Last Saturday's Sanger Art Hop

We had a good February Art Hop last Saturday, thanks to all who came. Chieko Delgado, Martin Nunez (sitter of the day), Frank Saxton, Melanie Schow, and I were there to greet our visitors.

We had delightful treats, including hot beverages (I needed them!), and really nice flute music by Frank, along with two demos: Melanie's jewelry demo and Chieko's watercolor demo.

Some in the Johnson clan, among our most faithful visitors, came and spent some time with us. We entertained and taught them --Frank and Melanie were awesome teachers!-- but I wonder if they knew how they delighted us, these precious young'uns.

It was a rather pleasant day.

Come, Friends, this Saturday, 2 March 2013. It is the official Annual Blossom Days Festival, the Kings River Blossom Bike Ride, the Blossom Trail 10K Run, and the Blossom Trail Wine Weekend. Click on this Fresno County Blossom Trail site and choose the Events list to find out more info on each event. Our gallery will be open during its usual hours, 11am-5pm. Happy Trails, Blossom Trailers! 

Always "mud"-dled,

T.S.Wood, potter

Sanger Art Hop THIS SATURDAY, 23 Feb.2013

Dear Friends,

this Saturday is that time of the month again. That's right. It's Sanger Art Hop time! We will be open at 10am, an hour earlier than usual. Take a nice drive and stop at EIGHT different locations. Our own gallery features lots of gorgeous Blossom Trail inspired art works.

Kathleen Mattox from Mixed Messages has prepared this beautiful card for us, complete with a list of the locations and their addresses. Check it out (click on image to enlarge). And see you this Saturday!

Always "mud"-dled,

T.S.Wood, potter

WE'RE OPEN: BLOSSOM TRAIL 2013

The sky blessing Jesse Morrow Mountain on a Saturday afternoon

A beautiful and breezy early spring greeting to you all, Friends of the Art Stand Gallery!

Yesterday we had our spring cleaning and our first meeting of the year, and we welcomed the Blossom Trail season. We are also very pleased to introduce to you two new members to our team: watercolorist Gayle Williams and jeweler Melanie Schow.

Gayle's "Pam's Portrait"

Melanie's amazing metal jewelry

Our Blossom Trail season this year will last until Saturday, 13 April, with the Blossom Trail reception on Saturday, 2 March. But because we are also now part of the exciting Sanger Art Hop, which is held every last Saturday of each month, we will also have two other receptions (23 Febr and 30 Mar) before the end of this season. Moreover, we are open daily, 11am-5pm, this time of year. This promises to be a very busy and exciting season for us all!

Take a relaxing drive along Hwy 180 and visit us. The verdant green of Jesse Morrow Mountain and Mt. Campbell are quite inspiring. The expectation of a riotous show at the orchards along the road are bound to fill any heart with the hopeful joy of spring. And we have infused the gallery with Blossom Trail richness. The only thing still missing is your presence. Come, Friends! The pleasure of your company will complete the gallery.

The view from behind the gallery. Those are our neighbor's palm trees and barn.

The display team (Sandy and Deanna) hard at work.

Always "mud"-dled,

T.S.Wood, potter

JANUARY 2013 WORKSHOPS

We have exciting classes for you to begin 2013 artistically. The first one is Chieko Delgado's ORIGAMI and KIMONO class next Saturday, 12 January, noon to 4pm. Click on the flyer (front and back) to find the details.

Hope you can join us.

Always "mud"-dled,
T.S.Wood, potter

SANGER ART HOP

Hello, all! I hope your Christmas was filled with good cheer and lovely company, abundant and tasty blessing, and joyful peace to last you throughout the new year.

Tomorrow, Saturday, 29 December 2012, our gallery will participate in the December Sanger Art Hop, 10am-4pm. And you might even find reduced prices on many of our works. If you're hosting an "Old and New" party at the end of the year, or if you've been invited to one and are in need of a nice, artistic hostess gift, or if you've been generously blessed on Christmas day and now have to treat yourself to something you absolutely can not live without ... well, we have a gallery-full good cheer to choose from.

To tell you the truth, we also need to make room for new art works, for instance, our vibrant Valentine's Day pieces, which we will reveal to you during our next Sanger Art Hop, Saturday, 26 January 2013. So tomorrow we must part with many good art works, which will leave nice spots for our newer good works.

Come on over tomorrow and partake of our warm refreshments. Spend the end of the year with us. We would be honored.

Always "mud"-dled,

T.S.Wood, potter

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER?

We are looking for local artists to join our gallery. Are you serious about your work? Are you interested in the gallery representing your work? Jurying is coming up. Click on this flyer thumbnail to enlarge for more info, and then email me. We'd love to add you to our community.

Always "mud"-dled,

T.S.Wood, potter

A SUCCESS

Yesterday's Sanger Art Hop at the gallery was a wonderful event! Hwy 180 was foggy, especially around Temperance Avenue, but the closer I got to the gallery, the clearer the road was. And although the first hour of the event was quiet, around 11:30 guests started trickling in, and early to mid afternoon we were swamped with visitors.

Frank Saxton chose a comfortable corner to set up with his Indian flute, and he stayed at the gallery all day. It was quite a treat to be listening to such a peaceful sound.

Sandy Kowallis, who'd caught pneumonia as soon as she came back from her Fijian vacation, was now healthy enough to attend our event and take care of the general gallery display. She even had energy to help me with sales and purchase wrapping. Deanna came by to drop off some of her new works of the sweet scenes of winter. (Click on the pic to enlarge.)

Elaine's large button-size ceramic magnets, Frank's greeting cards, and Deanna's cards of critters in the snow, plus bowls of candy and a vase of zinnias from my garden (yup, they're still blooming!).




We had nice refreshments all day. I'd brought my lunch, but the lentil dip was so nourishing that I didn't even worry about lunch.

A bowl of Madras lentils that we ate as a dip for the tortilla chips.

Chieko's favorite Wensleydale cheese with cranberries.

 A bowl of Cuties, and a plate of delicious oat-gran bars whose recipe belonged to Frank's great grandmother. Plus a bowl of candy, of course.

At the end of the day, as we were bringing in our Art Hop signs, Chieko noticed the sunset. It was beautiful! So we grabbed our cameras and snapped a few.

As we continued with our closing procedure, I had to turn one last look east at Jesse Morrow Mountain, and admired her serene beauty again as I said a thanksgiving prayer for the day, the people we spent the day with, the new friends we made, the loveliness that surrounds the gallery, and the goodness that is this Valley of ours.

Thank you all for making this such a beautiful day. Until the next Sanger Art Hop, 29 December 2012.

Always "mud"-dled,

T.S.Wood, potter