NOW SHOWING! The Return of the World of Miniatures!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts!

Back by popular demand!  A successful run in January of 2011 has prompted us to revisit "The World of Miniatures," with a number of Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts' artists continuing to create what they do best - but in MINIATURE size!  Smaller sizes mean smaller prices, so do stop in at The Cotton Exchange to see what we have featured for the month of January.  Here's a preview!

Welcome to Brenda Quashne, Basketweaver!

Brenda is a native North Carolinian. Born and raised in Asheville, she was always exposed to the crafts of the mountain people, especially basketweaving.


Once retired after 32 years of teaching, Brenda and her husband returned to North Carolina from Delaware. As they traveled around to many craft shows and galleries, her interest in baskets was renewed.   

Brenda explored various techniques in weaving with both wood and reed and with cane. Although she enjoys working both mediums, her favorite is the Nantucket Lightship Basket made with cane.

WE WELCOME BRENDA AND HER DISTINCT FORM OF BASKETRY TO OUR GALLERY.

A NEW Website for Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts!

We are THRILLED to announce the launch of a brand new website for our gallery, coming next week on Tuesday, September 27.  We invite you to enjoy the view, share the link, and visit often.  And of course we welcome your feedback.  If you visit today, you'll just find a message "New Site Coming Soon!"  That's true, but I can give away the secret now - the launch is set!  We are excited!

We are enormously grateful to one of our member artists, Melanie Heinrich, who has devoted enormous stretches of time and effort to complete this project.  She painstakingly constructed the site, taught us to more effectively use our cameras, and demanded a level of quality in our photos that we had previously not achieved.  We all moaned and groaned but the results are well worth the agony - as you'll soon see.

And if you haven't noticed the new banner on our blog (and website), that too is thanks to Melanie!  KUDOS to her and to all the artists of Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts for making our gallery - and now our website - the best it can  be!

Don't forget FOURTH FRIDAY!  It's this week from 6 - 9 pm at many of the galleries in downtown and surrounding Wilmington.  We'll be open in The Cotton Exchange.  Hope you can make it for a fun evening of art, people, and refreshments!

American Craft Week! Wilmington and Nationally!

For the second year, Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts will participate in American Craft Week, a project of the Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow.  At Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts (new website coming SOON!), we will celebrate ALL month, starting with 4th Friday on September 23.  We usually feature one artist every month, but for this occasion, we 'll showcase ALL 19 of our artists on the two prominent tables at the entrance of our gallery.

We'll unveil our featured artwork on 4th Friday from 6 - 9 PM in The Cotton Exchange with beverages and refreshments.  In honor of American Craft Week (ACW), we will also collect names/phone numbers for prize drawings to take place every week throughout the month of October. 


During the official ACW, our artists will demonstrate their craft throughout each day:

DEMONSTRATION SCHEDULE 

10/7 and 10/14: BJ Berlo (wearable fiber)

10/8: Dory Maier & Dianne Masi (gourds & baskets)

10/9: Mary Holden-Hall (clay)

10/10: Dianne Masi: (gourds & baskets)

10/11: Sara Westermark (jewelry & metalsmithing)

10/12: Pat Hart (clay)

10/13 and 10/15: Melanie Walter (pine needle baskets)

10/16: Dory Maier (gourds & baskets)

We hope you'll take this opportunity to visit our gallery - and visit often.  Door prize tickets given with every purchase. throughout the month.

We'd like to thank Melanie Heinrich, one of our member artists, for her undivided attention to designing our new website (TBA), but please note the new banner photo and logo on our blog and newsletter.

MANY other events and activities are planned for American Craft Week Wilmington.  More information available here and here. 

MARY HOLDEN-HALL - Featured Clay Artist

Each month at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts we feature one of our artists, with an opening reception during Fourth Friday Gallery Walks.  Mary Holden-Hall, co-owner and co-founding artist of our gallery, will be featured from August 26 - September 23.  We invite you to meet Mary, view her huge and varied repertoire of work, and enjoy refreshments on Friday, Aug 26 from 6 - 9 pm at The Cotton Exchange in beautiful downtown Wilmington NC.

Mary's work includes dancing teapots, leaf motifs, fountains, bowls, crystalline vases - a array of functional and decorative ceramic pieces to enhance your home.

She writes this about herself:

My medium is clay, all clays.
I am mostly self-taught, having developed my interest in
clay since 1967. I have often been surprised by clay's versatility.
As my pottery has transitioned so has my life.
My aim is to produce the feeling of tranquility
And balance both in my creations and in my life.
My designs are a reflection of how I live my life.
I do what I love and love what I do.

Lady of the Leaves is currently on display at the Cameron Art Museum's State of the Art / Art of the State exhibit through October.

Brad Eklund - Woodworker - Featured Artist

We are pleased to announce our next featured artist (and newest artist to our ranks):  Brad Eklund, who with his wife, Hazel, creates the most amazing wooden puzzles, magnets, bookmarks, and intarsia.  The opening will take place on Fourth Friday Gallery Night, July 22 from 6 - 9 pm at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts in The Cotton Exchange. 

Please see our latest newsletter for additional information about Brad.

Brad's Artist Statement:

My passion and love for making sawdust is embedded in my bones and runs back several generations. I am driven by the "unknown" which is why I am always thrilled to use woods that are unfamiliar to me. I use many species of wood found all over the world. To keep my environmental views in focus, almost every piece of wood used in my work is recycled, reclaimed, or salvaged. I use no stains or dyes, just natural oils to bring out the natural beauty of the wood.





My heart lies in the construction of puzzles. I have been obsessed with puzzles of all forms since early childhood. I enjoy them because they are not just art but functional objects that get the gears turning in heads.  My wife, Hazel, is a tremendous  help in the making of puzzles and other art. It would not be possible without her.

FEATURED ARTIST for July - BJ BERLO!

Fourth Friday this month (June 24) marks the debut of BJ Berlo as our Featured Artist.  BJ is a fiber artist who works in fabrics, threads, and beads.  Her work is remarkable for its colorful designs in jewelry, journal covers, jackets, and more!  She is best known for Benderz, bendable, changeable, reconfigurable neck pieces to spark one's imagination.  

 

 

Please join us Friday evening from 6 -9 in The Cotton Exchange in downtown Wilmington.  Visit many other galleries open that night in and around the area for the best in available local and regional art.  Refreshments served.  BJ's work is always available but showcased at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts through July 21.

UPDATES!

Wow!  It's been a long time since posting on our blog!  Lots of good things are happening along the way!

•  We celebrated our FOURTH year in business with a Celebration on Fourth Friday in April - with cake (thanks, Hans Westermark!), door prizes, refreshments and a theme!

• Current Theme on Display: Spring into Color / Art in the Garden: continues until Thursday, May 26.  

• Next Featured Artist: Melanie Heinrich, Interdisciplinary Artist, Reception: Friday, May 27  6 - 9 pm  See examples of her work below!

We hope you;ll join us next Friday during Fourth Friday Gallery Night!

Watch for our next exciting news!  Coming soon!

SPECIAL APRIL Announcements!

We Are 4 Years OLD!

It's hard to believe, but Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts is celebrating its

FOURTH ANNIVERSARY with a reception on Friday, April 22, 

during Fourth Friday Gallery Nights! 6 - 9 PM

JOIN THE CELEBRATION!

Message from Pat Holleman, President of Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts

On behalf of all our artists, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, again, for your continued support of Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts.  Thanks to valued customers like you, we are now preparing to celebrate our Fourth Anniversary!   We will have lots of great food and drink and will be giving away door prizes of hand-made art throughout the evening.  Please mark your calendars and plan to join the celebration.

"SPRING INTO COLOR....ART IN THE GARDEN"

Due to the success of our theme month earlier this year (Miniatures!), we once again have chosen to present our work around a special theme.  "Sping into Color...Art in the Garden" evokes Spring through colors and motifs in functional and decorative pieces.  Here is a taste!

Dick Heiser

Pat Hart

Iris Simmons

Melanie Walter

Fourth Friday Gallery Walks!

Tomorrow is it!  Fourth Friday of the month is always Fourth Friday Gallery Night!  At Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts, we celebrate each of these evenings with refreshments, a featured artists, and many of our members in attendance.  It's an opportunity to meet our artists, view the work of 20 talented, local artisans, and mingle with lots of fun people!  Right across the hall from us in The Cotton Exchange is the Golden Gallery.  And from there, you can walk all around downtown Wilmington NC to visit 20+ studios, galleries, restaurants, and boutiques that feature notable artwork.

This month at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts, we feature Melanie Walter, creator of long-leaf pine needle basketry.  Melanie is an award-winning artist who sells her work nationally.  She frequently combines pottery with her creations, and/or incorporates other natural or vintage materials.

This Friday evening, we also are pleased to introduce Brad Eklund, our newest member, who designs decorative and functional wood puzzles in a variety of woods. 

We hope you will join us for a beautiful evening at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts - and elsewhere throughout the downtown area of Wilmington.  Please visit our Facebook page and our newsletter for updates.

GREAT NEWS from Constant Contact!

We are pleased to announce that Constant Contact has named us as one of the 2011 All-Stars!   That means that we are considered one of Constant Contact’s 2010 top performers and most prolific user of its tools. We are thrilled with this designation and wish to thank Constant Contact AND of course, all our artists, readers, followers, and customers.

CTCT has some of the most practical and functional tools available for email marketing, and in addition, they are to be commended for their immediate response to requests for support via phone, email, and online chat.  As the "editor" of this blog, the PCPFC newsletter, and our FB Page, I find their product and support services are unmatched!

Gail Goodman, chairman, president and CEO of Constant Contact said, “The Constant Contact All Star Awards are our way of recognizing our customers that have successfully used Constant Contact to market their companies. We have some of the most committed, passionate customers out there and we’re proud we can be a part of their continued success.” They evaluate the following criteria:

·    Frequency of campaigns, events and surveys

·  Open, bounce and click through rates

·  Usage of social features

·  Mailing list sign up tools

·  Use of reporting tools

 Thank you, Constant Contact, for our latest award!

 

WE ARE 20! Welcome to Brad Eklund!

Not our age, but our member numbers!  With our newest member, Brad Eklund, and his amazing, amusing, skillful, and environmentally sound wooden puzzles, we are now 20!  And actually, with his wife, Hazel, we have for the first time since opening more than 20 members in our gallery.

And now that we mention our opening, we will celebrate our FOURTH Anniversary during Fourth Friday Gallery Nights in April.  Save the date: April 22.

But I digress!  Brad's artist statement follows with some photos of his work.  More pieces are currently in our gallery, and several of his pieces have already sold - within DAYS!  Additional photos are viewable on our Facebook Page.

Brad, Hazel, and Baby Eklund

BRAD EKLUND, Woodworker

My passion and love for making sawdust is embedded in my bones and runs back several generations. I am driven by the “unknown-” which is why I am always thrilled to use woods that are unfamiliar to me. I use many species of wood found all over the world. To keep my environmental views in focus, almost every piece of wood used in my work is recycled, reclaimed, or salvaged. I use no stains or dyes just natural oils to bring out the natural beauty of the wood.

My heart lies in the construction of puzzles. I have been obsessed with puzzles of all forms since early childhood. I enjoy them because they are not just art but functional objects that get the gears turning in heads. My wife, Hazel, is a tremendous help in the making of puzzles and other art. It would not be possible without her.

New Displays / Fourth Friday!

Sybil West, Pat Holleman, Louise Giordano

BJ Berlo, Iris Simmons

"Lovely Ladies at Fourth Friday" - thanks to Mary Ellen Golden, who suddenly appeared with her handy camera and snapped us right up!

Most of what's viewable in these photos are handmade art quilts by Iris Simmons.

Dory Maier's gourds and Teneriffe baskets

Other news and views: Dory Maier, our featured artist displays her gourds and baskets. 

BJ Berlo's funky fabric necklaces and journals

Welcome to BJ Berlo, Colorful Fiber Artist!

Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts welcomes a new artist to our midst!  BJ Berlo recently relocated to Wilmington from FL, where she met with great success in marketing her "Benderz" and other fabric artwork: jewelry, journals, bags, jackets, etc.

Her work is now available in our gallery, and she will be present tonight at Fourth Friday Gallery Night!  Here is a preview!

 

 

DORY MAIER - Featured Artist

Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts' next featured artist is Dory Maier, gourd and basket artist.  Dory has had two of her outstanding Teneriffe baskets win awards at the North Carolina Basketmakers Association Conventions.  She teaches gourd artistry around the country with her friend and fellow PCPFC member, Dianne Masi. 

Opening reception for Dory will be this Friday, February 25 from 6 - 9PM during Fourth Friday Gallery Walks.  Join us in The Cotton Exchange for refreshments and a chance to meet Dory, view her work, and that of many other artists in our cooperative gallery.

Hope to see you there!