I am a recent graduate from the Fashion Design School and
Kent State University and currently working on my own jewelry and knitwear
designs. I have been making my own creations since I was in High
School and have been selling my designs since then. This is my first year participating in an Avant-Garde Art & Craft show!
A lot of my inspiration comes from nature. Native American
culture and the beautiful landscapes of the west also inspire me. You will see
a lot of greens, blues, reds and purples in my work.
My grandma taught me how to knit and I have been doing it
ever since. As for jewelry making, at a young age I couldn’t find specific
jewelry pieces that I was looking for, so I decided to create my own. Once I started making jewelry and knitwear my friends and
family always wanted to know where they could get one; from there I decided to
start selling my work.
Often, colors and materials that I see inspire me. For example when I see different types of
beads, chain, and findings I will know exactly how I want them to look as a
finished product. Lately I have been
experimenting with wire wrapping and hammering wire flat, which has a great
vintage look to it. Also, I like to
create different textures in my knitwear like cabling and using different types
of yarn.
Hopefully in 5 years more people will know about my business
and what I create. I plan on continuing
to raise awareness about my Etsy shop.
The message behind my work is being able to bring color and vibrancy to your life and daily
wardrobe. Also to create a show stopping
fashion statement!
Also,
visit my Etsy page! bethgaildesigns.etsy.com
Meet Rosanne Rosenberger from R Squared Limited Edition...
Banker by day; beader/crafter
by night! Long time Cleveland area resident. Married with two grown
children. Lovin' life!
I've been crafting
since I was a small child. I remember making Christmas ornaments when I
was six or seven. My mom still uses them on her Christmas tree! My
dad would buy me different craft kits at the craft store in the mall. With
these kits I taught myself how to do many crafts. Many of those skills
come in handy with the different jewelry techniques I use. I have been
seriously beading for about three years. I started with wire wrapping
(took a class) and have experimented with many other techniques since then. This is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show as a vendor!
My inspiration to create is everything around me. My
children. My husband. My puppy. Nature. Flowers. Being at our boat on Lake Erie. Everything I see and read. I'm kind of
eclectic in my jewelry making. Today I might be into leather or paracord
and tomorrow resin or crocheting.
I have been creating for
as far back as I can remember. When I started making
jewelry for myself (or as gifts) people would comment on the woven bracelets or
crocheted necklaces that I wore. They liked it, admired it, and asked me to make
them one with custom colors or materials. It's been fun
experimenting!
The ideas are
plentiful. I admit I have difficulty with color theory and I learn every
time I put something together. Sometimes an idea sits on the table
unfinished, looked at every day, tweaked, until I feel it is perfect - makes
for a slow production line but in the end I like what I have made.
Until now I have been beading for family and friends. I'm just starting
to sell to a more broad audience. Beading is a stress reliever for me -
come home from a hard day at work and there I am, at my beading desk,
exercising my creative side!
My message is anything
is possible; have fun with it. That's what I love about doing a custom
piece for someone - You really get to be creative for that one person,
possibly in a way you might not have otherwise without their input.
I have broad interests and I try all sorts of things regularly. I don't like to stick to one technique so my work varies.
Meet Susan O'Neill from 11BoldStreet...
I've always lived in NW Ohio, as has my husband of 35 years. We
love to travel and eat (he's a certified chef). Besides my polymer art, I
attempt to garden, am a "mom" to two parrots and love to spend
summer time at our lake place in Indiana. In my former life I was a
structural/architectural designer for 28 years.
I discovered polymer almost 20 years ago, but didn't have time
to really explore it's possibilities. In 2007, I took a hiatus from
formal architectural design and embraced my polymer art
full-time. I have participated in about a half dozen or so Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show.
Inspiration can come from the most unlikely sources. Many
times it's objects in other more traditional mediums (metals, fabrics, natural
textures) and it hits me that I could do this in polymer, only do it
differently. It's not just about "copying" something - it's about
transformations.
I got into the craft hobby after browsing a book store in the early 80's, I saw a title "The
New Clay" by Nan Roche. There was only one brand of polymer
clay available in our area, but I had to get some...
I've always been "artsy", from grade school, through
high school and college and on to my formal career in
architecture. Validation in polymer art initially came from an
unexpected award. In 2009, on a whim, I entered the annual
Interweave Bead Star competition at the last minute with a polymer neckpiece.
Imagine my total shock when I placed 1st in one of the categories!
My creative process comes from channeling my structural/architectural background, many pieces
take some planning. Once cured, the manipulative options you have with
polymer change, so I need to think through as many steps as possible ahead of
time. One of the first questions that show visitors ask about my art is if all
those colors and patterns are painted. There is NO paint involved, except
occasionally as an antiquing medium. So, planning the basic structures is a
necessity. Of course, some wonderful unexpected serendipity usually takes place
as a piece develops!
In the next 5 years I want to continue experimenting with polymer, stretching it's
creative limits. The polymer artistic community is growing by leaps and bounds,
becoming more recognizable world-wide.
Mostly, I want shoppers to know that they can own
quality, one-of-a-kind wearable art and home decor items, often for the price
of typical mass-produced retail. Who wants to wear/display/or
give pieces that are exactly like thousands of others??
Even
though I have an online Etsy shop, shows are a great way to personally connect
with the public, and to explain the creation processes for this rather
unknown material. I love it when even knowledgeable people handle one of
my pieces and say, "THIS is polymer clay???" (Plus, they save
shipping at shows, and I usually pick up the sales tax ;)
2014 Heights Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday December 14, 2014, 10:00am-4:00pm
Park Synagogue Main (Kangesser Ballroom)
3300 Mayfield Rd.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
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