Amity Arts Pottery Workshop hosts earthy holiday sale and reception

FLORIDA — If recent storms, snow and power outages have you in a funk, step into an atmosphere of cheer and inspiration at the Amity Arts Pottery Workshop Annual Holiday Sale. The sale on Dec. 2 and 3 is a cooperative effort of fifteen talented clay artists who have either studied with Judy Duboff or work out of the studio to display one-of-a-kind, practical, whimsical and exquisite examples of their work. Amity Arts will host a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, at its studio, 480 Route 17A, Florida. Visitors can meet all 15 artists and ask questions about their work. Refreshments will be available and live music playing. The work is both original and practical: artfully displayed clay vessels to hold hot beverages, vases for live or dried arrangements, bowls for condiments or snacks, along with dishes, platters and trays of unique design. All vessels, plates and bowls are safe for food, ovens, and dishwashers. Earthy decorative images on ornaments, candle holders or home adornments will be arranged in visually balanced settings. Each artist expresses his or her own unique style and personality in creating these clay images. And each piece is created in painstaking stages from fresh clay, either hand-built or wheel-thrown, trimmed, carved, embellished, bisque fired, glazed, etched and high-fired. Highlights of the annual sale is the colorful Mexico-inspired, hand-painted creations of Judy Duboff, some hand-carved in a technique known as sgrafitto; the advanced design and glazing techniques of Mickey Haglund; the unmistakably mystical feminine facial images of Heidi Bilezikian that speak of the bonding and circular connection of the female spirit; Emma Gonzalez-Laders' variety of earthy platters and table settings for sushi, and cleverly designed ornaments, vases and vessels. Diane Arcieri creates a soft visual texture with her sculptures of clay and jewelry. JoAnn Quattrone, a holistic healthcare practitioner, offers her own healing balms and ointments in vessels she has created from clay along with her enchanting clay leaves and floral trays. Melissa Peterson offers many exquisitely textured pieces from berry bowls to butter keepers, using many interesting glaze techniques that she has experimented with for unique effects. Bonnie Golddmacher creates individual pieces from silver, KC Marcin specializes in animal sculpture, and Bob Breuer sculpts human heads and figures. Vicki Botta’s love of trees indigenous to this area and images of delicate branches reaching for the sunlight are hand-painted in forest green on natural speckled stoneware bowls, mugs, and pitchers. Other artists participating are Susanna Hatenboer (jewelry, pendents and tiles), Carol McKay (leaves), Lynne Ratti, and Christine Jacobsen. For a very personal shopping experience and an opportunity to purchase a very intimately, artfully hand created gift that is sure to communicate that it was thoughtfully purchased especially with your special person in mind, come early. Quantities are limited and you won’t want to miss getting that one special gift that stands out from the rest. The sale continues on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a snow day of Sunday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the sale, workshops or classes, call 845-651-1170.