Meet Laura Keevan from It’s Ewe Baby! This Ain’t your
Grandma’s Knitting…
My name is
Laura Keevan and I am 44. I am a part-time server and full time mother &
craftsperson.
I think that
fiber arts are in my DNA. My mother was an amazing craftswoman and my father an
illustrator. They met in art school and both inspired me from a very young age
to express myself creatively. My mother
taught me to crochet when I was in elementary school and would had she not died
when I was 14, I believe would have been a visionary in the knitting world. She
is still, to me, the most accomplished knitter that I have ever known.
As most kids
do, I wandered away from the crocheting but not from the art field. I majored
in photography at Corcoran School of Art & Design in Washington DC and
developed a passion for sewing and jewelry making in my spare time.
It wasn’t until
1999 that I taught myself to knit from a book, during cold Montana winters, holed
up in a log cabin. Once I learned to knit I forgot everything else. I only
recently started crocheting again when I became a volunteer teacher for the St.
Mark’s Knitting and Crochet Club at St. Mark in West Park.
I absolutely
love my time teaching these traditions to the new generations of girls. I am so
proud of all the accomplishments they have made in the two years we have been a
club
I have now been
knitting for 14 years and I am compelled to knit as I am compelled to breathe.
I cannot imagine a day NOT knitting or creating. I have the true spirit of an
artist and knitting allows me to express that spirit with beautiful items that
others can enjoy. Nothing brings me more joy and satisfaction than seeing
someone wearing one of my items.
This will be my
first, of hopefully many Avant –Garde shows and I am looking forward to
introducing my knitting to a whole new audience.
I am not an
arstist that needs to have a MESSAGE behind my work. I just want people to
participate in the tactile experience of enjoying what I do. Pick up my pieces,
hold them, try them on… and take them home! I knit to share joy. Plain and
simple.
In five years I
hope to have a set craft show season with set dates and I hope to create in the
off season and conduct my off season eBay business. During the craft season
(fall/winter) I hope to travel around NE Ohio and sell my wares. I want to get
my online store up and running where I can take commission orders and
eventually make enough money from these ventures to quit waitressing and go
“full time” as a crafty mama.
Meet
Karen Parker from Mysterious Me by KP…
My name is Karen Parker and
my newly established company is “Mysterious Me by KP”. I create unique, handmade jewelry
designs and this Spring will be my first show with Avant-Garde. I look forward to presenting my
creations to the public, as well as becoming a regular artist with the
Avant-Garde organization for upcoming events.
I grew up in Parma and
currently live further west in Avon Lake with my Fiancée and Son. My full time job is an Operations
Manager for a well known furniture retailer, as well as being a Mom. In my spare time, my love is designing unique
jewelry that is transitional and can be worn whether you are a business
professional, full time Mom or a retired individual.
You can wear my pieces with a simple t-shirt and allow the
jewelry to be the focal point, or you can select a neutral piece that will
compliment many pieces within your wardrobe or current jewelry collection. I offer a customizable service for
special occasions including weddings, graduations, anniversary or prom. I would work with you to create a design
incorporating the colors you have already selected, as well as taking into
consideration your design preferences and your individual personality.
In the past, I would create
pieces primarily for family, friends and co-workers, but recently I decided to
turn it into a profitable part-time business after I discovered how popular and
well-liked my pieces had become.
My inspiration cannot be pinpointed, it just hits me. I may see something in nature
where the lines or colors draw me in and give me ideas, but most of the time my
designs just pop into my head. When creating one of my designs, I invest a substantial
amount of time ensuring that the colors compliment one another and making sure
the scale of all components used, are in proper proportion.
My future goal for my
business is to eventually have my product offered in local boutiques in the
Cleveland area. I recently published
my own website www.mysteriousmebykp.weebly.com . My designs
are also featured in my shop on Esty.com, where I am always adding new product
for the upcoming seasons.
The message behind my work
is to provide you with a piece of art that will speak to your individual sense
of style and allow you to express your sense of femininity. Whether you are drawn to earthy
stones or feminine, soft pearls, I try to offer a broad selection for everyone
who enjoys an excellent quality, handmade piece of jewelry.
Meet
Emilie Collens Illson from Button Down Designs…
I began my button bracelet business exactly 8 years ago,
quite by accident! My four children were
nearly raised, and my eldest son was half way through a year-long deployment to
Iraq. I was filled with anxiety. At this point, I had been a serious antique
collector for 35 years, but had never thought much about buttons. All that changed on March 1, 2006, when I saw
a button bracelet at a flea market, and thought to myself, “I could do
that. In fact, I think I could do it
better!” The next day, Button Down
Designs was born.
Since then, I have made over 4300 button bracelets,
mostly using buttons from the 1840 to 1940 time period. My bracelets are
entirely hand-sewn, and each one comes with a handwritten hang-tag, explaining
about the buttons in that design. I search far and wide for the buttons,
buying most of them from Antique Dealers. Each button is cleaned and
sorted, then later designed into a bracelet.
My bracelets have been sold in two National Museum Shops,
The Museum of American Folk Art, in Manhattan, and the Museum of Women in the
Arts, in D.C. Most bracelets are sold
out of my home, or at the various Art Shows which I participate in. This will be my first Avant Garde Show.
For the past four years I have also been giving
Presentations to groups about the history of antique buttons. Last year I
spoke at 8 Public Libraries. I have also presented to Historical
Societies, Garden Clubs, Quilt Groups, Victorian Tea Societies, Red Hat Ladies
and the Cleveland Museum of Art Textile Art Alliance. During my interactive demonstration I focus
on 9 different types of antique buttons, and I include museum-quality, period-appropriate
household objects, which are passed around the audience.
I am contagiously enthusiastic about my work. It is the perfect storm for my talents,
combining my love of antiques and art with my passion for collecting,
designing, and creating. I do all my own
photography, using my antique collections as props, and all my own writing on
my ever-changing facebook page and website.
My BFA degree is in drawing and painting, earned from
Denison University in 1973. I grew up in
Cleveland Hts., and graduated from Laurel School, where I am serving my 6th
year on the Alumnae Board. When I was a
student there I wrote and illustrated a book about the Amish, which was later
published.
I work out of my Rocky River home, which I open up to
customers on a daily basis. I also host
an Open House, every other month, with refreshments and house tour. Guests often notice the Blue Star Banner in
my window. I am very proud of my son, an
Airborne Army Ranger, who is still serving in the U.S. Army, “for love of
country.”
I hope to continue creating my button bracelets and
necklaces for many years to come. After
all, I was only 54 years old when I started, and I’m just
beginning to get warmed up!
Meet Giovanna from Gems By Giovanna…
My name is Giovanna Elisabetta Maria Harris. Using the acronym GEM
I chose Gems By Giovanna as my business name. I am a wife and mother of 2
teenage boys and live in Solon, OH. I
have been crafting(always something different) for over 20 years. I have tried
so many different things that now as I think back I realize I have always had a
need to create and express myself through many modes. Whether it be painting,
sponging, stenciling, hodgepodge, cross-stitch, figurine painting, making my
own wall-paper borders, installing flooring and trims, caulking, sanding,
staining, refurbishing furniture, gardening, making handmade draperies, as well
as sewing, lamp work, crocheting, beading and jewelry making.I seem to be
inspired by life and people.
Anything and everything inspires me. I love
sparkle and shine and also the simple things. My creativity starts with the
planting of a seed. I take a simple process and add to it until I feel it is a
complete piece of work. Then that same design can inspire a multitude of roots
which all send me on different paths. I enjoy challenges and love to learn new
things. It is hard for me to create a lot of one design. I prefer to create a
piece and move on to the next. Most of my designs are one-of- kind and each one
is a piece of me. I love to create and making original jewelry gives me great
satisfaction.
I also love to crochet, which my lovely mother-in-law, although a
knitter herself, provided me with the tools and a desire to learn. I am proud
of my handmade crochet purses which was a completely self-taught process,
including; lining, hand made straps, cell phone holder, zippered pocket and
magnetic closure.I started beading about 15 years ago by taking a beading
class making ornament covers. They were so fun I made a zillion of them for
friends and family.
After moving to Ohio approximately 5 yrs ago and being a
stay at home mom, I found I had time to let my creativeness poor out. I began
making beaded jewelry and lamp work beads for family and friends and then
decided it was time to take my craft more seriously.
I opened an etsy site; gemsbygiovanna.etsy.com My own site,
gemsbygiovanna.vpweb.com, as well as participating in craft shows throughout
the year. I feel this is just the beginning for me, and I am excited to see
where this road leads me. I love to teach my techniques and hope my designs
will inspire future crafters. Many of the techniques and designs that I use
have been around for centuries and need to be taught to others so they can be
around for centuries more. The feeling you get of making something yourself
should be experienced by everyone. I hope my designs create a feeling in you to
make something beautiful today.
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
