This is a brand new event for Chemainus and The Pottery Store is intricately involved. We hope to make it a huge success and an annual event! Please read Brad’s press release for details.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                        4  MAY 2012

Artists and merchants create exciting Friday evening A&E event

Chemainus, BC, CANADA: The Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society with the support of local arts groups and businesses today announced the launch of an exciting initiative that is sure to wake up Friday evenings in Muraltown.

“ArtBeat” will be a weekly art walk and street party on south Willow Street from 5 to 9 pm on Friday evenings from June 22 to August 31. The event will feature local artists and a sparkling line-up of music, entertainment and demonstrations. Shops and eateries will also be open.

“I was inspired to propose the art walk concept for Chemainus by my recent trip to Hanapepe, Hawaii in which the town sprang to life in the evenings with art, entertainment, dining and shopping,” says event visionary Phil Mavis, owner of The Willow Street Café. “It seemed to be a perfect fit for Chemainus with its vibrant cultural community and village atmosphere. I am wowed by the enthusiastic support we’re getting from the artists and businesses.”

“The name ArtBeat was chosen to express the spirit of having an arts and cultural party in the street that would attract families and visitors to come experience all that Chemainus has to offer,” explains Kathy Wachs, chairperson of the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society. “To provide maximum access to the event, we’re closing the south block of Willow Street to vehicle traffic.

ArtBeat wants to foster broad participation through a “Call For Artists” that is open to artists in all media. Several noted local artists, art groups and musicians have already come forward and the ArtBeat event has garnered overwhelming support from the Chemainus business community.

For more information or to download the “Call For Entry”, please visit the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society web site www.cvcas.com, or contact Kathy Wachs at (250) 416-0382.

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About The Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society

The CVCAS is a non-profit organization with a goal of supporting local artists and making high quality family entertainment available to residents of Chemainus, BC and surrounding area.

Media Contact

Brad Grigor
T: 250-606-7011
E: brad@thepotterystore.ca

The Pottery Store is pleased to invite you come and meet our jewellers – just in time for Mother’s Day! On Sunday, May 6th, we will be hosting an open house from 2-4 pm. The purpose of our gathering is to introduce you to the three fine jewellers who show their work in our gallery. Please plan to come and have fun talking to the artists, trying on some jewellery pieces and sharing some goodies.

Susan J. Whyte  offers precious metal necklaces, earrings and bracelets that are textured from the bark of our native trees. Leslie DeAthe is a bead weaver and uses many media including semi-precious stones, pearls, crystals and glass. She has earrings, necklaces and bracelets available. Peggy Brackett fuses multiple layers of glass that have been embedded with sparkles, images and colours. Peggy has a complete line of earrings from simple studs to long retangular styles. All three jewellers use high quality clasps and fittings on all their fine wearable art.

During the afternoon we encourage you to enter our free draw. We will be giving away one item from each artist. You will receive one ticket simply for dropping by and another ticket for each purchase you make.

So please come and enjoy a lovely afternoon in Chemainus with us. Find that perfect Mother’s Day gift, or something for yourself or another special woman in your life.

MaryAnn’s Special Tip

Soften your butter very slightly, then press it into the lid firmly with the back of a spoon (the same way you pack brown sugar into a measuring cup!) That way the butter will not fall out.

If you have had a problem in the past, it could be because there are air pockets between the lid and the butter. When used properly, our French Butter Dishes WILL  defy gravity. Now you can safely keep your butter on the counter, rendering it soft and spreadable all the time.

To view our complete collection, please click here.

When you walk into our showroom, the first thing you see is a dramatic display of large scale raku vases and plates. Those are the works of ceramic wizard John Charnetski.

John is celebrating his first anniversary in The Pottery Store. His work continues to delight our customers, so we wanted to take this opportunity to thank John for his wonderful contribution to our store.

To view John’s collection and to learn more, please click here.

Pottery Jugs are one of the most versatile items you can have in your home.  Use them for cold beverages such as juice or sangria. They add a touch a class to your table when used to serve warm gravy or pancake syrup.

Don’t forget to take them to the patio to hold a jug of beer, or to decant your wine at your next dinner party. Or, use them every day to serve water, milk or cream.

We have a large selection of colours, shapes and sizes from a tiny 2 oz size all the way up to 10 cups. Some even come with separate or attached saucers to protect your table from hot items.

To see our entire collection, please click here.

Berry Bowl - John Robertson

First of all, John Robertson has supplied us with some work we have been missing in the last little while. We are now stocked up on mugs, beer steins, salt and pepper shakers, berry bowls and steamers! But don’t wait – John’s popular pottery items go quickly.

Sterling/Bronze Earrings - Susan J. Whyte

Secondly, we have a new artist in our midst. Susan Jean Whyte, from the Cowichan Valley, is now showing her lovely silver, bronze and copper jewellery in our store. Susan’s jewellery is made from a relatively new process using precious metal clay – as substance that works much like clay, which gives a jeweller much more flexibility and freedom in her designs. But once the material is fired in a kiln, only the precious metals remain. All of Susan’s textures are taken from our own Vancouver Island tree barks – truly beautiful work!

Raku Plate - Ellen Statz

As if this wasn’t enough, Ellen Statz visited us this week with her ever popular raku plus some exciting new designs. Ellen took a six month sabbatical last year and has re-emerged with a fresh new look and style. She is now incorporating horse hair and acrylic artwork to smoke fired clay. You must come to see her new whimiscal jars! And we have a limited supply of her ever popular sea stars, too.

We are working on other updates and surprises too, so please enjoy our enewsletter as well as this column to keep abreast on everything that’s happening at The Pottery Store. MaryAnn and I pride ourselves in knowing everything there is to know about our pottery, so please come and ask lots of questions.

See you soon!

Peggy

Welcome to spring! Now that we are beginning to experience longer, warmer days, we decided to extend our business hours. Beginning April 1st, 2012 The Pottery Store will be open from 11 am until 5 pm seven days a week until winter returns. We hope our new hours will give you more opportunity to drop by at your convenience.

Meanwhile, the merchants of Willow Street are cooking up a special event during the summer, so look for evening hours on Fridays coming soon! I’ll keep you posted. Check by often, because we have a few other surprises up our sleeves too! And if you are on Facebook, be sure to drop by and push that “like” button.

See you soon!

Peggy

Our urns are uniquely designed and lovingly made by hand, expressing the individuality of you and your departed loved one. They are suitable for crematoriums or as a treasured art piece in your home.

You can rely on our knowledgeable and experienced staff to help you choose the most suitable size and design from our collection or to arrange a special order.

You can view our current collection of urns here.

Lithium Glazed Vessel - Mary Fox

The Pottery Store is proud to represent the work of world renown potter Mary Fox. Her work encompasses two distinct lines: classic forms featuring spectacular decorative glazes and functional stoneware cookery and tableware.

Mary is attracted to the timeless elegance and grace of the classic forms seen throughout history and strives to push the clay beyond its limits with her expert manipulation on the potter’s wheel. Whether these forms are glazed in slips and crawl glazes, or rakued with her unique lithium/copper finishes,  each highlights the detail and excellence of her forms.

We are currently featuring Mary’s work in our front foyer, so please come by soon to enjoy our collection. Learn more about Mary Fox.

You love to collect wonderful exhibition pieces for your home, but your life style simply doesn’t allow it. You may have children, rambunctious pets, a clumsy teenager or simply a fear of knocking things over.

No need to worry!

The Pottery Store carries “Museum Putty” to secure your treasured collectibles against household mishaps. Simply place a small amount on the bottom of your art work and press in place. Museum Putty works on wood, glass and other surfaces and does not mar your furniture. To release, gently twist to lift off effortlessly. So have no fear! You can now enjoy wonderful art in your home with confidence.

Museum Putty

Museum Putty was originally developed to protect fine art from earthquake damage and is much stronger than hardware store sticky tack products.  A $16.00 package contains enough material to do multiple projects and will keep for years. This fine product can also be used on figurines and antiques or to anchor pictures or electronics. It is easily removable and reusable.

For further information and more tips about displaying your treasures, pictures and ceramic art, please check out a great blog from Sheila Zeller Interiors. Sheila is an expert in re-designing your home and recommends that folks proudly display their beautiful things. She is situated in the heart of Cowichan Valley and is a wonderful resource for learning how to best enjoy your treasured art pieces.

Museum Putty At Work - Security and Peace of Mind