The West Michigan Artisans proudly present their first annual

Holiday Happening

December 9, 2006 at St. Cecilia Music Society

from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

24 Ransom AV  NE, Grand Rapids, MI

Click here for a map showing the location of St. Cecilia Music Society

Welcome to our Preview Guide

Here you can get a sneak-peek at some of the unique, handmade works of art created by our artisans.

You will find no shoddily made, imported or mass produced goods at our show.  Each and every item is painstakingly designed and meticulously hand crafted by someone from right here in Southwestern Michigan.  In fact, the artists themselves will be selling their own work.  You can talk to them and ask them questions and in some cases, when time permits, you can request that they custom make something especially for you.

Are you looking for a special gift for a special person or for the person that has everything?  Maybe you need to do some last minute gift shopping?  Would you like to be sure that your gift is unique and stands out among his or her other gifts?  Do you appreciate quality hand made goods?  Are you tired of sending your hard-earned dollars off to China?  If so, then we may be just what you're looking for!

Meet your Greeter / Hostess

Angie Briggs-Johnson.  Along with being our Hostess for the Holiday Happening Show, Angie is a self  taught jewelry artist and makes wire sculpted jewelry using various gauges and beads, She is a DIY  junkie. She also teaches art at the Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center two days a week. Be  sure to look her up at the Show if you have any questions!

Angie is donating her time to assure that your stay at the Holiday Happening will be an enjoyable one. Be sure to thank her for her efforts.

It's time to introduce some of our artists and their work!

Enameling is the ancient process of fusing glass onto metal. Traditionally powdered glass is applied to metal and melted in a kiln at 1350˚ to 1600˚F. Cande Toner of Dancing Turtle Studios takes a more unconventional approach. The metal (copper or silver) is cut to shape and hammered to form a slight dome. The metal is then annealed, cleaned and glass is sifted on the back and fired in a kiln or with a torch to produce a counter enamel. The piece is then cleaned again to prepare for the final firings, leaving the natural fire scale as design elements. Special ink is then prepared from black oxide and painted on to the bare surface.
At this point the kiln is heated to an unusually high temperature of 1750˚ to 2000˚F, glass is applied to the surface and the piece is fired again. This process is repeated up to twelve times. This higher temperature is used to bring out an ancient and earthy look as well as a special clarity and depth in the glass.
On some tiles 14K gold is used to embellish the design.
Each piece is a one of a kind work of art that cannot be duplicated.

PAPERCUTTING

Papercutting is an art form found all around the world. Historically, most cultures that had paper had some form of papercutting. In Poland, where my family is from, papecuttings, or "wycinanki" (vih-chee-NAHN-kee), were originally made by rural folk using sheep shears. They were used to decorate cottage walls and furniture. As time went on, the traditional themes of nature and rural life were maintained, but the cuttings became more intricate and refined.

For my papercuttings, I use a wide variety of papers -black paper specifically made for papercutting, solid colors, and variegated tones. I generally use a razor knife to make my cuttings, since I find the motion to be more like drawing, but I also use very fine, very small scissors for some designs. Most of my cuttingsrequire that I lay them out first on the back of the paper with pencil. Then I cut, using either the scissors or the knife. Some of my cuttings are cut from a single sheet of black paper, and others are overlays of colorful papers, with shapes that have been traced, drawn and cut to fit appropriately. When the piece is finished, I mount it with tiny dots of glue onto a background, and frame it.

My cuttings are inspired by my heritage, but are contemporary adaptations, and all are my own designs.  Each of my cuttings is a signed hand cut original.

 

My Jewelry is made with several different components. I use Swarovski® crystals, Swarovski® rondeles, sterling silver daisy spacers, Botswana agates, rose quartz, jade, aventurine, fancy jasper, ocean jasper, picture jasper, ruby stone, charolite, crazy lace agate, red zebra jasper, amazonite, white lined red jasper, carnelian, hematite, tiger eye, natural green quartz, sodalite, blue goldstone, copper goldstone, glass cat eyes, and other glass beads and spacers. Every piece I offer was designed and made by me.
 

I'm a Religious Brother in the Roman Catholic Church. In the monastery I was trained as a tailor in our order, also a cook. The crafts I make are padded pet pads, (fleece) single pet pads, (fleece) pet carrier mat & food mats, whimsical pillow covers (18 x 18), pillow covers (18 x 18) baby blankets, a John Deere line, pillow cover and cases, placemats, table cloths, BBQ Sets, child's blanket & fleece throw, pillow cases, and dog blankets.  I also do.... men's alterations, hand made specialty items and custom sewing.
 

I specialize in magnetic jewelry. That includes the clasps, there are a lot of them out there and it took me about six years to find the right ones and then to start making them up. It has been a joy ever since doing it. I love to find unusual beads to work with such as elephant ear agate, ocean jasper, labradorite, ruby zolsite, harmony jasper and many more. They all have unique qualities about them. Also, I have started to handle Swarovski crystal pearls and colored magnets. The colors are unreal and give themselves to so many designs.
Along with these I am doing wire wrapping of stones and designs of just wire. All are done with sterling silver and gold filled wire. I deal with more simplistic designs they lend themselves more for the showing off of the stone instead of hiding it.
New to the collection this year are clay pieces. I have only started recently with these but see a great future in using this medium as well. Next summer I hope to add glass beads that will be full of color and truly different.
I have only been back into making jewelry in just the last year and a half after thirty years of doing other arts. This one is pure joy in every piece that is made. Great care is taken to make sure the right colors are in a piece and match up with the theme. I do a lot of special orders or special requests for people. this makes it a special piece for them since no one will have that design anywhere. I only get so much of any stone and when it is gone most times I cannot get it again so it is really one of a kind jewelry. Come see it for yourself and ask me anything about any item.
 

John Diem and Sarah Cash are a father-daughter team located in Grand Rapids, MI. All of our jewelry is handcrafted one of a kind pieces made with genuine gemstones & Sterling silver metal. We use only gem quality stone beads in our earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. The richness of the earth provides a range of colors and textures in lapis, tourmaline, amethyst, quartz, citrine, adventurine, a variety of agate, moonstone, rhodonite, and others.
 

Bars by Bellini started at a craft show in 2002. As I walked from stall to stall, I noticed that the only person there doing a booming business was a woman who was selling handmade soap. I bought a couple bars, and decided that handmade soap was where it was at. Always being crafty, and coming from a family of talented crafters (my sister painted the watercolor I use as my logo), I thought to myself "Hey, I can do that!!"  I then proceeded to search for anything I could on homemade soap. Cold Processed soap looked like the way to go. Ahhh, but making that first step, there's the rub. Lye, it was a 4 letter word. But I took the plunge, and my first batch was a success!!!! Then the addiction hit, and I couldn't wait to get home to try out a new batch, blend a new scent, swirl a new color. The addiction expanded, and I started making other natural body care products, everything from creams and lotions to herbal facial masks.  My love of soaping shows itself in every bar I make. I hope you enjoy the experience of using my soaps as much as I enjoy the experience of making them.
 

For as long as I can remember my father has been folding paper cranes. He does it differently than most origami instruction books tell you to, but with the same basic result: a flapping bird. These birds have been a source of endless entertainment for many, many children. My brother (the natural artist of the family!) picked up quickly how to make these birds. For me, it took several years before I would actually sit down and learn. Once I did, there was no flat surface that was not covered with varying sizes of flapping paper birds! Then, not too long ago my imagination and my creativity conspired against me as they often do and I was compelled to make these birds using fabric. The process was a simple one, if a bit time consuming, and they never lost the ability to move! Each of the birds I make can still flap its wings, but they’ve evolved from simple birds into ornaments of all kinds (Christmas and all season), baby mobiles and center-pieces. Along with the birds, I decorate glass ornaments with a variety of things including paint, Swarovski crystals, milkweed and buttons. I’ve also been known to quilt on occasion; making matching baby quilts to go with the baby mobiles.

 

I have been making lampwork beads for 5 years and have taught several classes in bead creations.  Lampwork beads are formed by melting glass rods, using a torch. The molten glass is then wound around a stainless steel mandrel. It can be manipulated with various tools: such as marvers, knives and picks. When the bead is finished, it is placed in a fiber blanket, so it can cool slowly.  After cooling, I place my beads in an annealer. The annealer slowly raises the temperature to a set point, holds it for a period of time, then gradually reduces the temperature back to normal. The whole process takes about ten hours. The annealer strengthens the bead by relieving stress in the glass. This process makes the beads more durable.  All my jewelry, and the other items I sell, such as: pens, letter-openers, key-chains, book markers and wine stoppers are created using my hand-made beads.

Pat's 'canvas' is usually something rescued, something saved from an ignoble and untimely end.... the rescued item then is reborn and given a new face, surface, finish, character, life! Her method? When the wood speaks, she knows what to paint! Her works are whimsical, playful, dramatic, fun, and above all a delight to the eye.
Pat creates signs for other artists' business endeavors, see Svensdotter's Originalwools on the GR Craft Mafia page, or myspace, as well as Dancing Turtles Studio. She has also painted wall murals in homes, 15 foot alligator murals in the Fish Shack in Middleville MI,
Pat will do commissioned works, and rescue your furniture too.
PJones has sketched and painted since she was a child, but in 1998 she began devoting the majority of her time to her art.

By profession a Hospice Nurse, all the rest of the time a fiber junkie. Karen spins her own yarn, then proceeds to ply it, dye it, knit it, felt it, crochet it, and shape it into yummy warm woolies. There's a plethora of top hats, caps, scuffs, bags, totes, wee bags, shawls, coasters, scarves, rugs, table toppers, etc. She's been behaving this odd way for over a dozen years, whether she's living in Bath Maine, Seattle Washington, Caledonia Michigan or here in Kentwood. Oh, and she did mention Maine right? ...the BEST place for Svensdotter's originalwools stuff!

Artist Laurie Kmen uses handmade paper to create collages, art cards and books.  Pieces begin with sheets of handmade paper which are then treated by over-dyeing with pigments, applying wax resist and painting with water-based media.  The sheets are then collaged in to abstract forms representative of landscapes, natural forms, people and animals.  Each piece of work is its own exploration of texture, line and color.

 Laurie currently owns Painted Moon Studio LLC, which teaches ArtSparks! classes, workshops and art parties.  She was previously an instructor at Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and was the recipient of a 2006 West Michigan Scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s summer program at Ox-Bow.

Each hand cast concrete leaf from is a unique fossil like imprint. Sealed with a non-toxic water sealant. Every piece can be displayed outside or inside as a work of nature art.

I design and sew each of my one of a kind wearable art handbags. Some are embellished with hand knitted fringe or vintage buttons.

Bracelets made of semi-precious stones joined together with hand twisted sterling silver links.

 

Come take a look at the world through the eyes of Aaron. In his fine art furniture he takes a look at the past, present, and future dealing with good and bad times, conflict and happiness as it relates to him and his life. Aaron uses natural wood, metal, glass and a variety of other materials allowing him to create a world of his own.

Trellis shawl available in several colors: Autumn Leaves, Autumn Bright, Pastel Spring, Pastel Gloss, Blue Gloss, Green Gloss, Midnight Black,Midnight Blue, Purple Glow,Royal Tones, Red Flair, Sepia Tones.Bracelets also available w/ baseballs & soccer balls; custom names for little girls, and fancy beads in bracelets and necklaces (on stretch cord for those of us whose fingers aren't as nimble as before-no clasps to worry about!). Crayon Battleships come plain-you decorate yourself, or pre-painted. By adding a coat of sealer, they will float in the bath tub for hours of fun. Baby clothes are newborn to 24 month size. Can custom do colors and styles. Also available, but not pictured: full range of scarves - decorative and winter warm; ponchos - infant to adult sizes; 100% cotton dish cloths & soap holders; BBQ tables.
 

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood is the producer of CraftSanity, a podcast about art, craft and creativity. Each week Jennifer posts new episodes featuring interviews with artists, authors, and crafters from around the globe. You can listen to the podcast for free via iTunes or by visiting www.craftsanity.com. As an added bonus, she posts free project how-tos and patterns for listeners to try out at home.

A seasoned journalist, Jennifer, 30, has been a staff reporter for The Grand Rapids Press since 1998. But she's been making art since childhood. She crochets, knits, spins, weaves, sews, quilts and much more. She's attracted a global audience for her show on the Internet and is anxious to connect with artists and crafters here in West Michigan.

She'll be at the West Michigan Artisans Holiday Happening to introduce you to her show and troll for more fabulous artists and crafters to interview. (So if you have a story to tell, be sure to stop by her table and say hello.) Oh yeah, Jennifer has been busy making stuff, too. She will be selling her homemade crafty buttons and custom mirrors as well an assortment of handmade knit, crochet, quilted and woven items. She lives in suburban Grand Rapids with her husband and two daughters. She ends all of her shows with the phrase "CraftSanity, my friends! It works for me."
 

Black Sun Designs

Art to adorn from glass, resins, caging, and a unique perspective. My technique is to let my emotions of the day flow through my fingers. It's the best kind of therapy for my crazy teenaged hormones. I use wire and wrap it around glass, embellish it, and seal it with resin. The result is something fun to wear. You'll never find another one like it.
 

Black sun a phenomena where starling's flock together to block out the light. Their unique patterns are beautiful, flowing, and ever changing.

My goal as an artist is to mimic the starling's flight. Rare. Fantastical. Inspired by the sun and it's cosmos.