The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
On Saturday November 15, a little over 60 residents and visitors came out to the Sweet Nothings Art Gallery for their second annual showing of Connie PolhÕs glasswork. Most not only viewed her dazzling and detailed work, but also took the time to examine and enjoy some of the other works on display in this small uptown gallery. Polh stood unassumingly to the side, as people fawned over her work. However, she was attentive and quick to answer any question that arose. She was also modest about any praise, but gracious, particularly while answering questions she may well have answered several times on that particular day. Polh, a glass artist, designs and creates pieces under a variety of bearings within the realm of kilnformed artglass. There are bowls, plates, vases, coasters, suncatchers, and an assortment of jewelry and ornaments. Although she sometimes puts as much as 40 hours per week into crafting her projects, she states that it is more for relaxation than profit. Of late, the artist says that much of her Ôrelaxation timeÕ has been consumed with work on wind chimes. They are large and attractive creations, some close to three feet in length, when the suspended chimes are factored in. There were at least four of them on display during the show and all demonstrate PolhÕs eye for colour and angles as much as her penchant for material minimalism (remnants from glass flower petals at the top of a piece are used as the chimes that hang at its bottom). She has been crafting her glassware for over 10 years now, and in that time has taught several courses on the art form in the North. Last spring, she actually took her kilns and a small amount of stock into J.H. Kerr School and taught a mini-course on her craft. Polh stated that although it had its challenges, she felt there were a number of students who enjoyed and benefited from the experience. The mid-November show at Sweet Nothings ran from 1 to 4 p.m. and featured coffee and cake as well as several raffles and a door prize. Winners of these were: Marena Vinkle (PolhÕs mom), who won the door prize; Iona Johnston, who won a photo frame donated by proprietor Margaret Yoder; and Maureen Macleod, who won a candy dish handcrafted and donated by Connie Polh. My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
