The message behind my work.. I want young women to be encouraged to live their dreams! Start that business! Be your own boss!
Meet Pamela and Greg Feldman-Hill from G & P Fine Craftory...
G & P Fine Craftory is a husband and wife collaboration between Greg and Pamela Feldman-Hill. We've been married 35 years (‼) and have a daughter, a soon-to-be son-in-law, and two cats. We live in central Ohio, and we have always been “makers.” Greg is an ex-IT Manager who took up woodworking as a hobby in 2016, and turned this into a full-time business when he found himself unemployed due to the pandemic. Pamela is a professionally trained artist who has been self-employed creating artwork and illuminated manuscripts for clients throughout the world for over 40 years.
Greg has been woodworking for six years, and Pamela has been creating art professionally since 1983. Our collaboration with G & P Fine Craftory was born in 2021 as a response to Greg’s layoff during the pandemic. This is our first Avant-Garde show as exhibitors, though we have participated in several over the past few years as visitors! What inspires us to create... Adding beauty to our daily lives while we keep our hands and minds busy definitely motivates us to create! While we each “do our own thing,” we also enjoy collaborating on projects that incorporate Greg’s wood craft with Pamela’s painting skills, such as the vanity trays that we create together.
How we got started... Greg started woodworking as a hobby after refinishing some tables and cabinets for the house and discovering that he enjoyed working with wood. His work as an IT manager ended during the pandemic with a lay-off, so he decided to pursue this passion full time. Pamela began hand-painting finished ceramics and tiles as a way to fill time in her studio between her larger commissions. Creating work that was functional and smaller provided a nice outlet, and utilized her love and knowledge of pattern and color in a new way.
Pamela has been creating artworks since childhood and pursued this passion in college, achieving a BFA in General Fine Arts and an MA in Printmaking. Greg discovered his love of wood working after tackling some home refinishing projects. He joined the Idea Foundry Makerspace in Columbus, took some woodworking classes, and continues to learn his craft through self-study and experimentation.
Our process.. Greg is very methodical, prepping his materials and planning out exactly what he wants to make using computer and design tools, making measurements down to the centimeter. Pamela usually sits down with a wood cut-out or mug, allows it speak to her for bit, and then she just starts painting!
Our five year goal.. We would like to continue doing art fairs and acquiring regular customers to our on-line store. Our products are geared towards gifts, so eventually we hope to get many returning customers and some professional connections for on-going orders.
The message behind our work.. Fine craftsmanship and bringing beautiful creations to daily life.
Meet Mindy Brown from Cambridge Road Crafts...
Hello, my name is Melinda and I am the owner of Cambridge Road Crafts. I am the mother of four boys and a part-time dental hygienist of 20 years. My husband, Ben, and I live in central Ohio and enjoy local sports, traveling, and spending time with our boys. In the past couple of years, I’ve discovered the joy of crafting.
The Fall Avant-Garde show will be my first craft show and I am really looking forward to it!
I’ve always enjoyed creating and crafting, but it didn’t really become a passion of mine until just recently. In October 2019, my oldest son passed away, and in an attempt to distract myself from the grief and regain some of my sanity, I starting crafting…..all…..the…..time. I knew if I was going to continue with this hobby long-term, I was going to have to sell my creations. And so, Cambridge Road Crafts was born.
Although I enjoy making several different kinds of crafts, primitives are my favorite. I love working with homespun and vintage fabrics to create one of a kind, primitive pieces. I especially enjoy designing holiday inspired home decor that has a touch of rustic farmhouse and a touch of old- fashioned Americana charm.
Seasonal primitive dolls are my favorite to create! Each one is cut and sewn from muslin fabric, stained, painted and sanded, with a unique hand sewn face and custom-made clothes. I love bringing them to life! Each rag doll is completely one of a kind and is given a proper name that suits them. I hope you’ll stop by and see them at the show!
Meet Jana Kosir from Jana Kosir Art...
My name is Jana Kosir, I am a self-taught artist from Columbus, Ohio. I’m a member of the queer and disabled communities and an avid lover of all things nature.
I have been making art compulsively my entire life, but I started doing art markets in May of this year.
Although being an artist professionally has always been my dream, I made the jump this year out of necessity. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy, a severe sleep and neurological disorder, in late 2021 after a year of being unable to work. I was sleeping for 18 hours a day and I didn’t know why. I am being treated, but my options are limited so I’m still not able to work full-time in the traditional sense. Being my own boss gives me the freedom to choose my own schedule and take naps when I need to, which has completely turned my life around.This is my very first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!
I draw inspiration from my local wildlife, and my personal experiences with chronic illness. Art is how I process and work through struggles, and how I reconnect with my core self. Part of the reason I share my work is to show other people like me that there is a place for them in this world, even if it's a less traditional one, which I think can be even better.
If there was a specific occasion that inspired me to be creative, I was too young to retain the memory. To my knowledge it’s just something I’ve always done. When I was 8 I started making jewelry, I still make it for my sister (with the same pliers!) As I got older I was drawn more towards sculpting and painting, which are my primary mediums today.
My childhood home had a creek and a small patch of woods just past our backyard. Most of my happy childhood memories are of exploring this little piece of Ohio wildlife. That land served as a place for me to escape to when things were bad, and as a place to cultivate a sense of passion and wonder for life. Those feelings are what I strive to replicate in my artwork, and invoke in each viewer.
When people look at my darker pieces they see themselves and the things that they have survived. They know they are not alone. When they look at my lighter work, namely animal portraits and surrealist pieces, they see beauty and feel wonder. The message behind all of my work is that no matter what you are feeling, there are people out there who understand you, and no matter how all consuming the bad parts of life feel, there are wondrous things waiting to be found when you're ready.
I’ve always wanted to be an artist, and when I was in elementary school I realized I was really bad at drawing, so I decided to start drawing something every day. Thankfully, I got better over time and that skill has transferred over into many other mediums.
My creative process is chaotic. I start with a vague concept or mental image, then I make a sloppy outline sketch on whatever paper I can get my hands on the fastest. After that, I spend some time considering which medium will be the best suited to express my idea; then, if needed, I’ll collect some reference photos and get started. From there it's left entirely up to chance whether the finished piece looks anything like I initially pictured, I tend to deviate from my plans often.
In 5 years I hope to have at least one artist residency under my belt, and to be making enough money to have a studio to work out of. Both of these things would allow me to explore different mediums I haven’t had the chance to previously, and I’m always looking for new ways to be creative. I also believe that I will continue to do art markets on a regular basis and continue to grow my online audience.
2022 Columbus Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft ShowSunday, September 18, 2022 - 10:00am-4:00pm
Makoy Event Center
5462 Center St.
Hilliard, OH
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
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