Gifts of Art and Fine Craft Now Available Online, Providing Busy Shoppers With the Gift of Time

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The carefully chosen gift of original art or fine craft often makes a lasting impression on the recipient. The only drawback of shopping for art is that trekking from gallery to gallery in search of the perfect hand-crafted gift can take more time than a busy person can spare. A few of the country's best galleries have responded by adding e-galleries, allowing busy shoppers to purchase hand-crafted gifts with less time and less hassle.

"We now offer more than a thousand different items through our e-gallery," says Diane Sulg, co-owner of Maddi's Gallery in North Carolina (http://www.maddisgallery.com/). The e-gallery, added in 2005 and one of the largest online today, has quickly gained popularity with clients both near and far.

Maddi's e-gallery offers fine American crafts made of glass, ceramics, fiber or metal at virtually every price point. To streamline the online search, items are grouped into categories, such as: jewelry, art glass, ceramics, decorative accessories, women's accessories, kitchen and barware, love and romance, corporate gifts, and a large collection of Southern folk art.

Need some ideas to get your creative gift juices flowing?

"Innovative jewelry designer Alexis Bittar is a favorite in our galleries," says Sulg. His hand-carved Lucite jewelry has been featured in the TV shows, "Sex and the City" and "Friends," as well as three worldwide Estee Lauder campaigns. In addition to Alexis Bittar jewelry, Maddi's e-gallery features works by 17 other jewelry artists.

Art glass is a popular gift item, and a wide variety of works by more than 30 glass artists are offered online through Maddi's e-gallery. Ceramics also are popular, and works by about 20 ceramics artists are available online through Maddi's.

Shopping on a budget? The e-gallery features a number of hand-crafted women's handbag accessories in the $20-$25 range, from business card cases to mirrors and cosmetic cases.

Decorative accessories in the e-gallery include unusual photo frames, whimsical teapots, sculptures and clocks. Not your usual mass-produced accessories, these pieces will stimulate conversation at the very least and are likely to become family heirlooms.

Maddi's Gallery (http://www.maddisgallery.com/) represents more than 750 American artists and was recently named "Best New Gallery" in the country by Niche Awards, the industry's equivalent of an Oscar. The large inventory centers on fine American craft, artist-created jewelry and Southern folk art. Maddi's has two locations in the central Carolinas and an e-gallery offering direct sales on a global basis.