Look out, Pleasant Hills...Here Comes Some Amazing Talent!

Meet Jessica Morini from XO, Moe...

I'm the analytical one in my family. My sister is the "artist". I have always been drawn to finite details and logic and reason. Making crafts and creating something artistically is a total fluke for me! I have been doing this for about  6 years, but this will be my first Avant-Garde show! I'm very excited!

Often the raw materials I work with inspire me. Especially the scrap leather shapes that already hold a specific shape and color. Some of the painted chains I work with already have colors and patterns that will then lead to my decisions about what to add to enhance the single material.

I actually signed up for a white water rafting trip through the Chicago Learning Annex and had to miss it. I used my credit to take a jewelry making class where we were allowed to keep the tools. After ordering a necklace online, I looked at it and thought "i could probably just make this instead". so I returned it, bought similar materials, and made myself the necklace I wanted. I never wore it! I sold it! and then I just kept making more and selling more!

This is really a hobby for me. It's something I do on the side to relieve stress, stimulate my creative mind, and get out into the world with something new and different to share.  I would LOVE for this to become a burgeoning career but I just don't think that's where I'll be going with it.

I would say that the message behind my work is to be unique, bold, and don't be afraid to stand out in a crowd.

Meet Janine Zink from Jewelry By Janine...

I retired as an OB Gyn Nurse in 2013 and am now making jewelry for my own company full time. I am married and have 2 boys who are 22 and 23 years old. I also make soy candles, soap & Body Butters with my friend.  We sell to friends and at craft shows. I started selling at craft shows in 2007, but this will be my first Avant-Garde show.

I love to make people happy with my creations. I discovered my talents one day when I was given a wine marker that goes on the rim of your glass as a gift.  The only problem was that it moved around the rim of glass.  So I designed a really  cool wine marker made of spiral wire and beads and they stayed in place.  I was selling them at a craft show at my kids school and  many people said they would have bought them if they were earrings. I didn't know how to make earrings. I even bought 2 jewelry sets from another vendor.  When I got home, I realized that I CAN make earrings and started using Swarovski  Crystals & sterling silver and made watches, earrings, and all kinds of jewelry.

I am a visual person. I like making new pieces by leaving something that inspires me next to my work area and I look at it for a few days or weeks until I decide what I want to do with it. In five years, I hope to be in a few more stores and have increased online sales.

The message behind my work is simple...I want to make easy-on easy-off jewelry that makes women feel beautiful. I started making necklaces with front toggle closures because when you have curly hair like mine, it can get caught in the clasp!

Meet Jessica Denicola from Bunch of Beads...

My name is Jessica, I’m a Mom of 2 and I work at a daycare  I love spending time with my kiddos, taking long walks in target, and a nice iced coffee from Dunkin =)

I have actually only been doing this for about a year...something I just really like to relax with. This will be my first Avant-Garde show! I am so excited to have to opportunity to be involved with such a great showline!

I am a geek by nature. Video games, pop culture, and technology are all things I love. What better inspiration for 8 Bit looking art! The thing that got me into doing this kind of art was when I actually was doing it with my daughter when she received a set as a gift, then I started looking up patterns and really got into it!

It is just a great way to manage stress and take a time out for me, so it’s just something I started going with. My husband said if I’m going to keep making things I better sell it! Haha!

Really anytime I see anything that is cute or collectible I am thinking about how to turn it into pixel type art! Even though this is more of a hobby right now, I would absolutely love to keep growing and get the word out there about my work! I would say that the message behind my work is a simple one...Almost things can be fun if you try hard enough!

Meet Sierra Moore from Sierra Burns Designs...

My full-time job is my family. I have a wonderful husband who's amazingly supportive of me staying home with our two young daughters (3-year-old and 10-month-old). Before I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, I was a TV News Producer for ten years. I graduated with a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina and worked in the Raleigh and Greensboro news markets before taking a job at KDKA-TV here in Pittsburgh two years ago. My family made the move from NC because my husband, too, is in the broadcast business and landed a pretty nice gig with the Steelers. We have really taken to yinzer life!

I have always had a knack for drawing and photography, but it wasn't until my second daughter was born that I really picked it up again. That made me want to explore other creative art styles, and I fell in love with graphic art! The Pleasant Hills show in October will be my debut with the Avant-Garde showline!

Everything inspires me to create! When I'm on a walking trail with my girls I'm constantly snapping photos of flowers and animals and the way the light hits the trees. Cityscapes are my favorite. I love playing around with the editing to see what I can come up with! I also get inspiration from other artists. I'm innately curious, and I'm always wondering to myself, "could I make that? Let's give it a shot!"

I like to say I "ball on a budget," so any home decor I can get on a discount or make myself is what I live for! I'm always looking for a great deal, and I know a lot of moms are, too. That's why I make my art prints very affordable and frequently offer coupons on my Etsy site. You shouldn't have to pay $100 for a unique piece of artwork. 

I started compiling all of these print ideas and it was truly trial and error! But the more I worked at it the easier it became, and I started to truly enjoy staying up all hours of the night designing new art. I sometimes regretted it the next morning, though!

           

I like to mix and match ideas. Would this cityscape look good with a color background or texture background? What if I inverted the colors? I really just experiment and see what sticks!

           

I want to still be selling my art work in five years. Right now it's a side business, but when my girls start school full-time, I'd like to take it further. I am anxious to get my first art show under my belt!

          

Art for all! That's my message through my work. Some prints are silly. Some posh. Some simple. I have a mix of inspirational quotes and neon cityscapes. I don't have one style-- I have a lot!

Meet Jaimee Whitehouse from Aesthetic Ambrosia...
My name is Jaimee Whitehouse and I am the creator of Aesthetic Ambrosia. I combine found object artistry with fine art skill, making unique pieces of wearable art. I mix classic style and edgy elegance using a variety of mediums and I am a self-taught jewelry artist with a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design. When I'm not designing jewelry I am teaching American Style Ballroom Dancing as I've studied dance my entire life and have been teaching 18 different types of dance for 20 years. I love geeky things, thunderstorms, collecting old out of print books, monsters and mythology and the macabre.

I have been creating art since I could hold a pencil. Drawing and sketching came first through real to life portraits. Later I discovered my love of jewelry and started to experiment with a variety of styles and mediums. I have now been selling my art and jewelry for 4 years through etsy.com and Art Shows like this.

This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and I am extremely excited to participate after hearing so many wonderful things about this show!

Many things inspire my creations. I find I gravitate toward, natural and organic shapes as well as myth and fantasy based styles. I take inspiration from Art Nouveau, Goth, Witchy, Victorian, Edwardian, Steampunk and Cosplay styles.

Since I have always done some form of art it was quite the natural progression. Once I was old enough to show my work people quickly started to request custom work and from there the business grew. After my mother discovered my deep love of jewelry she started adding to my hobby by donating interesting tools and supplies so that I could start to experiment. After teaching myself basic techniques I started to grow into my own style. Due to her support and the support of my friends and family I am now creating art and jewelry full time and loving the fulfillment it brings.

I discovered my talent completely by accident. lol! I have never known a time where I didn't create art in some form. I don't really remember learning so much as just picking up a pencil or pair of pliers and just doing. It always felt more like an extension of self. Drawing, Painting, Sculpting, Jewelry Design and creating was always a fun hobby but something I wanted to pursue more seriously when I realized the actual potential my art might have through the support of other people in my life. I was lucky enough to be able to succeed at multiple mediums through experimentation and even now I discover all the time new styles of my art form as it is constantly evolving and changing with me.

My creative process is ever evolving. I usually use natural references, and art styles and start with a thumbnail or sketch of the qualities I wish to put into the piece. I then start to sketch and develop the basic shape and build detail. Once perfected I start to sculpt or put found objects together. I love tiny intricate details and organic shapes. Once I start, many times the design evolves further and sometimes changes completely depending on what I'm creating. Every piece is completely unique and no two will ever be exactly alike. I love to use natural stone cabochons and everything is either hand sculpted with Sculpy or fine silver and copper or created using one of a kind found objects.

I would love to see my etsy art business grow and expand into other areas. I would love to be doing 5-8 art shows a year as well as participate in Renaissance Fairs and many Cons and expand into boutiques in my area as well.

I would say to live passionately and fearlessly and embrace your unique weirdness or strangeness. Let a little magic happen and find hope and whimsy even in darkness. Embrace your own style and that spark that makes you different from everyone else. My jewelry is created to celebrate imagination, creativity, diversity, magic and the unknown and bring out the inner god or goddess in you using classic styles with edgy elegance.

I also now have 6 Jewelry Style Lines-

Petticoat, Parasols and Sundries Collection- Steampunk and Victorian jewelry using detailed filigree findings and embellishments, glass beads and bead covers combined with skeleton keys, clockwork and gears.
Parlors and Secret Passages Collection- True Steampunk Jewelry using only gears, skeleton keys and clockwork.
The Wildling Collection- Fae/Fairy, Fantasy-like, Art Nouveau jewelry using Sculpting techniques and findings.
Ocular Adornments Collection- Dragon and Animal Eye Hand Painted Glass Fantasy Jewelry
Mystic Muse Collection- Witchy Wearable Divination jewelry
Vexes and Vixens Collection- Goth and Macabre style Jewelry

Meet Barbara Nutt from Nutt House Designs...

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania with 5 older brothers.  As the youngest and only girl, I grew up tough but happy.  I went to college at Edinboro University and got my B.F.A. in Ceramics with Art Education Certification in 2008.  I then got married, moved a few times, and now finally settled in Whitehall, PA.  In the past year, I have set up a studio in my basement, complete with a kiln and potters wheel.

 I have been doing pottery on and off for years, as I moved and had resources.  I began in officially in 2009 in college when I took my first ceramics course in college, even though growing up, my mother had a kiln to do firings for greenware she bought and painted.  I would often help clean up the greenware and play with the excess clay afterwards.

Since I have only recently set up a studio, I have not participated in any of the Avant Garde Art & Craft shows, so this will be my first one.

I find inspiration around me and that often changes.  In college I focused on the female form, currently I focus on making function pottery that is either traditional beautiful or just plain weird.  As I am a mother to two young toddlers, I find that often describes motherhood at this stage, beautiful and really weird.

I have always enjoyed art, and but I was always especially drawn to ceramics.  I think that came from my mother who did ceramics as I was growing up. The discovery to my talent was a slow one, as it was hard for me to believe that anyone would like things I made. I never saw myself as a refined artist, but rather someone who did this for fun.  As I have grown, I realize that I am in fact an artist and people telling me that they love my art has really made me realize that I am good enough and always was.

My creative process starts with a lump a clay and while I may have something in mind, the final result is usually different than what I envision.  Mostly because as I work with the clay, it changes as I work with it and so do my ideas.

In 5 years, I plan on being much more involved with my business as my children will be older and so I will dedicate more of my time to it.  I plan on expanding my art to more places and people.  In 10 years, I hope to have a professional studio where I can give art classes to people in the community, for both adults and children.

My message is always changing as I am changing.  But overall, I would say my message is “Do what makes you happy” and for everyone that is different. 

2017 Pleasant Hills Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, October 29, 2017 - 10:00am-5:00pm

Georgetown Center

526 East Bruceton Rd

Pleasant Hills, PA 15236

For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com

Visit us on:

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TWITTER

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Take a Sneak Peek at our Pleasant Hills Vendors!

Meet Lynn Radford from The Studio at Piney Creek Acres...

My name is Lynn Radford, I am the resident artist and writer at The Studio at Piney Creek Acres. You can find me happily writing and creating in my home studio where I live, work and play with my husband, five cats and a crazy dog. I am a mixed media artist whose love of collage and assemblage has taught me that the possibilities are as limitless as imagination itself.

Ever since I can remember, I have been creative. I am an active mail artist, a writer of short fiction (micro, flash and poetry) and a maker who shares how-tos in crafting magazines. My return to artisan shows came in 2016. My break-out event ended in a flash flood that soured me on outdoor events. Since then, I have agreed to do two indoor shows a year, spring and fall.

           

This will be the first Avant Garde Show for me, but I hope to make these part of my yearly calendar of events.

As an environmentally conscious collage artist, I am always on the lookout for colorful bits to use in my artwork. The bright pink thingamabob I picked up in the street might well become central in my work. I am especially drawn to vintage, rusty, old, unloved bits of this and that, and work to incorporate them into my art whenever possible. My current favorite collage fodder are cigar bands. I make gorgeous coasters from them.

Years ago, when my children were small, a friend got me involved in the PTA Santa Shops. That was when I first began making to sell. Previously, my work was gifted to family and friends.  Somehow, I’ve always known I was creative, even when I tried to shut it out. Like many, I received lots of praise for it when I was small, but as reality and careers loomed, praise and encouragement dwindled. The expectation to earn a traditional income and raise a family became first and foremost for a long time. Eventually, I learned to embrace it fully. When I did, my quality of life increased exponentially. Thankfully, my talent chose me and persisted, even when I did not.

           

My process is extremely intuitive. If I “feel” it, it happens. I never try to force something into being. My best work comes when I let go and allow the bits I work with to speak to me. When I’m “stuck” I’ll sit in the studio, looking through my bits, touching, organizing, cleaning… until something grabs me.

In five years, I hope to grow my art business into a sustainable avenue of income. Becoming solvent doing what I love has long been a dream.

           

We live in an extremely disposable society. If something breaks, we don’t fix it, we toss it. In my world, those objects find purpose. Trash becomes treasure. Old becomes new. Just because an item is no longer relevant, doesn't mean it's destined for the landfill. I give new life to pieces that inspire me. My hope is that others find value and beauty in the discarded objects around them and possibly take up the mantle. Trash as art is alive and well... in my world, anyway.

Meet Jennifer Leffler from Light Shine Jewelry Co...

I'm Jen, the color-loving, painter chick behind Light Shine Jewelry co.  I live and create in Monroeville, PA.  I have an amazing dog, Bailey, who loves hanging out in the studio with me.  When I'm not at my day job, I'm making pretty things and exploring our awesome city!

I've been painting professionally for about nine years now, but Light Shine Jewelry was born just this year! This will be my first show!

I'm extremely inspired by nature and architecture.  I get lost in the colors of the ocean, the vibrancy in flowers and how nuanced the sky can be.  I also love admiring interesting buildings and the beautiful details especially of older buildings.

I wanted to create wearable art that anyone could afford.  I loved painting large-scale commission works, but I had the desire to reach a broader audience.  I love creating these mini works of art and sharing them with so many!

I'm a painter and designer by trade but got restless painting on canvas and hanging art on walls.  I started experimenting with painting on clay, adding a little gold or silver leaf in the mix, and finishing off the pieces with resin. I posted a few photos of my work on social media, and wouldn't you know, they were a hit!  Light Shine Jewelry co. was born!  

I take my color inspirations and pretty much go crazy painting on a large piece of clay.  From there I 'see' or 'find' the pieces of jewelry within that piece of clay and cut and sculpt them from there.  It's a very loose and free (and fun!) way to create. 

In five years, I would love to be a full-time maker!  This part of my business has only been around for a short time and I've already seen so many blessings and such a great reception.  I hope to be stocking area shops and boutiques as well as continuing to do shows and markets.  I LOVE getting out to meet and talk to people!  I'd also like to continue to grow my Etsy store and include my new home decor line!

The message behind my work is the most important thing for me!  Light Shine is all about knowing your beauty, knowing your value and letting that shine!  I was inspired by Matthew 5:14-16, which talks about being the light of the world and allowing our light to shine so that it points to others to our heavenly Father.  My hope is that when a customer wears their one of a kind jewelry, they're reminded of how unique and awesome they are and to let their light shine!  

Meet Alisha Chaffey from ASA Enterprises...

ASA Enterprises is a division of the ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples. By utilizing fair trade practices and providing micro-loans, we employ underserved artisans in Africa to create unique crafts. After selling all our craft items, ASA invests all profits into our partner organizations in Africa, including two children’s homes (Bright Kids Uganda & The Great King’s and Queen’s Children’s Centre), a disabled children’s school and support program, the United Against Gender Violence – Blessed Survivors group – supporting women and children, who have been emotionally and/or physically scarred by acid attacks and other forms of gender violence and “Adopt a Village” Project for Barlonyo, Uganda.

In 2008, Bright Kids Uganda USA (non-profit) was established to provide for the educational, medical and sustainable project needs of the Bright Kids Uganda children’s home in Africa. In 2015, the ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples, a non-profit organization was founded to reach out to several additional organizations closely associated with Bright Kids Uganda. This will be my first Avant-Garde show.

I believe in respecting the ability and uniqueness of every individual, regardless of their current circumstances. That all people should be able to participate in shaping a better future for themselves and their children.

We work directly with the crafts persons in Uganda to assist in purchase of materials and provide orders for crafts. All colors, designs and future products are at the discretion of the artisan.

Our goal for ASA Social Fund in 5 years is to have expanded to assist hidden peoples in other countries, including programs in Hungary and other parts of Europe. Our message is simple...Every person has value. By promoting and facilitating education, employment, creativity and self-reliance a brighter future is available to everyone.

2017 Pleasant Hills Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, October 29, 2017 - 10:00am-5:00pm

Georgetown Center

526 East Bruceton Rd

Pleasant Hills, PA 15236

For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM