An interior view of the store as we got ready for the Leslie Watts New Work opening and then a look at some of the many people who turned out for the opening on Saturday night May 8th. It was a great evening and a number of Leslie's new paintings sold. We do have work by Leslie that is still available and we have a number of new pieces by all our crafts people arriving weekly. We will try and highlight some on this site in the days to come.
A reminder that we will be opening the Leslie Watts New Works show on Saturday evening, May 8th. Leslie has twenty four new paintings on canvas and board in three genres, landscape, still life and interiors. Leslie will be at the opening on Saturday night and on Sunday afternoon. The show will be on view until May 21st.
Thomas Aitken and Kate Hyde, both talented craftspeple and artists on their own, have recently started to collaborate on a series of objects that bring together Thomas's strong skills as a potter and Kate's interest in surface decoration. This winter they have worked on a number of pieces that reflect Kate's strong interest in costume and colour and also the playful beauty of the tulip. Shown here some examples of their new work. We are fortunate to currently have a number of the floral jugs and vases and several pieces that reference the theatre.
We are gearing up for the opening of new paintings by gallery artist, Leslie Watts. Join us on Saturday evening May 8th, 7:00 - 9:00 for the opening or on Sunday afternoon May 9th, 1:00 - 4:00 and meet Leslie or come by the store and see the show when you can. It will run until May 21st. Please note that normal gallery hours for May are Tuesday - Saturday 9:30 - 5:30. * Click invitation to increase size.
Elaine Wigle is a talented jewellery designer from Collingwood, Ontario. Elaine has a degree in Fine Arts from York University and began making jewellery in 1986. She has won several awards for her Art Jewellery pieces. We have carried Elaine's work for a number of years and we are always impressed with her talent for combining fine materials with creative designs. Shown above: Pearl Bracelet set in sterling, a Red Pearl Necklace with an Optical Quartz Pendant containing Chlorite, Iron and Calcite minerals and a necklace of Black Onyx Beads with a Rose Quartz Pendant.
This functional line of pottery is made by Jay Burn, a Stratford potter who has been creating this pastel pottery highlighted by line drawings of fish for a number of years. This winter he has added some new pieces to the line making it more versatile and great for people who have some of his pottery already and would like to add to their collection. The pictures above show just a few of the pieces we have in the store.
Alan Johnson likes to paint places in Stratford that visitors to town don't often see. Many of Alan's watercolours are studies of the buildings of the Cooper Site which once housed the CNR Repair Shops or of other small factories in the city that are no longer used for their original purpose. Often weeds and scrub brush have taken over the parking lots and surround the buildings. It is the less scenic part of the city and yet Alan's paintings are beautifully done renderings of what were once important buildings in a young community.
