FRIDAY JULY 3, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Dawn Finlayson | Bliss Hair Salon & Color Studio
54425 North Circle Dr, Idyllwild, CA 92549
951-659-DAWN | dawn@idybliss.com
IDYLLWILD LEGEND DAVID SALK UNVEILS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN WORK FROM HIS PERSONAL COLLECTION AT BLISS HAIR SALON & COLOR STUDIO — JULY 3RD, 5–8PM
“A once-in-a-lifetime evening in Forest Haven — live music, specialty cocktails and the private collection of one of ceramics’ most extraordinary living artists.”
IDYLLWILD, CA — Some evenings you just know are going to matter. July 3rd is one of them.
Bliss Hair Salon & Color Studio is honored to host what may be the most significant art event our mountain community has seen in years. On Friday, July 3rd, 2026 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, as part of Idyllwild’s First Fridays in the Forest Haven neighborhood, master ceramicist and Idyllwild legend David Salk will be presenting — for the very first time — a private collection of works he has never shown to the public. Held back. Kept close. Until now.
These are not pieces culled from a gallery inventory. These are works David chose to keep for himself. And on July 3rd, he is bringing them to Bliss and sharing them with us. For those who don’t yet know David’s story — and honestly, you should — he has called Idyllwild home for over 50 years. He is the only potter in the world creating what he calls “clay baskets” — vessels that honor the woven basket traditions of 18th and 19th century Native American tribes, hand-painted with iron oxide using tiny brushes, then fired twice — the second time at 2,400 degrees — permanently fusing those ancient designs into clay built to last tens of thousands of years.
A fossilized record of a nearly lost art. His pieces have been collected in more than 50 countries, shown in galleries and museums across the nation, and the editor of Ceramics Monthly has declared his work completely unique in the field of ceramics. Among the most breathtaking of his creations are those kissed with wood ash from the oak fires of his own Idyllwild fireplace. Each one carries this mountain in its very surface.
On July 3rd you will have the rare opportunity to see his celebrated clay baskets alongside his other stunning ceramic creations — pieces that span the full beauty and range of what this man can do with clay. David will be present in person all evening. Every piece is available for purchase directly from the artist.
Collectors know that when a David Salk original surfaces it does not stay available long. These pieces have never surfaced at all — until now.
The evening is part of Idyllwild’s First Fridays — a 2026 series uniting seven beloved Forest Haven shops in one magical monthly evening:
Hunky Dory Record Shop · Bliss Hair Salon & Color Studio · Wildland Organics · Artifacts Unique Finds · Stitch and Stone · Casa Querida Gifts · Ravens Nest
The night also features live music from Idyllwild’s own Pentagrams and Daisies and a specialty cocktail pop-up bar by Ferro — Idyllwild’s beloved local bar — with mixologist Mike crafting drinks created just for the evening. The whole thing spills beautifully inside the shops and out under the pines of Forest Haven.
It is FREE! It is open to EVERYONE. And it is the kind of evening that reminds you exactly why this mountain COMMUNITY is unlike anywhere else on earth.
Come for the ART. Stay for the magic. This is Idyllwild at its very best.
Bliss Hair Salon & Color Studio
54425 North Circle Dr · Forest Haven · Idyllwild, CA 92549
951-659-DAWN | dawn@idybliss.com
Idyllwild’s First Fridays is a four-event 2026 series celebrating local art, makers and the soul of this mountain community.
Give a shoutout to jagadshd on social for photo contribution!