Sunday, March 17, 2019

What Was and What Is To Come




Don't miss this great weekend of Music at the gallery!
Presented by Cobscook Bay Music

Two great shows are slotted for Mother's Day Weekend at Crow Town Gallery. Slaid Cleaves and Scott Ainslie are both masters of their craft and we are super excited to share their talents with you.
Check them out at:
https://www.slaidcleaves.com/
https://cattailmusic.com/

All concerts are presented by Cobscook Bay Music. Tickets on sale now!


Holiday Artisan Market at Crow Town Gallery
One of the things about the gallery that former owners Bonnie and Ukey started, which I hope to continue as possible, is the community aspect. In December we hosted a Holiday Artisan Market with five guest vendors: Lisa Marquis-Bradbury (Mosaics), Sherry Ashby (art), Heidi Herzberger (organic homegrown goods and art), Lisa M. Dellwo (Timberdoodlz notecards and gifts), and Jolene Corey Doran (The Fiber Gypsy). The first year was a great success! Thanks to all who came out to support us. 


The Subdudes
Portland House of Music, March 10, 2019
It was bucket list item of sorts. My favorite band had dismantled shortly after I saw them in the mid 90's. I was so excited to see that they had reunited and were coming back to Maine. Despite obstacles (car brake issues while traveling six hours in a snowstorm with slippery roads) I made it to the hotel two hours late just as the Subdudes pulled in next to me. Of all my years working with musicians/backstage etc., I had never in my life been starstruck until this moment. My insides shook for nearly an hour. It's good for the soul of a forty-nine year old to feel like a teenager once in a while. My spirit sister Lisa and I had a night full of smiles and dancing. Check out their unique, eclectic music. A mix of gospel, funk, blues, rock, and folk. You won't be disappointed!


Some of last summer's pottery, showcasing the new handcarved design top left:  the Periwinkle series. 


The new Pottery Den
In progress. Thanks to some dedicated, expert help, sheetrock was installed, spackled, painted, and trimmed. Thank you! We're waiting for the concrete to warm a bit more before painting the floor and moving in.


Me at the potter's wheel. Doing what I do best...getting dirty.


This year's theme for the Bay of Fundy International Marathon...
The sea urchin.

It was the hottest, most sweaty day of the year, but the volunteer team pulled it off! We hosted a public Raku Feast and Fire. Here the kiln is loaded, ready to fire, while more work sits on top to warm for the next load. 


….And the results were gorgeous!


My favorite moment of the year (and maybe life) was to be out on the water looking for whales. I had never seen a whale before other than at a very long distance, and it was brief. This particular morning, whales breached, slapped fins, voiced, and even swam right under our small boat. Thank you for this experience, Scott. I will always remember it. 




While out looking for whales I got to see a fully intact herring weir. Weirs are one of my favorite art subjects, and this one was hauntingly beautiful. 


Bouli. Queen of the guitar case, and anything else she wishes to be. 


Interior of Crow Town Gallery


Pat Fry, Crow Town Gallery guest artist last fall, stands with her oil painting "The Clam Digger."  I was so happy to see this piece sell to the subject of the  painting, who was also an art student of mine many moons ago.


Once a weekly blogger, I am now hard-pressed to manage even one post a year. Finally, I am sitting down long enough to post a few photos and write a few words. The first season at the helm of Crow Town Gallery was a huge success and I am gearing up to open the doors for the second season, starting in April. It's important to me that the community aspect remains intact under my ownership and in 2018 I think that goal was accomplished. There are some aspects that I have not been able to continue as they are not feasible (like dances...since the gallery is full of fragile pottery) but with the help of friends, live music was presented, guest artists showed their work, events were open to the public, and I was able to greet people from all over the world as they found their way here.

Spring through fall is primarily about keeping the gallery running, and in winter, both last and this year, renovations were done to create living and work space. The "pottery den" is in progress (thanks to an immense amount of help!) and hopefully will be finished off in about a month. The temps need to warm a bit so that the floor paint can dry. It will be nice to keep some windows open to air out as well.

I'm excited about the upcoming season. While the doors open in April, the real kick-off is in May when live concerts are up and running and the tourist population returns. Hope to see you around these parts!

If you are interested in learning a bit more about Lubec and why it is so special, check out the December 2018 article in DownEast Magazine: