Spring Artists and Crafters to Showcase

Meet Kelly Jobes of Copper Pig...

I always made things, crafts or art. I'll be married for 21 years this spring, and I have a 7 year old son who is all action all the time! I'm lucky to be able to stay home full time, and still don't have enough time to craft as much as I would like! I hooked rugs when I was about 8 and have done one thing or another since then. This will be my first Avant-Garde Show!

I find crafting calming and that's why I stay inspired to do it. I found my interest in crafting by looking at certain things and thinking to myself, "how could I do that differently?" 

I discovered that this was a talent once people started stopping me and asking me where I got my pieces and if they could purchase some as well. My creative process is simply having an "everything all at once" way of processing ideas. I start out with A, B, and C and then think "what if I used D, E, F, G....." then I wonder "how about changing A to M and adding K..." and before I know it, I have every piece of everything out and then I'm starting 2 other pieces at the same time because they appeared in my mind while looking to make the first.

                          

The message behind my work is for people to feel that art & crafts are fun. Enjoy them, make them, wear them! Within the next five or so years, I'd like to make my art into a business.

Meet Joan Satow, A Watercolor Artist...

I was born and raised in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland area) and earned my Bachelor of Science Degree in Visual Communications from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. I also attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh through Ashland University's "College Affiliate Program", where my main focus of study was Commercial Art. 

 Since childhood, I have always shown a strong art interest. Currently, I am a full-time Graphic Designer with a local publishing company, and part-time Watercolor Artist.  Over the last six years I have re-visited my interest in fine art skills and have been actively building a new body of work in Watercolor Painting.

I enjoy it very much and dream about a future of more painting – a wonderful escape from the digital/technical aspect of Graphic Design.  It is very easy for me to become engrossed and loose track of time and reality – being "in the zone".  

Continued learning is a vital part of staying alive creatively. Knowledge is power!  Attending classes with local Watercolor Artists, Nancy Notarianni and Jeff Suntala, workshops with Bob Moyer, and studying books and videos of Charles Reid, (all painting styles and techniques I greatly admire), challenge my brain with a real workout!

My painting style of choice is a fresh, painterly, loose and impressionistic style.  This is always a goal I strive for but do not always achieve.  Subjects include organic forms, nature-inspired objects, scenics, landscapes, seascapes, still life, and florals along with architectural themes, "house portraits", animals, "pet portraits", and abstract themes.  My subject references are taken from both photographs and "plein air".  Commission work is always welcomed! 

This will be my first Avant-Garde Arts & Crafts Show.  I will be offering both reproduction prints and original watercolor paintings in a wide variety of subjects and sizes and commission orders.  Gift certificates are also available.

Meet Sandy & Monica of Triple-C Sweets...

Our names are Sandy and Monica. We are a Mother-Daughter duo with a love for sweets. Sandy is a mother of 3 and grandmother of 6. Who has been retired for 3 years. Monica is a mother of a 21 month old, as well as a Step-Mother to 9 & 8 year olds. 

We have both been in the kitchen baking, cooking & creating goodies from love with our Mom’s and Aunt’s since we were young! This will be our 3rd Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show we have attended so far!

                     

Inspiration comes to us from all over, whether it is the design on a Bride’s dress, school colors for the Graduate going off to college or even an edible image of the Birthday person, we love to incorporate a special item for an event into our treats. We have always loved to be in the kitchen creating sweet treats. In her 20’s, Sandy took at candy making class. Monica has also taken some cake decorating classes through the years. After our classes, we were hooked. The feedback from our family and friends is how we discovered that this was our talent!

We are creative by trying something new, i.e. a new recipe or design. We have tried many different ideas that sounded perfect in our heads. But, did not quite workout how we expected in real life. Luckily, we have great taste testers around us to help us with our creative process.

In 5 years, we'd like to be doing this full-time as a business! Let us make something sweet for your next event or to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Meet Francine Ruth of Jewelry by Francine...

I work full time for an insurance company and during my spare time I create jewelry.  I consider myself as a self-taught metalsmith who works in traditional metalsmithining techniques. I've been creating jewelry for about 7 years now and doing art shows for the past 4 years.

Everything around me inspires me. From the patterns on a floor, to the jewelry my Grandmother wore. I love to create jewelry which every woman can wear! I started creating fine jewelry as a way to break out of the right brain sided corporate world. 

I have always been creative, even as a little girl. It wasn't until I created jewelry for a friend's bridal party that I realized people enjoyed wearing my designs and the rest is history. For my creative process, I primarily work in sterling and accent in high carat gold.  The materials I work with are chosen so that the end piece is elegant, feminine and refined.

My current work, influenced by nature, is polished and has a classic feel.  My work has grown out of my own maturity as well as an appreciation for the jewelry worn by my Mother. I am challenging the perception of art jewelry by standing near time honored, classic pieces, which have an added bit of fun!

In the next 5 years, I would like to be doing some of the top art shows in the country and would like to see my work in more galleries across the country. I want my jewelry to express that jewelry shouldn't take a one size fits all approach and that it should be fun to wear!

2014 West Side Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday & Sunday, March 22nd and 23rd, 2014, 10:00am-5:00pm

Rocky River Memorial Hall

21016 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River, OH 44116

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com

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Dare To Display The Uniqueness That Is You

Meet David Simon...

I am an ad agency creative director, freelance illustrator and writer. I live in Westlake with my wife Carrie, our cat Brix and our children Eric, Hannah, and McKenna. I have been drawing and designing professionally since I was in my late teen years.

The world that we live in inspires me, I look at a magnolia tree silhouetted against the sky and think, "How can I render this image in pen or ink?" After all of these years I still enjoy putting pen to paper and sharing my work with others, and it is what keeps me going. 

I discovered my talent when I was very young. I could always draw a little better than other kids my age and just improved with time, therefore developing my creative process. I try not to over think, I just start drawing and often times something good happens. If not, I just start over.There is beauty in everything, in texture, detail, and shadows. You just have to find it.

This will be my third Avant-Garde show and I'm looking forward to experience the first two-day show!

Meet Kate From Peripeti...
I grew up in Avon and have been in Chicago for the past ten years as a freelance mixed media artist. I recently returned to the area and I am enjoying getting plugged into the art and craft community in the area. I will be going to England this April for an art fellowship and I am very much looking forward to expanding over there while still maintaining my shop Peripeti. 

I have been making art for about 15 years but fell into making candles. It started as a way to make gifts for friends and family and just began to grow. I love every aspect of making them, so I feel very blessed to be able to continue making them and to be expanding.

Creating is something that I have always loved, but what I love about the art and candles I’m making is that they are more personal and for the home. I think the home is so personal and intimate, and I love creating pieces that are meant to compliment that environment.

How I began my business.. I had worked with galleries and exhibits previously, but sort of fell into the craft shows when my candles began to grow into a business. I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s a great community of friendly people who are pursuing their passions and enjoy seeing others succeed as well.

My creative process is experimenting and problem solving which might sound odd when talking about creating, but to me they are the same thing. Whether it’s mixed media or candles, it takes a willingness to try new things. It's also important to be open to learn from the past. There’s always that tendency to get ‘bound up’ in a piece and be afraid to move forward. But, if I approach it like an experiment or how I would in solving a problem, it frees me up to make mistakes, which I’ve found moves my work ahead faster than anything else.

I’m currently in shops and have an online shop and I am looking to expand both locally and internationally. The US is the largest soy producer, soy candles mean more domestic jobs and local resources. I’m excited by all the possibilities and hope to be able to grow while maintaining a local presence! 

Meet Kendall Felt From Kendal Painting & Unique Finishes...

I am a self-employed painter/artist, who does medium and high-end faux finishes, as well as wallpaper installation and removal. This is my twentith year in business. I have been selling my designs for about five years now.

I’ve shown my hand-crafted scarves & jewelry at three Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows, thus far. I get my inspiration at night, in bed, designs come into my head while staring at a darkened ceiling; then it’s time to get out of bed and start a drawing. 

I started this as a hobby several years go, I would make simple pieces and give them to friends for birthday and holiday gifts. Many people said I should sell my pieces since they were so lovely. My talent is in my genes, I grew up learning fine art at the knees of my mother, a talented artist from California.

                     

My creative process is simple, I see shapes in nature which stems to me seeing a design in my head, then it goes onto paper. From there, I then attempt to mold it with my hands. In five years, I hope to I see my designs online, reaching out to millions of daring women.

The message behind my work is this: “Only dead fish swim with the stream…”  You are ‘one-of-a-kind'; dare to be different; dare to display the uniqueness that is you.

Meet Jody Lanham From Designs by Jody... 

I was born and raised in Wooster,Ohio, I am about to retire from my job of thirty years working for the State of Ohio at The Ohio State University and Wooster City Schools. I have three grown daughters, one is a US Marine, the other two are the mothers of my most precious grandchildren!

I have been making jewelry and designing other kinds of decorative craft items seriously for about six years. I began doing crafty things for fun many years before that, since kindergarten I imagine! I still like to make things and decorate for fun or for my own pleasure, but I spend most of my creative time making things to sell.

Almost anything inspires me to create. Mostly nature: sunsets and sunrises, water, sky, trees and flowers, animals and so much more! Shapes, textures and colors, feelings and moods help mold my ideas. For me there are no rules in my jewelry creation except that I make only what I would wear myself. Also, although it's not a rule, no two pieces of my jewelry are ever alike.  Not even the same design or color. They are all just different, period.

There is no real process to my creative generation of wearable artwork, but there are methods that eventually lead to production. I love to go to bead shops and just browse through the individually-selectable stones and glass. I sometimes get a vision when looking at the beads. Sometimes, I just buy pieces I like and hope they work in pleasing combination at some point. I also like to glance through beading magazines and look at other jewelry, particularly artisan-made. My favorite happenstance is my messy beading setup. I will look at the beads scattered about and their pattern. From there, proximity will suggest a combination that generally ends up in a final and usually a quite pleasing result.

                            

My work says that what is inside is what matters, and if one can bring that to the surface, expose it to the world, that takes courage and confidence. It also says also that it is ok to be different and to try new things. It is not so much the jewelry wearing that makes a person beautiful, but rather the person wearing it  that brings out the beauty in the jewelry.

2013 West Side Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday & Sunday, March 23 & 24, 2013, 10:00am-5:00pm

Rocky River Memorial Hall

21016 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River, OH 44116

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com

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The Perfect Accessory!

Meet Suzanne Weaver from Zi DeZynes Jewelry...
I was born and raised near Canton, OH. After high school, I moved to Athens, OH for college at Ohio University. In 1995, I graduated from OU and moved to the Cleveland area for my first teaching job. I’ve been a teacher for 17 years in a NE Ohio public school system. During that time, I completed my Master’s degree from Kent State and later meet Ted, the love of my life and partner for the last 12 years!

I’m a fairly new jewelry designer! I took a class on simple beading in June of 2010 at Imagine Gallery in Bemus Point, New York which began my love of creating beautiful things. Since then, I’ve taken a few other classes at various locations, even some on-line classes, to learn more and develop my skills.

I love to surround myself with raw materials, beads, wires, cords, chains, glass, stone, etc. and let me imagination flow. Sometimes I can immediately see in my mind’s eye what the materials want to become!

When I’ve finished a piece, I like to think about the pile of raw materials that I started with and look at what I’ve made it into! I also love when a client tells a story of being approached about their jewelry choice and telling whomever that they have a one of a kind piece created just for them!

Ever since I was a little girl, I was focused on color and style. My family loves to tell stories that I needed to “match” no matter what I was doing that day! As an adult, I look for inspiration in images I see around me and the beauty I find in the materials I’m working with. I also enjoy creating custom work for women! For these pieces I take my inspiration from the personality and personal style of the client.

I’ve always been a “crafty” person. When I was younger, I learned to crochet from my grandmother and sew from my mother and 4-H leader. Since then, I’ve tried my hand at cross stitch and embroidery during my teen and early adult years. Jewelry was something I’d always admired but couldn’t afford! When I finally sat down to take a beading class, I learned that I could create my own jewelry for less and have all the styles I wanted!

At some point, your desire to create overtakes your own personal need for jewelry. Once my friends and family started asking for something like what I was wearing or a gift for a friend, I realized the potential I had before me. 

The message behind my work is that every woman is beautiful and unique! Your personal style should celebrate that. Wear jewelry that is different and as unique as you are!

Meet Francine Ruth from Jewelry by Francine...

By day I am a process consultant for a large insurance company and by night I design and create jewelry. I started metalsmithing as a stress reliever from the corporate world.

I have been making jewelry in one form or another since I was about 5 years old but I started selling my jewelry about 5 years ago. This will be my third Avant-Garde show I've participated in.

Growing up, I have alway been artistic - I was one of those kids who always made my parents cards and decorated the holiday tree.  I think I was given my creative genes from my Grandmother, Frances. 

It's funny, I never really set out to sell my jewelry, it was happened quite by accident.  A friend of mine suggested that I create the jewelry for her wedding party. I did and after that I began getting inquiries about selling the pieces I created and the rest is history.

My creative process... I am ALWAYS thinking of jewely.  When I am sitting in a meeting at work I am always doodling, when I am watching TV, I am constantly looking at ways to create my next cool piece.  I always carry a sketch book with me so that I can capture my ideas,

I think that the best thing about creating my jewelry is that people think highly enough of my artistic ability to spend money to purchase it. I also love getting e-mails from my customers telling me how much they enjoy their purchases.

When it comes to my work, I just want people to enjoy wearing it and feel good wearing it. 

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature up to 200 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Drink Local. Drink Tap. a local non-profit that works in communities to educate people about our local water sources and also helps orphans in Uganda gain access to clean drinking water.

2012 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, October 14, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm

Lacentre

25777 Detroit Rd.

Westlake, OH 44145

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com

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