By John Chambless
Staff Writer

You'll find some great options for holiday gift-giving at Bookplace this month, as the bookstore and gallery hosts its annual show of ceramics and glass through Jan. 28.

Kevin Lehman works in the old folk tradition of face jugs, also creating mugs and vases with goofy faces that straddle the line between silly and creepy. Lehman also has a range of glass bowls in a lovely dark blue that would be wonderful accents on any table.

Carolyn Hess has traditional glazes and designs that would be right at home in a country kitchen. Hess shows a selecton of traditional dark brown pottery, but updates it with happy, contemporary glaze designs, notably some very cute sheep. Her bowl with a ring of hens on the inside is a lot of fun, too.

Amy Burk has cups and serving dishes, and her cardinal-topped cheese keeper is a lovely design.

Amy Holland stands out with her bird designs – one on a showpiece platter and another in a two-mug set that, when they are stacked up, make a complete bird.

Rick Hohenwarter has a broad stylistic range, with boldly colored pieces that have bright, abstract patterns, along with more subdued containers with cork stoppers.

There's a selection of Maggie Creshkoff's wonderful rusty angel sculptures, along with some of her pop-eyed pottery piggy banks and a few vases with richly detailed glazes. Gill Mallinckrodt's bowls, vases and cups have ancient-looking surfaces, making them distinctive and timeless. The rough surfaces invite closer inspection, and the serving pieces holding small cactus plants would look great on your windowsill.

Bookplace (2373 Baltimore Pike, Oxford) hosts the Ceramics and Glass Show through Jan. 28. There is an artist reception on Dec. 10 from 1 to 5 p.m. Gallery hours are Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Call 717-715-4775 or visit www.bookplaceoxford.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].