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.