News from Earth and Fire -- May 19, 2006
Making plans, making friends...
Now that the major tasks of moving the gallery and getting it back up and running are pretty much accomplished, it's time to start looking forward and making plans for First Friday events and special shows.
Many of you who live in the area (and probably some of you who don't) are familiar with the work of Roundhill potter, David Norton. David will be the featured artist at the June Leesburg First Friday.
David is a self-taught, full time potter who has been making functional pottery and ceramic sculpture for over thirty years. He has had his own gallery at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, Va. for most of that time and his work is all over the world. He has exhibited and taught at the Smithsonian's Renwick Museum and given extensive workshops in Venezuela, Poland and in the Washington, DC area. David's work has twice received acclaim by the New York Times and most recently was featured in the Washington Post's food section. He keeps in touch with aspiring artists young and old through pottery workshops given in many of the Loudoun County Schools and through his adult classes at the Round Hill Art Center.
In July, local woodworker Bob Holtje will be here.
Skipping forward to the fall, the First Friday in October will be my fall show, "Invited for Tea." I got the idea for this show last month when I went to the Smithsonian Craft Show and saw these incredible little teapots from Fong Choo. I thought they were just delightful. It occurred to me that a show of tiny or whimsical teapots might be a lot of fun.
The show will include work from D. Hayne Bayless, Barb Campbell, Fong Choo, John Neely and Laura Ross.
What's so great about Leesburg?
This week I walked up to the corner of South King and Loudoun Street, to the Leesburg Vintner. What I found was how much we have in common.
Leesburg Vintner, 29 South King, Leesburg
When Mike Carroll purchased the business 18 years ago, it had been The Virginia Mercantile. It definitely has the look and feel of an old general store.
Owner Mike Carroll talks with a customer at Leesburg Vintner
They have an excellent selection of wines from smaller and local vineyards (did you know there are over 100 wineries in Virginia?), and their pricing is very competitive. If you don't know a lot about wines, the Leesburg Vintner has wine tastings every Saturday, and Wine Consultant Peter Nicholson, is also available for private wine tastings at your event. They actually specialize in fine wines under $10. Along those lines, I asked if he could recommend a nice oaky chardonney for me, and he suggested one from Australia -- Milton Park.. for $8.99. Certainly not going to change my retirement picture.
Wine Consultant, Peter Nicholson and my bottle of Milton Park Chardonney
As Peter was ringing up the sale, I looked down in the glass case by the register and noticed a bottle of wine with a $500 price tag on it, so I asked about it.
It is a 2000 Chateau Lafit Rothschild. (Bet you can't get that at the Stop and Shop!)
Peter told me that Malcolm Forbes had recently purchased a bottle of Chateau Lafit Rothschild that had been in Thomas Jefferson's personal wine cellar, and that he paid $150,000 for it. "Would a person ever drink a bottle of wine that was that old?" I asked, and Peter said probably not. It was the history of the thing. The fact that it had been owned by Thomas Jefferson. I guess I can see that.
I actually think our two businesses have a lot in common. I suppose they don't sell a bottle of Chateau Lafit Rothschild every day, and I don't sell a bowl made by Byron Temple everyday, either. Their primary business is selling quality wine at very affordable prices, and my primary business is selling quality handmade crafts at very affordable prices. In both our businesses, it's about little things that go a long way to enhance in the overall enjoyment of life.
I've taken the postcards from some of my past shows at the gallery down to The Potomac Gallery to have them framed, and I plan to enjoy a little of my Milton Park tonight in one of my Mark Shapiro yunomi.
I'm having a good time making friends in the new neighborhood.
Have a good week.
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