FINDING A WARM, COZY SPOT...

Yesterday's snow reminded me of holidays in the Northeast! This cold weather helps to reinforce the feeling! Of course it's all a matter of perspective. My sister lives in Alaska and it was thirteen below in the middle of Christmas eve day. Whether it is cold or hot outside our inner surroundings play a large part in our state of mind. Having a bright space with lots of light makes a huge impact on the psyche. Add to that, colorful pieces of glass, and paintings that nurture the soul, and our inner world is filled and happy. Working here at the gallery is such a pleasure for that very reason.

Come by the gallery and experience for yourself how a space filled with creative, and colorful works of art can elevate your spirit, alter your mood, and warm your bones!


See you soon, Kathleen

MEET THE ARTIST: KRISTIN GIBSON

When you meet Kristin Gibson you might be attracted to her on many levels. One of which is her bright and happy disposition. The more you come to know this artist the more aware you are of her abilities and the success that has come from her dedication and hard work.

Kristin is a mother and wife who is quite involved with her children, community and life as a gifted artist. She paints almost every day as soon as the children leave for school during the school year. I am told that she purchases fresh fruit and vegetables, uses them as subjects for her paintings and later as sustenance for the family. As if it were not enough to paint daily as a professional painter and run a busy household, Kristin is constantly involved in the community. She is often involved in charity events and works diligently with her galleries, often doing demonstrations and promoting them in any way she can.

This talented artist is extremely versatile in her artistic expressions. Her silk scarves are both unique and luscious with color and pattern. But, she does not stop there. Kristin creates many other things with her hand-painted silk such as eyeglass holders and gorgeous pillows. Her paintings are unmistakable and loaded with pattern, color and energy. Presently we have an exhibit, our Tapas show, of small paintings no more than 9x12 and comfortably priced at $350. or less. The artists were asked to paint scenes outside of the U.S.A. Kristin painted four as contribution to our show and only one remains unsold. If you want to have a small and unusual piece of hers, stop by the gallery soon. Kristin has a very loyal following and her work is collected privately and corporately, so it doesn't stay in the gallery long.

We are delighted to have Kristin as a part of the Spectrum family!



Jane

IN HOPES THAT ST. NICHOLAS WOULD SOON BE THERE...

'THE CHILDREN ALL NESTLED SNUG IN THEIR BEDS, WHILE VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS DANCED IN THEIR HEADS"

So what "sugarplums dance in your head? You don't have to be a child to wish for a special something under the tree. I recently asked our staff what items in the gallery were on their wish list. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many fabulous treasures, making it difficult at times to narrow down the list of desires. So I was curious about what made the top of the list for each of us, and I thought you might be interested too!

Star's face lit up when I asked her. Without hesitation she answered that all of our glass was her favorite. In fact it was her love of glass that led her to open the gallery. The one item that she loves the best is Ed Branson's tropical bowl. It's an exquisite new piece in shades of orange with accents of green and clear crystal. It's form is soft and flowing and gets rave reviews from everyone. Star's second favorite piece is one of Anne Cunningham's "Spinning Saucers." Multiple layers of shaped copper make up her new creations in brilliant shades of teal and scarlet. We just put these pieces up in the last week, so come by and see them, I'm sure they will disappear as fast as all of Ann's other work!

The "Me 2 You" Salad bowl and servers beat Nancy's own paintings as her top choice. She did laugh and comment on how difficult it was to decide between the two! Nancy is not alone in her choice, these contemporary glass salad sets are admired by most of our customers and have been purchased many. They come in a variety of amazing color combination's. Our new Mikutowski picture frames have become Nancy's second favorite. These frames are made by hand using beautiful exotic woods and have an option of adding some very witty and thoughtful captions to them.

Jane's favorite is the Dottie Boscamp hand blown oil bottles. Like me, Jane loves fresh french bread dipped in olive oil and some balsamic vinegar, so she really needs two bottles! Choosing her favorite colors will not be easy, each one is a combination of translucent swirls and splashes of rich color. Jane loves to paint tree frogs, so it wasn't surprising that our Yourkowski frogs came in as her second choice! You can never have too many frogs, especially if you are a single woman looking for a prince!

Last but not least, my choices! There is a small "tapas" painting that I just love, it was done by Ginny Chenet and is a scene from Mykonos. Greece is one of my most favorite places in the world, and just looking at this piece transports me there! If you haven't seen our new "Tapas" show of small paintings by our gallery artists, it is a must to put on your list of things to do. It is spectacular! My second favorite piece is a Starsong necklace of peacock round and keshi pearls. All of our Starsong jewelry is designed and made at the gallery using precious gems and pearls.

That's what's on our wish lists! How about sharing yours with us?


Have a wonderful weekend, hope to see you soon.

Kathleen

Tapas Exhibit - Small and "savory" paintings

What a treat! And, while not edible, you can feast with your eyes as you view our new paintings from gallery artists. These have just been received for our Tapas Exhibit. If you are searching for a Holiday gift that will really make a statement, any one of these will! All paintings are 9x12 or smaller and $350 or less. They are paintings of locales out of the United States, with many European sites and are they ever gorgeous!! Come in and see the exhibit during the month of December or come in on December 10 from 6-8pm for our Open House and visit with many of the artists. Hurry though, they should go quickly!

Hope to see you in the gallery soon!


Jane

MEET THE ARTIST - SARAH JAMES...

One of Spectrum's jewelry artist, Sarah James lives here in Wilmington. Her bright smiling face is always a pleasure to see when she drops by the gallery.

Sarah's passion is creating fun and contemporary jewelry. Her line of jewelry is an artistic avenue that helps bring balance to the other parts of her life: being a wife, mother and an active member of the family business.

This past summer Sarah attended Penland, the renowned craft school here in North Carolina. She took classes in metal fabrication, allowing her to creatively use more metal in her design work. Sarah uses a torch technique to make her own glass beads, which is the hallmark of her jewelry. She has recently brought in many new pieces, all reflecting her intention to create casual, playful and uniquely beautiful jewelry. We feel very fortunate to carry her work and love wearing it!

Have a joy filled day! Kathleen

AN EASY RECIPE FOR SUCCESS...

I just discovered the perfect hostess gift!
A Hilborn Pottery dish with its own wooden spoon, filled with your favorite spread! Our Hilborn serving pieces come in several beautiful colors and can be popped in the oven. This pinch pot is one of the many items we have for $30.00 or less.

I'm enclosing Nancy's favorite pimento cheese spread recipe that would be ideal to put in your new Hilborn dish and make this a very memorable presentation!


PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD

2 cups of shredded cheddar or jack cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 oz. jar of pimentos
a dash of hot sauce to taste

in a food processor cream the mayonnaise, cream cheese and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Add the jar of pimentos and liquid, pulse until lightly combined. Stir in the shredded cheese and hot sauce. This will firm up after being refrigerated for several hours. Enjoy!

Wishing you a warm and festive Thanksgiving, Kathleen

MEET THE ARTIST - DOTTIE BOSCAMP

DOTTIE BOSCAMP works in molten glass because she likes the "responsiveness" of that medium. Dottie graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor's degree in art and now lives and works in Fort Collins, Colorado. One of Dottie's most inspirational mentors was Jack Wax, a renowned glass artist and instructor. Dottie also loves photography.

I've found a video of Dottie blowing a piece of glass, that looks like one of her olive oil/balsamic vinegar bottles that we have here at the gallery. It's fun to see her in action. I was amazed to see her pull the molten glass out of the furnace then dip it in water without having it break, just give it a crackled appearance! The varied array of colors she achieves with her work is amazing!

Kathleen