Tuesday, December 13, 2016

December 2016: Gallery Picks and Gift-Giving Guide!

At last, and not a moment too soon, we are here to help you with those last minute gifts and indulgences.  Please find below a small selection of the items waiting for you here in the Gallery and in our online Shop, including new collections from several of our fabulous artists.  We've displayed these as separate groupings of their latest offerings, which can be viewed on their artist pages along with more of their always-amazing work, by clicking anywhere on the photos.

You can also click on individual links to visit many of these pieces in the online Gallery Shop where they are available for purchase, or feel free to contact the Gallery; we'll be available and happy to assist you throughout the holiday season.

We wish you the happiest and merriest of holidays, and please enjoy looking through this festival of gifts, from us, to you.

STUDIO FURNITURE


Left to right:



WOOD SCULPTURE




FIBER SCULPTURE


Left to right, top to bottom:
 
Bubbles & Fizz.  Jacqueline Moseley


COZY OUTERWEAR



LUXURIOUS TUNICS AND TOPS



Left to Right:


SCARVES

FESTIVE JEWELRY



Left to right:
Necklace:  Chrysoprase, Sterling Silver.  Virginia Paquette
Necklace:  Glass Millefiore, Copal Amber.  Virginia Paquette
Joomchi Red Circles Necklace.  Nancy Raasch
Shifu Paper Necklace, White.  Nancy Raasch

Jewelry:  Three Artist Collections

Agnes Seebass for Gitana Collection
An artist known for her bold contemporary designs and
use of gold leaf in unexpected ways.

Jane Drucker
Fine art jewelry, fun and modern:  those are Jane's trademarks.

Joan Cihak
Cool looks from the heat of the kiln!  Joan's Asian-inspired
jewelry hints at formality, and yet more often than not hints broadly
at a very individualistic, even abstract, look.

ART GLASS


Left to right, up and down:
WOOD FIRED CERAMICS

Two Artist Collections


Eva Funderburgh
Wood Fired Ceramic and Bronze.
The Beloved Beasts shown above are all available for purchase
as of publication time, and a few of their buddies can be seen
by clicking  through to Eva's Artist pages.  But as mentioned
in an earlier blog post, they are quickly being adopted and many
are headed off to new homes.  So don't wait, if you simply
have to have one!  They are truly Desirable Objects.

And if you happen to be in the neighborhood, do stop
in to say hello to them in person, and in particular to
view the artist's stunning installation, Triumph.

(See it right here, in the online Shop; but it is eight feet long,
and really needs to be enjoyed in person.)

Robin Hominiuk

PAINTINGS

Four Artist Collections

Jen Till


Irene Yesley


Karen Chaussabel

HOLIDAY HOME ADORNMENTS



Beautiful festive wreaths crafted from fiber.
These are available for purchase in the Gallery only.


We'll be back with updates and our end-of-the-year greetings and wrap-up, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and don't forget:

To subscribe to our Newsletter/Gallery Picks Alert and receive notices of all our sales, shows and events, click on the About Us/Profile box on the left of this page, go to "Contact", click on "Email", and send us a note containing your preferred receiving address.  We'll sign you up right away.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016

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
To subscribe to our Newsletter/Gallery Picks and receive notices of all our sales, shows and events, click on the About Us/Profile box on the left of this page, go to "Contact", click on "Email", and send us a note containing your preferred receiving address.  We'll sign you up right away.
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Friday, December 2, 2016

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.
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