Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, I have always been around the area and worked with art. I serve as a graphic artist by day, and can be found in my home studio working with clay or sewing most evenings and weekends. I live with my very supportive and creative husband, and a mischievous little cat who often finds herself covered in clay. I've been working as an artist/maker for much of my adult life. I learned to sew as a young child, and that started me down this path. I'm somewhat new to ceramics – working with clay for only two years.
This is my fourth Avant-Garde show – and this is my first time bringing ceramics! I love working with my hands. I've explored different kinds of art and media, but find myself most drawn to clay. I love the functionality – a little piece of art for everyday use – and how you can often see the maker's hands in the work. My grandfather gave me a clay pot from his childhood grocery store that is at least 100 years old and I can see and feel the maker's finger marks inside. I'm inspired by the hands of that maker.
I come from a pretty crafty/handy family. My mom was always sewing things or decorating cakes when I was little, and my grandfather and dad were always building something out of wood. I learned so much from them, and can't keep my hands off of art supplies and materials of any kind. I signed up for a ceramics class a couple years ago with a friend, just for fun. I had always been curious about clay, but never tried it. Once I started handling clay, I couldn't put it down. I have worked hard to learn as much as I could in a short period of time, and just can't get enough! I took multiple classes each week for a while until I bought my own wheel and started working at home. I still attend that class weekly.
I like to let the natural beauty of the clay shine through my work and speak for itself, and I'm most drawn to things that feel good in the hand and function in a very practical way. So, I start from thinking about how the form would feel to hold or drink/serve from, then consider the natural color of the clay and how I can add to that. I still have plenty to learn about clay, the process, and science of ceramics. I hope to continue to explore new things and push myself to learn and grow as much as I can.
My message to my customer is that my work is meant to be used and handled in everyday life. Even the practical things can be beautiful and hand-crafted!
Meet Jeni and Julia from Columbus Flower Girls...
We are Jeni and Julia! We are best friends and neighbors who love to craft. We have been making flowers for about six months now. This will be our first craft show, and we are so excited to be participating! We love taking something as simple as a sheet of paper and creating something beautiful. We both have always liked to make things and work with our hands, so our passion evolved from that.
We discovered our talent when we made them for a birthday party and they looked amazing! Everyone who saw the flowers wanted them! This is when we realized there was a market for paper flowers.
We do custom orders so our process begins with speaking to our client to get a sense of their style and colors in their space. Next, we present them with a "vision board" that lays out the colors and patterns we have selected. From there flowers are made! In five years, we hope Columbus Flower Girls becomes a brand that is associated with the best of the best! We want you to think of Columbus Flower Girls for not only your home and business decor, but we also want to make a name for ourselves in special events with flower walls, back drops, centerpieces and more!
We love seeing peoples faces light up when they see them. We have had the privilege of doing many inspiring orders for foster children, new babies and new businesses. We love being a part of such an important moment in peoples lives. We want to spread joy and beauty through our flowers!
Meet Nicholas Regan from No Rulz...
No Rulz is a fully integrated business of artists with various abilities and strengths. Through our love of colors and art, we create fashionable and wearable tie dye clothing, accessories, and new and “upcycled” furniture. All our items are unique, hand-dyed and/or hand-painted. No two exactly alike!
We have been tie dying since 2007, and this is our second Avant-Garde Show. Our love of colors and the freedom of tie dying keeps us going. It is always fun to see what the final products look like.
No Rulz started as an art class for adults with and without special needs. We did a little of everything from painting to pottery. We tie dyed that first summer and a passerby asked if our socks were for sale – and so began No Rulz. Every person has talents and gifts to share and when you surround yourself with people who believe in you, it gives you confidence to explore and create. We love tie dye cause you can’t make a mistake!! Our products like us are perfectly imperfect.
Everyone has a voice at No Rulz. There are no bad ideas except for the ones you don’t share. We try multiple ways of tie dying and adapt our processes to create top of line and one-of-a-kind products.
Our goal in 5 years is to have our own space for production with a store front and café. We want to offer employment opportunities, continue to create quality products, be able to sell our own art, and offer opportunities to work in the restaurant business. We want to create a space where our customers can come and enjoy a cup of coffee and light lunch, shop, watch how it’s done and enjoy our space with us!
No Rulz is a business founded on the principle that we are all capable and have abilities and strengths. We believe in adapting the job to the individual and not the other way around. We are dedicated to building awareness, acceptance, and independence for all our artists.
Meet Melissa Winters from PurpleArtLoVE...
My name is Melissa Winters. I live in Granville, Ohio with my husband and two children. We have two Cavalier Spaniels and a tortoise named Ruby. I have lived in Licking County most of my life. The only time I left was to go to school at Otterbein College. I have been a “maker” my whole life but PurpleArtLoVE came to life in 2007. I wanted to make unique items that really could not be found elsewhere. My shop name is a nod to PRINCE.
I began to collect quite a collection of jewelry. I gave it as gifts, kept some and I just kept making. I realized I had better share with others! Jewelry makes you feel fantastic and fits no matter what kind of day you are having. It is truly for everyone.
I hope that PurpleArtLoVE will become familiar in Central Ohio and beyond. I would like to have a following of people who want to be uniquely themselves. I also hope to begin an Art Collective in Downtown Newark. It is an area that is re-building itself into quite an art area.
My message to people is to be yourself, no one else does it better!
Meet Sharlene Robertson from Sharlene Robertson Designs...
I started making jewelry when I was 14 years old. I specifically started making chainmail jewelry and working with metals when I was 19. It captured my interest and I started making so much jewelry that I didn't know what to do with it! In October 2016 I opened my Etsy store to start selling some of pieces and I started doing art shows a little while after that. This will be the first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows that I will be participating in.
With a background in Fashion Design, I strive to make pieces that are unique, bold and fashion forward. I love combining unexpected materials together to see how they accentuate the human form. Architectural shapes and textures have always been an inspiration to me but I am always on the hunt for new ideas. Lately, I've taken an interest in using crystals along with leather and chains to create unique body chains that help elevate your everyday look.
I hope to have my own website by the end of this year and hope to grow my own business and client base to a level where I only need to work on jewelry in 5 years. I would love to expand my business so I can work with precious metals and precious gemstones.I want everyone who wears my pieces to feel special and feel like they stand out. I want it to elevate their outfits and be something they can have fun with! Accessorizing is a fun way to express yourself and that's what I want people to be able to do!
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