Coming To You This Weekend Pittsburgh!

Meet Kimberly Ryan from Kimberly Ryan Art...
I have been painting since childhood so I would say it is a lifelong passion! What inspires me the most is everything around me. People, animals, nature and landscapes - as well as other artists - I spend tons of time looking over their work.

I got introduced to this hobby when my mom was coloring and drawing with me from age 3.  think that is a continuous process that continues from day to day and year to year. I make it a practice to create something every day. I like to collect a variety of images ad reference them as I sketch or paint. I work all hours of the day and night just letting things come to me as the painting progresses. In five years I hopefully see myself still growing. The message behind my artwork is that I try not to impart my own feelings - I want the viewer to have their own personal experience.

Meet Brittany Papas from Papas Designs...

My name is Brittany Papas. I am the owner and artist behind Papas Designs. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and live locally in Lawrenceville with my husband, two amazing identical twin daughters, and two fur baby dogs. By day, I am a full-time School Counselor for a local school district. I enjoy traveling, spending time with friends and family, and being creative.

I have been making and selling jewelry since 2004 when I lived in Charleston, South Carolina, but

established Papas Designs as a business a few years ago with the start of my Etsy shop. Before 2004, I was exposed to jewelry making, stained glass, and mosaics through the wonderful art program my high school had to offer. Creating jewelry and other crafts is my personal escape. When I create, I am in a very happy place where I can get lost for hours. I treat this creative outlet as my own version of self-care and a healthy avenue for mental well-being. Like I said earlier, I am a counselor by profession.

My love of gemstones! I was a huge rock collector as a child. I would go to the science store in the mall to find my own geodes to crack open at home and even had my own rock tumbler. I collected rocks or shells wherever I went. As I got older, I found a way to incorporate my love of gemstones into wearable art. I always loved to craft and create as a kid, but when I was in high school, I was able to explore different opportunities through the art program. I took a jewelry class every year in addition to other types of classes. When I went off to college, I started making gemstone jewelry as a fun outing with friends.

I purchase pieces for my jewelry that I find are beautiful without always having a set plan in mind for what I’m going to create. When I am creating a piece, I look around at my supplies and put

combinations together that I think will work. I try to make pieces that cover a range of styles and sizes, and I only put my name on something that I am satisfied with and can stand behind.  I hope to see myself grow locally and expand to include furniture and home goods into my business as I

also like to refinish furniture and have recently began to upholster pieces and build with wood. The message behind my work would be to find a piece of jewelry as unique as you. One-of-a-kind pieces designed for every female to feel just as beautiful and confident on the outside as they do on the inside.

Meet Andrew Barrowman from Barrowman Photography...

I picked up my first camera just two short years ago and became immediately hooked.  I love the idea of being able to capture how I see the world, and then be able to share my vision with others! There is so much beauty in the world and being able to share that beauty inspires me.

I just wanted to start traveling more and thought I’d grab a camera to tag along with. I never thought it’d become such a passionate hobby to me. I discovered my talent by pointing the camera, and shooting! Composition and having an eye for photography is unique to the artist and that’s what I love about it. I typically see something I want to capture and immediately get an idea for how I want to shoot it. I run through composition, lighting, mood, perspective and probably 10 other things I can’t think of right now before I set up the camera! My dream is to make photography a full-time job. Right now I am just sharing my work and hoping people like it! The message behind my work is get out there, explore new things and places and get creative!

2018 Pittsburgh Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, December 1, 2018 - 10:00am-5:00pm

Teamsters Local 249 Banquet Hall

4701 Butler St

Pittsburgh, PA 15201

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

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Pleasant Hills, Here We Come!

Meet Jamie Leonard from Jamie Leonard Photography...

I'm a full time portrait and event photographer based out of Mount Pleasant, PA where I have lived my entire life, with the exception of the 4 years I served in the U.S. Air Force.  I am a bit of a perfectionist (maybe more than a bit!) and I pride myself in offering the best service and products to my clients that I can provide.

When I'm not on the clock you can find me chasing my ornery almost 2 year old around the house with a cup of coffee and a book nearby.  

Photography became a hobby of mine in high school and I received my degree in 2010.  I recently started my business in 2016, shortly after separating from the military. This will be my first Avant-Garde Art and Craft show and I’m very excited to expand my work closer to the Pittsburgh area.

I have always loved art.  Before I was a photographer I was a bit of an artist and won first place in the art competition at my high school during my senior year.  There is something very inspiring to me just in the act of creating itself, bringing forth something from nothing.  I was slightly introverted when I was younger and I also used my art as a form of expression.  Although I am much more outgoing than I used to be, I still find photography to be a wonderful and beautiful form of expression.

 

As I was growing up, my mother had a cabinet in our house filled with albums.  Albums dedicated to my sister, to myself, to our family vacations, to times before we were born.  I would lose myself in them for hours and month after month, year after year, I would come back to them again and again:  pulling stacks of them out of the cabinets and sprawling them on the floor, just as amazed as I was the first time.  I fell in love with photography and those solid prints before I ever touched a camera.  

I wouldn’t necessarily say that my talent was something that I discovered.  It is something that my interest in art led me to and while I do have an eye for detail and there is some natural talent required, my work has evolved very much with study and practiced improvement.  There is always more to learn and boundaries to push past to reach the next level.

It’s very important to me to meet with my clients in person before their session.  In addition to planning the session itself, where I use input both from what my client desires and my impression of my client, I also want to provide a finished product for their home.  In order to do this properly I’ve implemented an in-home consultation prior to the session taking place, where I can see the style of their home and the wall space available.  I keep this in mind during the session, envisioning the final products, and then create mock-ups with their final portraits on their walls digitally.  If wall portraits are not desired then I keep the idea of an album in mind and the type of photos that correspond well with that product.

My ultimate goal is to be able to support my family fully so that my husband may pursue his music career.  If I’m not completely there in 5 years I hope to at least be close to reaching that goal.  I also hope to expand my business to the Pittsburgh area and become more well known in the area for my work.

The message behind my work is that life is fleeting.  The only way to remember the memories we make and who we once were is to record them here and now.

Meet Alexandra Abovyan from 3D Origami Art Studio...

I create intricate paper sculptures using a variety of modular origami techniques. It's similar to ordinary origami, except my sculptures use many (hundreds, or even thousands) small hand-folded pieces of paper. Those pieces can then be interlocked to create a variety of objects.

I was chosen as an Emerging Artist in the Three Rivers Arts Festival 2014. I have been awarded the ribbon in the category Honorable Mention (Best Art/Craft) at Arts and Crafts Holiday Spectacular Pennsylvania Show in 2014. I've been a regular vendor at the I Made It Market events around Pittsburgh. I was chosen to participate at Handmade Arcade (2016-17). I was participating in Ann Arbor Art Fair in 2017 where I  got very high score from jury and in One Of A Kind (Chicago).

A little about myself: 

I am originally from Armenia and an engineer by training. I was always an artist at heart though and have gone through a variety of hobbies such as drawing, cross-stitching, macramé and numerous others. I immigrated to the United States with my children 12 years ago, settled in Squirrel Hill, and work as a resident attendant at the Weinberg Terrace assisted living facility. I stumbled upon Modular Origami about 5 years ago on the Internet, started creating my own models and grew the business from there.

Meet Chris West from Photos by CDub...

I was born and raised in Little Hocking, Ohio (don’t worry, no one knows where that is – it is near Athens and Marietta in Southeast Ohio). I attended Allegheny College and graduated in 2002 with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Psychology and Spanish. Building off of my work in the community during my college years, I worked with at-risk youth, kids with Autism, and adults with disabilities after I graduated. Then after spending 6 years as a community organizer, I currently work as the Allegheny County Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. I married my beautiful wife, Sibyl, in 2013 (and yes, I do know the actual date btw), and we live in Forest Hills, PA, with our 5 fish and 1 spoiled cat. While photography has been an interest for many years, I have taken my work seriously since 2013, and specializes in capturing the beauty and uniqueness of landscapes. This is my first Avant-Garde show and I can't wait!

I like to focus on landscapes, especially to places that I have traveled. I absolutely love traveling, and like most people, never get to do it enough. There are so many different cultures to experience in the world, so many different perspectives to hear, and so many wonderful things to see. I have tried to capture some of those wonderful things in these photos, and I hope my work makes you think of the vastness we are a part of, lets you be in awe of the beauty that is in this world, and inspires you to do some more traveling of your own. 

In college I learned a bit about the art of photography from some friends taking classes. From that point on, I started to focus on taking meaningful and inspiring pictures. I got a nice camera as a present in 2004, so my work got an upgrade then :) By 2008 or 2009 I started to realize that I was pretty good at capturing unique images and telling a story with them.  And ever since 2013, I have been taking my work seriously.  Photos I am selling at the show are from 2013 - 2017.

The first step is to be in the moment and take the picture. The 2nd step is to review digital images of my photos and pick the very best ones. Not many get through to this stage. Then I print out a test copy of a photo of the best ones, and further whittle it down from there. Lastly, I do my own framing and matting, and that helps tell the story of the photo too. The right frame and the right matte can add a lot to the picture.

In 5 years, I would like to have outdoor festivals under my belt (I have never done one of those since I just opened my business a couple of months ago) and be selling my work in several stores in the area.

2017 Pleasant Hills Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, April 15, 2018 - 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