The Art of Giving

Members of the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts present their annual holiday show, The Art of Giving, from November 14^th through December 31^st with an Opening Reception on November 24^th from 6 – 9pm.

Holiday ornaments and other decorations are an annual specialty with many members of the gallery. Painter Chris Graebner creates small scratchboard ornaments. Starting with a 2” square of clayboard she covers the clay with black ink, then scratches through the ink creating the image of an individual flower – a tulip, an orchid, a poppy, a lily, etc. Each one is different. She paints the scratched image with colored inks, scratching and inking repeatedly to achieve the desired depth and color. Then she covers the back of the ornament with gold leaf. Each ornament is different, and each is an original piece of art.

Artist Lynn Wartski creates small, felted wool ornaments of polar bears and puffins. She uses a thin wire armature covered with quilt batting and colored wool which she needle-felts to achieve the desired shape and fullness. This year Lynn has some larger one-of-a-kind ornaments, including a bear on skis and a coffee drinking mouse. Lynn also has needle-felted trees in various sizes.

Furniture maker Pete Rodrigues made his ornaments by cutting thin slices of hardwood with an interesting grain, filling any voids in the wood with colored translucent epoxy. Pete also has charcuterie boards and coasters available.

Potter Evelyn Ward has created hand-built, raku-fired bird ornaments in many sizes and colors. Jude Lobe has more southwestern themed shaman ornaments this year. As always, glassblower Pringle Teetor has made beautiful blown-glass balls in many colors, patterns and textures. She also has her lighted fairy orbs for the second year.

Come in and explore all the original art on display at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts and find a perfect gift for that special person.

The Art of Giving runs from November 14^th through December 31^st with a reception during Hillsborough’s Last Fridays Art Walk on Friday, November 24^th from 6-9pm.

About the Gallery
The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is owned and operated by 21 local artists and represents these established artists exhibiting contemporary fine art and fine craft. The gallery’s offerings include watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings, metal and figurative sculpture, ceramics, photography, digital art, photomontage, jewelry, glass arts, metals, encaustic, enamel, and handcrafted furniture. 121 N. Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Phone: (919) 732-5001. The gallery’s hours are 10am-6pm Monday – Saturday, 12-4pm on Sunday. More information can be found on the HGA website: http://www.HillsboroughGallery.com