THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407270035
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
VACATION SOUVENIRS often are stuffed into a shoebox and shoved to the back of a closet. As memories of the trip fade, so do memories of where in the world you put that box.
The folks at Harbor Gallery in Ghent have a clever alternative: displaying mementoes in a shadow box that can be hung on a wall.
Give them your photographs, seashells, foreign coins, knickknacks, ticket stubs, whatever you brought back from the mountains, the islands, the continent, says Gallery picture framer Cynthia Lotts. From the paraphernalia customers heap on the shop counter, Harbor Gallery can make a piece of art, Lotts promises.
Romantic getaway weekends or honeymoons are popular subjects for this art form, Lotts says.
``The neat thing about the shadow box is that it is really personal, always custom-designed,'' Lotts says. ``Everyone brings in so many different types of objects that we have to look at each work differently.''
The shadow box is also an ideal way to preserve memories of special events such as birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. For example, Harbor Gallery assembled a box in celebration of the opening of Norfolk's ballpark in April 1993. A gift to Mayor Paul Fraim from his family, the artful arrangement included opening-day tickets, ribbon and scissors, souvenir bat, ball and hat, and in the background, the newspaper clipping about Harbor Park's opening day.
Harbor Gallery is at 1508 Colley Ave. in Norfolk. Call 627-2787 for more information. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JIM WALKER/Staff
Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim received this shadow box as a gift when
Harbor Park opened in 1993.
by CNB