Artful Living Art Show October 1, 6-9 PM
Join us on First Friday October 1, 2010 for the Artful Living Festival of Artists on Kentucky Avenue. Over 25 artists have signed up to be part of this local art showcase. Our own Kathy Plowman will present her stained glass creations along with Brooke Pottery artists Wing Nut Photography, Mary Bassham silver jewelry and Birdhouses by Harry Smith. As always we will have wine & cheese or juice & cookies inside the shop for you to enjoy while browsing our collections American Artisan gifts. Come show your support for local art!
Special Promotion in Ocotober: Think Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Brooke Pottery donates 5% of all jewelry sales from the month of October to the Susan G. Koman for the Cure foundation. We have several new artists this month – silver jewelry by Mary Bassham, mosaic jewelry by Merrily Made including reversible necklaces (pictured below), and a new assortment of geometric Barbed Wire earrings.
Congratulations to Our Winners!
First Friday Sept. 3 was a chance for Downtown Lakeland to honor teachers and educators. Thanks to everyone who donated school supplies at Brooke Pottery. Caroline B. won the school supply donation raffle, taking home a gorgeous raku vase by Roundtree Pottery.
A second thank you goes to all of the young artists who entered our Kids Art ornament contest this summer. Your great drawings made it tough to pick just one! Our 2010 Holiday Ornament winner is Kelsey S. of Geneva Classical Academy. Kelsey imaginatively turned our Brooke Pottery logo into Santa’s gift bag. Now her drawing will be reproduced in clay and debuts Thanksgiving weekend during our Parade of Ornaments*. Kelsey was awarded a $100 savings bond. We also congratulate Nisha Y. of Lincoln Academy and Rachel H. of Newsome High School. Nisha earned the second place $50 savings bond for her swan on the lake, while Rachel took the third place $25 bond with her beautiful Christmas swan design. Congratulations to all three of you!
*Brooke Pottery’s Ornaments on Parade is Thanksgiving weekend, November 26-28. Don’t miss all the exciting new holiday ornaments we’ve lined up for this year. And with any purchase of $30 or more that Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you’ll receive our 2010 Brooke Pottery stoneware ornament as a free gift. The Brooke Pottery ornament will also be for sale, with ten percent of sales donated to the Needlework Guild. So mark your calendar for Thanksgiving weekend shopping in Downtown Lakeland!
First Place Drawing
Second Place Ornament Artist Nisha Y.
Interchangeable Glass Flower Bouquets
While they may need a little dusting from time to time, our extraordinary glass flower bouquets require zero water and will bloom forever. These new arrivals come in beautiful color combinations: Sonoran Desert, Aloha, Black and White, and Champagne to name just a few. The handblown glass flowers rest on stems of brushed aluminum or patinaed copper.
Our contemporary flower sculptures are handcrafted with an eye for practicality. Each glass flower is removable and can be switched for another color- perfect for seasonal displays or for when you redecorate a room. How clever is that? Choose from over 40 colors of glass. Replacement flowers, jumbo flowers and wall sculptures are available by special order. Single stems $35, flowers with figures $82, and bouquets of five or seven flowers $105 – $233.
About the artist: Scott Johnson is a master glass artist who has been making glass flowers since 2003. Johnson began his artistic pursuits in bronze, creating limited edition works. His love and curiosity for visually appealing arts led him to ceramic sculptures combined with hand blown glass, and eventually to creating extraordinary glass flower bouquets. Scott Johnson lives in Arizona, with his wife, Shawn and six beautiful children. Together, the Johnsons pour their creative energy into making hand blown glass flowers, spending time with their family and building a successful business.
Flowers with Figures
Sonoran Bouquet
Fresh from the Pumpkin Patch: Handpainted Gourds
Fresh from the pumpkin patch of local artist Pat Basile, hand-painted Halloween gourds have arrived at Brooke Pottery! These one of a kind pumpkin characters are decorated in charming detail. Come in soon to pick out your favorite, because Pat’s seasonal hand-painted gourds never last long. Price varies by size, $3.50 – $36.
Pat Basile started painting very late in life. She painted mostly on wood, making and decorating boxes, tables, and benches. Then Pat discovered gourds and cypress knees. So many shapes and sizes offer a challenge to make something unique each and every time.
Artist Statement: Gourds come in all sizes and shapes. They make an excellent pallet for the artist. The different items that can be made from gourds boggles the senses. Gourds have a long history in early America as well South America. They were used as containers, bowls, spoons, rattles, drums and much more. When I visited Mexico, I saw gourds used as water jugs on the streets. Early Americans also decorated gourds with paints and dyes. The fun thing is that you can use them differently, by turning them and adding a little clay or fiber to accent the shapes. Imagination brings a gourd to life! – Pat Basile
Gourds grow on vines and when dried, they are scrubbed to remove the skin. Bumps are sanded, holes are filled to prepare the gourd for paint. Your hand-painted gourd will last indefinitely if kept in a cool, dry place.
Kids Art Ornament Contest Awards Presentation Sept. 3rd
Whose art will be immortalized on this year’s Brooke Pottery holiday ornament? Come find out! We have received many wonderful entries this summer during our Kids Art Ornament Contest. The awards presentation is tonight at 7 PM during Downtown’s First Friday activities. The young artists behind the top three designs will be awarded savings bonds valued at $25, $50, and $100 for their creative talents. Kids will also want to play the Trivial Pursuit Scavenger Hunt downtown 6-9 PM to win prizes for their schools.
Sept. 3-Donate School Supplies to Enter our Raku Vase Giveaway
Our sale went great – we had a lot less stuff to pack up, and that made the shop repair process so much easier! Thanks to everyone who helped this week and to all our customers for your patience. The dust has settled and now we have a beautiful, freshly painted ceiling and bright, newly painted walls. The store feels fresh and new. Come on down and see!
This Friday is a great time to come see the improved shop – it’s First Friday 6-9 PM. This month First Friday is all about Back to School. It’s Teacher Appreciation Night at Brooke Pottery. If you’re a teacher, you can register for a drawing to win a basket of teaching supplies and various goodies. For you non-teachers, bring in a new school supply to donate and receive an entry into a drawing for a gorgeous 8″ raku vase by Roundtree Pottery. It’s beautiful! And you’re helping the children. Both drawings happen at 8 PM, but we’re accepting school supply donations all day.
Tonight, we’ll also announce the winner of our kid’s art holiday ornament contest at 7 PM. Whose art will be immortalized on this year’s Brooke Pottery ornament? Come find out!
