Columbus Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Meet These Multi-Talented Artists!

Meet Karen Buoncristiano from Crafty By Nature...

I can't stop making my own ceramics, lotions, and soaps. After I got married and no longer had a wedding to plan, I became stir crazy and needed a new challenge. Most years for Christmas, I began making gifts by hand for at least a good portion of our gift giving. About 10 years of dabbling in all sorts of various arts and crafts, I narrowed it down to two categories I truly loved: ceramics and handmade bath & body goods.

I am married to a wonderful husband who also loves making pottery on the potter's wheel and he is doing great, picking up lots of skill. We spend a lot of time with our two loving dogs, hiking around for some fresh air and to immerse ourselves in nature.

I have been a potter for about 8 years. I have been a lotion & soap maker since 2009. I have been creating a wide variety of art as well as crafts since about 1992. Before that, I spent my entire childhood drawing, sculpting things, and painting.

My creativity is such a huge part of me, that I think it has always been there. My parents were both artists and showed me a lot of encouragement for doing art. I was definitely raised with the idea that art has a lot of value and appeal. I thank my parents for that.

I started making ceramics in the early 1990s and have always loved it. There is only so much of your own handmade pottery you can fit in your house, so I began selling my work. The reason I got into making my own lotions & soaps was curiosity. I wanted to see if I could make lotions & soaps, and I found out I can!

How I got into selling my craft.. One year for Christmas gifts, I decided to make up my own recipe for gardener's hand salve and include it in a garden themed gift basket. People LOVED this hand salve and insisted I make more, and asked me if I would begin selling it. I said yes and the rest is history!

My creative process.. Sometimes I just make something on the potter's wheel and I feel like "it" decides what it is going to end up as. Other times I plan ahead. For lotions and soaps, I try to think what would smell really great and yet be very moisturizing at the same time. Sometimes it takes several attempts at a soap or lotion recipe before I get it good enough for my standards.

I think my most favorite item so far would be my "little bird" teapot. I really love how that turned out and it makes a great cup of tea!

I am hope is to one day be able to leave my full-time job and do Crafty by Nature full-time. I'd love to be in many more retail stores, do more craft shows, and make much more ceramics. Time is sometimes a constraint for me at the moment, but nothing will hold me back from creating!

Lastly, I'd like to thank my husband for the faith he has had in me and especially the patience he has displayed when I said "I just bought a potter's wheel," and "I just bought a seven cubic foot kiln that weighs 280 pounds!" He has been very patient with me living my dreams, and he has even become a potter himself too! Thanks Nick!

Meet Jennifer Maille from JM Photography...

My name is Jennifer Maille and I have been an elementary art teacher for 11 years (and counting). I have 2 beautiful girls, McKenna who is almost 9 and Eme who just turned 3. My husband and I have been married for 10 years. We also have 2 dogs and a crazy rabbit named Cookie.

How I got into my craft... When I had my second child, I crocheted her a little hat and jacket. From that, I began to get more interested in crocheting. Last summer, I photographed my brother’s wedding and became even more interested in getting more serious about photography. While developing both of those interests, they began to merge into what I do today. I create beautiful hats and other props intended for newborn and toddler photography.

What inspires me... I am often inspired by materials such as beautiful yarns, buttons, ribbon, etc. I also love to look at the work of other artists.

Usually whatever I am currently working on becomes my favorite item I’ve made. I absolutely love to create newborn hats and am hoping to begin creating sewn bonnets for newborn photography.

Overall, my goal is that I would love to spend more of my time taking beautiful photos and making my clients happy. It is so neat to see my hats in other photographer’s photos and know that they love my hats as much as I do. Selling my hats also allows me to go back to the craft store to look for more beautiful materials!

For more photos of my crochet as well as photography, visit my facebook page, JM Photography or my websitewww.jmphotoandprop.com.

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 125 of the area's most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Columbus Ohio's Local Matters, a non-profit that teaches kids and families about healthy Ohio-grown foods, provides access to wholesome foods in local area communities, and advocates for fair food policies.

2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, August 19, 2012, 1:30pm-6:30pm

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

555 N. High St

Columbus, OH 43215

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardes hows.co m

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Making Fabric Functional!

Meet Katie Lindsey from Katie's No Sew...

My name is Katie Lindsey and I am 25 years old. I grew up in North West Indiana, and just recently moved to Dublin, OH in July of 2011. I graduated from Ball State University in 2009 with my bachelor's of Fine Art Photography. With my degree, I have shot weddings, families, and senior photos.

I also have a love of music and have played the piano for several years, and also picked up a little on the guitar. I am an animal lover and someday when I have a yard, I would love to adopt a dog! I love to design websites, logos, play in Photoshop, and just create in general! I am currently working on my t-shirt scarf designs and also some other fun little gifts as well.

I believe I get my creativity from my uncle Doug and aunt Joanne who live in Chicago. It’s been my dream since I was a kid to live in Chicago and work with them on their graphic design projects. They both work in the design field.

I got started in selling my craft when I showed some people what I made and they loved it so much they told me I should try and sell them. So I did!

I've always loved to make jewelry and just be creative in general. I love scrap booking as well. My creative process is through research! You can't learn or gain any new ideas without research. Also, I keep the mentality to try and try again. I believe as an artists and crafter you need to keep practicing till you have perfected your technique.

My hope is to one day have a small business of my own, or maybe a gallery, antique shop with crafts I have made, or a photo studio!

Meet Shannon Gross from Shanny Ann...

My name is Shannon Gross. I've been crafting since I was old enough to hold a glue stick! My grandmother was a 4-H advisor for 25yrs and she always had a room full of odds and ends to cut, paste, color, and paint. I spent every summer at her house working on my 4-H projects. I went on to college and received a degree in Graphic Design. Although I enjoyed it, it didn't give me that "hands-on" experience that creating things from scratch did. That need, and the dream of working my job around my family and not the other way around, allowed me to come to the simple conclusion to use those skills I had (and loved) to achieve that dream and fulfill that need.

I started making bags for myself in 2007, and started my Etsy shop in 2008.

People do a variety of things for relaxation. Some read, some walk, others meditate. I......craft! For as long as I can remember, creating things has been my therapy, my escape.

Most of my ideas come to me when I'm not trying to find an idea so I'm always carrying a small sketchpad with me. Then I go home and cut out a pattern. Sometimes my ideas don't turn out the way I pictured them, so I've learned not to use the "good" fabric on my first try!

My favorite bag that I made was one of the first ones. It was an Ohio State Univ. tote made out of my t-shirt and some scraps. When I compare it to the bags I make now, it's really rough looking, but it was a building block to getting to the sewing skills I have today and I cherish it.

I got started selling my work when I started bringing the bags I made to work to get opinions and some of my co-workers started requesting custom orders. Someone had mentioned Etsy to me so I did some research and decided that was a good starting point to get my work out there.

My goal is to build this business and continue to work from my shop at home. It's very important for me to be able to set my own hours around my kids and their activities.

2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, August 19, 2012, 1:30pm-6:30pm

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

555 N. High St

Columbus, OH 43215

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardes hows.co m

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Meet Some of our Columbus Jewelers!

Meet Ally McCarley from MC Jewelry...
I am Columbus born and raised. I went to O.U. for Commercial Photography and have always been into creating things. I am 24 and still have no idea what I want to do when I "grow up" but for now I'm enjoying life and happy to be making a living doing things that I love! I have been doing my craft for over a year now.

Full time, I work for a local Columbus magazine taking pictures of food and events, I bartend, and I also love to exercise, be outdoors, and snowboard. I enjoy going out and being around people, and spending time with my friends and family. Most of all, as long as I am out and about, being creative and at least sometimes getting paid for it, I'm happy!

I'm not really sure where I get my creativity from. It's just kind of always been there. I have always loved making things but have never really been into the "art" scene. I could always appreciate the meaning and thoughts behind people's artwork, but I chose photography and jewelry making because they are both things that can just kind of happen and be beautiful without having to have any other meaning then to just be nice to look at. I think about things way too much most of the time and for me, art and the things I create are a way for me to let go and stop thinking and just enjoy something beautiful

How I got into my craft.. My friend and I were bored one day and decided to have a "craft day". Like I said earlier, I have always enjoyed creating things but had not felt inspired in a long time. We went to Michael's (craft store) and bought a bunch of chains and beads, and I just started making jewelry. At first, I simply started making it for myself because it was fun, and it was something to be proud of, and I began getting requests from friends and strangers alike to create pieces for them as well.

My creative process varies. Sometimes I will see something in a store or that someone else has on and use that for inspiration. My favorite thing to do however is go to thrift or antique stores and buy random items that seem interesting to me. I usually don't know what to do with them until I'm in the middle of a piece and it all just comes together!

One of my favorites that I wear all the time was the first necklace I made- it's am asymmetrical gold layered chain necklace. It is so much fun and it goes with almost everything!

My overall goal is to enjoy myself and create pieces I can be proud of and that others are excited to wear. Of course, it would be nice to make some extra money off it all, but that's just icing on the cake!

I always want to keep my pieces affordable and I love to reuse old things (keeps my pieces unique, it's fun, and it's always helpful for our environment to reuse things that have already been made!) And like I said earlier, for me, creating these pieces is kind of a "time-out" from thinking about all the messages and things that we have to constantly think about and just enjoy something beautiful.

Meet Nancy Lacke from Adore Jules...

I was born and raised in the City of Chicago moved out to the burbs when I was in High School. I've always been interested in fashion, design, and interior decorating. I went to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduated with a degree in Education. I've taught school. I also went to school for Esthetics in 2005. I'm a licensed esthetician in Ohio, but I do not currently work in the field. I'm the mother of two grown sons, one a graphic designer the other a storyboard artist. I loved being a mom and being able to bring to my kids all kinds of experiences in art, music, life, entertainment. I'm the most proud of that.

I believe I get my creativity from my father. Outside of his job he was always doing something creative; painting on canvas, metal work, jewelry, building things, etc., he's very talented.

I LOVE jewelry and have been collecting it (whether as a gift or purchases) since I was a little girl. This isn't the only craft I've done, but it's what I'm doing now and I am passionate about it. In 2003 I took my first class in the art of jewelry. I began making jewelry as gifts for friends and family. I went to school in Esthetics and shelved the jewelry since I could not do both successfully. I began taking classes again in 2008.

My business took off when my niece saw my jewelry photos on Facebook and told me about Etsy. She suggested I open a shop. From there I began to set new goals each year for my business. It all started with posting photos of my work on Facebook and getting request to make jewelry, from there the rest is history!

As a jewelry artist, I'm inspired by the materials I find. I love gemstones and unique findings and am inspired to bring them together in a piece of jewelry. Everything I make is something I would wear and/or love to own!

As for goals, I would love for my jewelry business to grow so that it is self-sustaining and I would not need my day job. I also want to continue to take classes to grow in this medium. It is very important to me.

My jewelry is all about wearablity and it's about feeling good when you wear it. My tagline is "it goes with anything and everything." I own fine pieces of jewelry and whether it's fine or for every day wear, the mark up in stores are huge. I want to offer a product at a fair price.

2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, August 19, 2012, 1:30pm-6:30pm

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

555 N. High St

Columbus, OH 43215

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardes hows.co m

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Apparel and Home Decor Art!

Meet Mary and Sue from Posey Patch...
We are two sisters that enjoy spending time together and creating unique handbags and accessories. We've been selling our bags to friends and at craft shows for eight years. We've also been selling online via our Etsy shop for the past 5 1/2 years. Apart from creating things, one of us is a hospice nurse and the other a controller at an insurance company.

Our creativity comes from our grandmother, who instilled our creative spirit. She taught us to sew, knit and crochet when we were very young!

We got into our hobby as a result of being empty nesters with too much time on our hands! :) We also had so many items on-hand (and face it, girls need a lot of bags, but you can only have so many). Our other sister suggested we start selling then, and since then we have never looked back!

When it comes to our creative process, Sue can see fabrics together in a unique way and then she comes up with an idea on how to use them. She flies by the seat of her pants, whereas I (Mary) am the methodical one.. I'm always precise, my sister Sue says it could be the accountant in me! :)

When it comes to our favorite items, we love all of our things. The current item on we're working on always become our next favorite! Each one is better then the one before!

Our goal is to continue to produce a product we can be proud of and spend time together and feed our fabric addiction!

The message behind our work is carry a fun, one-of-a-kind unique bag, carry it often, and carry it proud!

Meet Quinn Kellogg from Art By Quinn...

My name is Quinn Kellogg, I grew up just outside of Rochester, NY. I was lucky enough to have amazing parents who encouraged art throughout my life and helped me every step along the way. I came to Ohio to learn at the Columbus College of Art & Design, where I got my BFA with a major in Illustration and a minor in Fine Art.

Since graduating in 2012, I have been participating in art festivals and shows all along the East coast including, CCAD's annual spring and winter sales, Park Ave Fest, Artists Row (where I won Best in Show), and many more. Right now you can find my work up at 83 Gallery, in the Short North in Columbus, OH.

Outside of painting and creating art, I avidly pursue great rock climbing. Much of my inspiration to paint landscapes comes from frequent trips to climb in North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, New York, and as far West as Arizona and California. Climbing and being outdoors helps me to keep a connection with nature that constantly challenges me and inspires everything I do.

I hope to be able to travel and lead a very unique life with the selling of my work. I want to experience and paint as much of the world as I can, waking up to a new place and new adventures every day.

The main message behind my work is enjoy the landscape and everything in it. Take time to sit underneath the clouds and guess at what their shapes could be. Don't be afraid to slow down every once in a while and look around you to remind yourself of how much natural beauty this world has. Most importantly, live simply.

2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, August 19, 2012, 1:30pm-6:30pm

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

555 N. High St

Columbus, OH 43215

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardes hows.co m

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Introducing our Columbus Vendors...

Meet Sharon Butcher from The Wrist Bandit...
I am a Columbus, Ohio native, O.S.U. graduate, and a retired Art teacher from the Columbus Schools. I grew up in Franklinton and met my husband at Central High School (aka COSI). You can’t get more Central Ohio than that!

In my free time I like to organize and find solutions (this is why I can create in a closet). Gardening is another interest of mine and my focus is on color and texture when I plant. Reading ‘real’ books, giving theme parties, and going to museums and Gallery Hops, traveling to interesting places and meeting interesting people. I enjoy interacting with people face to face.

Where I get my creativity... As a child I was taught to be a problem solver and to find ways to entertain myself. So, I made houses and furniture for my dolls from every day items, puppets from old socks (my grandmother taught me this) and paper dolls from catalog pictures. My mother liked to draw and we would draw together. My parents never discouraged me from doing anything creative (I could have done without the dance lessons though).

Making art you can wear (jewelry) has been an interest of mine for many years. While attending OSU I took several jewelry and metal classes. The cost of materials when teaching moved me towards finding less expensive ways for students to create wearable art (jewelry). It was only natural for me to think in a different direction, non-traditional materials, for my jewelry. While shopping at one of my favorite thrift stores I discovered the beauty of old leather belts and the rest is history.

There is a feeling I get of needing to create, and this is when I do my best work. I don’t create everyday, but I work everyday at some aspect of my business. When I sit down in my studio (closet) I am surrounded by lots of material, what catches my eye might be the shape of a piece of leather or a found object and the process begins.

The goal with my work is to continue to enjoy what I'm doing and continue be creative!

How I started my business... I started over a year ago making my wearable art just for the experience of creating. Later on, I started giving it to friends as gifts, for the experience of sharing your creativity. One day, a friend wanted me to make something for them to give as a gift and offered to pay for it, the experience of creating, sharing and getting paid for it was then planted. I opened an Etsy shop in December of 2010: www.etsy.com/shop/TheWristbandit and started doing shows in April 2011.

I consider my jewelry to be wearable art, a small painting, relief sculpture, or a collage. My materials come from thrift stores, garage sales, and friends. I use upcycled leather belts, reused costume jewelry parts, found objects, and hand painted images and designs. Most are one of a kind.

Meet Liz Baldridge from Jewelry by M.E...

I’m happily married and love spending time with the hubby and our friends. We love to eat out but I also love to cook. No kids here, but we do have a cat named Grendel who’s taken over our home and our lives! I’m a Human Resources Professional and really enjoy working with people. I have been doing my craft for six years.

In my spare time I love to cook…and eat! I also love dancing, photography and I’ve currently become addicted to “Pinterest!”

I get my creativity from my great aunt who is an artist, I always admired her work and wanted to be just like her, and still do! She’s going strong at 89 years old. Plus, I think being an only child always has helped me be more creative and imaginative.

How I got into the hobby... A friend of mine’s mother started having jewelry classes at her home. I’d always been interested and really liked my friend’s mom so I wanted to spend some time with her creating. Once I saw the PMC process for the first time, I was hooked. She also encouraged me to start taking part in shows. I’d been doing a few shows locally selling photography, but now jewelry has taken over my life!

My creative process is spur of the moment! Ideas just come to me out of nowhere!

Each season I create a new favorite item and when it sells I get a little sad…like my ‘kid’ is leaving the nest or something! Right now my business is really just a hobby for me. I love going to shows and meeting new artists. I also love seeing return customers (even if they don’t buy) – it’s just fun to be recognized at shows.

I’d started selling photography about 7 years ago at a local art market in Granville and didn’t have much success. But once I’d learned the jewelry craft things really changed gears for me.

The message behind my work.. Like people…every piece is unique. Even though some pieces may look similar – they are all different in their own way.

Meet Matt Lowe from Madmor Creations...

I grew up on a farm near Cincinnati. I have always been active in, and have enjoyed sports. I was always kind of the lunch pail type that ended up going to an art school in the big city (Columbus College Of Art & Design). I received a BA majoring in illustration. Did some freelance over the years, but not enough to identify it as a career. I have done everything from dock work to investment banking, but art has always been a part of my life. I have now been married for 12 years, we have two great kids, and I find myself doing what I love trying to build this business with my family. I have officially been doing the business for a little over a year!

In my free time this “Is” what I do…I am obsessed with it! When I am not in the studio, I am in the wood shop. If I am not in the wood shop, I am with my family, doing family stuff or looking for unique antiques that need some TLC and a new lease on life.

I’m not sure where where my creativity comes from…as a kid, drawing was just something that I enjoyed. I remember one time my mother said to me…when she looked at a flower, that is all she saw, just a flower, but when I looked at the same flower, I saw the character of the flower.

I don’t consider what I do to be a craft…I think of it as art. As for what I do, I haven’t a clue. Over the years I began working more and more with wood. I grew up with parents who have always had an appreciation for antiques, and a father who felt he could refurbish any of them. I just developed an appreciation for the same things. Oh, and I’m Irish too. I guess the best way to describe it, “It’s Just Me”.

I can’t really describe my creative process. Some things just come to me. I cannot turn my mind off. It is not uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night because I came up with an idea, and it will keep me awake. It is just the excitement of what I do. It is just a passion, and I think it comes out in what I do. Fortunately people have enjoyed it.

Hard to say what my favorite piece is…I have fell in love with several pieces. I would say it would have to be a painting of the Cliff of Moher. Not because of the piece, but because of the story the woman who bought it told us before she bought it.

She said that it reminded her of the day that her and her husband renewed their vows in Ireland. It was a very special day for her and a very touching story. It made me feel great that it meant so much to her. I will never forget it.

My goal is to achieve financial success and stability, and enjoy knowing that I will never work another day in my life because I do what I love. Sounds cliché I know, but true.

The message behind my work is that creativity has no limits!

Check us out on our newly opened website! www.MadmorCreations.com Enter the Coupon Code “WEB2012” to receive 10% off your first purchase!

2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, August 19, 2012, 1:30pm-6:30pm

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

555 N. High St

Columbus, OH 43215

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardes hows.co m

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER