Chihuly’s Magic Carpets

By Louise Irvine Chihuly’s Magic Carpets Dale Chihuly’s brilliant glass art has been reimagined as magic carpets thanks to a successful partnership between his glassblowing studio in Seattle and The Rug Company’s weavers in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has created four more magical designs for his Masterpieces Collection, which was launched

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Cornucopia in Ceramics

By Louise Irvine The cornucopia, also known as the horn of plenty, is a symbol of abundance and prosperity which originated in Greek mythology.  The cornucopia became popular in European harvest festivals and is now associated with the Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy this cornucopia trivia with your friends and family around

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Creepy Mugs

By Louise Irvine The ghoulish faces of jack-o’-lanterns are a familiar sight at Halloween. They were inspired by an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and was denied entrance to heaven and hell. Grotesque faces were also a specialty of the eccentric Martin Brothers, who sought inspiration

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The Chihuly Room

By Louise Irvine The new Hot Glass Gallery at WMODA is enhanced by Chihuly’s spectacular Persian Wall, formerly at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio Restaurant in San Francisco. The glass rondels look like giant wallflowers on a garden trellis, reflecting Chihuly’s love of flowers and nature. Arthur Wiener acquired the Persian Wall

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Pangolin Pair

By Louise Irvine Ardmore’s Pangolin Park fabric pattern has proved to be one of the most popular in the Thanda Design collection. The endangered pangolin has appeared on a limited-edition sofa, pillows, tablecloths, and fabric by the yard. Now, a pair of pangolins star on tea towels, which have recently

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Flower & Flame

The stunning new Flower & Flame documentary paints an intimate portrait of master flameworker Paul Stankard, exploring his work, his wit and his wisdom. The executive producer of the new film is the paperweight artist David Graeber who studied and worked with Paul for 20 years. You can hear him talk about

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Marvelous Moorcroft

By Louise Irvine The most prestigious pottery ever made by the Moorcroft studio in Stoke-on-Trent can be seen at WMODA. In the early 1900s, William Moorcroft made some very large pieces for practical purposes, such as umbrella stands. In recent times, the modern Moorcroft studio has created a succession of

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Bees for Elephants

By Louise Irvine September 22nd is National Elephant Appreciation Day, and an opportunity to highlight the ongoing plight of this popular pachyderm. Human and wildlife confrontations due to habitat loss can result in more elephant deaths than ivory poaching, so it was fascinating to learn about an initiative to leverage

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The Oracle

By Louise Irvine With Halloween approaching, it is a good time to learn more about Mark Marshall’s bizarre portrayal of The Oracle, featured in the 1889 Humorous & Grotesque Art Exhibition introduced in the last newsletter. The strange Doulton stoneware piece stands 24 inches tall and was sold two years ago

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Turkeys, Hams & Pies – Oh My!

You can help us prepare plentiful Thanksgiving feasts for homeless and hungry men, women and children in our community by supporting the “Pack the Pantry” food drive organized by The Caring Place in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Last year, they served over 850,000 meals and they are seeking hams, turkeys,

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