New at Gallery 54: Jo Krajci Papercutting

We are pleased to introduce work by a new artist, Jo Krajci.  Each of Jo’s original fine papercuttings begins as a pencil drawing on silhouette or parchment paper.  They are then carefully hand cut using scissors or craft knives.  Jo “handgrains” each of her wood frames as well using paint and oil glaze.  She has been working at her craft since the 80’s and is a recognized member of the Guild of American Papercutters.

Precious Hues

 You’re invited to our August First Friday Event

“Precious Hues” 





Featuring:

Fabric Art by Sharon Bottle Souva and

Jewelry by Dana Blythe Stenson

                   Friday, August 3, 6-9pm

Meet the artists and join us for beverages and snacks!

We hope to see you there!  

FIRE AND WATER

Please Join us at our July First Friday Event

"Fire and Water”

Featuring Vibrant New Paintings by

Kathleen Schneider

And Scultural Glass Jewelry by

Heather Hennigan

                    

Opens Friday, July 6, 6-9pm

Enjoy complimentary beverages and live Electric Blue Harp music by Christopher Molloy!!

Rain

It seems that we are back to spring momentarily. Today the weather has turned chilly with rain most of the day. Still a few brave souls have come to Gallery 54, some new to us while others are returning. The comment I hear from nearly everyone is “you have a beautiful shop” and “everything is fantastic - I keep finding one great thing after another”.

Dragonfly tile by Gary Quirk

One thing I overheard today was regarding the front window…….. which by the way is mostly the brilliant effort of Donna Smith, one of the owners. There are words painted on the glass that read “Fine Art – Locally Made.” This is such an important feature of Gallery 54. We jury in every artist’s work for quality, visual impact and marketability. In addition we make sure there is little overlap, making each piece of art is unique and well made....AND all from the region. Where else can you go for one-of-a-kind art and fine craft that is high quality and locally made?



Tree tile by Gary Quirk

Shop local…………………shop often!

Shaker Boxes by Fred Weisskopf

Our June First Friday Event will feature the work of Fred Weisskopf, woodworker.  Fred will be presenting his new collection of handcrafted shaker boxes and the process for creating them.  Many of our artists will be present and we will have live harp music and snacks as well.  Please join us June 1 from 6 to 9pm. It promises to be a lovely evening in the town of Skaneateles and many other First Friday events will be going on in addition to ours!

Below is one of Fred's handcrafted cutting boards, available in the gallery! 

LIVE FROM GALLERY 54!

This may not be the most creative blog entry that could come from Gallery 54, I admit. It’s not about the beautiful art we have. It’s not about the creative process….. or the colors of nature working its way into the visual experience. Nor is it about the joy of starting a new project.

This is about a POS (point of sale) system. Gallery 54 is proud to announce we are stepping into the 21^st century; We are streamlining our process of inventory control and accounting… but more importantly, instituting a better way to accommodate our customers at the checkout with a new state of the art computer system.

Our owners have been counting the inventory of wooden cars, glass flowers, dyed scarves and paintings to prepare for going live with the new system. Even though we are all on board with this transition there are still days of wondering if the anxiety of learning this new way of inventory management and ringing up sales is worth it. Is it less work in the long run? Are we ever going to get the hang of it?

We are now using the new system…….. working out the bugs……..calling our tech member on a regular basis (Thank you) and saying out loud “we will persevere, and we will become masters of this machine!”

Jennifer Wells Studio

Gallery 54 is proud to carry the fine beadwork of Jennifer Wells.  Jennifer is a graduate of the School for American Crafts at RIT in Rochester, NY.  Each of Jennifer's jewelry pieces is hand-sewn using an embroidery technique known as 'Applique' and finished with fabric, which adds a unique sculptural dimension.  She incorporates beads, gemstones, cabochons, and precious metals.  Jennifer will be featured in "Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry" by Ray Hemachandra and published by Lark Publishing, to be released in August.