Monday, February 8, 2010

Valentine Gift Show


Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
734.281.4779
www.biddlegallery.com
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11AM-6PM; Saturday 11AM-4PM



Valentine Gift Show
Saturday, February 13, noon - 4:00PM.
Linoleum cut demonstration by John Benson, cookies by Paula Quatrin, blown glass flowers by Barb Yerace, fused glass love tiles by Dani Katsir, and necklaces by Elroy Grandy.

Taking a glass-blowing class back in 1980 at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh left Barbara Yerace with a crystal-clear vision of what she hoped would someday be her livelihood. Inspired by wildlife, nature and color, Yerace creates a variety of decorative and functional glass objects, including tumblers, bowls, paperweights, rondelle plates and flowers shaped like morning glories.

A self-taught artist, John Benson finds inspiration from the ancient manuscripts of Western Europe and Ethiopia. From these and other sources he has developed his own vocabulary of meaningful designs; endless line of Celtic crosses, Ethiopian protective images, and Norse narrative figures. John also creates work in a more naturalistic manner in other seasonal and general images. John's Valentine's cards sell for a mere 2.00 and are suitable for framing.

Wyandotte artist Elroy Grandy will have his ShareWare available, which are fired clay necklaces in matching sets, ranging from two to eight, and are great gifts for family or friends.

Denied an Easy Bake Oven as a child, Paula Quatrin learned to bake and perfected her cookie recipes in her mother's kitchen. She is now sharing them with the public under the name Puttin' on the Chips! Better than a box of chocolates.

Biddle Gallery features handmade work by over 100 Michigan artists.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Season Finale






Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
734.281.4779
www.biddlegallery.com
Contact Person: Karen Thomas

2009 Holiday Show
November 27-December 24
Extended hours: Monday - Friday 11AM-8PM, Saturday 10AM-6:00PM, Sunday 11AM-4:00PM.
Great gifts by over 100 Michigan artists including new "Skull Mugs" by Nicole Pangas.

For those last minute shoppers, check out our upcoming events to close out our holiday season.

Trunk Show
December 18, 6:00-9:00PM
Photographs of Tiger Stadium and other Detroit Landmarks by Sooney Kadouh;
handmade silver jewelry by Juanita Bitonti of Lookie-Lookie.

Naughty and Nice
December 19, Noon - 4:00PM
New naughty paintings by Martine MacDonald; very nice glass blown ornaments, jewelry, wine stoppers, bowls, and flowers by Barb Yerace of Creative Glassworks; pottery by Tim Hutchison of Shiawasse Farm Pottery; felted jewelry by Sharlet DiGiorgio. Martine MacDonald will also sign her new book, Roadside Memorials.

Attached images:
Pottery by Tim Hutchison
Felted jewelry by Sharlet DiGiorgio
Tiger Stadium Photos by Sooney Kadouh
"Smoking Gauloises (oil on canvas) by Martine MacDonald

Monday, November 30, 2009





Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
734.281.4779
www.biddlegallery.com
Holiday Hours: Monday thru Friday 11AM-8PM; Saturday 10AM-6PM; Sunday 12PM-4PM

Trunk Show
December 12, Noon-5:00 PM
Weaving Demonstration by Michael Daitch; jewelry by Lisa Ackley; ceramic bowls, tumblers and mugs by Emily Duke; fused glass jewelry, bowls and ornaments by Dani Katsir.

Michael Daitch holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern Michigan University and is an accomplished weaver. He created the "Tallitot Project" in 2004 to teach hand weaving to pre-Bar/Bat Mitzvah students throughout the Jewish community.

Attention to surface is imperative in Emily Duke's work. While embracing the softness of bare porcelains she also is extending her vocabulary with surface design. Glaze, self-printed decals, under glaze screen-printing, and china paint allow Emily to create atmosphere through color and pattern. She treats each cup, platter, and sculpture as its own, disregarding sets until all are complete. She enhances the form as if playing a game of connect the dots, paying attention to detail inside and out. Using these methods, no one piece is alike. Using clay as her medium Emily embraces her impulse to make objects and the nature to create order.

Lisa Ackley is compelled to make things she can’t find. She's spent most of her life creating art and small treasures for friends and family, usually clever and always with a sense of humor. Lisa earned a BFA in sculpture from the University of Houston and Masters in Art Education at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Lisa's designs are hand-drawn originals, inspired by Loteria (bingo) images from Mexico. Each polystyrene charm is hand crafted (no two are exactly alike), signed and dated, then sealed for protection. Glass beads and jewelry findings complete the look.

The Loteria-Style is all about color and looking at words and objects in new ways; the fun part, of course, is matching them up into pairs/groups that mean something to the wearer and expresses the wearer’s individual personality.

Born in Hungary in 1946, Dani Katsir immigrated to Israel as a child and grew up on a kibbutz where he bred sheep. He served in the Israeli Air Force and was about to begin his studies in architecture when the Yom Kippur War broke out. Dani returned to the Air Force and remained there until he retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1986. Dani had always known that his post-military career would involve working with his hands and for himself, but in what medium? In 1983, on a visit to Chicago, Dani walked into the Victorian home of friends, took one look at the beautiful stained glass windows, and found the answer. During his spare time over the next few years, Dani taught himself to work in stained and fused glass. In 1986, he moved to Michigan and became a full -time glass artist.

Dani explains his fascination with glass: Glass is magical. A work of glass is really many different works. Glass reflects, refracts, diffuses, and suffuses light. Light makes glass glow like molten jewels. A slight change of angle, and the color and density change. Every hour of the day, in every type of light and shade, from every angle, a glass object is constantly transforming. Glass welcomes light, shapes it, and guides it to our eyes. As an artist, I give form to the dramatic interplay of glass and light.

Biddle Gallery features work by over 100 Michigan artists.

Attached Images:
Puzzle Platter (fused glass) by Dani Katsir
Scarves (handwoven) by Michael Daitch
Jewelry by Lisa Ackley
ceramic cups and bowls by Emily Duke

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Handmade in the Mitten


Great gift for the holidays including these handmade ceramic Skull Mugs by Nicole Pangas

Extended Holiday Hours:
Monday-Friday 11AM-8PM
Saturday 10AM-6PM
Sunday Noon-4PM

Check out our web site for upcoming events www.biddlegallery.com

Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
734.281.4779
www.biddlegallery.com

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Holiday Trunk Show No. 1

Trunk Show featuring Motawi Tile Works, Elroy Grandy, Maralena Howard, and lino-cut demonstration by John Benson.
November 20, 2009
6:00-9:00PM




Kicking off the Holiday Season with Trunk Shows and Demonstations! Nawal Motawi of Motawi Tile Works will be in the gallery with new tile designs, jewelry and ornaments; Lino-cut demonstration and sale featuring John Benson's greeting cards; jewelry and ceramic trunk show by Elroy Grandy; tiny abstract art by Maralena Howard - original mixed media on paper.


Since 1992, the artisans at Motawi Tileworks have hand crafted art tile in their Ann Arbor, Michigan studio. These distinctive tiles are known for their rich glazes and uniquely American designs, inspired by nature, art and architecture.


Motawi Tile uses locally produced clay and glazes mixed on site to their own recipes. Motawi's aesthetic influences include early 20th Century decorative artists such as Mary Chase Stratton, Adelaide Robineau, Louis Sullivan, C.F. Voysey,


A self-taught artist, John Benson finds inspiration from the ancient manuscripts of Western Europe and Ethiopia. From these and other sources he has developed his own vocabulary of meaningful designs - endless line of Celtic crosses, Ethiopian protective images, and Norse narrative figures. John also creates work in a more naturalistic manner in other seasonal and general images. John's cards sell for a mere 2.00 and are suitable for framing.


Wyandotte artist Elroy Grandy will demonstrate the art of making clay necklaces and tiles by pressing items such as shells, sticks or stones into the clay. Kids and adults alike are fascinated to learn how a little ball of clay turns into a beautiful necklace or tile that will be used and treasured for a lifetime. Elroy will have his ShareWare available, which are fired clay necklaces in matching sets, ranging from two to eight, and are great gifts for family or friends.


Also highlighted will be Elroy's fired clay tiles in various sizes and shapes, each with a beautiful original drawing impressed into the clay. These are perfect gifts for those who love ceramic items on the wall or for trivets and coasters.


Maralena Howard is a Michigan Fine Arts Artist. She paints with acrylic paints and adds special effects and depth to her work by incorporating small design images within her pieces - utilizing her own hand carved images and India ink. Oil pastels and watercolor also find their way into her beautiful and varied abstract paintings.


For the holiday gift show, Maralena has created a "Tiny Abstract" series - with pieces starting at $10 and up. Paintings range in size, 3x5, 4x6, 5x7 - each housed in an enclosed acrylic frame with magnet back to be affixed in home or office. Beautiful when matted and framed! Tiny - exquisite - one of a kind original works of art from an award winning Downriver artist.


Visit our web site www.biddlegallery.com for info on upcoming events.


Biddle Gallery

2840 Biddle Avenue

Wyandotte, MI 48192

734.281.4779


Monday, October 5, 2009

Halloweird Hallowbaloo








Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Avenue
Wyandottte, MI 48192
734.281.4779
www.biddlegallery.com
Hours: call for times
Contact: Karen Thomas

Halloweird Hallowbaloo
October 16 - November 1, 2009
Mixed media show featuring robots, aliens, monsters, and scary TV's by Brent Harris, Davin Brainard, Rick McQuaid, Dave Moroski, John Benson, Lisa Ackley, Ryan Weiss, Topher Crowder, and more.

Live theramin performance and lino-cut demonstration during artist reception October 16, 6:00-9:00PM

The theremin is associated with an eerie sound, which has led to its use in movie soundtracks. The theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Leon Theremin who patented the device in 1928. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude with the other. The electric signal from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. Keeping with the spirit of the season, theremin master, Dr. Zin-Zin Electro, will perform a short recital. This rare U.S. appearance will center around musical compositions by michigan poet-composer, Glen Armstrong.

Lino-cut demonstration by John Benson. John Benson will create halloween cards right before your very eyes.


Lisa Ackley's Loteria Jewelry now available in new Halloween designs.


Oh yeah, Ruth Galko - creator of Scary TV's is in this show. She also came up with the title!

Event Photos and video courtesy of Rich Cieslowski:

http://everythingwyandotte.smugmug.com/Videos-Random/Biddle-Gallery-Halloweird/10022214_2vwn6#P-1-16

Monday, September 21, 2009

Grand Rapids Art Prize



Biddle Gallery artist Ryan Weiss is competing for the Grand Rapids Art Prize. Of course, I'll be voting for Ryan and The GR8 and think you should too! Here is info on The GR8.



The Gr8
Artist bio: Ben Pozniak, George Eberhardt, Ryan Weiss, Zac Gorman, Reuben Gracia, Tom Peterson, Matt Geerling, and Scott Wygmans make up the GR8(the Grand Rapids 8). We all met and were educated here in Grand Rapids at Kendall college of art and design. We are trained in a wide range of disciplines from illustration, to sculpture, to motion graphics. We are here to show why the Grand Rapids is worthy of a world class art competition.

Artist statement: We would like to welcome the world to Grand Rapids. We love this town. Every single member of this team has found love, inspiration, education, and purpose in this city. It is our stated goal to represent the community that has provided us with so much, in the highest caliber. We seek to give back to our community with the gifts we were granted. We believe that competition inspires both creativity and productivity. We welcome this new challenge with open arms. Look for us at Art Prize. Expect no mercy.

the GR eight
About the work:

Title: Here you will face Gods
Art form: 2-D, Film / Video, Sound, Internet / Interactive, Performance

Medium: acrylic and latex paint

Year created: 2009

Description of work: This is a video of a Mural done outside Biddle Gallery in Wyandotte, Mi. All members working on the mural belong to the GR8. Click on the Website links to view the time lapse video we created for this project.

Work statement: We feel that video and internet networking is key in the world of art today, and plan to embrace this fact. This is an example of what we plan to present for the final competition. We will be submitting another large mural, combined with interactivity, video, sculpture, and a documentary of the process. The combination of all this content with constitute the final project.

See The GR8 @
Tron Productions
Hopson Flats
212 Grandville Ave SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Venue description:
This is a classic Grand Rapids industrial building that has been refurbished, while keeping true to its original design. The space has 14ft ceilings with exposed rafters, hardwood floors, bare brick walls, and large wooden columns. It is also located at ground level with windows on both the west and east end of the space.