The next Walk on White happens on Thursday, March 17 from 5 to 8 pm! This month, the Coffee Mill Dance Studio is featuring special dance performances starting at 7 pm. You are sure to enjoy dances from the Young Dance Collective student dance company, the Hip-hop Dance class, and the African Dance class. There may also be performances from the Belly Dance class and the Salsa class.

Be sure to visit all these fine galleries and studios:

• The Studios at the Armory

• Native Materials

• Rebecca Clarke

• Stone Soup Gallery

• Coffee Mill Dance Studios

• Harrison Gallery

• Shade Ceramics and Shutter Photography

• Susan Sugar Gallery

• Mayanjali Cafe

• B.I.G. - Bone Island Graphics

As the third anniversary of Shade & Shutter approaches, Mark and I have been reflecting on our first three years in business here in Key West. We’ve come a long way since we first opened our doors at 1102 White Street, and we are grateful for the support of our friends, customers, and the Key West arts community. As an expression of our gratitude, we’d like to invite everyone to our third anniversary celebration on Thursday, January 27 at 5–8 pm at our gallery. We hope that you can join us for libations and refreshments!

P.S. Don’t forget the next Walk on White on Thursday, January 20 at 5–8 pm!

Those of you who follow us online know that I love to photograph snowy egrets. They move with grace, pose with dignity, and sometimes they just act silly. Recently they have given me many beautiful images that I have shared online.

Summertime news—lots of collaborations!

We hope everyone is enjoying summertime! Mark and I have been enjoying the warm days in the studio and relaxing evenings on our porch. We’ve got lots of news to catch you up, including several exciting collaborations.

Wine and food tasting fundraiser

We invite you to attend a wine and food tasting on Friday, June 11 at 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Shade Ceramics and Shutter Photography at 1102 White Street in Key West. This is a collaborative fundraiser event to benefit Williams Hall and their mission of "Inspiring Faith, Empowering Teens to Unleash their Potential and Enriching the Lives of Older Adults.”

Mark and I got our second shot of the Pfizer vaccine last week, and we are already thinking about where to go to dinner to celebrate when we emerge from our pandemic shell next week. It feels appropriate to emerge now in the spring as everything seems to be reawakening. We hope that all of you are starting to feel that spring is in the air.

Today the Green Pineapple announced the availability of an exclusive collection of ceramic tableware that Mark created for them. The collection consists of large plates, medium plates, small plates, napkin rings, olive trays, salad bowls, soup bowls, bud vases, and small trays—all available in the matte glaze colors denim, sea foam, and tea green.

As the second anniversary of Shade & Shutter approaches, Mark and I have been reflecting on the past year. It has been a difficult year for many, and we are blessed and sincerely grateful for the support of our friends, customers, and the Key West arts community.

There is a recent opinion piece in the New York Times that relies on research to help people choose gifts that recipients will appreciate. It is entitled You’re choosing a gift—here’s what not to do, by Daniel T. Willingham, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. We agree with its research-based conclusions, because we often hear similar things from people who have received one of our pieces as a gift. We recommend that you check out the article, but here are its main conclusions:

The season for entertaining is upon us, and while this year’s traditional celebrations may be more intimate, they can still be festive. These occasions are easier when you have the right stuff, and they are more festive when you have hand-made items crafted right here in Key West.

My photograph "Stepping out into sea spray (Ballerina)" has been awarded Honorable Mention from International Photography Awards 2020 competition. There were 13,000 entries from 120 countries in this competition. Earlier this year, this photo was also chosen to be showcased in Culture Magazine 2021, published by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Dr. Seuss

When someone asks how they can support artists and the arts, the pat answer is often “Buy their art.” As usual the pat answer fails to take into account the financial and physical constraints of the current moment. To help those who care a whole awful lot about supporting artists and the arts, we have gathered some suggestions that work virtually to make things better for artists.

In the five months since we learned that COVID-19 was going to affect all our lives in both major and minor ways, we’ve adapted as best we can. We’ve learned to appreciate our time together more, learned to enjoy the little moments of simple grace and beauty in every day, and started to adapt our business to the new realities.

Our second Wine and Art Pairing features the photo “Diesel Rust” and G.D. Vajra Nebbiolo wine. Please join us online Saturday, July 11 at 4:00 PM eastern (1:00 PM Pacific). You can watch the video on Facebook Live or here on our website. Cheers!

Have you ever wondered why wine and art seem to go together so naturally? Or why a certain piece of art seems to pair well with a certain wine? Please join us as we explore these questions on Saturday, June 27 at 4:00 pm during a Facebook Live event. Angela WineGoddess, a wine educator and the inventor of the Kinky Wine Rubber, will join Sarah to talk about pairing a stunning photo with a delicious wine.