Function and Form: Art That Works

December 5- 29 
Reception: Friday, December 5, 6-8 p.m.

It was a great 60th-birthday year for Bainbridge Arts and Crafts! In 2008 you saw splendid exhibitions in artists’ books, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, kites, digital art, tables, photography, and weaving.

Contemporary art, craft, and design come together beautifully in this last exhibition of our birthday year.  Function and Form: Art that Works underscores our history and mission. We’ll show wood, ceramics, textiles, glass, baskets, and rugs, as well as unique, artist-made mirrors.

Will we stretch "function" to the limit? You can count on it!

Artists include Nick Ashman, Caroline Cooley Browne, Deborah Collins, Diana Cronin, Garth Edwards, John Ellefson, Julie Hews-Everett, Ernie Hilsenberg, Mark Horiuchi, Linda Jarvis, Lowell Martin, Steve Maslach, Dorothy McGuinness, Julie Milazzo, Shane Miller, imberly Morris, Merrilee Moore, Joe and Elida O’Brien, Reid Ozaki, Ann Reynolds-Pearl, Dennis Rogers, Seth Rolland, Dave Schweitzer, Morgan Seeley, Terry Siebert, Rick Stafford, Melinda West, and Barbara Zander.

IMAGES: Kimberly Morris, Hand-dyed hand-woven wool rug. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Dorothy McGuinness, Footed Box, 2008. Hand-woven paper. Photo credit: Ken Rowe.
Ann Reynolds Pearl, Tea Set, 2008. Ceramic. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Nick Ashman and Devin Sjodin, Wig-Wag, 2008. Blown glass. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artists Speak About Function and Form: Art That Works

I am drawn to the space that is contained within a vessel.  It has as much a story to tell as the space that surrounds it. 

--John Ellefson

We create vessels based on contemporary interpretations of classical Chinese and Japanese forms. Many of the techniques we use are centuries old, including throwing and handbuilding.  Our forms have evolved over the years, becoming clearer and stronger. We formulate our own glazes and apply them by dipping and spraying. We airbrush underglazes on some of our work before glazing.

--Joe and Elida O’Brien

Joe and Elida O'Brien, Ceramic bowl, 2008. Photo courtesy of the artists.

Careful thought and years of experience go into every piece of my ceramics.  All my pieces are original designs produced for their form and function, to enhance everyday life. High fired glazes finish the patterns and each piece is fired to vitrifying temperatures of 2000 degrees or more. Each piece is unique and one of a kind.

--Ann Reynolds-Pearl

Ann Reynolds-Pearl, Tea Set, 2008. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Functional furniture is everywhere.  What I strive for in my furniture and what I admire in that of others are pieces which can be sculptures.  Animated, balanced, interesting forms enhanced by color and grain.  Beautiful, natural materials used in innovative or unexpected ways.  Designs which are most of all beautiful, and yes, also very functional.

--Seth Rolland

I’ve been fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest with my family, where the natural beauty and wild places have been close at hand.  My work has sprouted from an interest in learning the traditional fiber technologies practiced by the First Peoples of this place.  I have studied with many native and non-native weavers and artists over the past twenty-five years, the foremost being Ed Carriere of the Suquamish Tribe.  

Some of my basketry and art pieces are created as a way to explore and acknowledge the beauty of the native plants I love to grow and gather.  Some are made from the desire to honor the First Peoples who have lived here for thousands of years, establishing this, and many other traditional art forms derived from the landscape.  And much of my work is made with pure whimsy in an effort to devise ways to recycle materials and keep them out of the burn piles and the waste streams. 

--Melinda West

Melinda West, Stone Catcher, 2008.  Hand split and carved cedar limbs and roots, stones. Photo: Donna Souter.

The Night Sky

January 2 – February 3
Reception: Friday, January 2, 6-8 p.m.

"There's not nearly enough paintings about the night in the world and it’s my personal mission to correct this!"

–Max Grover

January is a dark time, so BAC encouraged landscape artists in many different mediums to reveal the mystery and beauty of the night sky in the town and in the country. The Night Sky includes work in paint, collage, digital media, photography, and artists' books.

Algie Abrams, Sam Garriott Antonacci, Jeff Brice, Linda Costello, Diane Culhane, Raymond Gendreau, Max Grover, Jonathan Hallet, Tracy Lang, M.J. Linford, Gennielynn Martin, Christopher Mathie, Deborah Peek, Mike Smith, Jessica Spring, and Jill Timm.

IMAGE: Gennielynn Martin, Night Writer, 2008. Mixed medium. Photo courtesy of the artist.