Winifred Whitfield Featured Artist at ChocMo’s Grand Opening

Staying in Motion

Some wise person ~ I forgot who ~ said to ” stay in motion”. Some might think this includes just “spinning your wheels, digging deeper and going no where, but I have never found this to be the case for me. I think Peter Crabtree would agree. He stays in motion also. A friend of mine, Bonita Doerkson suggested that we have a glass of wine one evening. “Let’s go to ChocMo” she said – “it’s just opening.” For a glass of wine – no problem for me. I entered this new space – only open for 3 days at the time – at least as the newly expanded and renamed place that is is. Many know the previous and smaller version CBC. I never really knew what it was. I knew it had something to do with chocolates but this is not one of my addictions – as it is for most. I found this new environment lovely. It was elegant. I liked it’s spaciousness, the textures and color of the wood used and the color of the walls and furniture. It was so me!

It was a quiet evening so we had the opportunity to visit with Peter Crabtree, it’s owner. I also had the opportunity to hear his story and his vision for this altered and expanded venture. Many know the story of Peter’s beginnings with chocolates in high school only 6 years ago. He was taking a culinary class and had the opportunity to make chocolates – the kind with the hard outside and the soft center. Peter was immediately fascinated with this. He began to make and sell chocolates after school, then at the farmer’s markets, then had the small retail space just next to the State Liquor store in Poulsbo … and now … introducing ChocMo.

The much bigger, much fancier, expanded version of Peter’s dream

Now it is much more than chocolates. I ask Peter that night what he was going to do with all of those blank walls. “I want to feature a new artist each month” he replied. Well, we figured this out in only and instant and he did not have much longer that that before his “Grand Opening would occur about 10 days away. If I can respond at all, I can normally respond at great speed. I brought one load of my beautifully framed portraits back that night, and the next load a couple of days later. Creating a professional looking installation of about 30 large pieces was another matter and for this I went to Derek Gundy, quite and excellent artist himself who manages Artist Edge in Poulsbo.

Winifred’s portrait exhibit and the environment Peter created are beautiful together.

The portraits will be in place through the end of May. They will then be transported and exhibited in Columbia Bank in Port Ludlow, WA during the month of June.