For the gift that we might call you friend

A few weeks ago, the three younger children and I had a few hours to fill while waiting for Classic Rock to finish an appointment.   Some days I totally forget what a great gift empty time can be for us.  We were already near downtown Hampton, so we headed toward the waterfront and one of our all-time favorite haunts.

Blue Skies Gallery

I discovered this wonderful little gallery during my years working in downtown Hampton. My office was only three short blocks away and there were a few days when I'd wander the Gallery viewing the pieces while cogitating solutions to various storm water puzzles. We've purchased several pieces of art over the years for our own home and for gifts. It's a co-op gallery, so there's always an artist on the floor to answer questions and discuss their medium. I always think of a visit to the Gallery as a life lesson for my children. We can look at museum pieces for hours, but to hear the artist tell why they produced a piece, and how, is an awesome experience.

This particular day was no exception for Zydeco, Jazz and Irish Jig. Jazz knows her way around the Gallery and enters like a pro. She adheres to the "no touch" Mama rule, but questions and gushes over every piece she sees. Blue Skies is her favorite destination for Daddy-Daughter Dates, and was the first place she chose to spend her school skip day with her grandparents.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Piscasso

The gift bags the Gallery uses.

Irish Jig needed to be held, but she was very curious and very loud.  The Gallery folks were wonderful and not worried about her volume.  Thankfully!  She seemed intrigued by the thread and fabric art booths....maybe because she's surrounded by threads and fabrics at home???

Zydeco figured out the Gallery was running a scavenger hunt.  A super macro shot of a piece of art was posted at the sales desk.  Anyone able to find the actual piece of art, be it painting, sculpture, or other, would be awarded a small prize - a piece of art by one of the co-op members.  He was on the hunt and wouldn't let me consider leaving until he discovered the piece.  With several well worded clues from the artists, he found the piece and happily left with a small watercolor by Laura Tovar Dietrick.  Amazingly, she's the same artist that kindly hosted Jazz's Brownie Troop for a Gallery tour and Artist's talk earlier this year.

Ms. Tovar Dietrick explaining various methods of painting

A fiber artist by the name of Chris Pascuzzi was working in the Gallery during our visit.  She had her Bernina all set up and was chugging away at new bowl designs. I immediately camped out at her feet, more or less, and peppered her with questions. She was delightful and, of course, I wanted one of her pieces.  Well, actually I wanted to purchase one of her pieces for a friend's birthday.  Zydeco helped me pick the perfect combination of color and pattern.  Now that G has received her package, I can show it on the web.

Corded fiber bowl by Chris Pascuzzi

We ended our little trip with a stop at the local ice cream parlor because I am the cool mom.  If you're ever in Hampton Roads, I suggest spending an hour or two wandering the Blue Skies Gallery and hearing about art from the artists themselves.

Today's blog post title = Sarah Hart's You Alone