Little Gallery

on Fessenden

Celebrating Creativity
in the Neighborhood

Current Exhibits

Upper Gallery

Hand-painted China by Christine Ray

from her daughter, Kathryn Ray’s collection.

In the 1970s, painting china was a popular hobby for my mother, Christine Ray, and her friends.  For years they gathered every Tuesday evening at the home of the friend who owned a kiln. They always enjoyed convivial conversation while embellishing white china with flowers, acorns, mushrooms, or a seasonal design. The first steps were to sketch the design with a special pencil, then mix ground colored glass with oil, paint the background to create the illusion of depth, then fire it in a kiln heated to over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit to melt and fuse the ground glass to the china.  The next week, the second coat with the design detail was painted and fired again. Sometimes they edged the glass with a “gold” rim, but my mother didn’t like to do it.  Getting the rim just right required a lot of patience and skill.  Each of her three daughters have a complete set of china and many cherished items.  She always had a lovely little box painted for all of my friends. Over fifty years later, they still enjoy them.
 
My mother was born in DC (at the old Sibley Hospital!) in 1915. She met my dad in kindergarten. Although she was barely 5’2″, During WWII she drove an 18-wheeler Red Cross blood donor van which she said had to be “double clutched”. She graduated from Wilson Teachers College here in DC and taught First Grade in DCPS for 10 years. During the summers she traveled to NYC to earn a master’s degree from Columbia.  It was her first time away from home and she relished the big city. She left teaching when she started a family. My mother was a great Girl Scout leader, community volunteer, and friend to all. She passed away in 2000 and is buried with my father at Arlington National Cemetery.

Audio Gallery

"A Sunset Fire", a poem by Chrissy Horansky

A Woodley Park resident, Chrissy is a writer and communications consultant working with UN agencies.  A lifelong advocate for education,
creativity, and the global advancement of women and girls, her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, MTV, and international media
outlets. She is the author of Girl Power in the Age of the Millennials: Essays on Women, Youth and Global Social Change. She holds a master’s from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College. Connect at cehorans@gmail.com or @MissMillennial on Twitter. 

Author’s comments: There is a time in the fall when the setting sun catches the leaves of the trees and sets them afire. For me, it is one of those flashes of brilliance that reminds me of our one life here on this earth, and how the most breathtaking moments can stretch into what feels like eternity. When I am feeling down or disconnected, I can find myself in the Rock Creek Park. My head and my heart clear of the weight of this world. And I remember that my life is more than the sum of my failures and accomplishments. We are that endlessly burning sunset fire.

album-art

Little Gallery is looking for visual and audio exhibitors

 
Who knew that there were so many shy people out there?
 

If you are proud of a painting, drawing, song, poem, very short story, or comedy routine that you’ve created, why not share it with our supportive community? Anything, so long as it’s in good taste, is acceptable.

Don’t be shy! Email sid@littlegallery.org to sign up.