scarf is
quilted and stitched in the artist's usual intricate fashion.  To say that this

piece is a fine example of the phenomenon known as "paying
attention to detail" is an understatement!

So many lovely things, so little time!  We're off to put together our aforementioned special Holiday Shopping Picks.  Please stay tuned; we'll have it ready for you in no time.  We're also ramping up our Annual Wearable Art Show, with more info coming soon.

In the meantime, we send our best wishes to you all for a happy and joyful Thanksgiving!

March 2013 First Friday Artwalk: You're Invited!

Bonnets, Baskets and Beads

~  Hints of Spring  ~

March 1 - 31, 2013

Opening Reception First Friday, March 1st, 6-8 pm

Musical Performance To Be Announced

Images above, clockwise from left:

Duchess, Carol Campbell; Felted Wool Basket with Speckled Feathers, Doriane Nieburgs;

Ceramic Beads, Various Artists

As hints of spring appear, our thoughts turn toward lighter skies and remembered blossoms.

The Island Gallery presents a selection of luscious spring bonnets from Seattle artist Carol Campbell, fit for any Downton Abbey-style garden party; lightweight, whimsical felted wool baskets embellished with baubles and feathers by Doriane Nieburgs of Seattle; and necklaces featuring remarkable beads, including old trade beads and contemporary ceramic beads.

Highlights: New works from jewelry artists Virginia Paquette and Christine L. Sundt.

These and other wonderful pieces will soon be available in our web shop.

To receive an invitation directly in your inbox, and notifications of other events, send your

e-mail address to us at sr@theislandgallery.net and we'll sign you up right away!