Columbus, Let’s get it started!

Meet Jillian Renee from Jillian Renee Art…

My name is Jillian, I've been making art and crafting my entire life, but over the past few years I've realized how unfulfilled I was in my career and have been transitioning into making art my full time focus. I live in Columbus, Ohio with my partner and our two cats. Ever since I could hold a crayon I've been making art. 

Every day I'm reminded of the beauty and simplicity of my childhood and seeing life through the eyes of my inner child and allowing myself the freedom to play. I create art that is bold, bright and whimsical and always work to cultivate joy in whatever I create.  An innate drive to create. My hands always need to be fiddling with something so I've dabbled in almost every kind of craft over the years (pottery, glasswork, woodburning, yarn spinning, etc.) but have always come back to painting. In a world that is constantly chaotic, painting is a time that I'm able to be myself and quiet my mind.

My aunts and uncles are artists and always encouraged me to play when it came to art. When I was 6 I recall sitting down in front of a still life my aunt set up.. now as an adult I have that very still life framed in my kitchen. I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't creating.  My creative process is seeking joy and allowing myself the freedom to play.  Most of my paintings are done without reference photos and are simply created from my intuition.  Within the next 5 years I will be building my audience and expanding my work into galleries outside of Ohio and will be launching my first solo exhibition. 

Meet Alexa Szczepanski…

I am a cat mom to a sweet little bean named Jonas, and am a plant mom to many houseplants. I really enjoy spending as much of my time outdoors as I possibly can, going for trail walks and longer hikes. As of recently I also enjoy trail running! My partner and I just ran the Autumn. Squatch 10k and it was a blast. I cook for work, and have intermittently been involved with mental health advocacy throughout the last eight years or so. I went to undergraduate for psychology and intended to become a mental health therapist, but I have decided to take a step away from the field to give care to myself. 

I made art a lot when I was young, art classes were always my favorite whether in elementary, middle, or highschool. My first real dream was to become a professional artist and while that is no longer my dream, I am glad to be creating again. I took a break from art towards the end of my highschool years and didn't do much creatively in college unless it was required of me for a project that I did. I didn't really start to delve back into making art until this past March. 

My actual art itself is definitely inspired by the nature and life around me - plants, insects, animals, all of those things interacting with each other. What inspires the art making process for me though, is my own healing. Making art is soothing to me, it's meditative for me. It is a time when I can just sit and be quietly present with myself, and I tend to gravitate more towards my art when I am feeling heavier because it's a space for me to hold myself in. It's a very intimate and nurturing process for me.  I think I've always been into the craft hobby, but not formally. I don't think I ever outgrew that creative exploration that we all have when we're kids, I really enjoy the process of making cool things with the materials I have on hand which usually results in multimedia arts and crafts. 

I would say that there was never really a moment in time where I felt that I was all that talented. When I make art, it is always one of those things for me where I cannot tell how it will land for others - if they will enjoy it, if they will feel neutral about it, or if they just won't like it but I don't really make art for other people anymore. As in, it is no longer my intention to please others with what I create which is really important to me. 

When I started making art back in March though, was when I first really started to enjoy what I was making and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'd let go of the attachment to what others might think and I just started creating for the sake of creating.  

I have no real consistent creative process. Usually I see something out in the world that I really enjoy, which leads to an interest in trying to paint that thing, or paint something that captures the feeling of that experience for me. And then I paint it! I joke with my partner sometimes because no matter what I am creating, halfway through I always have this moment of thinking to myself "oh man, I don't know if I'm going to like this or not." And that used to be what stopped me from finishing pieces when I was younger, I would have that thought and assume that it just wasn't going to turn out good. So I would never finish it, but now I challenge myself to finish every piece even if I'm unsure of the vision, and I always end up really enjoying them. 

As I mentioned too, I tend to gravitate more towards art making when I am needing extra care.   I may eventually offer the opportunity to create custom pieces for people, but I do not ever plan to turn my artwork into a business. I will definitely be participating in more craft fairs as I have the opportunity to, but I've learned that it's really difficult for me to do the things that I really enjoy doing all the time. Anytime I have pursued my personal interests beyond just hobbies, it has led to me working too hard or burning myself out and who knows! It may be different with art, it has been different so far with cooking. I have two jobs that require kitchen work for me and cooking is something that I really enjoy, and it definitely sometimes takes away momentum from cooking at home because after working on my feet for so long in a hot kitchen, the last place I want to be is another hot kitchen. But, I still really enjoy cooking. 

Many of my pieces do not have a specific message, but I think the intention that I sit with whenever I am making art is to just enjoy living. I struggled with my mental health consistently for a long time as an adolescent and early in young adulthood, and I was constantly seeking some deeper meaning in life in order to give myself some sense of fulfillment. But this past year especially, I've realized that I do not need a meaning in order to be content with my life. My joy is present regardless of whether there are difficult days or difficult things happening in the world; my joy exists alongside lots and lots of grief. And it is all a part of being alive. Lots of my artwork includes mantras or affirmations that I've found for myself during those moments of deep grieving, of gratitude, of forgiveness and acceptance. 

Meet Jennifer White from JAWS Woodwork…

My name is Jenn White and I love wood. More specifically, I love

 the possibilities of crafting with wood. I have a simple operation: me, a few tools, and endless options to create. If it can be made with wood, I'm going to do it. I have been doing this for only about three years. Woodworking started out as a simple hobby but quickly became my passion. I can always be found in the garage making a lot of saw dust.

This will be my first Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show and it is my

 first show of any kind. I'm very excited to share space with other amazing crafters.  The world around me inspires me to create. Everything I see, I think about how I can make it out of wood or incorporate wood. Making things that matter to me and others also inspires me. There is a different, wonderful kind of value to something when it's handmade. 

Woodworking started as my hobby during the quarantine times of covid.With no where to go or anything to do but be at home, I had to find something to fill my time. I read an article about woodworking and decided that is what I wanted to try because it incorporated so many elements I enjoy. Little did I know where it would take me. I really think I found woodworking by chance. I’ve always had a creative side, love to figure out how things work and love building things (thanks to years of playing with Legos as a kid). Woodworking pulls together all of these for me and I was hooked from the beginning when I was given my first saw as a gift. I still use that loyal jig saw to make all the detail cuts in my work.

I would describe my creative process as dependent on how I feel at the moment. I do like to start with a plan, drawing it out on my graph paper, a few cuts to start, but as a project starts to come together, that's when I can really see what it will eventually become.  In five years I hope to see my hobby become more of a full time business.

    

The message behind my work is that the thoughtfulness, quality and uniqueness of handcrafted items is the best way to add personality to one's home and life. The attention to detail that goes into every piece for a person makes it so much more meaningful. 

Meet Dani Phillip…

I am fortunate to live and travel to different countries on different continents.   Each place I call home for a while, or I visit, is a part of me as I try to capture their energy and emotions they stirr within my art works.  Years and years,  I dabbled using different media as a teenager.   Art is a big part of my life.  A place, a time, an emotion.   Each moment, fleeting as it may be, worth remembering and sharing with the world.

My father, being an artist himself, for starters.  And meeting and being friends with great artists.  I was told I am creative and talented since high school, and I just tried to express myself using different media.  It starts with an emotion, a memory of a place and a time.  I try to capture the essence of this emotion, in a simple, minimalistic way. Art is such an inspiration for all of us, even if we don't realize it at times.   Art gives personality to our spaces and makes our lives better.   I am humbled and grateful to have my art welcomed into people's homes and lives, around the world.  Art is a two way street.   It is not only about what I feel when I am creating it, but more importantly about what you feel when I am sharing it with you.   My art is an invitation to daydream with me for a moment, and forget about everything else.   Are you inspired?   Then my work is done.

2023 Columbus Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday December 10, 2023 - 10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Event Center

5461 Center St.

Hilliard, OH 

For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com

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