Rocky River Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows: March 2019

Friday, March 22, 2019

Less Than 24 Hours to Go!

Meet Colleen Ward of Colleen Ward Studio…

As an artist and photographer, I find so much joy in creating things, capturing memories and connecting with all types of people. Cleveland is my home but I love traveling the world. I'm fascinated by introverts, people who love numbers and scary movies - I'll never understand. My mom is my hero and gave me a love for fresh flowers, hospitality and the ability to make friends with a doorknob.

My mom is what got me into art. Besides being superwoman, she was always very crafty and innovative in her own ways. She always encouraged me to step out and try everything. I've been an artist my whole life, but I fell into this style of painting about 4 years ago. I'm still discovering my talent. It's a process that I'm overwhelmed by. I always want to be pushing myself to learn and be better. I believe talent is God-given and our only responsibility is to use it and be grateful.

As artsy as it sounds, I'm inspired by people. We are all different, full of depth and texture - not one the same. My process is to start, stop, walk away, come back, tweak, and let it be done. You always know when it's done. I'm often asked what is the message behind my work, but I don't always have an answer. Sometimes, I'm inspired by a story or a place but most often music plays a big part. I've found that if I'm too planned out, I mess it up. I like to go with the flow and see where it leads. My favorite part of the entire creative process is when someone is connected to a piece and tells me how they feel or what they see. In five years, I would like to be doing larger custom work in people’s homes or commercial spaces.

View more of my work at: https://www.colleenwardstudio.com/.

Meet Michelle Root of Chocolate 143…

My business is Chocolate 143! I make gourmet chocolate treats that are really fun. I try and make something that makes your party extra special by making treats that no one else has personalized or theme created so that each treat is a reflection of you to make your event stand out but at an affordable cost. We make some of our own molds so I am able to offer some items that can't be found elsewhere on chocolate such as some of my BB8 from Star Wars or Pokémon. I have been doing this for about 2 years and we offer chocolate treats for parties, weddings, graduation, holidays and any other kind of party.

This is the fourth Avant-Garde show that I will be participating in. My good friend Angel from Fallen Angel told me about your shows and I was accepted and have done very well and am excited to have received a following of customers that has also lead to many orders. I have been concentrating on doing larger, exclusive shows like Avant-Garde and getting away from smaller shows. I will be signing up for many other Avant-Garde shows and concentrating on that customer base.

I made chocolate with my mom as a little girl and didn't continue making it as I got older due to work, family, and just general life. I started making it again for schools treats and my son's friends. All in a sudden people would call me asking me to make some for their child's birthday party or for a platter at work and so on. Now I have a calendar filled with future orders. We pride ourselves in offering the typical chocolate treats but also new things or themed items that give your party that personalization to make you stand out. My dream is to have a chocolate shop where I could devote full time to making chocolates. It is such a great feeling when people see my stuff and say "OMG! THAT is an Oreo cookie. It is too cute to eat". The message behind my work is to create something fun and something different that makes people smile.

Meet Amanda and John Lambert of Lamb Baked Goods…

We are a husband and wife team. Amanda handles most of the baking while John handles bookkeeping and homeschooling our two kids. He also helps in the kitchen as needed. Amanda has been selling baked goods out of our home since 2012 but has been baking most of her life. Chagrin Falls will be our second Avant-Garde show and we're looking forward too many more.

Amanda gets her inspiration from whatever she sees around her and whatever others ask her to create. She got into baking for 4H at around age 8, where she realized that she could put artistic expression into her foods and has continued to refine it from that. In 2012, she started selling her goods at garage sales and it has continued to grow since then.

Amanda scours Pinterest a lot for ideas that she can make into her own. She sometimes received requests for certain things and tries to make the vision of the customer come to life. Our five-year goal is to continue full time with craft shows, growing nearer to Jesus and shining Him to everyone we encounter at shows. Our primary message is John 6:35: "Jesus said, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.'" A secondary message is Psalm 34:8a: "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

2019 Rocky River Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, 2019

10:00am-5:00pm on Saturday

11:00am-5:00pm on Sunday

Rocky River Memorial Hall

21016 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River, OH 44116

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

Visit us on:

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Thursday, March 21, 2019

Meet the Talent!

Meet Emily Adkins from Elemental Earth Magick...
My name is Emily Adkins. Like many women, I've been infatuated with jewelry ever since I can remember. When I was 12, I got the opportunity to learn how to make hemp macramé bracelets and I took it seriously. I made bracelets for all my friends, my parents, and even my older brother. I eventually taught myself how to make necklaces and keychains, but I never really did anything with them. My brother mentioned trying to sell them, but I was too young and uneducated to know how to strive for such a big goal. So, I continued to gift jewelry to family and friends. I made it to a couple craft shows and taught a small class, but unfortunately, nothing ever came of it. Then one day, years and years later, after scrolling through my Instagram feed and seeing all these successful small businesses of handmade products a light bulb started to glow. "I can do this," I said to myself over and over. I made a decision to give it a shot. Now, I make copper and gemstone jewelry and I'm obsessed with it.

I'm a night owl by nature. The moon must bring out my creativity because I have a difficult time making anything during the day. I don't have my own office or workbench so I create in my living room. I'll sit down with some snacks, binge watch Frasier, Friends, or The Office for the fifth time and the ideas just flow. It's nothing special, but it's the way I work. The inspiration comes from a multiplicity of things. I've always wanted to work for myself. I've always loved making jewelry. I see others living this way and it reaffirms my own endeavors. There's a freedom that comes with knowing how to create. No matter what it is you make, just knowing how can be incredibly empowering.

In five years, I see myself needing to hire an assistant because I have an incredible amount of business. I see myself owning a workbench and a cute little office in my own home on my own land to work out of. I'll be heading into my fifth year of art and craft shows and making a living being my own boss. I want my business to show people they can do anything they set their mind to. If you want something bad enough and strive for it every single day it will happen. You gotta have faith.

Meet Theresa Ferline-Carr from Tess' Tender Touch...

I have been an artist most of my life. When I was a little girl, the best gift for me was always a fresh box of crayons and a tablet of blank paper or a coloring book! For many years I enhanced walls, furniture, clothing, and many other inanimate objects. One day my mother asked me to create a set of wine glasses for her theater group. That was about 15 years ago and I have been painting glassware and growing my business ever since. Glass is not the only surface I beautify though. I still continue to paint children's rooms, furniture, clothing and much more! I absolutely love what I do! Alongside my glassware business, I am a full-time Executive Assistant to the SVP, Director of Key4Women at Key Bank. I was born and raised in Lakewood, OH and I am the proud mother of my 25-year-old son who is a Paramedic with Cleveland EMS and I spend my free time enjoying the life I have built with my fiancé, family, and friends.

Since a young age, my passion was always drawing/coloring and making things pretty. My mother got me into crafting. I have always been an artist, but at the time I was painting children’s room, furniture, clothing, and other mediums. My mom was having a group of ladies over for cocktails prior to going to the theater to see “CATS”. She asked me to create some hand painted wine glasses for the event. I had never painted on glass before so I was reluctant, but with her encouragement, I studied the process, practiced and was successful. I was hooked; I painted on every piece of clear glass I could find in my house, my mother’s and my grandmother’s until my mother asked, “What are you going to do with all of this?” We laughed but decided to take it to the St. Mary’s Craft Show. I came home with six pieces, everyone LOVED it! I’ve been doing it ever since! This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!

I must be in the creative mood so to prepare, I sometimes look through Home and Garden magazine for inspiration and color; then I just get down to it. I can’t just create one piece; once I get started I get lost in it! I see myself still creating lasting gifts for my clients and their recipients. If it weren’t for health benefits I would just paint the rest of my life. My message is to be inspired to make others happy! Life is short; enjoy every moment and don’t wait for a special occasion to break out your beautiful glassware; drink from them every day!

Meet Meet Patrick Broughton from Pat Broughton Art...

For two years now, I have a full-time visual artist who lives and works in Lakewood, OH. I have always been a maker and interested in art, but when I found myself between jobs for the first time in my adult life, I decided to pursue art as a full-time profession. I am glad to be getting the chance to support myself doing what I love the most. My parents encouraged me to be creative and make things from a young age. As time went on and I became more serious about my art, I learned that experimenting, making lots of work, and learning how to filter that work is perhaps just as important as talent.

As an abstract artist, I enjoy building my own experimental worlds from scratch in a format that has an instant impact on the viewer. Unlike reading or listening to music, viewing art has an immediacy to it that makes it unlike any other experience. Of course, many pieces continue to reveal more to the viewer over days, months, and years.

My process relies heavily on experimentation. I create work through drawing, painting, and collage and leave many works visible around my studio. Often times seeing two different works next to each other inspires a new, more powerful work. In this way, I am constantly filtering, distilling, and curating my own creations. My process is highly selective and things do get left on the cutting room floor. I want only my most potent work to reach the viewer. I typically work in series, producing 3 or more works in each series.

In five years, I would love to be not only supporting myself with my art but growing my audience while doing so, including by showing my art internationally. Being in a position where I could hire an assistant or two, along with having a larger, better-lit studio would help take my art to the next level. An immediate goal is to have my first solo show at a gallery. The message behind my work is "Sooner or later, everything comes together."