The Maglintes Continue to Glitter
September 2008
Jon and Ann Maglinte have been business partners for over 30 years. In 1974 they started their business, Midnight Moon, and began showing their art work at Renaissance Faires on the West Coast. They were living in San Jose. They sold herb plants, sachets, and herbal products. In 1980 they started a new business, Victorian Scents, which produced a line of sachets, potpourri, and decorative items that they wholesaled to many well-know retailers, including Macy's, Gump's, Nordstrom's, Mervyn's, Victoria's Secret and many other stores.
When they moved to Willits in 1981 they rented a warehouse and began full-scale production. All the items were designed by Ann, and were made and sewn in Willits, with a large staff of seamstresses and production staff. Many business friends encouraged them to have their products made overseas, but they wanted to support the local economy, and also produce a quality product.
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As if two businesses weren't enough, they decided to open a cafe in Willits because they missed the Berkeley coffeehouses that they went to in college. In 1981 they opened the Oak and Ivy Cafe where Printing Plus is located in Willits. In the front of the building was the coffeehouse, in the back of the building was the potpourri business. They would open the cafe in the morning with fresh baked goods form their baker, Laurie Piccani, and scones made by Ann, then, when their day manger, April Cunningham came in to make the quiches and fresh soups for lunch, they managed the potpourri business. At the end of the day they would close Victorian Scents and help with the cafe cleanup. With regret, they had to close the popular cafe after a year because of the success of Victorian Scents, and they also wanted to start their family and finish building their home. Victorian Scents closed in 1994, and they wondered what they would do next. They saw the growing popularity of garden art, and began to experiment with creating cement garden art.
Ann has a Celtic heritage and started researching traditional Celtic designs and their symbolism. The Celts have a deep respect for the earth and love of nature, which Ann and Jon share. Ann began to sculpt designs in clay and created their first garden plaques, Jon created the molds and began to cast them. It took along time to develop their product because of the difficulty of creating a smooth finish with Portland cement. Now their product line includes designs from many cultures. Their newest offering is a line of cotton canvas bags printed with the designs from their most popular plaques done in watercolor. Ann also enjoys silk painting and fabric design and sells her scarves and jackets locally and at craft faires.
In 2006, Ann, Jon and Anita Sison had a show at the Willits Center for the Arts called Patterns & Light, which featured watercolors, textiles, and photography. In 2007 Jon and Ann had a show at Northcoast Artists Gallery called Visions of Nature, and showed watercolors and their new cement work. This past July, Jon and Ann had a show at the gallery called "Portals." It featured Ann's watercolors and Jon's infrared photography, as well as some hand carved cement work.
Ann looks forward to this fall when she will be teaching her day and evening watercolor classes through Mendocino College. The class is suitable for beginning through advanced students, and is held in Willits. Ann will also continue teaching art for Willits Unified School District.
In September, Ann and Jon will be showing their artwork at the Corner Gallery in Ukiah, where they are members. It is a cooperative gallery of 24 artists, and opened in March 2008. September features a group show with Ann and Jon, Cassie Gibson and Tom Johnson. Ann will be showing watercolors and mixed media art, and Jon will show his infrared photographs. They will also be showing the garden art they create together. Ann will also have a painting in the Mendocino Art Center's Annual Animal Art Exhibit.
In December, Ann and Jon will be participating in the Willits Holiday Crafts Fair. They do several Christmas fairs including the Mendocino Art Center's Thanksgiving Holiday Fair. Ann and Jon show their work locally at Trillium/Cat's Meow at 29 S. Main Street in Willits, at the Corner Gallery, 201 S. State St. in Ukiah, and at Northcoast Artists Gallery in Ft. Bragg.
Their work is also available through their website: www.midnightmoon-celtic.com.
