Meet Mike Kolz from A Willoughby Potter...
I have been a functional potter for over 35 years. Now retired, I have taken my craft to a new level, which includes participating in shows as well as establishing a web site and an Etsy shop. I enjoy throwing on the wheel and hand-building my leaf bowl collection. I am also an avid gardener and I harvest various leaves from elephant ear plants, hosta plants and trees from my garden. The leaves are used to form the leaf bowls.
All my work is high-fired to cone 5, 2163 degrees Fahrenheit. My stoneware collection and the leaf bowls are made with non-toxic glazes and are food-safe. My Raku pottery is for decorative purposes only. In the near future, I plan to start making Raku urns.
Meet Beverly Filtz from Irideae Designs...
In my first ‘life’ I was a programmer/analyst for a large
Pittsburgh corporation. I always had a
passion for jewelry - I would shop for jewelry in boutiques and often think
that I could create something nicer using natural stones and better components which
would cost less than the plastic and acrylic pieces there. So I began to slowly make jewelry for
myself. Co-workers and friends noticed
my unique pieces and occasionally bought them outright or asked me to create
something especially for them.
I retired in July of 2012 – finally!!! I found that I was free to do all the things
I never really had time for. I became
more and more inspired to create jewelry.
I opened an online shop on Etsy and between that, attending craft fairs
and artist markets, private showings, and custom requests I have built up a
small but successful business.
My husband and I live in an apartment where I have claimed
the second bedroom as my 'workshop’. I
purchase my materials mainly at gem and jewelry shows and occasionally at
several excellent local bead shops. I truly
love visiting the large bead shows and being totally overwhelmed by the quality,
quantity, and variety of materials. I get my design inspirations from natural
stones - tumbled, faceted, chips - all have their own special character and can
be made into wonderful pieces of jewelry. Sometimes I feel like the stones are speaking
to me! I design and craft all of my
pieces by hand. Most of my jewelry is
made from natural minerals and semi-precious stones. Occasionally I will incorporate lamp-worked
glass, fresh water pearls, and crystals.
My creations include necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendants,
and collars ranging from sophisticated every day styles to large statement
pieces.
I believe that every woman should be able to have jewelry
that makes a statement about her, is as unique as she is, and is
affordable. That is my mission when I design
and create my jewelry.
Meet Diane Schuler from Motley Crafter...
I have a background in photography and graphic design. I worked for several years as a yearbook photographer when I decided to start my own photography studio. I started making photo pendants in order to find a practical use for my photos beyond prints and greeting cards. I liked it so much, and got so many compliments that I decided to create a secondary business revolving around jewelry.
I get my inspiration from colors and textures. I love the design side of jewelry making.
I have created crafts since I was a kid, and I often look for something new I can do. I started making photo pendants, then moved on to beaded bracelets. I have seen people with necklaces that would have a verse in them, and I started to wonder how those were made. After a lot of research (I didn't even know what a cabochon was) I figured out how to make the pendants. 
How I got into my craft... I've always been a visual person. I was often the person people would ask if a certain piece of jewelry went well with a shirt. Falling into jewelry seemed to be a natural next step.
My creative process.. As a visual person, I like to stare at a wall of beads until I see a color combination that just jumps out at me.
In five years, I would like to own my own store where I can sell not only jewelry but everything I make.
I think the message behind my work is variety. I never knew just how many types of stones there were until I went to my first bead show. I think it was at that show where my eyes really were opened to all the possibilities that were out there. I actually named my company Motley Crafter because on top of jewelry, I make many other products. I knit and crochet as well, and of course there's my photos.
Meet Eric Zielinski from Ez's Woodshop...
My name is Eric Zielinski and I am the owner of Ez's Woodshop! I am a 16 year old woodworker who goes to North Royalton High School. I got started in woodworking from my shop class and I then discovered my talent! I have been doing woodwork for almost two years now and I love to build! I started building in our garage with a slide-out workbench I made. I then started expanding until I have a dedicated wood shop.
This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and I am very excited! I am amazed when I watch my projects go from start to finish. The pieces I work on change so much from the start. Some of my pieces start from tree all the way to finished product.
In five years I hope to have a larger wood shop where I can make handmade furniture. I want to be able to take a tree and mil it into lumber where all of my pieces are from home milled lumber. My message is that there is still a need for fine woodworking and craftsmanship. When people buy things nowadays, many do not care where or how their products are made. I take pride and care in what I do to ensure that it stands out from all the machine made goods.
Meet Vanessa Conte from Rawnessa...
I've recently moved back to Ohio from LA, where I lived for 14 years. I enjoyed my time in LA, but I suppose, like a falling leaf, I was bound to come back to what feels like home. Ohio feels like home. I love the wild-life here. I can't believe that in my lifetime, I've been able to see the bald eagle go off the endangered species list. Where I live now, I see them rather frequently, and the sight of them is always breath-taking. I guess I'm a bit of a nature lover - I'm a birdwatcher, kayaker, and I absolutely love snorkeling!
I've been hand-crafting Rawnessa (Raw, Organic Moisturizers) since 2008. I'm a bit new to making jewelry. As soon as I began making it in October of 2016, I felt like I found a true passion in life, and I'm having so much fun continuing to create, and coming up with new ideas.
So many things inspire me to create! I love bright, contrasting colors. When I first get new beads, I hold them in my hands for hours. I line colors against each other. I imagine what they will look like. I also look to nature - Anything in nature, it could be fruits, vegetables, a flower, birds, fish, seashells, the list goes on and on - what colors are in nature that go beautifully together? Because there are some pretty crazy color schemes in nature - colors that you couldn't possibly imagine would pair well together. I think that's so much fun. The possibilities are endless.
How I got into my craft.. Moisturizers - I wanted to make something entirely natural for my skin. I attended a High School in Ohio that eventually had to be re-built because the one I went to was built on toxic waste left over from WWII. Unfortunately, quite a few of my fellow school-mates have suffered the consequences of that. Attendees have had a much higher rate of many different types of cancer than the average person. I thought that because I had been exposed to so many toxins at a young age that I would do my best to rid myself of as many toxins as possible as an adult. I made Prettynessa, a face moisturizer, and to my surprise, it was actually a wonderful product. I thought I'd be sacrificing a bit by not using the premium brands I was used to, but the results were super hydrated skin, less acne, and absolutely no dry patches, which was something I always dealt with before. I also feel like it does wonders for fine lines under my eyes and I've had many clients say the same.
With the moisturizers, I kind of stumbled upon it. I didn't think I'd make something amazing. I was just trying to avoid toxins. It ended up being a great product that everyone I knew, wanted to use as well. So, I made a business out of it. My jewelry, I discovered by taking a class at a local college when I was living in LA. I always loved going to museums where I could stare at geodes, and rocks, and gems stones. I could stare at them forever. I knew I loved gem stones, and semi-precious stones, and for years I wanted to take a jewelry class so I could work with them. But I think I feared I wouldn't be good at it. I almost walked away from the class in LA out of fear. I'm so happy I went to that class. I learned a lot, and I created my own process from what I learned there. We didn't learn to wrap beads in the way I do with the jewelry that I make. I came up with my own way, but I needed that class in order to learn the basics.
My creative process... I really have to center myself when I make my moisturizers. I listen to calming music, one of my favorites is Yo-Yo Ma's Bach. With my moisturizers, love has to go into each and every one. I think about how beautiful the oils are, they're so individual with their colors and scents. I think about a client opening their jar - a current client will open his or her fresh jar and smell the delightful, familiar scent of chocolatey goodness. A new client will be in for a real treat. Within a week, he or she will be loving the soft, hydrated dewiness of his or her skin. Most clients come back to me and say no other product works the way Prettynessa does, and I believe that the process, not just the ingredients, are an integral part of each and every jar being special.
My five year goal.. I like the idea of being a small, locally owned business. If I would expand in the future with my skincare line, it's a bridge I'd cross at that time. With my jewelry, I've scheduled myself for more classes and I'm really looking forward to working with different types of media.
The message behind my work.. Quality is very important to me. I choose my ingredients for my skincare very carefully. Most of the ingredients I use are food grade. All of the ingredients I use are organic, and outside of the shea butter, the ingredients I use are 100% cold-processed. It's taken years to build the process to produce I product I feel proud of. I am new to jewelry, and I am striving to use the highest quality materials I'm able to find.
2017 Strongsville Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
No comments:
Post a Comment