Holidays at the Gallery

The Holiday season in Skaneateles is in full swing and we hope you will come out to enjoy some of the festivities!  This Friday is Skaneateles First Fridays.  Several shops will be open with art, music, and refreshments.  It is also the annual tree lighting in town.  Gallery 54 will be open late for our Holiday open house.

Photo by Tom Dwyer of the famous gazebo on Skaneateles Lake.

This year is the 20th Anniversary of the Dicken's Christmas in Skaneateles.  During the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year Skaneateles has characters from Charles Dickens beloved tales throughout town.  There are skits, music, and several events associated.  See the Skaneateles Chamber Website for the full events listing at www.skaneateles.com.  A commemorative gazebo ornament is available at Gallery 54 as well!

"Let is Snow" necklace by Dana Stenson with dendritic opal.

Wednesday, December 10 is the Skaneateles "Shop, Sip, and Stroll" day.  We will be open until 8pm and all candles, Better Brittle, and Skaneateles Soap Company items will be 20% off!  We will also be serving complimentary mulled cider and with each purchase customers will receive a coupon for a free drink at a local restaurant.

Pen and ink holiday scene by Kathleen Schneider.

We hope you can make it out to enjoy the festivities!  Here are photos of some of the lovely pieces available at the gallery.  Happy Holidays!!!

Sweet feathered masks by Andre Newton.

Inspired Tidings

You’re invited to our Holiday Open House

“Inspired Tidings”

Friday December 6 from 6 to 9pm

Painting by Kathleen Schneider

Featuring music by Chris Molloy on his electric blue harp, refreshments, and new work by our talented artists.  We hope you can join us to celebrate the season!

Wood-fired Pottery by Bill Perrine

Bill Perrine is a resident of Central New York. A retired teacher, Bill now spends his time creating beautiful pottery in his hand-built manibagama kiln. Gallery 54 recently welcomed Bill as one of our artists and we are ecstatic to be able share his beautiful pieces with you

From Bill's website www.splitfirepottery.com: "Wood-firing is a traditional process that was first introduced to Japan from Korea in the fifth century. The anagama (single-chambered kiln, wood-fired) allowed temperatures to exceed the 700 degrees previously gotten from bonfires, pit firing, etc. For many centuries the anagama continued to provide the Japanese potters with the aesthetics and ceramics that they desired. But in the early 17th century, the anagama lost its importance and was replaced by the noborigama (multi-chambered climbing kilns) for efficiency reasons. Recently, in the last 20-30 years, the anagama has re surged in popularity, allowing for contemporary expression in ceramics as an art form."

Bill's hand built manibagama kiln in 2009.

One of many unique things Bill is known for making is traditional Japanese teapots and tea bowls. They are not only functional for making fabulous single servings of tea, but also beautiful to look at as an art form. Bill's glazes take on different characteristics from the native woods he uses to fire the kiln. His glazes range from turquoises to rustic browns.

One of Bill's Japanese tea pots

We invite you to stop by the Gallery to see Bill's work as well as that of all our other artists.  We are gearing up for the Holiday season.  Stay tuned for information about our Holiday Open House Friday, December 6!!

Tea bowl

The Beauty Within

Please join us for our November First Friday opening

The Beauty Within:

A Collection in Metal and Clay

by Donna Smith and Sallie Thompson

Opening Friday November 1^st, 6-9pm

  

We invite you to meet Donna and Sallie and enjoy entertainment by singer/songwriter Jane Zell. Light refreshments will be served.

Welcome Autumn!

Autumn is slowly approaching here in Central New York.  The trees are turning gorgeous colors and the air is cooler at night.  We have been blessed by beautiful weather though!  There have been many crisp sunny days perfect for autumn hikes and drives.  Our artists have been hard at work too and we have lots of new work in warm autumn tones at the gallery.

Silk scarves made from vintage kimonos by Ginny Spina.

Autumn landscape quilt by Sharon Bottle-Souva

Pottery by our new artist Bill Perrine

Sterling silver necklace with leopardskin jasper by Dana Blythe Stenson

Don't forget to join us this evening for First Friday Art Walk in Skaneateles!

October First Friday Opening!!

From the Earth:

New Work in Wood and Clay

by Fred Weisskopf and Lauren Ritchie

Join us for our first Friday opening,

Friday October 4th from 6-9pm. 

We invite you to meet Lauren and Fred, enjoy entertainment by singer/songwriter Jane Zell, and light refreshments.

Leslie Green Guilbault

Leslie joined us this summer as one of our newest consignment artists.  She is a resident of Hamilton, NY.  Leslie is a versatile artist who works in ceramics and also carves bone jewelry and sculptural objects. She experiments with texture and bold design elements in her work.

Leslie carves designs into her ceramics in a process called “scraffito” and has a strong sense of design. Much of her work is inspired by the Pacific Northwest Coast art of the Tlingit Indians.

Her carved bone jewelry is reflects symbolism from many cultures. She uses shed deer antlers, porcupine quills, and other found bone in her work.

Out on a Limb

Please join us for our September First Friday opening, 

"Out on a Limb: Ceramics by Terry Askey-Cole and Paintings by Lisa Noviasky"

Opening Friday September 6th from 6-9pm

 

Meet Terry and Lisa, enjoy entertainment by Christopher Molloy and his Electric Blue Harp, and wine tastings by Montezuma Winery. We hope to see you there!!

Pottery Fair this Weekend!!

The Syracuse Ceramic Guild's annual pottery fair is this weekend at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazanovia.  It is not to be missed!  Several of our potters are participating and will have new work to show.  The park is also a beautiful place to visit with wooded paths and sculpture.  Check out the Ceramic Guild's webpage for details: http://ceramicguild.com/pottery-fair/.  Here is one of Terry Askey-Cole's mosaic which will be available at the show.  Hope you can make it!

New Jewelry at the Gallery

We hope you are enjoying the last glorious days of summer! The Gallery has been hopping and we have enjoyed meeting many new customers from around the globe as they explore Skaneateles. If you haven't been in to see Kathy Schneider's new paintings, the show is still up through the end of August.

I wanted to introduce a couple of the new jewelry artists who have joined the Gallery. Judy Witkin joined us a few months ago and has continued to amaze us with her fine beadweaving techniques. In her own words, "Beads are seductive, ancient and universal expressions of beauty, spirituality and mystery. When beads talk to me their color and form take my beadweaving to endlessly creative places."  Judy combines her beadweaving with natural stones and precious metal clay.  The piece below is titled "Wolf Woman".



Another jewelry artist who joined us this summer is MaryAnn Carroll.  MaryAnn creates jewelry using her own handcrafted ceramic beads and hand-forged findings.  Her work has a unique natural quality with a beautiful earthy palette.  Below are examples of her earrings and a bracelet.  Stop by the gallery to see the full collection!

Colors of the Lake

As I was walking to the gallery one morning last week, I realized I had a bit of time before I needed to open, so I decided to take a few minutes to enjoy the lake.  It was a beautiful morning, sunny but not hot, with a gentle breeze coming off the water.  I was struck by the beauty of the water and the stillness of the morning.  It is not often that we take the time to be still and notice the quiet things around us.

I took this photo that morning.  The color of the water is just gorgeous.  Skaneateles lake provides all the drinking water for the city of Syracuse.  This photo really shows how clean and clear the water is!  This photo was taken just a few steps from our gallery entrance.

Many of our artists explore color in their work.  Above is a photo of Lauren Ritchie's pottery, with colors of water in the glaze.  Below is a hand-dyed silk scarf by Barb Weingart.

We invite you to come in for a visit, take a moment to sit by the lake, and explore the beautiful hand-made creations that we have to offer!

Simple Pleasures

Please join us for our August First Friday event "Simple Pleasures: Watercolor and Acrylic paintings by Kathleen Schneider" opening Friday August 2nd from 6-9pm. Although some paintings are bold and others subtle, they all convey images pleasing to the soul. We invite you to meet Kathleen, enjoy entertainment by Christopher Malloy and his Electric Blue Harp, and wine tastings by Anyela's Vineyard.

Events this week!!



"Lavender Fields" by Kathleen Schneider

 It's hard to believe it's almost the middle of July!  The summer is speeding by and tourist season is upon us in Skaneateles.  In the meantime there is lots to do to enjoy the gorgeous weather.  Thursday thru Saturday July 18th thru 20th is the Annual Skaneateles Curbstone Festival.  There are sidewalk sales at almost all the shops with fabulous deals as well as many other events for families.  For full details visit the Skaneateles Chamber of Commerce Website:  http://www.skaneateles.com/.  At Gallery 54 we will have a sidewalk sale full of gorgeous artwork at reduced prices.  Some of our artists will include items with minor (and I mean minor) imperfections at great mark-downs, plus many other lovelies ready for a new home.  Get there early for the best selection.

Also happening as we speak is the Annual Finger Lakes Lavender Festival.  Many artists will be set up at Lockwood Lavender Farm this weekend, July 13 and 14 including Kathy Schneider and Liz and Rich Micho.  There are details about the Lavender Festival on the Skaneateles Chamber website also.  Be sure to visit them if you have the time.

Traversing Impermanence: Explorations in Fabric and Metal

Join us for our July First Friday event:

"Traversing Impermanence"

featuring fabric art by Sharon Bottle-Souva and

metalwork jewelry by Dana Blythe Stenson.

Friday July 5 from 5 to 9 PM

Meet the artists and enjoy live music and refreshments! 

The title "Traversing Impermanence" emerged from a conversation between Sharon and myself (Dana) over lunch.  While at first it may seem abstract, it encompasses many of the material and philosophical explorations we both have taken on in our work, and for that matter, in our lives.  From the online dictionary:

traverse: v. to travel or pass across, over or through
impermanence: n. the quality or state of being impermanent

Many artists explore these ideas in their art.  For some of us, myself included, art is a way of creating something permanent and lasting, an expression of ourselves and our time, perhaps an heirloom to ourlast our mortal lives.  Metal is my chosen medium; I love it's permanence, the potential for my metalwork to be cherished long after I have faded away.  Fabric is also durable, but at the same time soft, and moveable.  It accepts dye, and can be made, changed, and remade, while taking on the creativity of the artist. Sharon's quilts beautifully demonstrate the endless possibilities of color, texture, and expression that fabric can take on.  Exploring themes of life, journeys, metamorphosis, and rebirth, our work contiues to evolve.  Join us next Friday!

The Land of Misfit Paintings

"There is a television show that airs during Christmas that refers to the "land of the misfit toys". Last weekend we went to our camp in Vermont and it occurred to me that our camp is the home of the misfit paintings. Hanging are paintings of mine that didn't meet my critical eye but still the process and finished piece was of value and even delight to me. One such painting is a watercolor named, "Time to Say Goodbye". It was done from a photograph I took on our only trip to Italy of three tenors singing to a group of us. The song depicted was of the Andrea Bocelli song, "Time to Say Goodbye". It was a beautiful evening and their voices and the music penetrated all our hearts and there was not a dry eye in the room. So, although the painting does not meet my high technical standards when I see it again I am brought back to that magical evening and am so glad I am surrounded by my misfit pieces."

Art brings joy,
Kathy Schneider