PCA Texas members will return to Dallas (Addison) for the summer meeting. The meeting will be held on June 11 – 13, 2010. We will gather at the Crowne Plaza Dallas, 14315 Midway, Addison, TX 75001. The hotel is offering us the same rates as last year, $82.00 per night (single or double).
Colin Richardson will be the guest artist, and dealer Nancy Alfano, owner of Portia Paperweights in Chicago, will be bringing a large selection of weights for us to browse and buy.
Plan now to attend this meeting. It will be both informative and fun. Please make reservations before the May 21 deadline by calling the Crowne Plaza Dallas at 972.980.8877. To make reservations on-line please follow these instructions:
Our fall meeting will be held at the Austin Airport LaQuinta Inn & Suites, 7625 E. Ben White Blvd. (TX Hwy. 71) Austin, TX 78741. The hotel's phone number is 512-386-6800. The special group rate is $107 per night. Full Bright Side Breakfast buffet is included. The cut-off date for the special pricing rate is August 27, 2010. To make reservations call 1-866-527-1498 (toll free) and identify yourself as a member of the Paperweight Collectors Association of Texas group. Specify if you want smoking or non-smoking, two double beds or a king. Some handicapped assessible rooms are available.
The guest dealer/speaker will be Gary McClanahan accompanied by Mabel and Marge McClanahan.
PCA TX members convened at the comfortable San Luis Resort in Galveston on January 29. While a cold front kept the temperature in the 40’s, everyone enjoyed the warmth of renewed friendships at the informal kick-off reception Friday evening. Members welcomed Marti and Larry Selman, one of the new L. H. Selman Ltd. owners, Ben Clark, and the new Selman Gallery manager, Alexis Magaro. We then carpooled to Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant for a leisurely and delicious seafood supper.
Early Saturday morning we began browsing and buying the wide selection of paperweights that Ben Clark had driven down with from Chicago! At 10AM, 38 members and 3 guests settled in for the business meeting. The highlight of the morning was the presentation of the new officers for 2010: Gary Underwood–President; Ron Gauny–Vice President; Vickie Austin–Secretary; and Bob White–Treasurer. Jayne Gilbert presented a gift to Art and Joyce Elder in appreciation for their years of hard work and devotion to PCA TX. They were given a gift certificate to their favorite Houston restaurant, Peli Peli. Incoming President Gary Underwood presented a Lalique heart necklace to Jayne Gilbert for her outstanding leadership as President for 6 years.
After the lunch break, Jayne Gilbert began the afternoon session with a phone call to members Wilbarine and John Favre who were unable to drive to Galveston because of the icy conditions in Oklahoma. The Favres were celebrating their 66th anniversary and during Jayne’s call with them our entire group shouted in unison “Happy Anniversary.” John reported that not only had they been married for 66 years, but they had also dated for four years prior making this a “70 years together” celebration!
Next, a set of Parabelle pansy cane earrings made by Ed Poore was auctioned. Larry Selman conducted the auction and Ron Gauny had the winning bid. The proceeds will benefit the Sunny Peer Scholarship Fund.
The afternoon Speakers’ Program began with Guest Artist, Mayauel Ward, who presented a slide show of his paperweights, perfume bottles, and vases. Mayauel spoke openly of the challenges to artists in this economy. He has found it necessary to reach a broader audience by designing pieces in several price ranges and by getting as much exposure as possible by selling at craft and gift shows all over the country. We “oohed” and “aahed” over his glass creations but were equally impressed by his marketing efforts.
Larry and Marti Selman spoke of the seamless transition of L.H. Selman Ltd. to the new owners, brothers Ben and Mitch Clark. We gave the Selmans a standing ovation in honor of their long years of work serving the paperweight world. Ben Clark then spoke about growing up with his father’s paperweight collection, about the four-month Selman “Boot Camp” that he and his brother attended to learn the business directly, and about their desire to carry on the high quality customer service that has been the hallmark of L. H. Selman Ltd. We were honored to have been the first regional group meeting they attended.
The meeting adjourned around 2:30 so that members could have time for more buying before the reception at the Bogan Art Gallery and dinner at a local favorite, Mario’s Ristorante. We then enjoyed a wonderful dessert reception at a member couple's lovely home. Their paperweight collection was another dessert we inhaled!
Sunday, members gathered at the historic Hotel Galvez for a lavish Brunch and then stopped in Alvin for the final event of the weekend: Open House at another member’s home. Her splendid and varied collection was a delight! By then, cold weather had slipped into last place as an item of note – good friends, beautiful paperweights, and delicious treats were all we would remember.
A beautiful Friday in October began on the 16th when we checked into the The Sunday House for our paperweight weekend. The fun started right away when we gathered in the meeting room and met old and new friends. We enjoyed drinks and snacks brought by members and even had time for a quick stroll to nearby shops. It was Octoberfest weekend and several other organizations were in town. At 6PM that evening, we crossed the highway to dine at Mamacita’s Mexican Restaurant. The restaurant was able to accommodate 33 of us with great food and service. Afterwards, back in the meeting room, Jayne Gilbert was surprised with a cake celebrating her recent birthday. The cake had a princess and frog motif and at the meeting the next day, she bought a paperweight with a frog wearing a crown as a memento. It was all meant to be. Later that evening, many of us stayed to talk paperweights, play bridge or other games, and even worked on a jigsaw puzzle.
Bright and early Saturday morning, after a complimentary breakfast, we gathered once again in the meeting room. Gary, Marge and Mabel McClanahan brought a wide array of paperweights and related objects for our viewing and buying pleasure. At 10AM, 37 members and 7 guests settled in for the business meeting. After the usual formalities, the big announcement of new officers was made. They are: Gary Underwood – President; Ron Gauny – Vice-President; Vickie Austin – Secretary; and Bob White – Treasurer. Carol Ann Luby agreed to take over as Newsletter Editor. The new officers will be sworn in at the Galveston meeting January 30, 2010. The Sunny Peer Scholarship fund got a boost, compliments of Carl Carter, who had Parabelle rose canes made into pierced earrings, which were auctioned at the meeting with proceeds going to the Scholarship Fund. Gary McClanahan conducted the auction and Niki Maas had the high bid. Another generous contribution to the scholarship fund was 20% of the proceeds recognized from the sale of Dennis Nelson’s mother’s paperweights.
Several members brought items for “Show and Tell.” And the usual Door Prize Drawing starting the afternoon session was exceptional with the McClanahans donating many wonderful items. But the highlight of the afternoon (in my opinion) was Gary’s delightful talk entitled “Bugs and Roses.” He is so knowledgeable and entertaining. Also, we were happy to meet Vanessa Montano, who is the first recipient of the Sunny Peer Scholarship, as well as her parents and a friend. Vanessa spoke about how she became interested in glass and her experiences at Corning and studies with Loren Stump. She also showed slides of her recent glass creations. Vanessa is working on a glass object, hopefully completed by January, to be auctioned at the next meeting — a nice way of “paying it forward” with the proceeds going into the Sunny Peer Scholarship Fund to help another student in the future.
The meeting adjourned around 3PM. We had reservations at 6PM at the Friedhelm’s Bavarian Inn for dinner. We were seated at different tables in groups of six or eight and while most enjoyed a good meal, one table with eight of our group were caught in a “wait staff vacuum” and even after two hours, were never served — which proves that some of the bumper stickers are indeed correct.
On Sunday morning, many of us stopped at the nearby Wildseed Farms on our way home to see their display of migrating Monarch butterflies, as well as an enclosed butterfly haus which featured many varieties of butterflies in a natural environment. We all enjoyed the stop there and many took advantage of their very impressive gift shops!
Big Doings in “Big D” (or Addison, as the case may be) by Zoë Switzer
We knew it would be hot and it was, but when you go from the air conditioned Crowne Plaza Hotel, after Happy Hour in Jayne’s room, to an air conditioned car to an air conditioned glass gallery, who cares about the temperature? The Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass was fabulous – something for everyone and then some. Our hosts and their staff really made us welcome. There was wine and “munchies.” After we looked, and some purchased, we walked to the Blue Mesa Restaurant where 28 of us enjoyed a different type of Mexican food. An added delight was the celebration of Ron Gauny’s birthday! Our thanks go to Ruth Glover for arranging to have a beautiful cake for Ron. Back to the hotel where once again Jayne invited everyone to her room. However, she neglected to mention she had changed rooms due to an A/C problem. I think everyone had already had enough to eat and drink so all was forgiven.
After a complimentary breakfast buffet at the hotel, we gathered in the Chinaberry Room for the meeting Saturday morning. As usual, the agenda moved along at a good and entertaining pace. We welcomed back several members who hadn’t been with us for some time. Two special events were added to this meeting. One was a silent auction of members’ weights and other objects in which 10% of the buyer’s purchase price went to the Sunny Peer Scholarship Fund. Drew Ebelhare and Eric Hansen each donated one of their weights for a live auction. The proceeds also went into the Scholarship Fund. Niki Maas was high bidder on Eric’s weight and Ron Gauny won Drew’s weight. After lunch on your own, we reconvened at 1:00PM for the door prize drawing. Assisting Marion Bates was Gena Whitten’s sister, Carol Bodnar. Though older than our usual sub-teen age helpers, she was equally as charming.
The guest artists, Drew Ebelhare and Eric Hansen, were speakers after lunch. Each gave an entertaining and informative talk about their work as a paperweight artist. Drew’s was a particularly innovative animated PowerPoint presentation with hilarious sound effects. We did not know he was that technically advanced! And our own Lowell Switzer continued his series; this time entitled “The Garden of Eat’n” which showed slides of examples of different types of glass with fruits and vegetables as a decorative theme. He was equally entertaining but I could be prejudiced.
After the meeting adjourned, we were once again invited to Jayne’s room. This time we tracked her down. We were all invited to the home of a member couple's home for a Luau Saturday evening. We were greeted with a Mai Tai and a lei and enjoyed a wonderful buffet in keeping with the night’s theme. Their home is truly beautiful and they were most gracious hosts. It was another wonderful evening. We thank them both so graciously and sincerely.
And if all that wasn’t enough, Eric and his wife Cheryl invited everyone to his Laughing Glass Studio in Argyle on Sunday morning to see where all the magic happens. Approximately 15 people enjoyed refreshments and a demonstration of his sandblasting machine. Jayne’s granddaughter was invited to help. Eric made a glass swan like his uncle and father had once made using a knitting process for the feathers. His studio was neat, well-organized, and not too hot, weather wise. He will be hosting a studio tour in the fall featuring local artists.
So you see, there were big doings in Big D. Don’t be left out of the next planned meeting for October in Fredericksburg. It will be big too!
Let’s Give ‘Em Something To Talk About!!! And as the song title suggests, that’s just what we did. Beginning on Friday afternoon, January 30, we met in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn in Houston. We carpooled to the nearby Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts and enjoyed the exhibits of paperweights, glass and photography that are temporarily on display. We also enjoyed the current exhibition of 17th and 18th century European paintings on loan from the Blaffer Foundation collection featured at the museum.
After the museum tour, we went back to the hotel and walked to the PF Chang Restaurant. Twenty-eight of us enjoyed the food and conversation and continued visiting back in the hotel lobby. And then it happened — something we’ll talk about — the lights went out, not only in the hotel, but the surrounding area. It was very reminiscent of last year’s Hurricane Ike. After about two hours, the lights were back on and we retired for the evening.
Saturday began with paperweight viewing and purchasing. The meeting started on schedule and moved along with the election of the present officers for another year. The second something we’ll talk about, was the announcement by Art Elder that after nine years, he will no longer be newsletter editor as soon as a replacement can be found. Also, Jayne Gilbert announced that after six years, this will be her final year as president and Zoë Switzer quickly followed with announcing that after six years, this was her final year as secretary. (Are there any volunteers for these vacancies?) The afternoon session began with Rachel Novak, as charming as ever, selecting the names for the door prize drawing. Larry Selman introduced guest artist, David Graeber. David is a talented artist and has been making paperweights for 20 years. This was the first paperweight meeting he had ever attended — something else for us to talk about.
At 4PM, we all met at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft for more paperweight viewing and exhibitions featuring the medium of glass including paperweights and art glass. Later, we went to the home of a member couple and were treated to more wonderful objects of art and glass as well as a fabulous buffet dinner — just one more thing to talk about.
Our next meeting is scheduled for the weekend of June 12-14 in Dallas. Don’t miss it or you will be the one we will be talking about!
The Ike-man cameth and wrecked havoc on Galveston Island, the site of the planned PCA TX October meeting on October 3-4, 2008. But somehow, a meeting was pulled together for the same dates and we gathered at the Holiday Inn Northwest in Houston. Residents from the Houston/Galveston area greeted each other by saying, “how long were you without power?”
Festivities began Friday in Jayne and Fran’s room where we met for “happy hour.” We welcomed artists Rick Ayotte and Melissa Ayotte Kenison as well as Clara Ayotte. Melissa brought two-year old Gabriel with her but he missed happy hour. Alan Kaplan and Susan Kaplan Jacobson did not miss anything and immediately joined in the fun. It was then on to County Line Bar-B-Q for dinner. There were 25 of us and I noticed many ordered the ribs and $3 Margaritas.
On Saturday at 9AM sharp, the dealers were set up and ready for business. It didn’t take Bernie Sedate long to make his selection. Red dots (sold signs) appeared rapidly on the wonderful array of paperweights. Jayne opened the meeting by welcoming 36 members and 7 guests. Among items on the agenda was the report by Ron Gauny regarding the scholarship project. Ron and his committee have done a lot of work and further information will be provided at the next meeting. The playing card sales have been slow but with everyone’s help, should pick up and will be a success.
Many members brought items for Show & Tell and one of our newer members, Marty Leming, proudly showed off his first paperweight — a gorgeous butterfly weight. WOW!
After lunch selections from Jason’s Deli, the popular door prize drawing opened the afternoon session. Rachel Faith Novak was as charming as ever as the official “drawer.” She particularly got excited when she drew her daddy’s name. The donated door prizes were particularly nice and our thanks go out to the donors.
Rick and Melissa gave a charming talk entitled “The Dynamic Trio” (Clara was of course included). “The Leo Kaplan Story” was presented by Alan and Susan. Their pride in their parents was evident. Art Elder brought us up to date on the “Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts.” Everyone was encouraged to visit the museum.
At 5:30PM we dined at Campioni’s Restaurant and it was then on to a member couple’s home for dessert, paperweight viewing and more socializing. Jan Whitley, who lives in Galveston and had considerable damage to her home and car, graciously brought an assortment of her antique weights for us to enjoy. Also, Kathy Poeppel and Dick Moiel brought many of their glass items and paperweights for viewing and purchase.
Even though we, in Houston and surrounding areas, had been through a tough time, we were thankfully able to be together with our friends. Thanks to everyone for making this meeting a great success.
Austin is always an exciting place, and was even more so on June 20-22 when PCA TX paperweight collectors gathered there for their summer meeting. Ray Metcalfe of Sweetbriar Galleries traveled from the United Kingdom to get a taste of Texas. This marked the first time a dealer from another country visited one of our meetings. Scottish artist John Deacons was scheduled to come with him as Guest Speaker, but was unable to come due to an unfortunately slow recovery from recent knee surgery.
On Friday evening, 24 members and guests gathered for a meal at Threadgill’s. This popular Texan style restaurant was Ray Metcalfe’s initiation to Texas. We “Americanized” him with Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Okra and a large helping of Peach Cobbler with Blue Bell ice cream. What a guy – he got a gold star for cleaning his plate!
The Clarion Inn and Suites was the site of the meeting and on Saturday morning, at 9:30AM, the doors to the meeting room opened and 34 of us poured in. Ray brought a wonderful selection of paperweights as well as four John Deacons’ miniatures to be given as door prizes.
The meeting began with the usual business matters. We are still in the process of establishing a scholarship program for paperweight artists. Jayne presented the paperweight themed playing cards that were ordered for another fund-raising project. The cards are available for purchase and you can contact Jayne for order blanks and details.
The afternoon session began with the usual door prize drawing – and what a wonderful array of prizes they were.
Ray’s presentation on Paul Ysart was of great interest, outlining Paul’s accomplishments in Europe as well as his introduction in America through Paul Jokelson. Ray encouraged everyone to pay close attention because there would be a quiz afterward, with the prize for the winner being a Paul Ysart paperweight. To no one’s surprise, Carl was the winner with Jayne coming in a close second. Then Ray presented the program John Deacons had intended to show, documenting his career in making paperweights.
This was the second PCA TX meeting featuring Ysart and his work – the other being on October 2004 when Colin Mahoney and Gary McClanahan spoke about him.
Everyone was on their own for dinner Saturday evening but one group ended up at Texas Roadhouse. It was another Texas food experience for Ray. After dinner, we were invited to the lovely home of a member couple for dessert, socializing and more paperweight viewing. Their homemade desserts are always special.
Sunday morning the highlight was brunch with another member couple – a delicious feast for both the tummy and the eyes! It’s always a delight to see what new weights and other artworks have been added to their collections.
It was a wonderful week-end and a real joy getting to know Ray Metcalfe. He was a delight and we all look forward to seeing him again if not in Texas, at a PCA convention.
As collectors scattered back to their homes, most had a smile on their face, a dent in their billfold and the satisfaction of being with fellow collectors for another good meeting.
The PCA TX annual meeting is scheduled for February 15-17 in Houston at the Hilton Garden Inn Northwest. This is the same place we met last year. It is a convenient location with all the amenities that we need. Make your reservations before January 25, 2008. The phone number is 832-912-1000. The hotel is located at 7979 Willow Chase Boulevard, close to Hwy. 290 and FM 1960. The hotel has a courtesy van for guest trips within a five-mile radius. On Friday evening we will dine nearby at PF Chang’s.
The election of officers will be held at the annual business meeting on Saturday morning. The meeting will begin at 10AM. The Nominating Committee has recommended a continuation of the present officers and nominations will be taken from the floor.
Dealer Nancy Alfano, from Portia Paperweights in Chicago, will bring an extensive inventory of weights for our delight. She will sponsor our visiting artist, Cathy Richardson. Cathy’s work was featured in the Contemporary Showcase articles in both the 2006 and 2007 PCA Bulletin and Nancy previewed some of her pieces at our 20th Anniversary meeting last year. Nancy is an expert on antique miniature weights and will give a program about them.
Friends, Finds and Fun In Fredericksburg - The FUN began right away when we were able to use the meeting room on Friday afternoon at the Sunday House Inn in Fredericksburg. Members began gathering for the usual beverages and snacks. Being in an area of German heritage, we carpooled to the Friedhelm’s Bavarian Inn Restaurant where 24 of us enjoyed Sauerbraten, Wiener schnitzel and even cat fish. After dinner we returned to the meeting room where Marion Bates surprised Al with a beautiful birthday cake for us all to enjoy and celebrate his special day.
Saturday began with a complimentary breakfast and then on to the FINDS. And there were many! Both Roger Jacobsen (Guest Dealer) and Drew Ebelhare (Guest Artist) brought a wide array of weights. Unless you go to the PCA conventions, you don’t get to see Roger that often so it was a treat to have him with us. And of course, we still consider Drew one of our own.
The business meeting was lively as always, with a good turnout of 38 members and guests present. We were delighted to see Clarice and James Tripp again after her recent illnesses.
Jayne has future meetings planned through 2010 so if you missed this one there are plenty more to look forward to. Four new members attended this meeting and several guests. It is always good to meet our new members! It seems like our fame is spreading and everyone wants to be a part of our group. Lunch was on your own and there were a variety of things to do and places to go. Fredericksburg has numerous restaurants and shops and they were all within walking distance of our hotel. After the break, the popular door prize drawing was held. Tim Novak and his daughters were not present so, without help from the usual children to draw the winners, we had to fend for ourselves.
Odessa member Bernie Sedate exhibited two miniature rooms made by his wife, Jayne. The miniature rooms are exact scale models which featured exhibits of paperweights! The rooms included lighted crystal chandeliers, display cases, and glass shelves featuring paperweight collections. One of the rooms included some very realistic 3D effects behind windows. They are a fascinating collection demonstrating precision, ingenuity and creativity as well as masterful reproductions of miniature objects. Our sincere thanks to Bernie for sharing this with us!
Roger Jacobsen began the speakers’ program. Roger had a very interesting life before paperweights. He was in the Air Force and served our country well. Roger’s talk was “New England Paperweights – Past and Present” and focused on New England weights and artists. He was the first to use the new projector. His slides showed the exhibit at the Sandwich Glass Museum during the Rhode Island Convention.
Art Elder was second on the program and gave a PowerPoint presentation that is available for members to use for giving an informative and interesting talk about paperweights to other clubs and organizations. The presentation is a recently revised co-production by Art and the International Paperweight Society, courtesy of Larry Selman Ltd. The images of paperweights in this revision are truly outstanding! Art encouraged members to become speakers by using the program for their local organizations.
Drew ended the speakers’ program with slides of his early and current works, and plans for the future. His talk was entitled “The Ebelhare Update”. His running commentary was amusing and very entertaining.
The meeting concluded with enough time for more purchases and even a quick walk downtown to enjoy the many shops in this historic town in the picturesque Hill Country.
At 6 PM 21 of us walked across the street to dine at Mamacitas Mexican Restaurant. After dinner we converged once again in the meeting room where one could play bridge, work a jigsaw puzzle, play Scrabble, or watch football games on a large screen television set. So there was something for everyone.
As always, we hated to say good-bye to our FRIENDS but we did so with the knowledge that we’ll meet again in Houston in February 2008. Fredericksburg was full of FUN, FRIENDS and great paperweight FINDS.
Thanks to Zoë Switzer for a wonderful meeting writeup.
The first really hot week in June began on Wednesday the 6th, just in time for our PCA TX meeting! One had to wonder what the guests from Wisconsin and California thought. By the end of the weekend I’m sure they thought not only the weather was hot but also the Texas hospitality, food, meeting and speakers were all “sizzling”.
The summer meeting began on Friday, June 8 when we gathered at the Hawthorn Suites in College Station. After a short walk to Abuela’s Mexican Restaurant, 28 members and 2 guests dined in a private room. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal.
The Forsyth Center Galleries was the scene of our meeting on June 9. Larry and Betty Schwab brought enough paperweights to fill four tables - and all were attractively priced. Other highlights included a silent auction, a report on the recent convention and several members sharing their purchases from that convention with a ”show & tell” session.
The business meeting consisted of updates on the Caribbean Cruise in January 2008, and appointment of a nominating committee for selection of officers to be voted on in 2008. A donation of $1,000 was given to the Forsyth Center Galleries as part of our educational program. Art Elder was recognized for participating in the Exxon Program which results in PCA TX receiving a $500 grant each quarter.
Marshall Deitsch, Regional 3 Director of PCA and his wife, Irene, were welcomed, as was Jan Smith, Executive Director of the Bergstrom Mahler Museum. Jan was one of the speakers and gave us an update on the museum. As is the custom after a convention, Lowell Switzer spoke – this time featuring roses. And Art Elder reprised his convention talk “The Use of Lampwork in Antique and Contemporary Paperweights.”
A box lunch was enjoyed in the gallery among the 672 pieces of glass presently on display there. Always thinking about the next meal, after the meeting we gathered at Luby’s Cafeteria for dinner before visiting the beautiful new home of one of our local PCA TX members to enjoy a selection of delicious desserts. Our special thanks go to them for their gracious hospitality.
The PCA TX Annual Meeting convened at the Hilton Garden Inn in Houston, close to Highway 249 on February 24. This new location was convenient to those coming from out of town and the meeting was well attended by both local and long distance members. It is always good to have John and Wilbarine Favre come all the way from Oklahoma to be with us.
Thirty-nine members and 5 guests came early to see the great selection of weights brought by Larry and Marti Selman. We welcomed Alison Ruzsa, an artist from New York who displayed her newest creations. Her paperweights are whimsical and really tell a story. We’ll be seeing more of her work.
The Annual Business meeting was conducted by President Jayne Gilbert. Members re-elected the present officers for another term. Zoë Switzer introduced information about a cruise for members in early 2008. Good interest was expressed and we will work toward a vacation together in the Caribbean. Through the good work of Art Elder, another grant of $500 was received from Exxon. In the spirit of our educational purpose, members voted to contribute $750 to Bergstrom-Mahler Museum.
Carl Carter did the “Show and Tell” with his recent weights. One weight had been on eBay and we were curious about its origin. We hope to start this feature as a part of our meetings. I remember how we were entertained at past meetings by Willard St. John when he would bring his latest discoveries.
Following lunch at the hotel, members were entertained with a personalized presentation by Marti Selman on their collections and their passions. Larry continued with a visual presentation on his newest passion – birding. We were enthralled with not only the presentation but also the beautiful pictures that Larry has taken! Alison Ruzsa gave a presentation on her career, showing pictures of her favorite works and showing details we might have missed in merely looking at her weights.
The days were not all business! Friday evening we had a table for 28 at P F Chang’s restaurant. On Saturday we dined at Campioni’s Italian restaurant. This is a favorite of Art and Joyce Elder, and now a favorite of ours. The private room and excellent food were enjoyed by all. Following dinner, a local member couple entertained at a dessert buffet at their home. And once again, we were amazed at their beautiful paperweights. On Sunday the farewell brunch was hosted by a different local couple. Texas tamales and paperweights go well together! Thank you to both couples for a wonderful time!
An informal poll indicated that, to date, 12 members will be attending the PCA Convention in Providence RI in April. Art Elder will be a featured speaker and Jayne Gilbert will moderate the ID Clinic. Most plan to join the tour to the mansions prior to the convention.
We’ve Been to Salado!
You could almost hear the cowboys, the cattle and the stagecoach pulling into the inn, but it was just the merriment of the Texas paperweight collectors when they met in quaint, historic Salado for their fall meeting on September 22-23.
Friday evening we dined at The Mansion on Main Street. Although the restaurant was a little overwhelmed with so many of us, we enjoyed the food and conversation.
Thirty-four members gathered at the Salado Community Center on Saturday to view the new creations of artist Drew Ebelhare. Three Ambassadors of the Salado Chamber of Commerce welcomed us with a bit of history and welcome bags. Members set out items for the Silent Auction and Ron Gauny, as Chairman, explained the process. More than $80 was donated to the association to defray the cost of renting the meeting rooms.
There are still a few cookbooks for sale, which would make good gifts for friends. We will have a few paperweights from Peter McDougall honoring the 20th anniversary for $30. If you don’t have the commissioned 20th anniversary weights from Ken Rosenfeld, they are still available for $275 and $325. These are limited editions and will not be available again.
President Jayne Gilbert announced that Frances Miller is celebrating her 90th birthday today and has our best wishes. Frances is working on a needlepoint piece of the Rosenfeld Anniversary weight as a fundraiser for the club. We fondly remember the other work of art she donated a few years ago. Thanks, Frances.
Al Bates enticed us to make our own paperweight, showing his weight he made at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center. Bernie Sedate brought a miniature “paperweight room”. His wife, Jayne, makes these fascinatingly elaborate dollhouses as a hobby. Complete with lights, paperweights and furniture, all in miniature, we all wanted to see more of Jayne’s works.
A letter was read from Willard St. John who sent a donation to PCA TX in honor of their 60th wedding anniversary. Drew Ebelhare donated one of his paperweights to be auctioned. Thanks to Lowell Switzer, with a high bid of $325, the PCA TX income has increased. Thanks to both Drew and Lowell.
The afternoon program consisted of Drew giving a slide presentation of “25 Years of Glass Blowing”. He showed his early work, and progressive designs through the years. Carl Carter entertained us with “Refining Your Collection” and showed pictures of his collection through the years. Jayne Gilbert, with pictures from Les and Angie Smith, relived the paperweight gathering at Wheaton in May. A short video of the Ayottes’ new studio was included.
The meeting ended on Saturday evening with a traditional dinner at the Stagecoach Inn. The recited menu was extensive, the food was “down home cooking” and the camaraderie was exceptional. All declared that the meeting was a success.
We have waited 20 years for this – and it was worth it!! The 65 members attending the 20th Anniversary Celebration of PCA TX had a great time in Austin on June 17, 2006. The celebrating started with a reception at two members' home on Friday evening. The meeting all day on Saturday at the Marriott began with shopping for the latest weights from three dealers – Nancy Alfano of Portia Paperweights, Larry and Marti Selman (with Rick, Clara and Melissa Ayotte), and the Gary McClanahan family. We were delighted to see Gary’s wife Marge looking so well after her recent major health problems, and his mother Mabel as alert as ever. The meeting room was large and spacious, giving the dealers much exhibit space and the collectors plenty of room to view their treasures without crowding.
After a short business meeting, President Jayne Gilbert discussed the history of the organization, highlighting the educational events and contributions made through the years.
Kathy Moyer, former Vice President and Publications Director for PCA spoke on the first 50 years of PCA, enchanting us with little known facts and acquainting us with former officers and members. Each member could identify when they joined the group and relived memories of their own.
Gay Taylor, Director of Wheaton Village and the Museum of American Glass, spoke on the late William Gaskill Collection, which will be exhibited in its entirety there for the year. She also gave us a visual tour of the museum and talked about Millville weights. Wheaton Village will soon become the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center.
Tim Novak presented a review of the eight major paperweight exhibits featured at the Forsyth Gallery at Texas A&M University. These ranged from the “Art of the Paperweight - Challenging Traditions” in 1994 to “A Collectors Passion” in 2005. Tim also discussed some of their sponsored European and domestic tours of glass factories and museums enjoyed by many PCA TX members and others through the years.
Gary McClanahan surprised members by giving them a Peter McDougall commemorative miniature paperweight containing a central special “PCA TX 20” cane. Gary had these made especially to help celebrate the event. Included with each paperweight was a slice of the PCA TX 20 cane. A “one off” magnum millefiori weight was also made with a complete outer ring of the Texas 20 canes. This “one of a kind” weight was given by Gary to PCA TX to be auctioned, and he conducted the auction. After a fierce round of bidding, Willard St. John had the winning bid of $1500 — a great price for a great weight! He wrote in a later note that he was sending a check to PCA TX for $1559.60, and that “the odd amount represents seven cents per day for each of the 22,280 days we will have been married on the anniversary. Coincidentally, we remember that seven cents was the streetcar fare when we were children in Memphis.” Our congratulations to Willard for buying this rare and special weight and our sincere thanks to Gary for his thoughtfulness and generosity.
After the sumptuous evening banquet, the keynote speaker was Alex Vance, Director of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum. His speech was entitled “Fellow Travelers: Paperweight Collectors and Bergstrom-Mahler Museum.” Alex related recent donations and plans for the future at Bergstrom-Mahler. The museum was founded in 1956 and represents an investment in our times and lives. Their future is based on value, significance and beauty of the paperweights in the collections.
Generous members supplied us with many door prizes. Special thanks to Roger Jacobsen for a silk scarf, Harvey and Doris Robinson for two vintage books, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum for two books, Danny Salazar for a paperweight, Gary McClanahan for two paperweights, Larry Selman for a silk paperweight tie and vest, and a millennium cube, and Nancy Alfano for a poster and a book. Other nice door prizes were from Sunny Peer, Barbara Dokell, PCA Library, Bill Luttrell, Gary Underwood, Frances Miller and Jayne Gilbert.
The Anniversary Committee is to be commended for planning this special celebration. Please thank Al Bates, Carl Carter and Sunny Peer, and also Bob White for his help with the plans and arrangements. Their hard work paid off — we all had a great time, and celebrated the anniversary in true Texas fashion. Thanks from us all.
The 2006 Annual Meeting of the PCA TX was a success, with 43 members attending the meeting in Houston on February 25, 2006, at the Hampton Inn near the Galleria complex.
The meeting was marked by a series of pluses and minuses. But at the end of the day, the balance was certainly positive. The plus factors included all those items within our control, such as the fellowship and re-acquaintance with good friends, the meeting agenda, the guest speakers, and the chance to see and buy quality paperweights. The minus factors included those factors beyond our control, such as the unusually heavy traffic in the Galleria area caused by construction projects and road closures, which resulted in nightmarish problems for some of our members trying to navigate to the hotel meeting site. Additionally, the hotel double booked our usual meeting room, resulting in our group being forced into a room half the size we needed. This caused many problems, ranging from the dealers not being able to adequately display their wares, insufficient space for collectors to examine them, insufficient seating space, extreme overcrowding, etc. Additionally, after being promised that we could expand into our usual space after lunch, the hotel management then reneged on that promise, and we were again cramped into the too small room for the afternoon speaker’s program!
But as the World War II song went, “You’ve Got to Accentuate the Positive - Eliminate the Negative - Latch on to the Affirmative - etc.” We appreciate the members accepting the hardships as factors beyond our control, and enjoying the many positives of the meeting.
The weekend events began on Friday afternoon in the spacious hotel lobby as our members began gathering and catching up on old friendships. We appreciate those who traveled to Houston to help make the gathering a success. Special thanks are due to Zoë and Lowell Switzer for donating and serving wine, soft drinks and snacks for our enjoyment. A catered meal of BBQ beef and chicken was served to our group of 27 members in the lounge, and we were able to continue our enjoyment into the evening without having to venture out into the traffic for the evening meal.
On Saturday, despite the space restraints caused by the hotel, the Annual Business Meeting was carried out successfully in the morning. The election of officers and other necessary organizational business was conducted as required by our By Laws. Plans for the upcoming PCA TX 20th Anniversary Celebration were discussed in detail, which will be held in Austin over the weekend of June 16-18, 2006.
A sumptuous selection of door prizes were donated, ranging from small paperweights to books and literature, and were eagerly won by many members. In particular, Willard and Laura St. John donated a special paperweight made to commemorate their 60th wedding anniversary last year. This special piece was sold as a fundraiser in a silent auction and added $65 to the treasury.
The speaker’s program began with visiting glass artist Jeremiah Lotton’s talk about his family, his studio, and his work. He used a PowerPoint presentation that provided excellent images, and his descriptions of his work were very interesting.
Dealer and PCA TX member Larry Schwab, who graciously sponsored the expenses of Lotton, then spoke about his experiences and challenges in trying to get a collectors organization started in Florida, where he is a winter resident. The collector base in Florida is an aging populace of part-time residents who are more interested in selling their collections than adding to them. He is working on this project jointly with PCA TX member Ron Roberts, who recently moved to Florida. We wish them well in this venture.
Larry’s wife, Betty, then spoke about the work and history of early paperweight artists Hugh and Caroline Smith. The Smiths were a husband and wife team who worked in Millville NJ in the 1970s. Caroline was the first contemporary female lampworker, and dogwood blossoms were her specialty. She used either a CS or C signature cane. Hugh’s specialty was cattails, and he used a HS signature cane. They only made miniatures.
Texas glass artist and PCA TX member, Eric Hansen (Laughing Glass Studios), then showed his newest paperweights which demonstrated the very rapid and impressive progression of his skills. In particular, his work showed a very pleasing and attractive pallet of colors in full sized three-inch weights.
The meeting was then adjourned, with time remaining for more paperweight shopping before the evening activities.
That evening, we car-pooled to a nearby restaurant to eat as a group, followed by a visit to a member’s nearby home for her open house and desserts. Her gracious and generous hospitality is always a much anticipated and appreciated opportunity to view her eclectic collection of paperweights and other fine glass art in a glorious environment.
On Sunday morning, another open house was hosted by another local member at her home where members enjoyed seeing her diverse collection. She served a very generous and delicious brunch for our members, and provided a last chance to visit before departing for the long drive home with many good memories of another weekend of paperweight fun.
Most paperweight images courtesy L. H. Selman
PCA TX Webmaster: Niki Maas
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