Spring Has Sprung...Well, Almost!

Meet Alice Radabaugh from DBA Alice's Air Pets...
In March 2012 I started a mobile business selling air plants, also known as Tillandsias, at a variety of events.  I like art shows because I offer something different - living plants that I incorporate with elements from nature to create living art.

Nature is a great inspiration. Plants are a livelihood and hobby that allow me to take rocks, shells, and wood and put them together to create a functional piece of art. Art makes us happy. It doesn't have to be something that just looks pretty sitting on a shelf or hanging on a wall. Air plants can be cared for and moved around, even outside! I call them "air pets" because they grow on us much like animals we care for do.

I participate in home & garden shows, plant sales, open markets, fall festivals, christmas shows as well as juried and non-juried shows. I travel up to 100 miles from home to communities selling person to person. I love meeting new people to tell them about Tillandsias and perhaps giving an art lover a new hobby. As I approach my second year, I look forward to revisiting with folks I've met along the way.

Meet Carey Starkey of Designs by Carey...
I'm 28 years old. I love to travel. Along with beading and some crocheting, I am into scrapbooking. I teach 5th and 6th grade Sunday School. I've been beading since grade school and learned to crochet just after high school and been selling on Etsy since July 2011. This is my second Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. I did the spring one last year in Westlake. 

I create purely for fun. I can't draw. I can't cook anything that's not in a box. So jewelry and crocheting are my creative outlets. I've been beading since grade school. I started out with plastic beads and stretchy string making costume jewelry and friendship bracelets for my girl friends. As time went on, I began reading more and learning techniques from friends. I learned to crochet from my mother and grandmother. I'm still in the learning stages, but I am proud of what I've learned so far and plan to extend my line of crocheted items in the future as I learn more.

I get ideas from around me. I work in retail, so I'll pay attention to what people are wearing or notice something while online shopping or browsing a store. I'll make a mental note of what I see and like and make my own take on the item. Or, I'll get ideas when bead shopping. I'll see a fun shape or new gems I haven't tried yet and experiment. In 5 years, I see myself still selling on Etsy and maybe having my items carried in a local boutique.

The message behind my work is fun. What girl doesn't enjoy adding a little sparkle to her day? Whether it's a cute pair of earrings worn to work, or a shawl for a wedding. I hope there are people out there who enjoy my work and have as much fun wearing them as I do making them.

Meet Jamie McCoy of Davita: Recycled Goddess...
I am a 2007 graduate from Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA, with a BA in Psychology and a concentration in Neuroscience. I was born and raised in Iowa and moved to Pennsylvania in 2004. I live in Erie still, but love to travel to handmade markets and art shows! I love music and attend a lot of summer music festivals including Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman, NY. I have four cats, named Dexter, Mike Gordon, Nittany Lion, and Bella. I have recently taken up hoop dance, and though I am not very good at it, I love it. Finally, I love to cook and challenge myself with vegan baking. 

I opened my Etsy shop in March of 2009 thinking that I would sell a few things a year, just to have a little extra money and to justify all of the time I spent creating. At the time, I worked full time in the mental health field and needed the stress relief after work, so creating and photography had become my "ME" activity. I was actually able to quit my day job in August 2011 and have been working as a full time artisan ever since! This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and I look forward to participating!

Everything inspires me, really.  I can never really pinpoint where the inspration comes from. Usually, an idea hits me like a flash and I have a moment of feeling like I'd known it all along and just hadn't accessed it yet.

My mother was always a crafter; needlepoint, Pretty Punch (remember that, way back in the 80's?) and all kinds of other things. Her mother was a quilter. I suppose that crafting was always there, but I don't think I really started spending a lot of time doing it until 2009 when, as I stated previously, I was working in emergency mental health and needed a distraction after particularly stressful days of work.

When I was in grade school I attempted to start a club called Kid's FACE (Kids for a Cleaner Environment) at my school. This never came to pass, but four other girls and I did meet in a classroom after school for about a week before the teacher put a stop to it. During that time I learned how to make paper and years later a friend, Amy, reminded me that I still knew how to do it. I guess it all started there! 

I find art in everything. Even things that you find no use for, like junk mail, can be turned into something beautiful and functional, like a plantable gift tag or a seed bomb. It's all about perspective. You have to train yourself to see uses for things beyond their initial intended use, and then you can get a little creative and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time! Once you can do this, your options are endless.

Meet Cynde Hujarski of Cynde H Designs...
Cynde Hujarski – a Cleveland native – received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kent State University in jewelry/metals. Her previous design degree from Cuyahoga community College, plus her Kent State, formal art training laid the foundation for both creative design and artistic exploration.

Working with/inspired by fellow artists, Cynde has developed an extraordinary interest in recycling ordinary objects and transforming them into unique works of art. Recent designs have focused on 35 mm film negatives. Necklaces, pins, earrings, hair clips and key chains are only a few of the items Cynde has created using film negatives.

Not only does Cynde create production pieces, she also designs commissioned and custom jewelry. Cynde’s finely crafted jewelry has been admitted to several Ohio juried shows. Her work is sold at Epiphany Gifts (Hudson OH), Native Cleveland, and CLE Clothing Co. (Cleveland, OH). Her Pierced Heart Ohio Pendant reflects her fondness for her home town and was featured in the December, 2011 Cleveland Magazine.

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN

The Beauty of Versatile Art!

Meet Mary Learman from Clay Creations...

I am a Boardman, OH resident, Harborcreek, PA native, who enjoys all things creative. As I get further into the artistic world, I find it fascinating to see how each individual expresses him/herself creatively. The local artistic community has been so amazing and supportive. I finally feel like I found home.


I am happily married and and have two amazing sons.  I enjoy spending time with my family outdoors. We love to hike, camp and go kayaking. Our favorite vacations involve all three. We have two Border Collies, one of whom is my faithful studio dog.

Growing up, my father was an artistic person and always encouraged me to explore my potential. I am so excited to see that my love of art has been passed along to my two sons. My oldest son, Stephen, often joins me at art shows, selling his beautiful abstract paintings, and my youngest son, Shane, loves to create clay sculptures that I sell alongside my own works.

How I got into my craft.. I've bounced around from art to art, knitting, tatting, drawing, never really finding anything that 'stuck' until I found pottery last year. I've been hooked ever since. I enjoy making functional pottery pieces that have an added sculptural attachment for interest and fun. Generally I throw a simple form that I can decorate or embellish. I usually don't have a plan or idea in mind, until I start playing around with the clay and something emerges.

My first class was last January at the local YMCA. I successfully started throwing pieces about a year ago. I started selling in local art shows this past December.

I got into selling my work through my son. One morning he was putting dishes away and couldn't find space to put a coffee mug. He turned to me and said, "That's it!!!  No more coffee mugs until you start selling them. There's no more room!" I started looking into a place to sell them the next day. 

I can't really say that I have one special favorite piece. Every piece feels like my favorite...one of my children, so to speak. You can often see the mood I was in when I made the piece...some are happy, some appear cynical and some even appear a bit moody! 

My goal is to make someone smile when they see my pieces. My favorite comment at an art show was: "I'm going to drink coffee out of this mug every morning for the rest of my life!" That made me feel so incredibly blessed to make someone that happy. The message behind my work is enjoy life in simple things.

Meet April Bleakney from APEMade...

I am a 26 year old female, Kentite, screen printer, artist, history nerd, dog lover...

In my spare time, I take care of my 2 beagles, volunteer at Zygote, volunteer with youth programs, (work a part time job) love to eat/cook, travel, music, family. But most of my time is spent creating things.

I get my creativity from around me. I've been making things since I can remember. Making art since I was a kid. I received a lot of encouragement from my family and friends. I graduated from Kent with a BFA in Fine Arts (Printmaking as my concentration). The decision to turn it into a career developed very organically. I started printing tees for fun, put some pictures on Facebook, and the rest is history. I've been a registered business since June of 2011.

My creative process can vary greatly depending on what medium I am working in. For screen designs, I usually start by drawing my design on paper first, then scan it into digital format and alter digitally if necessary.

The goal with my business is socially, to promote local pride and consciousness and create compelling visual art.  Personally, to continue to develop work that makes a statement about American and world issues (and hopefully be able to financially support myself in the process!).

The message behind my work is honest depictions of local daily life, with compelling visuals.  Humor and sarcasm welcome.  

You can view some of my work at APEMade and contact me via email at apemadeohio@gmail.com.

Meet Nancy Abrahamson from Jazzy Jewelry...

When I was growing up, I was never very artistic. I still draw only stick figures and elephants. So when I discovered that I had talent making jewelry, I was so excited! I enjoy sharing this experience with others by having them over to my home for what I term "Snack & Playtime." I provide a home-cooked treat and guide women through making earrings, bracelets or necklaces. I especially love when someone comes to my home saying, "I can't do this.  I'm not talented." They go home wearing something they made and we both feel good about it.

I believe I get my creativity from God. He hard-wired me.

How I got started... I went to a craft show and bought some jewelry. After examining it, I wondered if I could do something similar. So I experimented a bit. I've never taken a class; I'm a self-taught artist. I'd like to take classes sometime to learn more intricate techniques. 

I've been making and selling jewelry for about 4 years.

I got into selling my craft when my daughter was a junior in high school. She went to Costa Rica with AFS as a foreign exchange student. I began selling jewelry as a way to help pay for her year abroad.

My creative process... I see certain beads and think, "I wonder how this would look if I mixed it with..."

My passion is to share some beauty with others and share the joy of creating. I get excited when I see others enjoy the creative process, and I learn from them as well. I think I get as much from sharing as I give. I've gotten some good ideas for design from women that I've had over to my home.

My message is that beauty is readily available. I try to keep my prices reasonable so that more people can own something I've created. I'm also into guiding women through the process of making their own jewelry.

How did my business get the name Jazzy Jewelery?  I've run a jewelry-making craft time for my church ladies' retreat for the past two years. They dubbed my craft session "Jazzy Jewelry" and the name has just stuck.

Meet Missy Ciavarelli from Tempting Sweets... 

By day, I’m a mild mannered legal assistant but I love letting my creativity shine through in my chocolate creations. 

I love hanging out with friends and sharing good food or a good movie.  I enjoy reading and watching movies as well.  I love the old movies on TCM – I think I may be addicted to Robert Osborne’s voice!

I’m really not sure where I get my creativity from – most of the designs and molds tend to dictate a certain color scheme, especially where a specific character is concerned, but mostly I just play around until I find the right colors and combinations that seem to work the best or fit the occasion. I have plenty of molds that can be customized to a customer’s favorite color, wedding scheme, etc.  

Several years ago, I helped a friend make chocolate that she gave away as Christmas presents.  I loved the process but didn’t get back into it until a couple of years ago when I started up again on a whim.

When I started this hobby, I had so many friends and family complimenting my work and saying I should try selling it – so I did! I’m really happy that I’ve been as successful as I have. This will be my second full year of creating chocolate – it’s still a hobby but I would love to grow this business and see how far I can go with it.

The carousel is my favorite item to create. It’s a long process and very difficult to transport but I feel so accomplished when one is done. I feel like it’s a real accomplishment to construct chocolate into 3-D objects.  he candy dish is a favorite as well for the same reason – it’s functional *and* edible!

My ultimate goal is that I would love to have a sustainable business and do this full time. The message behind my work is that everything is better with a little chocolate.

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 170 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Cleveland Animal Protective League, for animal rescue.

2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm

Wagner's Country Inn

30855 Center Ridge Rd. 

Westlake, OH 44145

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN

It's in their Genes.. Artists Inspired by their Parents...

Meet Denise Knecht from Indulgence Studio...
My family and I live in a Victorian home, circa 1879, in Ohio City. We enjoy the history of the very special neighborhood -- a neighborhood that has really come back to life and nurtures other artists. I am a fulltime employment litigation attorney  -- stressful work 50 - 60 hours a week. So, I really relish using the other side of my brain and the unstructured thought process of creating jewelry.

Because of my "day job" I usually design for the professional woman who want quality & classic looks with a bit of trendiness. Sometimes a unique looking gemstone comes along that triggers my wild side - like when I use slices of quarts or rough, untreated gemstones. Even then, I have a tendency to add balance and color combinations that give my bolder pieces a dressy/casual  style - that is most of my things can be worn casual or for dress-up.

I got started on my craft approximately three years ago. I was having too much fun & spending too much money on my art - I couldn't afford to keep everything in drawers!

I've always had a fashion bent - designing clothes as a seamstress put me through college. My aunt who sometimes stayed with us was a painter, and my Mom was a jewelry freak, so I inherited some of their genes, I think. I discovered I could buy stones from all over the world thanks to the internet and my imagination sent me into a new, artistic passion...

When it comes to my creative process, first and most importantly - I look for quality stones that are moderately priced - precious and semiprecious. Then I experiment with color and add metals to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

My goal is to make jewelry pieces that other women love & want to wear. I only make one-of-a-kind pieces, so I have no desire to market on a grand scale. I try to use only natural stones and avoid "manufactured" looks.

The women who wear my things have a sense of confidence and that is my message - don't be afraid to take care of yourself and look good.

Meet Jody Lanham from Designs by Jody..

I am working my 30th year for the State of Ohio, at Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center (OARDC), part of the College of Food, Agricultural and  Biological Sciences, in the IT Department. This is my last year and I will retire in 2013 so I can spend more time working on the things I love but do mostly in my spare time I make jewelry and other crafts - mostly painting gourds. I am the oldest of 3 and have 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren (could 3 be my lucky number?). I have lived in Wooster, OH most of my life but my retirement plans include a possible move out west. I think the artsy communities like Santa Fe and Durango might be a place I could settle and possibly open my own shop where I can work and sell my creations.

While I was growing up, my dad was a very detail-oriented wood-worker and he created some lovely furniture pieces, helped build the house I grew up in, and made lots of other neat useful things mostly out of old pieces of wood, such as birdhouses. I have always loved birdhouses and love creating and painting my own. I think that’s where I get my creativity!

I have always done crafty things, when I was a child I would hang out with my dad when he worked in his shop and he would give me scraps of wood to paint on... I would hang out with my mom while she sewed and she showed me how to use the sewing machine to make doll clothes. I took extra art classes in school when I could get away with it. But the actual jewelry creation and knowledge that this was something that would be important in my life began in the summer of 2006.

I first began making jewelry as a therapy activity while I was a resident in a treatment facility. I find that I really enjoyed working with the beads, combining colors and textures and making something that I could actually do something with. I began making more and more jewelry and giving it as gifts. I enjoyed coordinating my jewelry and my wardrobe to create a palette I could display for all to see.

My creative process.. I often see things in nature that suggest a pattern or flow of lines and textures and colors, or a piece of jewelry I can see basing my own design on, or a stone that I can see incorporated into a design. Typically, what really happens is I sit at my beading table where things are scattered all about and see beads and spacers and cording nestling up near each other suggesting a striking combination. My philosophy on being organized: if it is put away you don't see it and it can't therefore inspire you in the way it would if it were out in the open!

My current style has been hovering around Native-American-Southwest and I love copper, feathers, leather and lots of natural stone and cord. This style can swing between the completely casual and every-day and the very formal, dressy and special-occasion. I also love vintage-inspired pieces with lots of bronze and enamel, chains and crystals, that looks as if it had been handed down from my grandmother.

My favorite item is My Haven of the Sun & Moon Birdhouse - made of a locally grown Mexican Bottle gourd, custom-designed as a gift for a friend who fancies stars and moons. When creating it I felt the sun suggesting it had to have its place as well, expressing its warm happy thoughts. The moon beckons with a yawn that sleep for the birds is waiting inside this cozy haven. It is painted by hand with acrylics and glitter, finished with polyurethane spray and hung with jewelry wire. This gourd birdhouse was a last-minute entry into a Staff Arts & Crafts exhibit, which won the Committee's Choice Award.

My goal for my art is to create a niche for myself and have a clientele following, and eventually have my own shop in a well-traveled highly sought out area such as Santa Fe or Durango, where it is warm and dry most of the year. I want to have a name and a line that people recognize and pursue to some degree. I am not quite sure how that will pan out, but I am anxious to be in that place working on that goal!

For me the message behind my work is that I have this creative expression inside of me and I need to let it emerge in a way that is interpretable from the outside - so I create jewelry and decorative items that take a little piece of my heart and my soul that I can share with others.

Meet Caroline Greco from Cold Hands Warm Heart Crafts...

My name is Caroline and I am a 24-year-old craft addict. I am engaged to a wonderful man named Ryan and we are currently planning our wedding for May 2013. I was born in Stamford, CT, however, when I was in the first grade my father got a job as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation in Orlando, FL and I spent the majority of my childhood living in Kissimmee, FL. When I was a junior in high school my family moved to the Cleveland area. I have always had a love for art and craft making because of my father, but in my junior and senior year at Westlake High School I became a lot more focused in my goal to make art a major part of my adult life. After a couple of years at Tri-C, where I spent much of my time doing Photography, I transferred to the University of South Florida where I studied art. Because I spent a lot my first years at Tri-C working on my general education requirements, I was able to fully immerse myself in art at USF and spend my entire day working on different mediums of art. I recently moved back to the Cleveland area and have made it a goal of mine to attempt to keep the same creative schedule I had at USF and continue making art every single day. I have been sewing since about age 10 and since I have moved back to Cleveland I have completely immersed myself in sewing and accessory making. I am happiest when I am working in my sewing room, with my dog and cats by my side, sewing for hours at a time. I started working under the name Cold Hands Warm Heart Crafts in October 2011.

Apart from creating things, I work full time at The Harbor Court Assisted Living as the Community Relations Assistant. I absolutely adore my job and love getting to know the seniors that live there. I spend a great deal of time doing Graphic Design and Web Design work. Also, I have an English Pointer named Brody that I love to walk with in the Metro Parks! 

I have always felt strongly that a lot of my creativity is genetic and passed down from my father, who is an artist. I feel that he has taught me how much time you have to put into your work and creative process if you want to succeed. I try to be very aware of my surroundings and use things I see and hear as inspiration for projects. I also like to spend a lot of time researching sewing and accessories to help build a catalogue in my mind that I can pull creative ideas from.

I have always been making things and began sewing at the age of 10 when my Grandmother gave me my first sewing box. She taught me how to hand sew and I began cutting the legs off of my jeans to make denim purses (with the waist band being the strap). I have been sewing ever since. My mother is absolutely addicted to handbags and I think all of the years of hearing her describe what she liked or didn’t like about her purses helped focus me in the area of accessory and handbag making.

I began selling my bags to co-workers and after a lot of encouragement to start selling them online I started my Etsy shop. Since I began my “small business project”, Cold Hands Warm Heart Crafts, I have had many custom orders from co-workers and friends as well as online sales. I originally wanted to sell my products mainly just to make enough money to buy more supplies and fabric. That is still the main goal for me. My top priority is my love for crafts, not financial gain. Almost every last penny I make goes immediately into more material and supplies to make more craft projects.

When it comes to my creative process, I am constantly looking at blogs, fashion websites, Pinterest, etc. to get inspiration for projects. When I first began (professionally) sewing I would read tutorial after tutorial after tutorial. I wanted to understand how bags were made so I could design my own patterns. Now I will browse the Internet or a local store to find a general idea I like and then will build off that. I like to sit for a while with just a notebook and think about what I would want in a bag (i.e. custom pockets for my phone and pens; an adjustable strap, etc.)

I think my favorite item I have every produced is this teal pleated clutch purse. I loved the fabric and the fabric button and the zipper and lining…I was just so happy with how everything turned out!

My goal with my talent is to make sewing and craft making a major part of my life and at some point, when I start to have children, be able to work from home making my bags. I would love to sew full time so that would be a wonderful goal if I could achieve that.

The main message behind my work is my belief that I think accessories, such as a purse or wallet, should be statement pieces to your wardrobe and not just a bland addition. I love vibrant color palettes and intricate patterns. I think bags should stand out and draw attention to you, rather than just be looked over or thought of as only a “thing to hold your stuff”. Accessories should be fun! The very definition of accessory is “Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result”. If accessories weren’t meant to be fun additions to your wardrobe they would be called obligations instead. You don’t see signs that say “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Purse, No Service”; making your accessories be enjoyable vibrant additions is up to you!

If you're interested in checking out some of my work or placing an order visit my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/chwhcrafts and my blog www.coldhandswarmheartcrafts.com.

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 170 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Cleveland Animal Protective League, for animal rescue.

2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm

Wagner's Country Inn

30855 Center Ridge Rd. 

Westlake, OH 44145

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN