Iris Minc, Purple Sage Pottery videos

We have a new pottery video interview/demonstration on our website. We've been selling the ceramic work of Iris Minc, owner of Purple Sage Pottery in Merrimac, Mass., for awhile now, and we sat down with her while she was throwing teacups on her pottery wheel. She talks about wheel thrown and slab pottery, her different glazes, and the kiln firing process. If you're new to pottery and would like to learn more about the work involved, from a local potter too, this is is terrific and fascinatng information.The interview is divided into four videos (one about her, and three about the craft). Click here to go to the videos page.

Color woodblock prints by Matt Brown

Woodblock prints by Matt Brown are now hanging in our gallery. Using multiple blocks of wood, and carving different parts of the final image into each block, Matt creates layered pictorial scenes of the lakes, mountains and oceans. They're wonderful to see in person and I hope you'll stop in to take a look.

ArtWalk 10/24/09

The next Newburyport ArtWalk is Saturday, 10/24 from 3 to 7 pm.

Invitation Nights 12/4 and 12/11

The first two Friday nights of December are traditionally "Invitation Nights" here in Newburyport. Merchants stay open till 9 pm, serving refreshments and holiday spirit to begin the shopping season.

Introducing Two New Artists

We are very pleased to annouce two wonderful new artists to our gallery. Steel and river rocks by Festa Lamps of California and wood shorebirds by Paul Beauregard of Georgetown, Massachusetts. We look forward to seeing you in our gallery or feel free to visit our website at http://www.valeriesgalleries.com/.

Featured artist: Robin Luciano Beaty

Robin Luciano Beaty is our featured artist through Sept. 21. Stop by to see her newest encaustic paintings. Through photographs like this, one misses the beautiful luminosity of the encaustic wax and the three-dimensional effect of the various textures and elements she includes in her paintings. It's worth a visit to see the work in person so we hope you'll stop by soon.

Letterpress cards by B Designs

I'm excited to now carry a wonderful little line of letterpress notecards by B Designs of Amesbury, Mass. We have dozens of designs (these are just a sample pictured) and they are sweet, subtle images of usually about 1" square on a 3x5 folded notecard. By using simple, unassuming vintage illustrations combined with carefully selected typography, and the letterpress technique, you get a clear, crisp image that is slightly raised to the touch, and unlike any other commercial printed cards. Cards are sold individually.

Meet Robin Luciano Beaty Aug. 22, 3-6 pm

Here at Valerie's, Robin Luciano Beaty will have a featured show of her newest encaustic paintings from August 19 through Sept. 21. Come meet Robin during a special art opening during the upcoming ArtWalk on Saturday, August 22 from 3 to 6 pm. Robin uses encaustic wax mixed and mixed media to create wonderful, textural paintings. It's a fascinating medium to work with, requiring a warm palette for the "wax" paint and brushes, and materials such as a heat gun, and items to embed in her paintings. We hope you'll stop by to meet robin and see the show.

And back by popular demand...

Well that's not exactly true, but Eileen's demonstration was very popular and fascinating for adults and children so we've asked her back. During the Saturday, June 27 ArtWalk, Eileen will once again be demonstrating how she paints floorcloths and other painting techniques. Eileen also does painted furniture, gilding, wall murals, and more. She will also be teaching upcoming classes at the Tannery at her new studio. Please come by; we'd love to show you her work.

Floorcloth demonstration

Eileen Whalen was here on the second invitation night on May 9 to demonstrate floorcloth painting and gilding.

Store Anniversary & Retailer of the Year

Sometime I can't quite believe it, but it's our store's 7th anniversary next week so we'll be celebrating with cake on Saturday, May 23. Please come in and enter to win a $50 store gift certificate. We have another reason to celebrate as we were just awarded "Newburyport Retailer of the Year" by the Chamber of Commerce yesterday! Thank you to all our customers for your business and friendship and to my staff who always provide helpful and friendly service: Diane, Danielle and Pauline

Chocolate Tour May 16

We are excited to participate in this year's American Red Cross Chocolate Tour of Newburyport. Tickets are $15 and attendees get to go to 20+ merchants around town for a chocolate goodie. You can buy tickets that day at the Unitarian Church on Pleasant Street or in advance at The Ruby Slipper, Valentine's, and Ballotin Chocolates.

Artist Demo: Eileen Whalen -- May 8th (Friday)

On Friday, May 8, from 6 to 8 pm, Eileen Whalen will be demonstrating how she paints her floorcloths.

In addition to canvas floorcloths, Eileen does a lot of faux finish treatments for walls, and painted furniture. Recently, one of our customers requested Eileen to make two "wall" paintings for her home. Pictured at left are the wall paintings just before being delivered to the customer. Also, pictured at top are the floorcloths Eileen has been creating for us. Come by to see Eileen's demonstration on Friday.

Matthew Smith, printmaker "Then and Now" at Valerie's Gallery on April 4

For the first ArtWalk on Saturday, April 4, from 3 to 7 pm, we will present "Matthew Smith: Then and Now" -- Rare, earlier works by printmaker Matthew Smith, depicting whales with swirling waters and aurora borealis skies, will be featured. *** Matthew will also be at the gallery on Saturday, April 4 *** introducing his newest works as part of this special show which runs through April.

Master jeweler Jim Conley to work with Valerie's Gallery

Special announcement -- I'm pleased to announce that Jim Conley, goldsmith and silversmith,will be working with us to offer his jewelry for sale, and to providerepairs and custom work. I've long admired Jim's quality workmanship and think this will be a wonderful addition to our shop. He brings expertise, experience, solid craftsmanship and due to his previous store, a following of customers. Many of you may remember when Jim owned Conley's Goldsmith in Market Square. After selling the business, he took some needed time off and has decided to work once again in a venue in Newburyport. Here is the link to the story about this in today's Newburyport Daily News. Jim will be at Valerie's Gallery on Saturday mornings for personal consultations and repairs beginningMarch 21.

http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_063224954.html

Video interview with Matthew Smith

Now available for viewing on our website is a special two-part interview with artist Matthew Smith. About the Artist describes Matthew's unique background as a commercial fisherman and what brought him to printmaking. About the Craft details his printmaking process while on location at his home studio in Nottingham, New Hampshire. Both videos can also be seen in their entirety at our store! The video can now be seen on our website by clicking here.

"Art at Home" on website

Art at Home is a place on our website where some of our valued customers have emailed pictures of items they've purchased displayed in their home. The picture at left is from Gina in Salisbury, Mass. Check out the Art at Home page at
http://www.valeriesgalleries.com/artists/artathome.html

I'd love more pictures! Please submit your own pictures by emailing vgcontests@gmail.com. Send in your pictures and receive a $10 store coupon as a thank you.

Matthew Smith prints a smaller Striped Bass

New Hampshire printmaker Matthew Smith has recently printed a new smaller Striper called "Northern Striped Bass." It's a beautifully done, very detailed print, that is a great alternative if you love Matthew's original larger Striped Bass prints. My photograph doesn't quite do the job for showing you how fine the detail is. Matthew's prints are first created by etching a copper plate and cutting the perimeter of the fish shape out. Each copper plate is then "painted" with printer's inks (lots of them, in different layers) and passed through the press one at a time. The 'Northern Striped Bass' is 11"x17" framed in cherry, and $150.

Poppy Bowls

Potter Kristin Lemieux has just come in a few sets of her poppy bowls. They come as a set of three and all nest together. What a wonderful wedding gift or for entertaining. Shown is the Turquoise with Brown set which is a bit larger than the Turquoise with Cobalt set. Sets range from $90-$110.

Introducing Connie Rossetti

New to the gallery is potter Connie Rossetti of Rowley, Mass. Connie makes these wonderful rattles that are spiritual in origin but also intricate works of art. (When shaken while encircling the body the rhythmic sounds of the rattle loosen negative patterns lodged in the aura that can later cause illness.) They are all different designs and even create different sounds when shaken. For Valentine's Day, Connie also has made some heart ornaments with dragonfly and bee designs. Connie has mermaid tiles and vases as well. Rattles range from $30-$35. Ornaments are $12.

Introducing Rachel Wilcox

We're excited to introduce artist Rachel Wilcox. Rachel is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and paints regularly from her home studio in Newburyport. She loves living in Newburyport and walks around town daily. Her paintings are richly colored works of out-of-the-ordinary Newburyort neighborhoods. To see more of Rachel's paintings, please visit our website. To see some of Rachel's beautiful illustrations, please also visit her website http://www.raewilcox.com/.

Special promotion by Matthew Smith

Are you a collector of Matthew Smith's etchings? If you are, or if you've been thinking about making your first purchase, Matthew is offering a special Collector's Discount of 10% off now through Christmas. These may be purchased online or in-store. This special is for open to all our customers so it's a great time to take advantage of a special promotion and purchase your next (or first) artwork! click here to go to our website or call us at (978) 499-8444

Photographs of downtown Newburyport

As I looked through our selection of wintry Newburyport photographs, I'm reminded once again how special the holiday season feels here. Pictured are images by Dan Powers and Jim Scourletis which are available for purchase. Please inquire or visit our website. Jim also has created holiday cards of two of his photographs (the black and white Inn Street and the holiday tree in Market Square)

Invitation Nights - Dec. 5 and Dec. 12

Don't forget that the first two Friday evenings in December are "Invitation Nights" at downtown Newburyport stores. We invite you and your friends to come out for these evenings of hospitality from 6 to 9 pm. Enjoy beverages and refreshments while you shop!

Customer "Art at Home" Contest!

We're looking to add a section on our website to show customer snapshots of art and craft in their home, purchased from our shop.

Every entry will receive a $10 Valerie's Gallery gift certificate AND a chance to win a $50 restaurant gift certificate.

Ideas for what we're thinking of:
* Did you redo your kitchen or bath cabinets or furniture with the glassknobs?
* Did you hang two or three Matthew Smith prints together on a wall?
* Did you hang a large piece of art over a fireplace?
* Do you use a ceramic bowl as a centerpiece for a tabletop?
* Do you use a mousepad at your desk?
* Did you hang a hot air balloon or Salamandra Glass rondell in a special window?

We'd love to have your pictures on our website. It's great to see how customers use what they purchase in their home settings.

For your privacy, only your first name and town will be included on the web page.

Please email your pictures to: vgcontests@gmail.com -- Deadline: December 10, 2008

Have you hugged your mug today?

Hand Warmer Mugs are here! If you have been looking for these mugs and appreciate their "warm" design, rest assured they can be purchased once again in Newburyport. (They were carried by both Newburyport Candle & Mug and Hog on Ice Gallery before they closed.) Clay in Motion in Oregon makes these wonderful mugs with their copyrighted design of a slip in handle that keeps your fingers toasty warm while drinking your cocoa or coffee. Try one out; also available in a leftie version.

New! Lauren Pollaro earrings

We've just received our first order of earrings by Lauren Pollaro. Lauren is a member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and makes intricate collage earrings, some with just papers and others with silver, copper and gold-filled metal. She is an accomplished artist and designer and I'm excited to carry her work here. Her background in fine arts and graphic design led her originally to strike out on her own with a line of greeting cards with collages. At a show, many years ago, she made a simple pin from one of the collages and her jewelry has taken off every since.

Happy Halloween!

In Newburyport, we had a fun time with all the oh-so-cute trick or treaters who came by! On Halloween afternoon, downtown merchants and restaurants hosted this traditional Halloween activity for families. Pictured are employee Diane with her crazy glasses, and gloves. And little Kalla Lively and her friend Wyatt, and then a group of masked children. We had such a great with all the children!

Art Exchange with Ferry Wharf

Rosalie Cuticchia, owner of Ferry Wharf Gallery in Newburyport, and I thought it might be a beneficial and innovative idea to swap some of our art to give our artists a different venue which might expose them to new customers. So, for a few weeks in November, the Ferry Wharf Gallery will be showing a collection of Matthew Smith etchings from our gallery, and we will be showing additional works by Karen Jones, Karen Lynch, Erik Minzner (Newburyport watercolor pictured) and Peggy Luderer from the Ferry Wharf Gallery.

Tin Woodsman all online!

Do you love the fish measuring spoons and cups by the Tin Woodsman Pewter Company? For awhile now we have been offering their entire product line on our website. They are great at regularly introducing new items. Just check out this link. Jim and Deborah Chapman are the owners and original designers for the Tin Woodsman company. Along with their small group of employees, they create, cast and finish all their pieces on-site in Eugene, Oregon.

Floorcloths

New item: Floorcloths by Eileen Cox of Newburyport. These are durable, painted floorcloths that are treated so to be stain-resistant so they can be cleaned with a damp sponge. She's painted an assortment of designs including crabs, starfish and graphic designs. Sizes are 2 ft x 3 ft and are selling for $175. If you're interested just let us know.

Newburyport ArtWalk 10/25

On Saturday, Oct. 25 from 3 - 7 pm, the galleries of Newburyport will be hosting the final ArtWalk for 2008. At our gallery, please join us to meet artist Robin Luciano Beaty from 3 to 5 pm. Robin paints small encaustic paintings of winter trees in fields and ocean views in a series called "Above and Beyond."

Featured artist: Robin Luciano Beaty

We are currently featuring paintings by Robin Luciano Beaty of Byfield, who is working with the encaustic medium of beeswax and dry pigment. We love her amazing results of soft and textured finishes and the smooth palette of color she uses.

New website design

Well, we're on our way with a newly designed website. I wanted it to be more about our artists and us than about just shopping online. Look for bigger, more colorful pictures and more useful information about the care and use of pieces. We'll also be having more small featured shows from time to time in the store and those will be shown on the website. Also, new to the website will be a little video that will pan around the store and different works.