At noon today, we opened our doors wide for the first shoppers and visitors to the 5th Annual CVA Holiday Invitational art and fine craft sale. It took a solid week of hard work to get more than 3,000 items from nearly 70 artists displayed in our space...and it looks GORGEOUS.

We figured it would be nice to show off a few artists at a time here, so without further ado, let us introduce several here. We're working on getting better quality photos of the work, so be patient with us - we just can't wait to share what we've got here!

Allison O'Brien (pottery)

Potter and proprietor of Blue Void Design in Graham, NC, Allison O'Brien has brought some beautiful, earthy small vases with almost pictographic markings that we think look fantastic as a group. You also can find her work at BlueVoidDesign.etsy.com and follow her at #BlueVoidDesign.

Calvin Ulrich, printmaker, painter & more

Calvin Ulrich specializes in oil on canvas, watercolor, mixed media drawings, digital artwork and printmaking. A lot of his artwork focuses on the representation of people and cultures through animal imagery. Much of this artwork is inspired by his childhood growing up in Zimbabwe. 

You can find more of his work or connect with him at #CalvinUlrich or via his website.

Also, Calvin will lead a linoleum block printed wooden ornament workshop at CVA! You can register for that here if you'd like to make ornaments like these.

Issis Kelly, painter, jeweler & more

We are loving the opulent paintings, jewelry and ornaments created by Issis Kelly...and we're pretty sure you will, too. They have beautiful movement and flow in a striking combination.

Issis also is leading TWO Holiday Workshops:

• a family ornament-making workshop on November 26
• an ornament-making workshop using alcohol inks to create ornaments like the one below on Wednesday, December 14

Sign up soon, as spots are limited!

Precious Bradley, Precious Cargo Scented Candles

Precious Bradley is an educator, author, and founder of Precious Cargo NC, where she is a licensed doula. She's also a creator of fresh, natural scents that enhance your environment, including candles and wax melts - in fact, she's done workshops here at CVA before called "Wax & Wine," where attendees enjoy a beverage while learning how to create their own scented wax melts. 

We're especially loving the Lavender & Mint, Grandma's Holiday Kitchen, and Pumpkin Pie candles she's brought to sell in the Holiday Invitational. Each is only $15, which is a great deal for this size and excellent quality.

Come visit us soon! The exhibit and sale is up through December 22 for all you last-minute holiday shoppers. Hours are:

Monday - closed

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday - noon - 5pm

Wednesday - noon - 7pm

Saturday - 10am - 5pm

Sunday - 2-5pm

This is what the CVA gallery looks like when it's completely empty...a sight few people ever see.

Right now in the gallery, we're enjoying the last few days of the incredible Personhood exhibit featuring the work of Jesse Hoyle, Aliyah Bonnette, Tre Wilkes, Jessica Bloch-Schulman, Kathryn Fulp, and Greta Boney.

After that, the Casa Azul folks will come install their exhibit of ofrendas - if you haven't seen this tradition associated with the Dia de los Muertos, you MUST come see the exhibit. 

While that is happening, we at CVA will continue working behind the scenes to get labels made, prepare pedestals and shelves, create press releases and social media posts, and market the HOLIDAY INVITATIONAL. The Invitational is a months-long project for the CVA, and it's an important one for us because it brings a lot of visitors to the gallery and a lot of sales that benefit the artists and our mission.

Stay tuned to this blog, where we'll be featuring artists, artworks, and events all season long!