aRt Cottage Participates in AAUW Wine Walk

On May 11th from 1-4 pm the aRt Cottage will participate, along with many of Concord's Todos Santos merchants, in the 2013 Art and Wine Walk. This is a fundraiser for the American Association of University Women. Buy an ticket, join the stroll and find out a bit more about the artistic side of Concord while supporting a good cause.

EGGstravaganza Opens to a Large Turnout

The show was great - loved your mom's eggs and all your pics - love the whimsy. You guys are so talented. It's an honor to see the world through your eyes.
-Julie L

Saturday was the opening reception for our new show, EGGstravaganza. Photographers Mark and Cathy Pemberton have been working for the past year to put together this unique show. Their photographs of eggs were just exquisite examples of abstract figure study and balance between light and shadow. The use of the term light is appropriate especially since several of the eggs were shown to be levitating. A repeated comment by many of our guests was “how did you ever come up with so many unique ways to photograph eggs.”

© Mark and Cathy Pemberton

Using a high degree of imagination and a demented sense of humor, Mark and Cathy managed to create on full room's worth of Whimsical egg photographs that provoked laughs from all who went through this room. "Embryo Wars" is not to be missed.

© Mark and Cathy Pemberton

Photo by Mark Pemberton

Another highlight of the show was the egg art of Mark’s mother Shirley. She has created the most stunning works from raw eggs. They run the gamut from eggs that are simply (but elegantly) carved to elaborate mechanical marvels that rival the famed Faberge eggs of the 19 ^th century. Numerous people took the time to read the short book about her work and to watch the YouTube video of her creations that was shot in the 1990s.

Photo by Gladys Warr

The turnout was good with about 75 people stopping by.  We saw lots of new faces amongst many of our long-time supporters. We were also delighted that residents of the nearby Concord House stopped by to enjoy the show and some of the delicious refreshments with us.

EGGstravaganza will continue showing through April 27. This is truly one of the most unique shows that we have hosted. Don’t miss it!

Photo by Gladys Warr

Photo by Gladys Warr

EGGstravaganza

Our April show is one of the most unique ever. Local photographers, Mark and Cathy Pemberton have spent the last year studying and photographing eggs. According to Mark “Eggs hold a mystical place in the psyche of most cultures and we wanted to explore this simple but interesting subject. Many cultures have origin stories that involve the egg. Our photographs are a study of shape, form, shadow, light and texture. We have also included a series of “whimsical” photos, just for fun.”

“What makes this show even more exciting is that we will also be exhibiting, for the first time anywhere, the egg art of Shirley Pemberton. We have twenty of her pieces displayed in two glass cases. For 20 years my mother created the most exquisite art works from real eggs. Using everything from a robin’s egg to an ostrich egg she fabricated works of art to rival the famous Faberge eggs of 19th century Russia. Today she is 83 years old and no longer able to continue her creative endeavors. This show is a tribute to her years of work.”

The show runs from April 3^rd to April 27^th.  A public opening reception will be held on April 6^th from 2 to 5 pm. 

MIX IT UP IN MARCH

"What's good about March? Well for one thing it keeps February and April Apart."
Walt Kelly

I know something else good about March...our MIX IT UP IN MARCH show for mixed media artists. Over 12 artists are showing their works here at the aRt Cottage and it looks wonderful. Over 75 people attended our opening reception last Saturday. While the weather was a little cool and overcast the spirits were high and we had a wonderful time.

Watch the short slideshow below and then come by for a visit to see the real stuff!

FRO

TURN THE SOUND UP!

aRt Cottage Receives a Grant from Concord Art Association

On February 19 the Concord Art Association gave a grant of $250 to the aRt Cottage in recognition and support of its goal to be a place where “art is made and displayed by artists of all ages”.

"The grant resulted when my friend and co artist came to aRt Cottage with the other members of the Concord Art Association, of which she is the vice president.  They looked at all the galleries (rooms) and asked many questions as to the purpose of aRt Cottage.  I explained that the R in aRt Cottage symbolizes that we “R” all a part of it and it is "R" “(our)” Cottage where art is made and displayed by artists of all ages.  I also explained that I welcome donations of any art material and supplies that are no longer being used by others in order to keep class costs at a very reasonable price.  Since then we have received may donations in the form of paint, paper, collage material and more."

"Shortly after that tour I received a call from the CAA saying that the group was so impressed with the tour and our purpose that they were nominating aRt Cottage for a grant.  Here we are in February 2013 not only being presented with the $250 in grant money, but I was also asked to do a watercolor demo for which I received another $100, which was added to the aRt Cottage fund.  Life is good at aRt Cottage, where we truly R all a part of the big picture.  Thank you to the Concord Art Association."

FRO

For the Love of Art Reception

The Artists Reception for our Craft and Art Exhibit was a fabulous event. Guests arrived by the dozen and everyone was in an energized mood. The range of items on display was amazing. Crocheted, quilts, woodworking, painting, mixed media, sculpture and much, much more kept the attendees enthralled.

Pam McCauley - Watercolors

Lorrimarie Jenkins - mixed media

It is not too late to come by and see the show. It will continue until February 28^th. There are many great items for sale at very reasonable prices. Don’t miss it!

 The aRt Cottage is open:
11 am to 5 pm Tuesday - Friday 1 to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Crafts Exhibit and Sale

During the month of February, the aRt Cottage will be holding its annual Crafts Exhibit and Sale. The response from the artistic community has been fantastic with a huge variety of crafts being submitted. Media include painting, fabric, mixed media, ceramics, woodworking, and much, much more. Many of the pieces are very unique. You must come down to the Cottage and see this show to believe it.

Show runs from Feb. 1 - Feb. 28

The Artists Reception will be on Sat. Feb. 2 from 2 to 5 pm.