Meet Hailey from Biasci...
Hello! My name is Hailey and I am 20 years old. This is my first ever art show where I'll be selling my artwork and I am elated. Ever since childhood art has been a big part of my life. It was a way for me to express emotions that could not be spoken, only created through drawings and paintings. Art is the way I communicate with the world. I want my paintings to give others a look into my mind. The colorful backgrounds in my paintings show who I am as an individual, someone who is bright, bubbly, and spontaneous. The darker parts of my paintings, however, reflect my struggles with anxiety. Although I am this happy person on the outside, I still struggle with anxiety on the inside from time to time. When creating my paintings I always put on my favorite tunes. This allows me to zone out and focus on the blank canvas in front of me. I never have a plan, I just let my paintbrush take me wherever it may go. I hope to continue my career as an artist and set up my virtual shop where I can sell my art to those around the world! I am excited to see what my future has in store for me!
We are sister-in-laws that share a love for making things! We both consider ourselves hobby crafters, as we have full-time careers in nursing (Laurie) and Data Management (Sam) but every minute of free time we have is spent on crafting things that make us happy! Laurie loves to crochet and make all natural candles and soaps while Sam's passion lies with Resin work where the possibilities are truly endless.
We've been crafting for as long as we can remember! Laurie was taught how to crochet by her mother at a young age and has never stopped, while one of Sam's earliest memories is when her dad converted his basement workbench into a craft station. Sam now has her own house with a workbench/craft station! This will be our first show with Avant-Garde Art & Craft and we couldn't be more excited!
We've always had an eagerness to create. Now that we're established as professionals and adults we've grown our love of crafting into a small business where we can share our creations with everyone to use or give as gifts! Neither of us have ever been good at drawing or painting but found that creating things with our hands suits us. I think its comforting to be able to mold something from scratch that can be enjoyed and used in more ways than one. It's the sense of joy we feel once a project is completed that encourages us to continue learning and growing as crafters.
Laurie is a visual learner so rather than following patterns or books she looks to youtube tutorials to follow along and learn new methods of crafting. Depending on the project, Laurie likes to watch movies or listen to music while she crochets her smaller peices, and then for the larger projects she plans ahead and works out components over the course of a few weeks this keeps crafting fun and manageable rather than being bogged down by the length of time some projects take to complete.
Sam's a natural researcher so when she has an idea for something the first thing she does is research whether it's been created, what techniques are used, what tips she can find to create the perfect piece and then there's always some trial and error involved. For example she loves creating dice for Dungeons and Dragons but before she started making them she watched hundreds of videos about the process and started practicing with resin first by making bookmarks. The learning is endless with resin and she loves that!
In 5 years, Laurie would like to work on larger, more complicated projects and build up an etsy shop with the goal of shipping to each of our 50 states and internationally so that her beautiful crafts are enjoyed worldwide.
For Sam, In 5 years she will have started her family and will have climbed the ladder in her systems admin career- but she will also have the expensive tools needed to create gorgeous dice sets and will likely sell on the side for fun!
Laurie and Sam pride themselves on creating pieces that are both beautiful and functional so that their art can be enjoyed both for their design and use. We also love supporting other local artists and make sure to promote, purchase and share the work of our talented friends to boost the small business community. Another priority for our work is to continue learning, weather that's in creating new crochet patterns and soaps or learning new techniques to create and finish resin pieces.
Meet Rachel from (Insert Business name Here)...
As a 50+ year old woman, I am pretty typical, I'm tired of working my regular job and want to spend my time doing creative things. I have been a secretary for 22 years, and still work full time, but enjoy making crafts. Sadly, I cannot fit all of my creations in my home, there simply isn't enough room, so the next best thing is to try and sell them.
I have been crocheting and quilting for about 10 years, mainly for family and friends, and a little for sale, I've made several memorial quilts, a few dress alterations, some window/shower curtains, I've refurbished some items for use in my home, and little odds and ends like hats, scarves, pillows, cushions, the list goes on and on. I have also recently been helping others with redecorating rooms in their homes, including painting, wallpaper, countertop covers, window treatments, light fixtures, and even a little flooring.
I love texture, in fabric mainly, and I love to design new things that are different from anything I can go to a store and buy. Over the years I have used leftover materials to decorate in my creative fashion, I like the idea of not having to spend money to make money, and there are so many materials laying around already, no reason to purchase new materials when I can repurpose what I already have, it feels like a form of recycling, in a very creative way.
I have tried to use patterns, but always divert to my own ways, even in cooking, I like to add the "Rachel" touch to everything, it makes me feel unique. I spend a lot of time thinking about my creations, and then I spend time in the process, making changes as I go. Rarely does my first idea remain the same, I tend to develop the creation as I go, and learn a lot in the process, sort of like "on the job training".In 5 years I hopefully will enjoy crafting as much as I do today, and with any luck I won't be working a regular job full time anymore, and therefore I'll have more time to devote to crafts.
2022 Strongsville will be my first craft show ever as a vendor, wish me luck!
2022 Strongsville Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday & Sunday, April 9 & 10, 2022
10:00am-4:00pm on Saturday
11:00am-4:00pm on Sunday
Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Center
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
