Exploring the art of the coffee experience Kaviar Forge & Gallery has joined up with premier Louisville coffee brewer, Heine Brothers’ Coffee, to present a collaborative exhibition including more than a dozen Kentucky potters asking, “does coffee taste better in a hand made mug?”
“Wired & Fired” celebrates the ancient art of ceramic ware and the most popular morning beverage.
From stoneware to porcelain, thrown on a wheel or slip cast, wood fired or electric kiln fired, several techniques are used to produce unique styles of mugs.
With nearly 500 mugs to choose from the only challenge will be to find that perfect mug whose handle and contours fit your grip and lips.
Additional to the ceramic arts, the exhibition will include paintings and relief sculpture portraying coffee themes.
Locally roasted coffee, original works crafted by Kentucky potters and visual artists, this show has something for everyone.
“Wired & Fired” opens at Kaviar Forge & Gallery and all of the Heine Brothers’ Coffee locations October 15, 2008 through January 3, 2009 and with the holiday season around the corner what better time to discover original mugs ranging in price between $15 and $35.
The ceramic arts were around for thousands of years before the first known cultivation of coffee.
Rather than firing in pits, potters like Matthew Gaddie of The Meadows Pottery and Davie Reneau use a slightly more modern yet rustic technique of a wood fire kiln.
Wood firing is a process that takes five days on average to completely heat a packed kiln and fire the pottery all the way through.
The kiln itself is a large brick chamber that is fueled with wood, ignited, and stoked routinely.
The cool down process takes roughly the same amount of time.
Mr. Gaddie comments, “I try to create works that are labor intensive.
At each stage of labor, the primary concern is not how many pieces I can produce in an hour but how much integrity I can pack into each object.
I hope that the beauty in my work is subtle and simple and takes time to appreciate.”
Amy Elswick’s pottery is both wheel thrown and hand built.
Her work is inspired by nature, the natural textures of plants and the vast array of leaves and flowers.
All of the glazes she uses to color her pottery are made from scratch in her studio.
“I am continually inspired by the possibilities of working with clay.
It is my hope that my work conveys a unique sense of character and eloquence to the people who experience it.”
The visual art accompanying the pottery is just as varied as the styles of mugs.
Painter Brian Bailey of Crestwood has created a series of landscapes depicting the types of coffee bushes and trees.
The relaxed yet intricate style of Bailey’s oil paintings helps to give the sense of the process of coffee, showing where this beloved drink comes from.
Kaviar Forge & Gallery’s own Craig Kaviar has made sculptural relief pieces gaining inspiration from settings in the Heine Brothers’ shop on Frankfort Avenue.
The relief work known as repoussé, created using sheets of pewter, hammering intricate designs from the opposite side produces a raised picture on the front.
Heine Brothers’ Coffee established in 1994 as a single coffee shop and roastery recently opened their seventh store this year.
Committed to quality and providing fair trade products, Heine Brothers’ locally roasts the finest in fair trade, organic coffees.
Kaviar Forge & Gallery supports artists and craftspeople exhibiting the oldest techniques and beauty of functional art.
Devoted to the promotion of emerging new artists local, regional, and national, Kaviar Gallery provides rotating displays of fine, hand-crafted works in metal, ceramics, glass, jewelry, wood, painting, sculpture, and artistic wedding rings.
The “Wired & Fired” exhibition runs October 15 – January 3, 2009 at all seven Heine Brothers’ Coffee locations and at Kaviar Forge & Gallery which will feature a full exhibition of mugs and accompanying visual art of coffee related themes.
An artist reception will be held at Kaviar Gallery on Friday October 31st from 6-9 PM coinciding with the FAT Friday Trolley Hop.
Two more artist receptions will follow on Friday November 28, 2008 and Friday December 26, 2008 coinciding with the FAT Friday Trolley Hops from 6-9 PM.
Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Friday 12 – 6 PM and Saturday 12 – 4 PM or by appointment.
