Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Spring is in the Air!!

Can you believe it's almost April? Time is flying and it's finally SPRING! Been so busy at the Gallery. Our Haitian Relief Empty Bowl Project was an amazing success, with $5,000.00 raised on Saturday the 20th! Thanks to all who participated--the artists that donated handmade bowls, and the fantastic restaurants of Lake Worth that donated so much delicious food! Pictures coming soon...

Now, on to April, another busy month! First, Gallery artists Doreen Alfaro, Mary Ellen Dohrs, Karyl Mae Karpinos, and Theo Sable are presenting "Spring Has Sprung!" on Friday, April 2nd from 6 - 9 PM. Stop by the Gallery for a sip of wine, fresh fruits and cheeses, all to celebrate the changing of the season. The gallery will be dressed in style, with fresh flowers and new designs throughout! Don't miss this!


That's not all, Folks! Check back for more April updates...we've got a great sale coming and don't forget Earth Day! We'll keep you posted...

Monday, March 15, 2010

Join us on the 19th!

This coming weekend, the 19th and 20th, are going to be great days and evenings on Lake Avenue. On Friday, the 19th we invite you to visit the gallery to see the works of featured artists Gael and Howard Silverblatt and Edith Perla-Smith. Stop by for a sip of wine and meet the artists between 6:00 and 9:00 PM. Here's some information about these fantastic artists:

Nationally recognized for their technical mastery of the cloisonne technique, Gael and Howard Silverblatt are recent recipients of a State of Florida Visual Arts Fellowship Award. “We are fascinated by the challenge of cloisonne as a medium to portray the antics of minute characters in the midst of detailed backgrounds,” they revealed. Howard fabricates the miniature objects and jewelry using high karet gold and gemstones. Gael creates the unique narrative cloisonne images using fine ribbons of varying heights of gold wire to make portions of the image appear to float or recede within the layers of transparent enamel, suggesting a more three dimensional space. The repeated applications and firings of finely ground enamels create a saturated color field within a very small area.

Edith Perla-Smith grew up in Lima, Peru where she first started sculpting and drawing figures in elementary school. Later over a 15 year period her love for the arts paralleled her creativity for computer system analysis. Her artistic passion was re-embraced 10 years ago with an introduction to sculpting, drawing and ceramics. Edith emerged as a recognized sculptor displaying realistic clay and bronze works in many galleries in Palm Beach. Additionally, she uses relief-sculpted figures to complement her porcelain vessels. Her exceptional artwork is found among numerous private collections in Florida.


And don't forget, on Saturday the 20th CGMS Gallery will be your destination to purchase or pick up your hand made ceramic bowl for the Empty Bowl Project benefiting Haitian relief efforts. The Gallery will be offering bowls for $25.00 each in advance, or $35.00 on Saturday. Then stroll the Avenue and sample delicious foods from sixteen participating restaurants. This event will be held from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. All proceeds will be donated to Haiti relief efforts. What a great way to spend the weekend!!!

Friday, March 12, 2010

CGMS Gallery Haitian Relief Project

Artists of Palm Beach County and Restaurants of Lake Worth Present:
The Haitian Empty Bowl Fund-Raiser
Fill Your Bowls with a Sampling of Lake Worth Restaurants
Saturday, March 20 – 10 AM to 5 PM !!!

Mark your calendars folks, you DO NOT want to miss this event. As soon as the earthquake in Haiti hit, we knew we had to help any way we could. The Empty Bowl Project is a result of a cooperative effort between artists, individuals and businesses in the Lake Worth and surrounding areas. Please join us for this event and help us raise funds for those devestated by the recent earthquake. 100% of all sales will be donated to Haitian relief efforts. Here's the story:

Lake Worth’s Flamingo Clay Studio – Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery reacted immediately to the devastation caused by the Haitian earthquake by sending out a “Call to Artists” for handcrafted ceramic bowls to be sold at the gallery, with all funds raised going to Haitian Relief efforts. Sixteen of Lake Worth’s finest restaurant and food specialty shops will be making samples of their best foods to fill these bowls. The event will take place on Saturday, March 20 from 10 AM to 5 PM. Advance donations for this event are $25 a bowl or four bowls for $80. Donations on the day of the event will be $35 a bowl. All donations in excess of this will be gratefully appreciated.

The call to artists brought a response from all over Palm Beach County. Brian Kovachik, artist and teacher at Jupiter High School PBAU was the first to answer the call. His student is donating 100 bowls to this project. The student of Anita Smith, Royal Palm High School- Nat’l Art Honor Society will be donating 20 bowls and both Bok Middle School for the Arts and Dreyfoos High School for the arts will be pitching in as well. The Ceramic League of the Palm Beaches will be contributing over 125 bowls and the artists of the Clay Glass Metal Stone gallery have pledged over 130 bowls. A complete list of artists and their contributions will be made available in the future.

Through the generosity of the many restaurants and specialty food shops in Lake Worth, each person donating funds to Haiti will receive a bowl that they can keep, and a wonderful sampling of the delicious foods that Lake Worth has to offer. The following restaurants and shops are participating in this event: On Lucerne Avenue: (516) La Bonne Bouche. On L Street (7 N), The Taco Lady. On Lake Avenue: (400 Block) Rita’s Italian Ice and TooJay’s Gourmet Deli. (500 Block) Havana Hideout, Kilwin’s Chocolate and Ice Cream, Nature’s Way Café and Paws on the Avenue (pet treats). (600 Block) Java Juice Bar, Lake Worth Rum Shack, Downtown Pizza, Soma Café, The Pelican and Dave’s Last Resort and Raw Bar. (700 Block) Rotelli’s Pizza Pasta. (800 Block) The Cyber Café.

Throughout the event there will be Haitian Music played throughout the business district. The Cyber Café will have samplings of Haitian food.

The orphaned children of Haiti will benefit from this fundraising event. Thousands of children in Haiti are without families or homes. The despair of these children is monumental. They are in need of shelter, food and a community that will love and care for them. The City of Lake Worth has risen to the task of raising both money and supplies for this effort. In cooperation with leaders in the Haitian Community, Que Osterval, Jean Fritz Altidor and Dr. Ralph Pierre Louis; Joseph Kroll, Public Services Director of the City of Lake Worth; The Downtown Cultural Alliance and The Flamingo Clay Studio will collaborate on the maximizing of funds raised for the cash, supplies and equipment needed to best meet the needs of the children of Haiti.

For Advance Tickets and Information Contact:
Joyce Brown
JClay6@aol.com
215-205-9441


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

MARCHing Forward

Suddenly it's March! Time is flying and there is so much to see and do on the Avenue! The street painting festival was amazing, Lake Ave was simply transformed and everyone loved it. Crowds lined the street and we thank everyone who stopped by the Gallery while downtown. We invite you to do the same this Friday, March 5th, for a special night in the Gallery with artists Jesse Showalter, Susan Bordas, Doreen Alfaro, and Marsha Christo.

Jesse Showalter’s creative clay process begins on the wheel. “I have tried many media such as wood and metals, but my true love is working with clay. Throwing is like meditation, losing a complete sense of time and finding a quiet place within” he reveals. After years of making excellent functional ware he has discovered the joy and frustrations of the Raku and Saggar firing process using sawdust, seaweed, coconut shells, and even palm fronds as new ways of creating visual interest on elegant vessels.

Doreen Alfaro’s desire to make pottery started 6 years ago as a way to enhance her long career of catering festive occasions by using her handmade plates, cups, and bowls. As her passion for pottery evolved she became more interested in the sculptural aspect of clay while discovering the Raku process of firing. “Working with clay brings an undeniable bond to the earth, achieving great pleasure from the technique of alternative firings and connecting a natural and volatile process. Raku teaches the ability to embrace the results with a love for the element of surprise after every firing” she states.

Susan Bordas found herself falling in love with clay while traveling in the southwest collecting Native American clay art. She creates pieces that balance realistic and invented imagery with the structural textures coming from conversations with the clay. While using a variety of clay bodies the forms flow from organic to whimsical translating human emotions with an appreciation of transformations in life. Susan says “objects of art have the power to awaken our inner spirits and rekindle our spiritual being. I hope in viewing my work it speaks to you of the spirituality of the connection between human hands and the earth”.

Marsha Christo has evolved as a painter, printmaker and textile artist through a combination of mixed media, which encompasses both paper and cloth. “Like life, my work is similar to the ebb and flow of the tide, as it is forever changing, yet bonds together through process and material” she says. Impacted by tropical light, Christo a native New Englander has embraced this shift over the last twenty years, as it has clarified, “my jubilance for pattern, color and line, which pulsates as the catalyst in all that I do.”

Be sure to stop by this Frdiay for a glass of wine and a visit with these talented artists between 6:00 and 9:00 PM!