Thursday, September 17, 2009

Asif Studios Art of Tea Show Artists discovered by the Kamm Teapot Foundation...

If you didn't make it to our Art of Tea Show opening reception, there's still time to catch this exciting gallery show! Three hundred people gathered for the reception on August 28th, to enjoy an evening of fine art, exceptional teas, and educational presentations by local tea experts and art historians.

The Kamm Teapot Foundation, founded by collectors, Gloria & Sonny Kamm, of Los Angeles, CA, is the largest and most comprehensive collection of teapots in the world, presently consisting of approximately 10,000 teapots and tea sets, is purchasing ten pieces from the show! An exhibition of 250 of the foundation's, mostly contemporary artist's teapots, toured to nine museums over a four year period under the name of the "Artful Teapot", setting attendance records at six of the nine museums! While the collection includes antique teapots from virtually every time period and country, one of its greatest strengths are its sculptural teapots, many of which were created by world famous contemporary artists... including, Peter Voulkos, Richard Shaw, Beatrice Wood, David Gilhooly, Viola Frey, Arman, Cindy Sherman, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein and many, many more!

It is a great honor to become part of this incredible collection. The teapots will begin their journey to their new home after October 2nd, to become part of the foundation's permanent collection, presently located in Sparta, North Carolina. We are all very excited to see our small-town artists getting such big time attention for their talent. Congratulations to all of you!

The show will hang through October 2nd. The gallery is open daily from 10am-5pm Monday-Friday, and Saturdays 11am-4pm.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Art of Tea Show Opening Reception a Big Success!!!

Three hundred people gathered at the Artist's Studio in the Foothills for their Art of Tea Show opening reception, Friday, August 28th. Each of four educational presentations on tea ceremony, teapot history and tea leaf reading were also well attended by enthusiastic guests seated in rows of chairs and stools in the studio's 2D classroom & gallery buffet area.

Guests enjoyed a fabulous display of teapots fashioned in ceramic & wood, and paintings and pastel drawings of spirited teapots and tea themed scenes. Exceptional teas, both hot and iced, gathered by Babette Donaldson, our local tea expert, on her many journeys around the world, were shared with guests, along with an impressive buffet of green tea ice cream, Russian tea cookies and many other sweet tea treats! The show will hang through October 2nd in the studio's Grass Valley gallery, open Monday - Friday, 10am-5pm, Saturday, 11am-4pm!