Luke Judge

now showing in the Delmar Riney Art Gallery at Pratt Community College is the annual Art Faculty Exhibit featuring work by Marsha Shrack, John Patton and Ande Hall.  the exhibit will be on display until December 6 during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday or by appointment.

Shrack will be exhibiting new functional ceramics as well as a retrospective showing of wood fired, raku, saggar, horse hair and pit fired pottery, weavings, photographs and drawings in celebration of 25 years at Pratt Community College.  the new work reflects her interest in making well designed utilitarian objects as well as her interest in cooking and gardening.  Many of the designs use organic shapes and surface textures from the garden and nature.

“I use my pottery in everyday life and I hope other people do as well,” Shrack said.  all of the functional pieces are food safe, oven safe, microwave safe and dishwasher safe.  most of the work is for sale.  Shrack exhibits her work and does throwing demonstrations and workshops throughout the state.

John Patton has been working in the graphic design field for more than 10 years. he began with the Pratt Tribune designing advertisements. the job has grown over the years to include special section development, magazine and book design, and Internet banner ad design. In July 2005, John opened his own business, Patton Web Design. this was solely the designing of Web sites.

When he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Design, John expanded his business to include all forms of graphic design. this has included poster design, business stationary, logo development, post cards, web site design and much more. With the change, John updated his business’ name to Patton Design. a variety of this work can be viewed at the Delmar Riney Art Gallery.

In 2008, Dr. Ande Johnson sold her home and her veterinary clinic and moved to Pratt to marry Patrick Hall. She decided to enroll in a pottery class at PCC that fall as a way to meet people and try a new activity.

“Both my kids took pottery in high school, and I had always been curious to try it myself,” said the retired veterinarian. “I almost dropped the class after the first day. it was hard for me to get used to having my hands covered in slimy mud. but, I did come back for another class, and started to enjoy working with the clay.”

Ande quickly became passionately interested in this new art form, eventually spending most of her free time making pots and decorating them. “I discovered that a pot with serious flaws in its form can be rendered pleasing to the eye through decoration, Ande said. “My throwing skills were NOT quick to develop. I made a lot of lopsided pots. most of them should have been tossed into the recycled clay bin. but instead, I decorated them.”

Eventually she developed sufficient decorating skills that Marsha Shrack invited her to teach a summer school course in decorating. the popular course is being repeated in the spring.

For more information contact Marsha Shrack at or call (620) 450-2191.  

hand-made Items annual art, art gallery, horse hair

Presented by John P. McInnisMONDAY EVENING ESTATES AUCTION PREVIEW AT 2:00 PM

Takes place on 5/17/2010

At , 76 Main St, Amesbury, MA, 01913

Victorian, Country & Custom Furniture and Antiques Clocks, Cut Glass, Primitives, Oriental Carpets and Decorative Accessories We will be selling the contents of a West Newbury Estate along with several other local estates from Rye Beach and Hampton Falls, NH Furnishings: Custom Cherry Bonnet Top Highboy by Harden Furniture Co; Executive Size English Leather top 6′ Burlwood Partners Desk; Victorian Marble Top Wash Stand; Marble Top Chests; Custom Cherry Dining table With Six Shell Carved Balloon Seat Chairs and Breakfront Cabinet by Harden Furniture Co; Harden Queen Size Four Poster Canopy Bed; Classic 1930′s Chickering Player Ampico Baby Grand Piano; Hepplewhite Drop Leaf Walnut Dining Table; Country Sheraton Stands; Custom Inlaid Coffee Table; Hepplewhite Chest of Drawers; Mahogany Cabinet with String Inlay; French Vernis Martin Painted Vitrine; Country Furniture; Oak Roll Top Desk;Victorian Dining Table, China Cabinet and Server; Mahogany Inlaid English Cabinet: Chippendale Blanket Chest; Windsor Chairs; Oak hanging Corner Cabinet; Four Poster beds; Wing Chairs; Mahogany Upright Desk; Mahogany Multi Drawer Chest; Decorative Mirrors; Early Painted Blanket Chest; Miniature Chests; Trunks; Loads of Clean Estate Furniture Items of Interest: Beautiful Hand painted China; Limoges; Signed Libbey Glass; Assortment of Cut Glass; Waterford Crystal; Decoys; Orrefors Bowl; Sterling Silver; Set of Eight Tiffany Snifters; Set of Twelve Royal Worcester Plates; Pewter; Lead Glass Shades; Cloisonné and Other Asian Objects;Wonderful collection of Porcelain; Paisley’s; Antique National Ships Wheel; Porcelain Clocks; Large Grouping of Assorted Silver Plate; Brass Ware; Hand Made Oriental Rugs of All Sizes; Handmade Braided Rugs; Decorative Prints; Paintings; Biscuit Jars; Carved Decoys; Lamps; Sheet Music; Signed Hawkes Cut Glass Decanters; Whiskey Jug and Cocktail Pitchers; Marblehead Pottery Candlestick; Stoneware Crocks; Sponge ware; Decorated Primitives; Baskets; Beautiful Sets of Porcelain Dinnerware; Rail Road Lanterns; Service for 12 Royal Daulton Bone China Dinnerware, Harlow Pattern, Cobalt Blue with Gold Border Fancy Oak Victorian Clock; Chelsea Barometer; Victorian Walnut Calendar Clock; Fancy Waterbury Carriage Clock; and much more!

OVER 500 LOTS WILL BE SOLD! PLENTY OF FREE PARKING! Don’t miss this fun auction loaded with all kinds of estate treasures!

TERMS: 15% BUYERS PREMIUM. CASH OR CHECK WITH PROPER ID. 6.25% MASS SALES TAX. DEALERS MUST PRESENT CERTIFICATE. MA LIC# 770 for more info: mcinnisauctions.com

76 MAIN STREET – AMESBURY, MA 01913 – 978-388-0400

ANTIQUES – APPRAISALS – REAL ESTATE -FINE ART

For upcoming events visit: MCINNISAUCTIONS.COMThursdays are Free Appraisal Day • We pay top dollar for Gold and Silver!

hand-made Items english cabinet, oak roll top desk, waterford crystal, whiskey jug

Beautiful Southwest wall sconces are available in an array of colors, materials, styles, and hand-painted designs, making it easy to find the right sconce to fit any traditional, rustic or modern Southwest decor.

Made of natural materials, there are sconces fashioned in any number of shapes, from simple rectangles, semi-circles, stars, and cylinders to an inverted semi-circular stair step shape known as the ziggurat. There are many materials used including clay, ceramics, glass and various metals. Regardless of what style you choose, you will love the luminosity that filters through the sconce in a soft, ambient light. With the current technology in lighting, you will never have to squint when looking directly at them while lit.

You can also find sconces made of specialty materials. Sand art originated by putting different colors of sand into bottles, creating amazing images, pictures and designs. Talented artists manipulate the granules of sand into their Southwest ceramic wall sconces before firing, adding texture and interest to the finished product for a more rustic and earthy look. Incredible, geometric designs and traditional animals, like bears, coyotes, and mustangs are available and all created with just different colors of sand. The sandy texture allows for a more traditional Southwestern look.

Metal and matte glass sconces contain specific drawings and cutouts such as Acoma bears, geckos, kokopellis, chilies, ponies, petroglyphs, and many cowboy designs. There is even a wall sconce shaped like a cowboy hat. Most sconces are available in your choice of outdoor or indoor wiring and you can even buy just the cover to replace a cover on an existing sconce.

Some companies make their sconces out of clay, leaving the natural look and feel of the material intact. Other than the light emanating from inside, they look like historic artifacts that may have come from an archaeological dig.

Indoor sconces are an unobtrusive size, yet offer lighting for both functional and decorative uses. They work wherever you want soft light, such as in an entryway, hallway, bathroom, bedroom and in the ever-popular theater room. These sconces can also add complimentary “mood” lighting around a favorite Southwest painting or gorgeous entry art display.

To maintain uniformity in your Southwest decor, many companies offer “made-to-order” sconces, where you can choose your background color, paintings, and etchings, allowing you to match your sconces with your lamps, pottery, mirrors or bath accessories.

hand-made Items circular stair, sconce