Mike Smith is featured during the "26 Days in May" celebration at Smith Galleries

Mike Smith with SJ Oatman

Smith Galleries has featured the art of internationally recognized artist Mike Smith for many years. Mike is recognized for his brightly colored watercolors and his positive imagery. Our typical comment about his work is, "it makes me happy."
Smith Galleries continues their "26 Days in May" celebration of their 26th anniversary with a special focus on the art of Mike Smith.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

"26 Days in May" kicks Off With Joan Z. Horn

Joan Z. Horn in her studio.

Smith Galleries begins their 26th anniversary celebration with a month long focus on individual artists who have been an important part of the gallery's history for many years.

Joan Z. Horn has been a gallery favorite for many years. She, along with her husband and children, have also become personal friends of Jean and Wally.

Joan is a very talented jewelry artist who is continually designing new work which stays fresh while maintaining here distinctive style. She works mostly in sterling silver with some 14k gold additions along with several stones such as pearls, amethyst, peridot, and garnets. Here are a few examples of her jewelry.

Smith Galleries features the work of approximately 300 American artists. The gallery is located at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 of The Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Smith Galleries 26th Anniversary Begins With Kaleidoscope Exhibition

 

Smith Galleries kicks off their 26th anniversary celebration with a special exhibition featuring the kaleidoscopes of Peggy and Steve Kittelson. The Kittelson have been creating fine handcrafted kaleidoscopes since 1986. Their goal was to create unique and distinctive scopes that are beautiful to look at and pleasing to touch and hold. They have achieved this goal by incorporating many facets of their glass craftsmanship. They are known for their classic 2-mirror kaleidoscope imagery, and the highest quality optical illusions defined by the incredible display of miniature glass sculptures found in the object chambers. The exteriors of their scopes are of fused and slumped glass combined with finely machined metal turningends, and the wood scopes are hand-turned by Steve. The exhibit will be featured in the gallery through the end of May 2014.

Smith Galleries is located on Hilton Head Island, SC, at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Smith Galleries Features Savannah Artist Charles Leonard

    
   Smith Galleries has just received some new work from Savannah artist Charles Leonard. The gallery has featured his work in the past but it has been some time since we have had anything new. We were fortunate to catch his son at a recent show in Atlanta and selected some new work there.

     Charles has been a printmaker specializing in etchings and watercolors for more that thirty years. More recently he is focusing on hand colored giclees.

     Smith Galleries is located in The Village at Wexford, at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in Suite J11 (upper level) on Hilton Head Island, SC. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Purses by Graf & Lantz now at Smith Galleries

   Smith Galleries is pleased to now feature the hand made felt purses of Holger Graf and Daniel Lantz.
   The making of a Graf & Lantz bag starts with the selection of leather and fabric. They hand cut the materials making sure to maximize yield and selecting the appropriate areas of the hides for use in the bags. The parts are then assembled in steps and stitched together by a small team of experienced bag makers. All finishing, quality control, packaging and shipping is done in house to deliver the very best product.
   Traditionally made with wool, felt is considered to be the world's oldest fabric. Although these days there are mainly synthetic fiber felts on the market there are still a handful mostly European producers left that specialize in high quality wool felt. Graf and Lantz import custom felts from Germany which has a rich history of felt manufacturing that continues today. The felts used are made of merino wool which is prized for its ultra fine fibers and soft feel. The natural oil content of the wool makes the felt stain and water resistant.
   If any spills occur just dab off moisture with a wet towel or rinse lightly with water and it can be dry cleaned as well if necessary. Best of all wool felt is a natural, sustainable and biodegradable material. The felt used in these bags is certified according to the Oekotex standard (www.oeko-tex.com)
   Smith Galleries is located at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 (upstairs) of the Village at Wexford. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Joyce Fritz Polymer Pins Featured at Smith Galleries

Sea Turtle Pin by Joyce Fritz

Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, SC, features the polymer jewelry of Joyce Fritz.
Color and patterns are key to Joyce's process. She uses the technique of  millefiori, an Italian word meaning "one thousand flowers".  This ancient method originally used in glass designs has been adapted by Joyce to create the intricacy and delicacy of a dragonfly's wings.

The clay is prepared and conditioned, using a food processor to mix colors, then kneading every batch by hand. Sheets of clay are rolled out, using a pasta machine to achieve varying thicknesses. Sheets and coils of colored clay are assembled into a cane or loaf, where the design can be seen in cross section. The loaf is made larger than it needs to be, then carefully squeezed and stretched out to its final size, while maintaining the consistency and proportion of the pattern throughout the length of the loaf. As the cane is reduced in size, the color relationships change and patterns become smaller and more intricate.  Thin slices of these canes then become the wings of the insects and the colored bodies of other creatures. Metallic leaf, metallic powders, and glitter are also used to embellish the surfaces of the work.

Joyce Fritz working in her studio.

Other parts of the insects are created and stored until needed.  Joyce plies several strands of recycled telephone wire together to make long lengths of leg material.  She made her own machine to do this, using an old sewing machine motor and foot pedal control.  Antennae , made of wire and beads, are also made in batches.  When all of the elements of a particular insect are made, they are assembled in the studio  in small batches (or hatches!)

Smith Galleries is located in the award winning Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. The gallery features the work of approximately 300 American artists. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday year round. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com

Swirl Stone Jewelry by Laura Timmins featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, features the jewelry of Laura Timmins.

Her work is influenced by a past career as a research scientist, from which she brings a unique discipline, attention to detail and a passion for investigating how things work. Other ideas that are impressed on her art are her interest in natural growing forms, patterns, and structures and the interrelationship between them.

Many of the processes used to create these pieces have been invented in her studio, and are unique to her work. Colored and translucent polymer clays are blended and layered together to construct the intricate patterning in each piece. Patterns often contain gold or silver leaf and other inclusions embedded in translucent clay. Patterned clay pieces are combined, creating a rich polymer collage. The collage is then sculpted into shape, using an internal wire armature for support when needed, and cured with heat. The spiraling design seen in many of my pieces is created by twisting the polymer collage between two glass sheets prior to shaping and curing.

Smith Galleries is a gallery of fine craft, art, jewelry, picture framing, and creative toys for children. The gallery is located on Hilton Head Island, SC, in the award winning Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 (UPPER LEVEL). Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com