Thanksgiving Week at Smith Galleries - 2017

As we move into the heart of this Thanksgiving week, we are cognizant of the many reasons we have to be thankful. We are hosting our 30^th annual Open House this Friday and Saturday, the first celebration in honor of our 30 years at Smith Galleries. As we think back on all those years, a kaleidoscope of memories and impressions stream across our consciousness.

We first think of all the hundreds of artists whose work we have shown the last three decades. Many of them have been with us nearly the entire time!

Our cats are all decked out in their
Small Business Saturday kerchiefs
and ready for SBS on Saturday,
November 25.

That is a long relationship; one that has blessed us with many friendships. Many of those artists are no longer with us; some have passed away while others have retired or changed professions; but their work remains a part of our memory. Often a customer will come in and talk about this artist or that piece of art they bought years ago and still enjoy. Each year we try to make new friends and show their work, hoping to develop more new and lasting relationships.

Next we think of all the wonderful people who have crossed the threshold into the gallery and what they have brought us. We do not get to travel much because we are here every day but Sunday. (Wally says we are like dairy farmers who have to be at the barn everyday.) But we have met people from many states and several different continents and had conversations with them about their homes. We have watched families celebrate milestones; we watched their children grow into adults. We’ve rejoiced with them in the happy times and mourned in the sad times. And through it all we are thankful that you continue to make us a part of your lives.

The Judith Neugebauer Holiday Jewelry Exhibitionis in full swing.
Click to see more.

Of course we remember good years and the not so good years, but through it all we have remained true to what we set out to go. We celebrate American craft, the people who make it and those who appreciate it; and we get to do it together. Yes, we have a many things to celebrate this Thanksgiving. And may it be so with you and yours.

Judith Neugebauer Holiday Exhibition 2018

There are some professions that have a longer life span than others. Athletes, gymnasts, and dancers are among those who complete their careers at a fairly early age and then have to reinvent themselves. So what do they do other than teach or become commentators? Some begin an entirely new career in another creative field. Judith Neugebauer is one such person. After a 10 year career with the Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company in New York City and the New Jersey Ballet Company as well as the Actors Equity musical theater, Judith decided to explore other areas of the arts.

Judith studied at Farleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ ; studied

Bracelet and earrings in
oxidized sterling and 23K leaf

jewelry at Kean University in Union, NJ, and both jewelry and ceramics at Peters Valley School of Craft in Layton, NJ.  Combining a deep awareness and appreciation for movement, line, and balance as a dancer with a Japanese aesthetic from her study of ceramics, Judith has developed a recognizable style of jewelry that is both simple and elegant.

Necklace and earrings in
sterling silver and 14K leaf

Every piece of Judith Neugebauer jewelry is made by hand in her studio using sterling silver with an overlay of 23k gold leaf. Fold formed as well as die formed hollow techniques create visual depth while maintaining a lightness and sense of movement that is an integral part of her work. After a complicated series of processes, she finishes the pieces with 10 coats of lacquer to preserve the satin finish and to protect the gold leaf.  More recently she began oxidizing the sterling silver to create a rich charcoal black patina which contrasts dramatically with the 23k gold leaf. This process

Necklace and earrings in
sterling silver and 14K leaf

lengthens the production time of each piece, but has become very popular with many of Judith’s collectors.

Whether you prefer the original sterling silver or the oxidized finish, the Judith Neugebauer jewelry is feminine and elegant, strong and graceful, much like those characteristics of  ballerinas, all strengths she developed in her first career.

See the 2018 Holiday Collection showing at Smith Galleries here.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of The Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280

Christmas Ornaments

The sun, the moon, and the stars; all are sources of illumination and guidance in the heavens. It is no wonder that globes and stars are two of the most popular shapes for Christmas ornaments.

Glass Eye
2017 Signature Ornament

Hand blown glass ornaments are a wonder in themselves. Beginning with a mixture that is mostly sand to which intense heat has been added and placed on the end of a blow pipe one watches the skilled glassblower blow a bubble, shape it, add color to it, and then cut it loose. That is a very simplified description of a very complex process that takes immense skill and specialized equipment.

Glass Eye Studio is the premier hand blown glass ornament studio in this country. Begun in 1978 by Robert Adamson, it has grown and flourished for nearly 40 years, becoming a training ground for many young glass artists in the Pacific Northwest. No other studio has the variety and quality of ornaments that we see in Glass Eye products.  A special treat is the annual limited edition ornament that has become a collectible for many. Another shape that has significance for many is the heart, and Glass Eye gives us an impressive selection from which to choose. See ornament being made here.

Friendship Ornament
By Kurt Meyer

Kurt Meyer, a woodworker in the northeast, creates the most beautiful wooden star ornaments. The short video shows his complicated andprecise process much easier and clearer than I could explain it. The result is a beautifully crafted star that reminds us of the star the shepherds saw in the night sky that led them to Bethlehem.

Pewter Starfish Ornament
By Trimdin

Pewter ornaments in the shape of sand dollars and starfish are brought to us from Trimdin. They represent gifts from the sea that in their simplicity remind us of light and its source.

Whether you place ornaments on a tree with lots of lights that add sparkle, or use them in bowls, in windows, or in arrangements; these handmade ornaments, made with skill and heart, represent the best in hand made ornaments found anywhere in this country.

Smith Galleries is located at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 of The Village at Wexford. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280

Candles Are to Burn

Cooler temperatures, shorter days, and the approaching holidays all cause us to check our candle supply. Once a major source of light, candles were made in nearly every home. Now candle making has become an art form practiced by a few and mastered by a handful of artists.

Hand Dipped Tapers by
Danica Designs

Danica Design Candles was established in 1980 after the owners apprenticed with an uncle at his candle factory in Karlebo, Denmark. Several years after moving from New York to Maine, they designed and built a studio IN 1992 designed for candle making, retailing, and beautiful architecture. It is here where their hand-dipped tapers, pillar candles, and tea lights are made. Using a blend of beeswax and other premium waxes in their tapers, all of their candles are solid color and long burning. They are in fact some of the best tapers we have ever used and come in a rainbow of colors.

Greentree Home Candles are the creation of Jenifer Green, with the

100% beeswax "twig" candles by
Jenifer Green

help of many thousands of bees! Founded in 1992, Greentree candles are made from 100% beeswax, resulting in long burning candles with the delightful scent of honey. Her palette consists of 18 carefully crafted colors in rich yet subtle shades which are molded into beautiful square tapers, twigs, pillars, and other interesting shapes.

A resident of Pennsylvania, Rick Faulkner began making candles in 1970 with his father. Not satisfied with making tapers, Rick creates unusual shaped pillars in a wide range of colors with a delightful

Crackle surface candles by
Rick Faulkner

crackle finish. Barrick Candles are contemporary in form, which in their simplicity lend themselves for use in both modern and contemporary settings. And while sculptural in nature, particularly in groupings, they are definitely a treat to burn.

Many years ago, two friends of ours made beautiful pillar candles and exhibited them at the Southern Highland Craft Fairs. You would see their display from across the auditorium with its bright colors, beautiful geometric shapes, and the glow that came from burning candles. In their booth was a sign that read, “A candle is to burn.” So whether you are looking for candles for decoration, for ambiance, or for use in traditional celebrations, they are at their most beautiful when they are burning.

See pictures of more candles featured at Smith Galleries.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Philippa Roberts Jewelry

Philippa Roberts

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “different strokes for different folks.” I always felt that you could say the same thing about jewelry until I discovered Philippa Roberts. Actually it was one of my daughters who first called my attention to her work. She accompanied me to the summer shows one year. It was quite a treat to see the artists and their work through the eyes of someone in her twenties. I was shamelessly watching to see what jewelry a young person would pick out. Philippa Roberts jewelry was the jewelry that really grabbed her attention. The following year our younger daughter accompanied me to the summer shows. Once again I watched to see what would interest a

Necklace and earrings in vermeil
and chocolate moonstones

young woman in her twenties. It came as no surprise that it was a repeat of the preceding year. I decided there must be something that drew the eye of the younger women. But what I hadn’t counted on was the multi-generational appeal of her jewelry.

Philippa Roberts was born in South Africa. Coming from a jewelry making family, she was naturally attracted to working

Necklace and earrings in sterling
and green amethyst

with metal and stones. After receiving her BFA degree in Metal Design and Photography from Miami University in Ohio, Philippa migrated to California where she worked for other jewelers for two years before establishing her own studio. Twenty years later she has both a successful design studio and her own retail store.

Philippa’s jewelry is recognized by its simple organic shapes,

Necklace and earrings in silver
and chocolate moonstone

often combined with beautifully cut gemstones. Her necklaces, pendants, bracelets and earrings are equally popular with ladies from 16 to 106. Working primarily in sterling silver for years, she has recently produced many of her designs in vermeil, especially popular with ladies who prefer gold over silver. Time and time again I hear customers say that Philippa’s jewelry is their “go to” jewelry for both everyday wear and dressier occasions.. Philippa states, “It is my goal to make jewelry that is beautiful, simple, wearable, and most importantly, timeless.” It is a tribute to her design that her work is enjoyed by women of several generations as well as many walks of life and a testament to her success.

See more jewelry by Phillipa Roberts here.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Kids Who K.I.C.

TOBBLES
Stacking toy - 6+ months

I love toys. I remember some of my favorites from my childhood and  from the days of buying  from the days of buying and playing with toys meant for my children. There’s really a lot more to a toy than you might think. Of course you want the child to enjoy it and play with it enough to justify your investment in it because let’s face it: toys are not inexpensive! And you certainly want the toy to be well constructed for safety reasons as well as for longevity. Beyond that the toy should have some lasting value. When we decided to expand the toy section at Smith Galleries, we thought long and hard about the kinds of toys we wanted. Because we are primarily a gallery of American craft we would naturally like to have all "Made in America" toys; but we quickly saw that would be very limiting. We do have some American made and even handmade toys that we really like; but the main focus for our toy section is KIDS who K.I.C.  Just what does that mean? Knowledge. Imagination. Creativity.  Our focus is on toys that foster learning, imagination, and creativity while providing a large dose of fun! After all, people do a whole lot of learning before they ever go to school.

Q.BA.MAZE
Marble maze/chase
Ages 6 to 106

Construction toys take up a rather large section of our toy area. They offer so many good options whether the recipient is 1 or 101. Building blocks come in all shapes and colors. Some are traditional, some are magnetic, and some are nontraditional. They

ARCHITETRIX
Contemporary tinker toy
Ages 4+

all encourage a child to use his imagination, to solve problems, to improve hand eye coordination, and more. Other construction toys are machined to fit together in such a way they will create vehicles, people, geometric shapes, or just about anything you can imagine.

There are several groups of soft sculpture products featuring animals, both real and imagined, as well as teethers, rattles, and other cuddlers.

Another group features puzzles, mind benders, and other creative

MR. SOGGS
 Oddvark

toys and games that make you think, plot, plan, and figure out ways to get from point A to point B. Many of these are enjoyed by children of all ages (3 to 103). After all, no matter our age, we all can benefit from learning, imagining and creating and enjoying it!

See more on our KIDS who K.I.C. page on our web site.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

American Craft Week at Smith Galleries

Click to see the craftsmen
 at VitrixHot Glass make
a piece for Smith Galleries.

If cotton is the fabric of our lives – which brings us comfort, functionality, and versatility; then craft is the silk of our lives. It too brings comfort, functionality, and versatility to our everyday existence, but it offers a source for our individuality and expression of our personality.

Look around your home. Picture your surroundings. Now take away all the handmade items; the pieces designed and made with skill by individuals. What do you have left? What remains could be found in any house or institution. It may be skillfully made, but without  the human touch that gives it heart and soul and expresses your

Watch the craftsmen at
 Ed Levin Jewelry make
a squircle bracelet.

personality, your surroundings have been depersonalized.

Years ago everyone had a skill, a craft, born out of necessity. What one couldn’t make himself he would trade what he could make with someone who made what he needed. As years passed, the artisans began personalizing their articles so that a particular broom maker’s product was recognized by the way the handle was braided, or a potter’s mug was identified by its thumb rest. On and on we have examples of crafts becoming more than just items needed for everyday life.

Click to visit with
woodworker Ed Wohl.

They became artful additions to the decor of the home. Though a very simplified “history” of the growth of craft,  it still represents an accurate progression. 

As people moved to cities and began working in factories, many of the everyday items that originally were handmade were replaced by machine made substitutes. So began the decline and the loss of appreciation for what people made by hand. A renaissance in craft began around fifty years ago. This time around we have the traditional crafts and craftsmen along side those who learned their skills not at their father’s side, but in colleges and universities.  Today craftsmen are highly trained and the result

Click to see a video
about Maruca purses.

is evident in their work. They have new equipment, new materials, and many new ideas; but the love for what they do and the pride they take in their work sets it apart from that which is mass produced.

Click to see a slide show
of potter Jennifer Stas.

This week we celebrate those who spend their time and apply their skills to enrich our lives with their craft. We acknowledge the important role they play in helping us express our individuality. So join us as we participate in  celebrating the eighth year of  American Craft Week.

Please take a few moments to enjoy the videos we have linked in this post of just a handful of the craftsmen we feature at Smith Galleries. We selected one video to represent each main category of craft...clay, wood, metal, fiber, and glass.

Click to learn more about American Craft Week at Smith Galleries.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Matt Thomas Woodworking at Smith Galleries

Matt Thomas at work in his studio.

Sometimes success is born out of tragedy. For Matt Thomas, a West Virginia woodworker, his current career came into being because of a 16’ fall from a rain slick metal roof. That was six years ago.

Even as a teenager Matt valued fine craftsmanship. The son of a carpenter, Matt was one of the youngest craftsmen to be juried

Serving boards

into Tamarack, West Virginia’s showcase of fine arts and handcrafts. In 2002, shortly after high school graduation Matt started his own general contracting service to support his bride. Even then he kept up his woodworking skills and also became proficient at blacksmithing. Both skill sets  were growing, as was his family. All was proceeding smoothly until that fall from a roof in 2011. It was the fall that resulted in fractured vertebrae that put an end to his contracting business and brought him back to his woodworking roots.

Sushi boards and chop sticks

“I lay in that hospital bed, immobilized and worrying about how I’d support my wife and kids,“ Thomas said. He received a visit from Sally Barton from the Tamarack Foundation. They were launching a project to mentor promising artists for a year with the goal of sharpening their marketing and entrepreneurial skills. Matt was invited to be one of eight artists in the pilot program. Over the following months as he regained his mobility, Matt focused on his art-quality wood furniture. The business man in him blended with the artist to develop a production oriented

Centerpiece tea light holder

product line he could sell to galleries. Using marketing skills he learned in the Tamarack program, he produced a mailing he sent to galleries who would be attending a trade show where he would be exhibiting. We received one of those packets and were very impressed with both his woodworking skills and his business acumen. We along with many other galleries ordered from Matt and continue to represent him.

Individual teal light holders

Things are on track again for Matt. His studio next to his home has grown, his business has grown, and his family has grown. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we planned; but sometimes it turns out better. As Matt says, “Now I can do what I love, where I love, around those I love. In a way, I’m grateful for the fall.”

See more of the woodworking of Matt Thomas here.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Raymond Bock Boxes at Smith Galleries

What do you do when you think technology threatens to make your profession extinct? At best it presents a career changing opportunity. For those who have design skills and some old fashioned spunk, it can be just what is needed to turn a career crisis into both a totally new career and a new lifestyle.

Ray Bock studied design and photography at the Illinois Institute of
Technology where received a BA in Design in 1981. For the next ten years he worked in commercial photography, first as a photographer’s assistant and then as the manager of the dye transfer printing department in a commercial photo lab. It was the emerging popularity of digital photography that caused him to consider turning his serious furniture making hobby into a new career. Not only did he decide to change careers; he and his wife left their Chicago jobs, purchased a farm and moved to Viroqua, Wisconsin, where they have been for the last 25 years.

In the early years Ray focused on designing and making custom and limited production furniture. While rewarding, the time spent on any one piece left little time for experimenting with new designs and construction techniques. Since 2008 Ray has been making small, architecturally inspired boxes in exotic and figured solid woods and veneers in addition to elegant elliptical hardwood and veneer bowls. His small boxes are made of fine woods and have

both elegant shapes and interesting added embellishment. His combination of woods and metal accents are both striking and functional.

Ray has exhibited in many national craft shows and recently was included in the prestigious Smithsonian show. Country life agrees with this city boy, and his second career has brought out his talent for designing in wood.

See more of Ray's boxes available at Smith Galleries.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Creative Crafthouse Puzzles by Dave Janelle at Smith Galleries

"Stomachion Puzzle" worlds oldest
known puzzle. Invented by
Archemedes (287-212 BC)
536 Solutions

There’s just something about a puzzle that captures our interest. I can remember when our daughters were toddlers they were fascinated by puzzles and would sit and work them over and over. As they grew, their puzzles became more complicated. Now as adults, they still enjoy puzzles. Time and time again we see that adults have not lost their love of jigsaw puzzles, brain teasers and mind bender puzzles. That is why our puzzle counter in the gallery is one of our most popular with men and women alike, but particularly with the men. The star of the show is the work of Dave Janelle at Creative Crafthouse. Dave runs a primarily family

"Calibron 12" invented by
Thomas Edison's son Theodore in 1933.
Object is to get all 12 pieces in the square.
One solution - very challenging.

business and produces one of the largest collections of wood games and puzzles that I have ever seen. Some are old and some are new; some are original and some are reinvented; some are relatively easy and some are indescribably difficult. But all are well constructed and provide lots of mind stretching, thought provoking, and brain teasing fun.

"Shut the Box" ... created in the
14th century. Great game of reasoning
and math to play with children...they
will beat you.

One hundred years ago puzzles were a very common form of entertainment. With the advent of the electronic age many of them have been lost or forgotten. Dave is bringing back a lot of those puzzles that were known to for their power to develop the mind’s ability to think critically, visualize steps to problem solving, and stretch the imagination. Let us not forget that feeling of accomplishment when we finally succeed in solving a particularly difficult puzzle. So thank you Dave for reminding us that we don’t have to have batteries or wi-fi to entertain ourselves and help keep our minds active.

"Rhombus Five" is a great
desk puzzle for executives. Use all five
pieces to make 29 different shapes
inscribed on the wooden box.
Very challenging.

See more puzzles and games by Dave Janelle here.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Vintage Girl at Smith Galleries

Everyone knows the power of words. We have all experienced the feelings of both joy and sorrow and probably anger by something someone has said to us. And very few among us have watched a certain greeting card company’s television ads without coming close to shedding a tear. Words have the ability to make us feel and sometimes someone else’s written words express those feeling better than we can, or else greeting cards would not be so popular. Add a picture to the words and make it more permanent by putting it on a plaque and you have Vintage Girl Designs.

Friends feed the soul.

Michelle Defillipo (pictured above) is a North Carolina artist and writer. Her combination of words and images shows us a range of caring and expression of ideas that we want to share but may not be able to do on our own. Michelle graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in art. For the last sixteen years she has combined her words with images that speak to us. Maybe her experiences come from her roll as a mother of three, or maybe they come from the eye and heart of an artist. But whatever their

Where there is peace you
will find balance.

source, Michelle makes it easy for us to give to others an expression of feelings on love, friendship, courage, fear, and just about any other emotion you can imagine.

The various sizes of the plaques make them just the right size for giving. There’s sure to be at least one that is perfect for someone you know.

See more Vintage Girl Designs here.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Jonathan's Spoons at Smith Galleries

Sometimes the smallest thing can change the whole course of our lives. It may be the accidental meeting of someone, being in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time, or even a job you thought you were overqualified for. In the case of Jonathan Simons, it was forgetting to put a spoon in his lunch bag when he was working as an apprentice to a furniture maker. He had to have a spoon to eat his soup, so he grabbed a piece of scrap wood and quickly shaped a spoon. That was nearly four decades ago. Today Jonathan is the best known spoon maker in, well, the whole world.

Lazy Spoons

An art and design major at the University of Illinois, Jonathan knew he wanted to create something—something both beautiful and functional. So he began an apprenticeship with a furniture maker in Maine. Following that, he worked in a canoe-seat factory. But when he got laid off from that job he decided he should work for himself. A home workshop in a garage in the middle of winter when the temperatures would dip to 20 degrees below zero limited his options; it was too cold for glue to set, so he could only make single piece products Re-enter the spoon!

Folding Tongs

A move back to his home state of Pennsylvania put him in a milder climate and also provided him with a plentiful supply of native hardwood. In the following years Jonathan expanded his product line, solidified his business practices, and developed a wide market for his spoons. But he didn’t stop with spoons! After all, spoons aren’t the only utensil we use. One of the highlights of visiting the craft markets is seeing what new utensils Jonathan has developed since the last time we saw him! At our last visit I was brave enough to request Jonathan work on something I needed. He immediately started throwing out ideas of

how it could be accomplished, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see something along those lines the next time we see him.

As Jonathan says, “Wooden spoons are some of the simplest tools in our homes, yet have an unlimited variety of uses and designs to explore.” He’s still just as excited exploring and creating utensils with a balance of function and quality so that they function beautifully and are beautifully made. I don’t promise that they will make you a better cook, but I do think they will make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

Jennifer Stas Pottery at Smith Galleries.

Which is the most important-form, function, or embellishment? For some the shape is their primary concern. Others focus mainly on the function while still others pay little attention to the shape and spend all their energies on embellishment. For Jennifer Stas, all three are important. She states, “The fundamental goal of my work is simple: a marriage between aesthetics and function, brought about through distinctive use of color and form. Jennifer starts with a practical form,

Utility jars by Jennifer Stas

one that serves the function well, and then adds volume and texture until it becomes a palette for layers of colorants and carving. Each step along the way is important in creating the right balance of function, form and embellishment.

Jennifer lives in North Carolina and finds that the natural beauty and wildlife in both the mountains and on the coasts inspire her.

Vase and plate by Jennifer Stas

They are reflected in her pottery through the use of vibrant colors set against the earthy brown of the clay as well as the contrast of matte and semi-matte glazes against shiny and hard surfaces.

Whether it is a sea turtle on a vase, a heron on a mug, or butterflies frolicking on a pair of salt and pepper shakers, Jennifer combines her love of nature with a form that serves a function as

Cream & sugar by Jennifer Stas

it pleases the eye. As in a good marriage, they compliment each other. See more of Jennifer's pottery.

Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280