I am looking to buy a decorative bowl for a friend as a wedding
gift.  I'm looking for a specific type of bowl that I had seen in an
art gallery in Bethesda, MD a few years ago.  I have been unable to
locate the exact gallery and it may have closed down or changed
owners.

I do know the following about the bowl (or style of bowl) that I am looking for

- about a foot in diameter
- straight, non-curved sides with a flat bottom (shaped like an
upside-down lampshade)
- frosted or satin finish (like a SLIGHTLY translucent eggshell)
- thin-walled
- I believe it had an irregular lip (but not buckled or wrinkled in appearance)
- red, yellow, or blue in color

I've done a fair amount of research but have not found what I am
looking for.  The closest I have found is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/COBALT-ROMANIAN-ITALIAN-ART-BOWL-DESIGNER-CLOSEOUT-NWL_W0QQitemZ150031877698QQihZ005QQcategoryZ994QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This bowl is close but doesn't have the frosted look and the bowl I
have in mind has a more uniform, non-swirled appearance.  Apparently
the bowl that I am looking for may fall under the category of "art
glass".

I'm looking for any links (preferably to online stores) that will aid
me in my purchse.  Thanks in advance for your help.

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 13 Sep 2006 06:04 PDT

Please allow me to recommend these searches. Let me know if they
result in a solution that qualifies as an answer:

FROOGLE: Large Art Glass Bowl
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=large+Art+Glass+bowl&hl=en&btnG=Search+Froogle&lmode=online&sa=N&lnk=next&start=10

FROOGLE: Centerpiece Art Glass Bowl
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=centerpiece+Art+Glass+bowl

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

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Clarification of Question by protog-ga on 15 Sep 2006 16:54 PDT

Thank you guys for your help so far.  I've spent a few hours searching
using the suggestions you two provided and I haven't found what I am
looking for yet but I do know a little more about what I'm looking
for.  From the Froogle searches, I browsed around a few stores and
found an artist whos work looks similar.

Apparently what I am looking for is actually ceramic and not glass. 
Cheryl Williams (http://www.guild.com/artist/5690.html) makes bowls
that are similar in shape and material but are not exactly what I am
looking for.  I searched for the artist's personal website but it
appears to be down:

http://www.cwilliamsdesigns.com/


Thanks for the help so far, I will keep this updated.

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 15 Sep 2006 19:25 PDT

I think the style you are looking for is called a "fluted" bowl. These
come in a variety of designs, some scalloped and others smooth. Take a
look at this one and let me know if it meets your needs and qualifies
as a suitable answer. It is 11 inches across and 5 inches deep.

http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/google.fcgi/itemKey=1921056994

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 15 Sep 2006 21:04 PDT

Hello protog-ga,

I haven?t been able to find a website for Cheryl Williams but here are
some additional galleries that carry her work. Please review them to
see if any of the bowls available are suitable for your friend.

Thanks.

~ czh ~

http://www.artifactsindy.com/Pages/ceramic.html
PORCELAIN BOWL by Cheryl Williams

http://www.rivermarketartspace.com/Clay.htm
http://www.rivermarketartspace.com/statements/stmt_CherylWilliams.htm
Cheryl Williams

http://www.archerexchange.com/searchresults.php?galleryId=1B9C-CAHH-6E59&artistId=7960&start=1
Cheryl Williams    10 Pieces Found

http://www.art-accessories.com/GetItems.asp?SubCategoryID=10
Cheryl Williams ? 11 items 

http://americanart.si.edu/whc/whc-noframe.html?/whc/williams.html
Cheryl Williams

http://www.wlotus.com/
Ceramics -- Cheryl Williams -- Gold Leaf Bowls

---

Clarification of Question by protog-ga on 19 Sep 2006 21:28 PDT

Thanks for all of your responses.  I found another artist named
Annette Macke who makes very similar work:

http://www.rivergallery.org/artist.php?artist=7

I actually found out about her because my sister, knowing about my
bowl search, stopped into an art gallery and found bowls that were
similar to what I was looking for.  I would have been happy to buy an
Annette Macke bowl, but I also emailed Cheryl Williams via the text
from the cached copy of her site that myoarin provided, and she
confirmed that she did have some of her work in an art gallery in
Bethesda in 2002.  I plan on ordering directly from the artist so that
she can make me the type of bowl that I saw.

---

Clarification of Question by protog-ga on 19 Sep 2006 21:36 PDT

I consider this question answered, but it was partially answered by
all of the responses, including a commenter.  Without some of the
links I would not have found what I was looking for.  Is there a way
to split the answer?

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Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 20 Sep 2006 05:07 PDT

No way to split an answer, unless you close this one and ration out
your offered fee to the names that are hyperlinked, referencing this
question. Be sure to put the Researchers name in the Subject line.

Commenters cannot receive compensation.

There are few things more frustrating than trying to find an item when
you have a very precise image of what you are looking for.  Unless the
friend is terribly taken by the bowl you describe, which may have been
a unique item, I would suggest broadening the field.
By searching Google for:  art glass maryland OR dc
you will find quite a few glass studios where you may find something
attractive, or maybe one of them happens to know who made "your" bowl.

A search with:  art glass bethesda
should give you the glass studios in Bethesda, if you think that one
still exists.  Perhaps you can recognized the name.  Again, if it
doesn't, another studio may remember it and know something about the
works it sold, maybe the makers, or could tell you who ran the place.

Good luck!

Mmmm, yes, I like Cheryl Williams's work.

Here are a couple of galleries that have her things:
http://www.bayfrontgallery.com/call.htm
http://www.elliscranegallery.com/williams.htm
http://www.wlotus.com/
http://www.freehand.com/ceramics/story_541.php?PHPSESSID=e3958633d1768e5d643906b823982fd5


I found the cached copy of Cheryl's website with this text and phone number:

"To order direct from Cher simply call 208-263-1864

Cheryl Williams
Hi, I'm Cheryl
and I make better ceramics than you would ever believe!

Welcome
I decided that since so many colleagues and friends have been
requesting this that I should have a web site to show the world my
work.
The purpose of this site is not to talk about myself but to offer you
an "online portfolio" of my work.
So, please have a look and feel free to email me with your comments."

The contact on the website gives this email address:  cwilliams@sandpoint.net 

I wish you luck.

Hi Protog,
I am very pleased that I could help you, but I was only following your
lead, once you discovered that the bowl was not glass and suggested
Cheryl's work.
Of course, I cannot be compensated.  Your success is gratification enough.

The only way to split the reward is by posting new questions
mentioning the name of each G-A Researcher and asking them any
question you want.  Since they receive 75% of the price of a question
but 100% of a tip,  ...  well, you get the point.

I am sure the bowl will be a wonderful wedding present.

Regards, Myoarin