30th Street Burnell/McLauchlin Event

This past Saturday (January 17^th, 2015) our 30^th Street gallery held an event in honor of two local artists of the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, Robert Burnell and Thomas McLauchlin. It was such a pleasure getting to know both of these gentlemen and learning a little of their history.

Thomas McLauclin (left) Robert Burnell (right)

Both are Portsmouth, VA natives. To learn more about Robert Burnell and see more of his work Go Here. Also to learn more about Thomas McLauclin and see more of his work Go Here. This will give you an idea as to what you will find at our 30th Street gallery in Virginia Beach if you are ever in the area and would like to stop by.

There was a huge turn out for this event! So many people were impressed with the various art works and jewelry we have to offer. I love going to these events and watching peoples reactions to the various sculptures and artwork. I’ve always felt that our 30th Street gallery is the perfect place to start for any first time art collector.

The Raku Ladies

So this is a post from a different blog that we have used, and I really think it’s something that is worth be blogging about here. It’s certainly a unique medium that I’ve never heard of until about a couple of months ago. One of our very own, Nathalie Graham from the 30th Street gallery at Virginia Beach.

These are so fun looking!

Here’s what she wrote:

“Our 30th Street Gallery has just received delightful new pieces: Martha Hayes’ “Raku Ladies”.  These original works are truly one of a kind, as the raku firing process never creates the same result twice. Martha explains how this works:

“The raku firing process began in Japan about 400 years ago. In this process the pots are taken from a red hot kiln (about 1800 degrees) and placed in a combustible material in a closed container, creating an oxygen-free atmosphere which sparks a chemical reaction called reduction. This reduction process creates metallic effects on the surface of the pots. During the reduction all of the available oxygen molecules in the atmosphere, clay and glazes are used to create combustion. Therefore the carbon left in the atmosphere seeps into the unglazed areas on the pot turning the clay black.

“The raku process is affected by many variables – changes in the atmosphere during the firing, speed of reduction and the type of combustible material used, to name a few. The effects are spontaneous and immediate and never the same”.”