2011 Top 10 Holiday Gifts

While you still have a small window to get your orders in, here's our list of this year's best holiday gifts; priced right!

 1.  Jim Ptacek ornaments - Brand new and featured at this Saturday's show, these 3" hand hammered, hand signed aluminum ornaments are perfect as a keepsake for any Clevelander, near or far.

2.  Three Wise Men in a Boat by James C. Christensen - A great new release by the master of fantasy art with a holiday subject.

3.  Winter Awakening by Anthony E. Cook - This winter scene will brighten any room and give you that winter wonderland feeling all year!

4.  Drifting Off  & Favorite Gift by Jim Daly are probably our most iconic holiday images.  They evoke "visions of sugarplums" and Christmases of long ago.

5.  Santa at the North Pole by Scot Gustafson - The most exhilarating night of the year has arrived and the North Pole buzzes with activity. The reindeer are harnessed, the sleigh is almost loaded and Mrs. Claus brings out a last minute snack for Santa.

6.  A Victorian Christmas Carol by Thomas Kinkade - Part of Thom's Old Time Christmas Collection, this piece will fill both your heart and your home with holiday cheer.

7.  Just Shy of Sly by Carl Brenders - This year's newest release, Brender's fans haven't been able to resist this little fox kit.

8.  Cape Cod Christmas by Charles Wysocki - Beautifully traditional Americana, and full of whimsy and charm.

9.  Holiday Figurines and Ornaments by Will Bullas and Jim Daly are humorous and nostalgic!

10.  The Wizard Mouse by Dean Morrissey is this year's children's book. A field mouse's place is in the field-or so say Rollie's father, his grandfather, and everyone he has ever known. But Rollie wants something more.  Read about his adventures - or better yet, read them to a child you know.

Top 5 Things You Can Do to Display Your Art Collection Most Effectively

1.  Always seek out Certified Professional Framers - The Professional Picture Framers of America offers a rigorous certification course designed to assure the public that their framer is an expert in the archival preservation of their treasured works of art.  Successful graduates of this program earn a Certified Professional Framer (CPF) certificate.  (Gallery One’s custom framing department has been supervised by a CPF since 1986...and two additional staff members hold this prized designation.)  Be sure to seek out CPF framers in your community for assurance that your fine art is properly conserved and displayed.
Click here to view Gallery One's framing process.


2.  Arranging your art collection 

Hanging artwork in groupings can create an exciting look for any room. The simplest grouping is a pair: two pieces of art, framed identically. They can be placed side by side or one over the other, in an even or uneven manner.

Another simple grouping might be three or more pieces of art of varying sizes. Each piece must be framed in the style and color that works best for that individual item. It will look best if one work of art is quite large, while the companion pieces are of smaller sizes. For more information, check out our guidelines.


3.  Fill small or narrow wall spaces - Remember narrow spaces, especially around entrances or over doorways.  Some artists specialize in long narrow pieces.

Autumn Trail by Rod Frederick

You might want to check out the works of Rod Frederick, Cassandra Barney, Michael and Inessa Garmash, Stephen Lyman, Steve Hanks, Terry Isaac, Tim Rogerson and John Seerey-Lester and Disney artists, James Coleman, Katie Kelly and John Rowe.


4.  Don't insist on matching frames to your furniture or your other frames.  Matching your frames to existing furniture could prove to be a problem in the future when you replace the furniture.  A well-designed frame should complement the artwork.  In that way, your decor can change a number of times and the art will always look as perfect as it did originally. 

Likewise, choosing frames based on the other frames in the room works well with groupings of family snapshots, but not necessarily with your fine art prints and giclées.  Their subject matter, color and texture will vary and the framing should reflect it. 

5.  Rotate your artwork occasionally to keep your decor looking fresh.  You can do this in a number of ways.  Switch art from room to room for a whole new look.  The seascape over your bed might look lovely over the couch or fireplace.  Or the floral in the living room might cheer up the guest room. 

Display some pieces in the summer and others in the winter.  This is particularly true for seasonal pieces around holidays; or when the subject of the art is clearly a summer scene or an autumn landscape.

Hang a few small pieces together that you hadn't grouped before.  A grouping of two or three small framed items can include a small personal item to round out the look.

Your art is meant to bring you a lifetime of pleasure.  Preserving it carefully with professional framing and displaying it to it's best advantage will ensure that.   Enjoy collecting and displaying your own art collection!

Introducing New Landscapes By Photographer/Activist, Anthony Cook

Gallery Giclees, our sister company, produces giclees which are printed IN HOUSE using the latest giclee printing technology along with inks and canvases of the highest quality. Giclees are expertly coated with a UV protectant to extend the image life and provide a water-resistant surface.

We duplicate and then rotate 1.5" of each edge of an artist's image so that the canvas can be stretched over a standard stretcher strip or a 1.5” thick stretcher strip... with stapling on the rear...leaving finished sides. Thus the canvas can be hung unframed, framed in a traditional manner or float framed with no loss of the artist’s image and with nary a staple in sight! Each giclee has been inspected again and again prior to being shipped to you. Our goal - perfection!  That's why we can guarantee your satisfaction!

Winter Awakening by Anthony E. Cook

This Saturday, December 10, Anthony Cook will present his first five original photographs on canvas, produced by the giclee method.

Here's a little background about him:

In 1928, lumber baron, Anthony Wayne Cook, deeded his cherished 7200 acres to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today, that acreage is known as Cook Forest State Park, and Anthony E. Cook, grandson of this visionary, is a tireless conservationist and noted photographer.

With two hard-cover books under his belt, young Anthony is an acknowledged master of landscape photography. Now, a selection of his stunning photographs has been captured as signed originals on canvas by an Ohio company, Gallery Giclées.

These signed works, in sizes as large as six feet by five feet, will be released to collectors December 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Gallery One, 7003 Center Street, Mentor OH. Cook will lecture informally at 11 a.m. as gallery guests enjoy coffee and bagels.

A native of Pennsylvania, Cook grew up exploring the forests surrounding his home. He attended college in New England, majoring in geology. As a dedicated conservationist, he serves on the board of The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, The National Aviary, and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

His work has been featured in such publications as “Outdoor Photographers,”  “U.S. Air Magazine” and “Sierra Magazine.” An exhibition of his photography, “Fall Colors Across North America,” opened at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and toured throughout North America.

“The Cook Forest — An Island in Time (Falcon Press, 1997), his first photo-essay book, was a best seller. His second book is “Fall Colors Across North America (Graphic Arts Publishing, 2001). Both books are available now at Gallery One.

Today, Cook with his wife Sandy and their children live in the Cook Forest family home built by his grandfather more than a century ago.

Please join us in welcoming this exciting artist to the GalleryGiclees collection.