We had a nice day at the gallery during our event on 15 October 2011, even though the morning was so slow that we started joking that there were actually more of us than all visitors combined since opening hour. The tasty food was ready, the lovely punch was cold and fizzy, the painters were en garde to enchant guests with their weapons: the brush! And I myself had spent quite a bit of energy wedging the clay to be used for the demo on my reliable potter's wheel. I must admit, I was perhaps the first one to put a dent on the food tables. Clay wedging requires A LOT of re-energizing! But where were the visitors?
Chieko, Lucretia, and Martin set up their booths on the east side, under the shady mulberry trees. Judy was on the south side of the parking lot, near the gallery sign. Carole and Kay O. were on the east side. Elaine was inside with Deanna waiting to greet guests. I, clay spattered mud-pie maker, set up shop, as usual, under the awning and tree right outside the gallery door. When some visitors started to trickle in, I decided to "look" busy and made teabowls, my usual warm-up pieces. But visitors or no, we had to mark the day with a group photo, so Martin got us all together and snapped a really nice pic by the metal gallery sign that Lyell Metcalf had made for us a while back (thank you again, Lyell! We miss you!).
(Back: Deanna Sue Bristow / L-R: Judy Lotspeich, Kay Owens, Martin Nunez, Lucretia Fillmore, Elaine Towne Lane, Carole Johnson, Chieko Delgado / Front: Tiwi S. Wood)Aside from the day being the last weekend for the Big Fresno Fair --which might explain why we were somewhat lonesome-- perhaps people were just out and about later than usual, because in the afternoon we had more guests! YAY! And there were lots of children (YAY! again), most (if not all) of whom are children of my friends, the Corlew and the Johnson clans. And those who came had a good time watching different demos. A couple of the older kids even got to paint with Chieko! Thanks, Chieko, for being a gracious hostess! And some people went home with delightful treasures from our gallery! Thank you, friends of the gallery, for loving our work enough to take it home with you! You honored us with your presence and purchase.
This coming Saturday, 22 October 2011, the gallery will switch gear to the Holidays Season. Waiting for your approval will be plenty of beautiful art reflecting the joyful holidays. And the reception for this end-of-year season will be on
Saturday-Sunday, 19-20 November 2011, 11am-5pm. Mark your calendar. See you then!
Last summer, clay artist Elaine Towne Lane took a lot of time in the painstaking process of glazing her detailed red-clay pots, which she'd handbuilt. The years she spent living in different countries and continents greatly influence the work she does today. The colors of the deserts, the trade beads prized by many African cultures, not to mention the textures and shapes found in the flora and fauna of exotic places, all contribute to what you see today in her corner at our gallery. Take a look at one of the results of her summer work (below): detailed glazing was done on each spot so that the deep red of the clay --purposefully left unglazed in many areas-- and the glossy glazed surfaces provide a contrast to each other. The whole piece seems to be teeming with life!
In case you haven't heard, we're hosting our Holidays Season 2011 reception on Saturday and Sunday, 19 and 20 November. Our hours are 11am-5pm. We look forward to showing you our new works. See you soon!
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