Pennsylvania Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows: things to do in Pittsburgh

Showing posts with label things to do in Pittsburgh. Show all posts

Thursday, April 5, 2018

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:

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

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.