Thursday, December 5, 2013

These ladies pull inspiration from family, and even Dr. Suess!

Meet Beth Heyer from My Cre8tive Outlet...
I recently married my amazing husband, Geoff.  We live in Bexley, Ohio with our two pups Aldo & Bunson.  I work as a Sales Recruiting Trainer at Kimball Midwest and volunteer and mentor with Franklin County Children's Services. I just recently opened my Etsy shop, My Cre8ive Outlet, and this is only my 2nd craft bazaar, but I have been sewing and crafting seriously for about 5 years and casually my whole life. This is my very first Avant-Garde show and I am so excited to be a part of this great event!  
I really get inspired by my friends and family, I love to make gifts for others, so thinking about what someone else would enjoy and what they would want to receive really helps me think outside of my own personal tastes.  I have a very crafty mom, so growing up in a crafty home is what got me interested at a young age. 
I worked with a non-profit My Very Own Blanket for several years.  They make blankets for children in foster care.  I had sewn only a little prior to that.  It is safe to say that over 3 or so years with them I made over 100 quilts and tops.  Having the opportunity to practice and experiment and try things I didn't think I was talented enough to do, made me realize that maybe I am actually pretty good at sewing!
 I would love to have a successful Etsy shop, attend a dozen craft bazaars a year and be able to consider My Cre8ive Outlet a real part-time job.

Meet Sarah from Dainty Bean...
My name is Sarah and I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. I am married and have a little girl and another baby on the way. I love making handmade things for my friends and family members and now that I have a cute daughter I love to sew things for her too. Other than crafting, I love to spend time with family and friends. 
I have been crafting since I was a little girl but my skills and love for sewing have really increased in the last five years. About two years ago I decided to open an Etsy shop and about a year ago I decided to start selling at craft shows. It has been a great experience and a great way to grow my little business. I love making things for people and sending them all over the country. This will be my second Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show. I am excited to participate in the Christmas show because I have been hard at work creating fun Christmas decorations and stocking stuffers.

I am inspired by the people that I love and the beauty around me. I definitely have a specific taste and vision for the things I create. Fabric is a huge inspiration to me. I love taking a yard of pretty fabric making something beautiful with it. I strive to create beautiful things that are also functional and useful. 
My mom deserves the credit for my crafting hobby. She was always making handmade things during my childhood and I learned so many things from watching her. Her love of sewing rubbed off on me and I hope that some day I can pass on my love for creating to my daughter also. I discovered my talent just by doing it. The phrase "practice makes perfect" is definitely true and it is through a lot of practice that my sewing skills have improved. I have definitely made a few ugly things on my journey to make pretty things.
I am not really sure where my business will be in five years. Once I have two kids I am sure my time for crafting will be much more limited but I hope that I will still be able to make and sell things in some way. Eventually (probably way down the road) I would love to own a pretty little quilt shop and sell gorgeous funky fabric and handmade things from local artists as well as my own. The message behind my work is one of beauty and functionality. I want the items I create to be useful and functional and really bring happiness to the people who use them. 

Meet Tammy Sheppard and her beautiful creations...
I have been drawing and painting, and taking photos since I was in high school but have just recently taken a real interest in using various media to create my artwork. I love to see things in a new light and I often see beauty where other people simply see the mundane. I continue to train my eyes to see beyond the surface of everything to find deeper meanings and different ways to see everyday "cast off" objects people call trash every day.
I like to give these discarded items new life and new purpose. I have enjoyed learning how to use various media over the years and will continue to add new techniques to my skill set as I learn them. I generally paint on canvases and  boards and use found objects and sculptural media to add texture, more depth and an almost "need to touch" kind of feel to my work. The Avant-Garde show this Holiday season will be my first time showing and selling my work so I am extremely excited about the possibilities.
I have also recently begun to make very small abstract glass pendants that I have made into necklaces and magnets using altered magazine pages under the glass. The pendants have an almost geological gemstone like appearance. I use all natural cotton cord and bead/button closures instead of metal clasps to keep the neclaces hypoallergenic. I call them "Art under glass" pendants which are in effect a mini abstract painting you can wear.  I am inspired by the earth and nature and the vastness of our universe as seen by things like the Hubble telescope on a large scale and microscopes on a small scale.  Some things are so small they go unnoticed with the naked eye but under a microscope there are whole new worlds to be seen and appreciated.
I love how Dr. Suess wrote about the "Whos in Whoville" who are so small they live on specks of dust and snowflakes. Now that is a whole new way to see the world around us. Eyes that see with the wonder and heart of a child. I am not sure I always have a meaning behind the work I create, sometimes the meaning that is derived from my work is completely different from observer to observer and I don't like to steer a person's thinking when they approach my work. I want them to see something different each time so I often don't title my work as to not persuade the viewer one way or another.

I find working in my studio my sanctuary where I can have fun and find peace in an often too hectic world. I am hoping I can continue to create new works of art and perhaps in the next few years to attend and sell at various art festivals locally and as I get older it would be nice to retire from my current work and do my art more full time. I hope you enjoy viewing my work as much as I enjoyed making it. 
2013 Columbus Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, December 21, 2013, 10:00am-4:00pm

St. Agatha's Parish Hall
1860 Northam Rd
Columbus, OH 43221

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
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