You're Invited: First Friday Artwalk, June 1, 2018

We are pleased to announce the continuation of our beautiful exhibition, Shibori/Tokkuri, through June 30th.  Please drop in during the First Friday Artwalk to see even more ceramics and textiles, which have arrived since the May opening and have been included in the show.  Many delights await, including the opportunity to stroll through downtown Winslow, visit with friends, and enjoy a sip of wine in the Gallery.

See you then!

Continuing Exhibition

Shibori/Tokkuri

Virtuosity and Chance in Two Art Forms

May 4 - June 30, 2018

Textile artists:

Betsy Giberson, Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Mary Jaeger, Amy Nguyen

Carol Lee Shanks, Joan Wortis

Ceramic artists:

Judith Duff, Anthony Gaudino, Robin Hominiuk, Mitch Iburg, Lucien Koonce

Ken Pincus, Akira Satake, Reid Schoonover,  and Shiho Kanzaki

First Friday Artwalk, June 1, 6-8 pm

In Concert:

The Tracie Marsh Band

IMAGES SHOWN IN MONTAGE ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Diamonds II. Shibori Collage

Akira Satake, Tokkuri. Wood fired ceramic

Carol Lee Shanks, Imprint Silhouette Ensemble.  Nui shibori on silk

Robin Hominiuk, Tokkuri with cup. Wood fired ceramic

About the Show:   Artistic skill is exemplified in both shibori textile art and wood fired ceramics.  Folding and stitching and manipulating various cloth to resist dye, and using particular clay bodies to form pots, utilizes skills honed over years.  Success is measured by the virtuosity of the artist; yet the many variables of the dye pot and the wood burning kiln lend an element of chance, a special magic to both pursuits. This is their strongest appeal to artists and art enthusiasts alike.  This exhibition features these two art forms with contemporary examples of shibori dyed cloth in various iterations and the bottle/tokkuri form often used for sake, and offers the viewer a look at the fortuitous nature of both ancient art processes.

Visit the Gallery in person, as well as our extensive Website and Online Shop.

About the Artists:

Please visit our May blog post to view the artists’ bios and images:

  

The Island Gallery at Sotheby’s

RealogicsSotheby's
240 Winslow Way E, Bainbridge Island, WA

 
First Friday Artwalak, June 1, 6-8 pm

Continuing through June 30, 2018

Selected work from Gallery Artists:

,

Sean Carleton, coffee table; Nathan Christopher, wood sculpture;

Jacki Moseley, wall hanging, Carl Yurdin, bench

About The Island Gallery

Established in 2002, The Island Gallery features internationally recognized artists whose work takes traditional art  forms in exciting new directions:  studio furniture and sculpture;  museum quality textile art  and wearables; wood fired ceramics from the finest potters in America; paintings and prints; and unique jewelry creations. Monthly exhibitions include live musical concerts, featuring such genres as jazz, rock, folk, chamber music and performance art.  This, along with its reputation for excellence, makes The Island Gallery a destination spot on beautiful Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, and steps from the new Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.  In 2017 we celebrated 15 years of collaboration with unique and talented artists from near and far.

Contact Us/Visit/Event Location:

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

Underground parking is available at The Winslow off Ericksen Avenue.

Web site:  www.theislandgallery.net

Shop: www.theislandgallery.net/shop

Blog:  www.theislandgallery-artblog.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/The-Island-Gallery-114673935258715/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/islandgalleryBI

Instagram;  https://www.instagram.com/theislandgallery/

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/sswannacknunn

SUMMER HOURS

Tuesdays - Saturdays 11:00 – 6:00 pm

Sundays Noon – 5:00 pm

Closed Mondays

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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