Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture Reporter
November 9, 2018 10:00 a.m.
After many promises to myself, I made a visit to Fern and Dina’s Gallery and Gifts last month. Part of the impetus to get me there was an evening of art talks. Patricia Beall, previous owner of Studio B Gallery in Hendersonville, N.C. showed and discussed her collection of Russian paintings from the 20th Century. Ken Sedberry of Sedberry Pottery in Burnsville, N.C. talked about his wood-fired pottery. In both talks, the subjects were interesting and the works themselves impressive.
Much of Beall’s collection was acquired during the time of the Soviet Union and features artists who painted on whatever they could find. Sometimes it was canvas; other times cardboard. The government helped artists but also exercised some control over the subjects chosen. Beall has closed her gallery and is liquidating her collection.
Ken’s son Galen showed a photo of what seemed like an enormous wood pile and noted that that size was required to fire a kiln to almost 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and keep it going for 18 hours. Use of wood fires in kilns creates interesting patterns on the pottery. Ken and son Galen are regulars displaying their work for sale at Fern and Dina’s. They also brought new pieces down for the talk.
The gallery has a lovely mix of art works – wood, painting, pottery, yarn crafts. All of the items are arranged in interesting displays. The touch is light in the arrangement and selection of pieces. There is also studio space for working artists in residence in the gallery.
I was particularly taken with some of the wood carvings. One piece in particular amazed me. It was a manta ray carved out of what seemed to be a single piece of wood. The ray was at least 12 inches wide from wing tip to wing tip, each tip curving up slightly. Out in the gallery area was a huge octopus carved from wood. This one hung from the ceiling in order to show it off best.
There was a set of pottery mugs with a cobalt blue inside and delicate tracings of figures on the outside. One mug seemed to have a skeleton on a surfboard. Either that or a visit to my eye doctor is in order.
A new show, Small Format Art< started Wednesday the 8th and will continue through January 5th. The opening reception is on Thursday, November 15th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Drop in and browse the unique pieces from various local artists. Fern and Dina’s Gallery and Gifts is located at 26 S. 5th Street in downtown Fernandina Beach. The website is www.fernanddinas.com
Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. Evelyn is vice-chair on the Amelia Center for Lifelong Learning and is on the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.