Clay-Glass-Metal-Stone Cooperative Gallery continues to break all records in August. Six new artists have entered the gallery and will show their works in the largest emergence of new artists in gallery history. The event will take place Friday, Aug. 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Gregory Hubbard returns to the gallery after a two-year break. He has transported his huge ceramic sculptures to the finest art exhibits throughout the country and is in many of the best collections in the nation. He brings his signature works back to the gallery. They are monumental in contrast to his latest works; translations on a smaller scale with a focus on a fine-art jewelry line.
Rickie Leiter has become well known throughout South Florida as the guru of all that is art, and where and when it is happening. Her works as a jewelry designer and Fimo clay artist are on display. Leiter’s large, vivacious personality is reflected in her dramatic, colorful pieces. To keep up with all that goes on in the arts community, subscribe to the Rickie Report at www.therickie report.com.
Ken Swicegood is both a pastry chef and jewelry designer. Openings at the gallery are doubly joyful events, both for the eyes and the belly. Swicegood creates wrapped fused glass pieces that incorporate a wide assortment of metals, beads and wires. His food displays for openings are works of art as well, and another good reason to come to gallery openings.
Robert ben Kline has brought a sculptural whimsy to the gallery that he executes through ceramics and bright colors. From monumental busts to jitterbugging dancers to costumed dog breeds to an animated piano player, his works cover the gamut of an unusual thought process expressed with joy in clay.
Marsha Balbier has returned home to Florida from Asheville, N.C., where she was considered the best harmonica player in town. Her works in the gallery run the gamut from silver jewelry made from silver clay, to encaustic works to abstract fused glass paintings. A home décor designer, her works are accent pieces for special nooks and niches.
David Fiore brings a fourth dimension to a 3-D gallery. His works hang outside the gallery, a durable mosaic display for large outdoors areas. With Fiore, the gallery ventures into a new realm — that of outdoor art to grace walls alongside the sea — and as an accent on walls. Many of his images are nautical or botanical. They are large, dramatic statements. He will install them if patrons are local. Fiore has been a prolific and original figure in American ceramic arts over the past decade. Having founded Fiore Tile Works in 2003 primarily as a designer tile workshop, he began to pursue a vision of representational art expressed through ceramics in a colorful and vigorous way. Soon he was producing large-format bas-relief murals and found an enthusiastic market for his work among art collectors all over the country.
Craig McInnis of Jerry’s Artarama will demonstrate and teach the art of painting on old vinyl records. His original work is on display at Coastars, the coffee shop directly across the street from the gallery. His lessons are free to the public.
Clay-Glass-Metal-Stone Cooperative Gallery is sponsored by the Flamingo Clay Studio, a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to provide affordable studio and gallery space for three-dimensional artists. The gallery is located at 15 South J St. in downtown Lake Worth. Hours are Sunday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Gallery openings are the first and third Friday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information, call Joyce Brown at (215) 205-9441 or e-mail JCLay6@aol.com. To contact the gallery directly, call (561) 588-8344.
ABOVE: A polymer pin by Rickie Leiter
