Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Meet the Fabulous Fairlawn Crafters!

Meet Mark Ash from Relief Carvings and Wood Wizards by Mark Ash...
Hello! I'm Mark Ash and I'm thrilled to be part of the 2016 Fairlawn Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This is my first chance to show my carvings in Fairlawn and it is also a homecoming for me. I grew up south of Akron in Coventry Township, but have been calling the deep woods of Pennsylvania home for over 30 years now.
I took up whittling and carving as a hobby. At first, I just whittled toys for my children. Then, I discovered relief carving. I am self taught, but I soon realized that I had a knack for it as my carvings began selling in craft stores and even in an art gallery in Pittsburgh. 
Almost five years ago, I stopped taking commissions and began carving what is near and dear to my heart, wildlife! I love studying wildlife and am always looking for that perfect photo to bring to life on the board. I do all of my carvings by hand, no machinery involved, and I never duplicate my carvings! The goal behind my work is to get the audience to recognize the truly magnificent wildlife we have on this planet. 

Meet Todd Hiney from Custom Pet Portraits by Toddy Hiney...
I'm a 43-year old artist residing in Aurora, Ohio, who is happily married and the father of two incredible children. I've been drawing and painting since I was a little kid, it's something that came very naturally to me. Professionally, I have just started my business venture of painting and drawing pets. This will be my first Avant-Garde show!
Being able to express myself and produce artwork that brings me contentment is one of my largest inspirations to create. I find the entire creative process to be therapeutic and enlightening. And, as a father, it's important for me to show my kids that you can express yourself in a variety of different ways. It's been fun to watch them become more interested in what I do and want to share in painting and drawing. 
I want people to respond in a positive way when they see my work. I want them to appreciate the beauty of the subject matter and understand that all animals deserve our respect, love, and protection. 

Meet Dorothy and Maryann from Touch of Mink, Designs in Clay...
Hi! We're Dorothy and Maryann! We're sisters who are the proprietors of Touch of Mink, Designs in Clay. We started doing shows 13 years ago and had so much fun making and selling our products that we haven't stopped! We do hand built and slab pottery, which gives us more flexibility and creativity in the pieces we produce. This is our first Avant-Garde show!
 Dorothy is a self-taught artist who enjoys traditional art mixed with whimsical fantasy. A life long collector of old things, she likes to mix those items in with new pieces. Through her art, she enjoys bringing a little joy and humorous fun into people's lives.
Maryann took some classes in art and likes to look at many different art mediums, not just pottery, which helps her create many different kinds of pieces. Her goal is to build function but fun pieces of art that are unique in style and color, ensuring no two pieces will ever be alike. 

Meet Helaina DePace from Treasured Ink...
My name is Helaina and I'm a wife to a wonderful husband, hair stylist of 8 (almost 9) years, and a volunteer at a non-profit youth ministry, where I work with and mentor at risk youth. I have been creating cards and other paper crafts for a little under 2 years now and this will be my second Avant-Garde show!
I have kept every card that I have ever received, as they hold such fond memories of people, holidays, accomplishments, and more. I cherish those memories and believe others feel the same, so I wanted to be a part of those memories! I draw inspiration from everything and anything but most of my inspiration comes from my love for people. I am a firm believer in encouraging others, and what better way to do that than with a hand-crafted card?
The hope of being a part of a memorable occasion for someone is the motivation that drives my work. My cards have been a first Mother's Day card for a mom who was not supposed to be able to have children, a first anniversary card for a newly married couple, and an anniversary card for a couple married for a decade. There have been so many other awesome occasions I have been able to be a part of. I want my cards to create smiles, joy, and memories to those who receive them.


2016 Summit County Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, November 5, 2016 - 10:00am-5:00pm
St. George's Fellowship Center
3204 Ridgewood Rd.
Fairlawn, OH 44333
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
Visit us on:
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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Natural Elements Make the Best Crafts!

Meet Jim Steiner...
I'm a retired city employee and have done woodworking and remodeling since the '70s. My wood turning was an off and on thing until I retired 8 years ago when I got more serious about it. 
Having accumulated a good many turnings, I decided I would "test the waters" and sell some of my work. This show will be my first attempt to do so.
  
The creativity of wood turning and bringing out the natural beauty of a piece of wood is what makes the hobby so enjoyable. Sometimes I put a piece of wood on the lathe and start cutting with a shape in mind but change it as I see a different shape emerging and end up with something quite different. 
I never thought of my work as having a message, I just want to bring out the beauty of wood's color and grain patterns.

Meet Shana Ericson of 1Love Candles, LLC...
Hi, my name is Shana, and I am the creator of 1Love Candles LLC! I live in Chardon, Ohio with my boyfriend and two daughters, who are the light of my life! We have two fur babies-one is a Dalmatian, and a champion show dog! In our family, we believe in living an environmentally conscious lifestyle, helping the earth, so it can help us.
I have been making candles as a hobby for years, and about 6 months ago I decided to create a business! This is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft show, and I am extremely excited about it! We plan on doing more of them in the near future! 

As a crafter, I have always been drawn to the idea of creating light. Candles bring light to the dark, and to me that is an amazing and beautiful creation.
I have always loved candles, especially intense-scented candles! I started creating candles as a hobby, being something that could satisfy the creativity craving in my life. Being an environmentalist, I noticed a lot of left over wax being wasted, thrown into the landfill. I had an idea to recycle the leftover wax, and create new, beautifully scented candles of my own. We use hemp wicks, which are said to be the most eco-friendly, cleanest wick out there. We also use recycled packaging. Making candles is something that my daughters and I can do together. They help me weigh all of the wax and package the candles.

Currently, I make chunk candles. To make these candles, I put chunks of wax in either a jar or mold, and I pour white wax over them, creating a unique look and allowing the chunks of wax to provide a wonderful scent throw! I love lighting a candle and being taken to a special place within the scent!
In 5 years, I see myself making more candles than ever before, sharing my wonderful scents with as many people as possible!

The message behind my work is, sometimes this world can be a dark place, so by lighting candles, we not only bring light to the dark, but we also can remember loved ones, celebrate births, and celebrate peace and wholeness. Lighting candles provide an unlimited amount of meaning, and to me that is more beautiful than words can say. “I don’t make the candles, the candles make me.”

Visit our website for more information www.1lovecandles.com 


Meet Tracey Hlucky of Redesign on a Dime...
Science has a theory that a person is more geared towards the right brain or the left brain…right brain being related to science and logic, and left brain to creativity and artistic ability. So, do you have to be one or the other? No way!

With a degree in Biology/Chemistry, my right brain runs my daytime life with a successful career in the medical field. But my left brain gave me the inspiration to start my business, Redesign on a Dime. What started as an interior decorating business in 2010 has blossomed into a full line of custom-made home accessories.  
Over the years, I have helped people transform their spaces with wall treatments, one-of-a-kind furniture restorations, and finding that one unique accessory that will inspire the décor of an entire room. I hope that my jewelry organizers, memo boards, and hand-painted accessories will be that distinctive piece that will make your space shine. 

I have been interested in interior design for as long as I can remember. Instead of just playing with my Barbie dolls like most girls, I redecorated her townhouse every week! This will be my first Avant-Garde Arts & Craft Show, and I couldn’t be more excited! 
I’m inspired by everything around me, but I must admit that I’m a true HGTV and DIY Network junkie! I love trying to recreate what I’ve seen on home improvement shows, magazines, or from items displayed in home stores. 
Growing up as the daughter of an artist, it was a bit discouraging that I couldn’t even draw a decent stick figure. But, as I got older, I realized that my creative talent just came in a different form. I have a unique eye for color, space planning and design that I’ve used in my own home to create a comfortable space that tells you exactly who I am when you walk through the door.
 My creative process is very meticulous (there’s that right brain again)! Once I get an idea in my head, I can’t sleep until I get it out there and completed. I love seeing the finished product of something I’ve created. But, most of all, I love the excitement I see in my clients when I make their vision come to life!  

I would love to make this my full-time business and eventually open a small shop here in Akron. My dream is to combine my living and working spaces so that my clients feel right at home when they come to me to create their custom home accessories or redesign their space. 
It just takes one special item to inspire the décor of an entire room. Your goal in decorating should not be to make your space look exactly like someone else’s, but to make it uniquely YOU!

2012 Summit County Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, April 28, 2013, 11:00am-5:00pm
The Tangier
532 West Market St.
Akron, OH 44303
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on:














Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Diverse Handmade Vendors!

Meet Tori Tedesco from Little Birdie Design Studio...
Little Birdie Design Studio came from my LOVE of Design, Knitting, Paper, Yarn and Photography. My full time job is running my Design Firm (Tori Tedesco Design & Photography) however the rest of my time is spent creating new custom design knit wear for people and their pets! LBDS was started in the fall of 2009. This will be my third Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show.
As much as I love designing for people, I really love making and selling my doggie items. Proceeds from each sale is donated to the Humane Society of Greater. A cause that I truly believe in helping day in and day out!

My photography work comes from my love of my Holga and working in film! There is nothing better then to be able to step away from a digital camera and go back to the way I fell in love with photography... Film.

I have always been interested in the arts. Growing up I was in art classes, dance classes and music classes. My love for creativity continued as I went to college, where I majored in Visual Communication Design and minored in Photo Illustration and Dance Performance.

How I got started with my business... I already run my own design and photography firm so it was only natural for me to turn my love of knitting into a small business. 

When it comes to my creative process, I create things that I know I would love to wear. Knit wear that is easy to wear and multi-funtional. One of my favorite things about my business is that I love to know that someone else is going to get to enjoy wearing my items when I create them.

Simple and easy to wear is the message behind my knit wear for people. There is a much larger message behind the items that I knit for dogs. Every pet knit wear item that I sell I donate the proceeds back to Pawsibilities, Humane Society of Greater Akron. I strongly believe that we need to be there to help animals that can not help themselves.


Meet James Marquart from Cloudy Hill Creations...
I have worked with wood in one form or another for years. In the beginning it was purely a utilitarian endeavor, building and repairing shelves, cabinets, walls, and even small buildings. Gradually I began to appreciate the beauty of wood. I made a few items for my wife and liked it. It grew from there. 

Now that I am retired I’m able to devote more time to being creative. I am drawn to geometric shapes – especially unusual or asymmetrical shapes. I like the mystery a box presents. How does it open? What is inside? What is it made of? I also have a passion for finding a use for a particular piece of wood that would otherwise be discarded. This is why I started making pendants from left overs.  Wood has beauty within itself - the grain, hues and structures. The changes in grain patterns are amazing in their variations. 
I use an old Autocad program as my doodle pad. I then print out some patterns or ideas – usually only partly finished. I begin selecting wood from my collection of mostly salvaged material. I don’t adhere to particular dimensions, as the wood I select dictates the finished size. My pieces reflect how I see a particular design. Sometimes the finished products do not remotely resemble the initial design. So far, I have never made two identical boxes. That would be boring. The pendants are the only area where I repeat a design.

This is my first Avant-Garde show. I have some pieces on display at The Ohio Arts & Crafts Guild gallery in Canton. Until now most all of my marketing has been through Burr Studio in Waynesville, NC.    



Meet Michael Perczak from TSM Fine Arts Gallery...
I consider myself a fine artist and illustrator. I think of myself as extremely versatile..my works have ranged from puppies to nudes and everything in between.

I've been doing this since i was about twelve and figured out i was pretty good at this. This will be my first Avant-Garde Show and I'm really looking forward to it.

Where do I get my creativity from? Hmm that's a hard one, it's hard to explain. Sometimes its's just the way something strikes a chord in me, or it may be a look from my girlfriend, it may be looking at something and a what if hits me. What if that had another sky?
What do I enjoy most about creating, I would have to say somewhere when whatever I'm working on is about halfway done and I can see it coming together, the last part of doling the details is pure joy.

The first and obvious message in my work is the ability to freeze a moment in time, a moment of reflection. Second, I try to show a visual treat of details and textures. And third, whatever particular meaning a certain image creates for you the viewer which is unique to only you. 

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Summit County Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This show will feature a large selection of talented handmade artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Jade's No Kill Rescue for animal rescue.


2012 Summit County Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, December 2, 2012 11:00am-6:00pm
The Tangier
532 West Market St.
Akron, OH 44303
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on: