What’s Blooming Exibitors, May 22, 2010.
A few words from (and about) our talented exhibitors…
Clay/Pottery:
Nina Benson
I have been given many gifts, one is an eye for design and producing a product. I work in ceramics, beading and 2D. As a teacher, wife and mother of six children, I often see potential in children and thus have hope which shows in my work.
Mei Wu Pottery
Art and craft have always been an import part of my life. I used to spend my spare time drawing, sewing, making greeting cards… But when I took my first clay class nine years ago, I realized this is my media. I love the feel of handling clay, the surprise of firing process excites me, and I am intrigued by the historical connection of clay with human culture. I have been focusing on hand building, which, for me, is a more intimate process than throwing. I use pinch pot and slab-building technique to build vessels, and I create patterns on jewelry and tiles with stamps. My favorite stamps are Indian textile printing blocks and Chinese woodcarvings. I decorate my work with carving, painting, spraying and special glazes.
mei1967@yahoo.com
Gina Lee Robbins
I am drawn to simple forms in nature that reveal rich texture and irregularity upon close examination: bursting seed pods, flowering succulents, mottled bark and the patterned shell of a reptile. These details, and how humans respond to them inform my work.
I enjoy hand building with clay because the process of building and finishing a piece brings it through so many vulnerable stages. I assemble and manipulate shapes, testing gravity and the clay’s plasticity as I combine them. I pinch and carve away until something pleasingly familiar almost breathes in my hands. Following that, many weeks of work are either shattered or glorified after just a few hours in the kiln. The entire process mimics both the fragility of life and the rule of chaos in nature. The challenge of working with these metaphoric obstacles is exhilarating to me.
I have been doing this work for fifteen years. I live in Oak Park but have exhibited and participated in classes and workshops in North Carolina, Florida and the greater Chicago area.
Fabric/Fiber Art:
Tim Goral - Sacred Mocs
I have been making custom moccasins for about 4 years. I love to create a beautiful, comfortable Sacred Boot that will last you years to come. I start by making a mold of your foot and let you pick the colors, the buttons, etc. They are made of high quality Buffalo leather, with a birk sole that is replaceable! With the proper care they will last you 10 years or more.
Melvina Nunn
My artform is fashion accessories and women’s apparel. I love to use dark denims and elegant brocades with select contrasting polyester fabrics in my work. I like to create clothes and accessories that are comfortable to wear yet look elegant and unique. I will be at 336 Harrison. Stop by and see what I have designed.
Two designers, pile of socks and a whole lot of cute. Jessica and Becky met years ago as coworkers in a design department, and became fast friends. Through a mutual love of creating cute things, they began to meet for weekends of stitching and coffee. A group of squeezable organisms began to pile up. Quality control was instituted by Olivia (6 yrs) and Sofie (2 yrs), who now carefully examine, shake, toss, and cuddle each specimen until we’re sure it’s awesome.
Each Cutie has their own personality derived from the materials they are crafted from. We’ve rescued socks from family, friends, co-workers and thrift stores. We haven’t had to resort to dumpster-diving yet, but we have no shame.
Nido Threads - Lisa Lentz Manning (Nido)
As a child I discovered the magic of sewing, from then, I knew that textiles were for me. On each of my hand-dyed garments, I use a traditional Japanese technique called ‘Shibori’ – in the U.S. we say ‘tie-dye’. This shibori circle on the back of each shirt, dress, or onesie has become Nido’s trademark. After having my 3rd child, my wall hung, fine art transformed into functional, casual, wearable, & cozy art.
Nido means nest in both Italian & Spanish. And that is where I work, in my nest, at my home studio. Nido, my line of whimsical clothing for all ages is created using a variety of surface design techniques: dying, screen-print, appliqué, & embroidery. Each 100% cotton garment is a one of a kind creation. My designs focus on happy, fun, & magical imagery. My color palette ranges from earthy hues to bright, intense colors. Since each garment is hand-dyed, the color varies in value and texture in each piece. I use vintage & recycled cottons, wool felt, cotton thread, & upcycled buttons in my appliqués. This summer, I am opening, Nido Art, a place for kids to create, in Aurora, IL. I look forward to teaching & being taught by the purest artists on earth, kids.
Henna Art:
Nazma Deriwala
I was so fond of henna art since my childhood that I never realized when this art became my life. I started applying henna at the age of 8-9 yrs and gradually I started developing henna designs and thrived to achieve excellence in it. My friends and family members advised me to use this art as my identity and make it as my career path. As being an Indian it is very common for us to apply henna and it is one of the arts which our elders transmit to us as a gift and important part of the culture. In the initial stage of my life I took this art as granted, but gradually my curiosity of knowledge about henna art inspired me to study henna art in detail.
Henna art is one of the most ancients arts on the earth, and different cultures have used henna art in different ways on different time of their lives. Henna is a plant, its leaves are used to make henna powder. The henna powder is used to make paste which is used to dye skin. Henna is considered very pious in many cultures and it is given immense significance at different stages of life, such as birth of a child, wedding, festivals, and on occasion of fasting. Now a days henna art has become more of contemporary, people prefer to get henna tattoo instead of getting permanent tattoos. In my opinion, henna art is one of the most amazing arts one can ever experience in their life.
I will be doing henna art and selling indian kurti’s (women’s tops) on Saturday.
Jewelry:
Cynthia Fostle - her introduction to beadwork started with a cupcake. She wanted to learn how to make a swirl on a cupcake, so she signed up for a four week cake decorating course at her local craft store. Three more courses later, she could assemble multi-tiered, fondant-wrapped extravaganzas, but something was still missing. After weeks of research, she discovered the perfect embellishment—cake jewelry—swathes of delicate wire, crystals, and pearls, draped around tiers of cake, with tiaras as toppers. To learn how to make these embellishments, she took her first earring-making course at her local bead store, which led to classes in stringing, knotting, soldering, stamping, and—ultimately—wirework classes at Bead in Hand. She still makes the occasional swirled cupcake, but her true passion is learning everything she can about wireworking and using that knowledge to make simple, elegant copper and silver jewelry. Cynthia is a guest artist of Bead in Hand, 145 Harrison Street.
Christine Knox
Christine is a self-taught designer. Her jewelry can be described as whimsical, yet her designs also fit a classic style. She creates each piece of jewelry spontaneously, yet purposefully. She believes that her jewelry should be pleasing to the eye, but it should also wear well. Whether it is a simple sterling pendant necklace or an elaborate wire wrapped pair of earrings, Christine strives to make each piece unlike no other. She uses only the finest materials in her designs and also tends to use materials that have a unique quality to them such as vintage copper flowers and lampwork glass beads. Color is very important in Christine’s designs and her keen sense of color gives her work beauty and warmth. Christine resides in Oak Park, IL where you can find her pieces in local boutiques and salons. You can also find her work at solodesigns.etsy.com.
RBC Jewelry Design by Patricia Koko
I named this company to honor my mother who was a very classy lady. I choose to make jewelry that is classic and also sell some vintage pieces. I will gladly consider commissions as well. I work in crystals, pearls, glass and gemstones. I will have earrings, bracelets, necklaces and some fun items. Please stop for a visit.
Nancy Maize - Bead of a Different Drum
“THINK AGAIN” is a line of jewelry from Bead of a Different Drum that I’ve been doing for a couple years now. It uses vintage and antique items that were intended for other purposes to make beautiful, interesting pieces. I really like the idea of reusing old hardware, watch parts, maps, typewriter keys,etc. and giving them new life as one-of-a-kind bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pins, rings,and cufflinks!
Karen Notko - has been involved in some creative project all her life. Even now, at the age of 57, the thought of a new box of 64 Crayola crayons makes her drool. Sometime during the 80’s, Karen was introduced to polymer clay and her affair with it has bridged multiple decades and multiple incarnations. Each time they have parted, the personal growth in their respective spheres has caused creative fireworks when they discover each other anew. During their current tryst, polymer clay has combined with wirework, precious metal clay and beadweaving to continually tempt and challenge Karen’s abilities. Karen is a guest artist of Bead in Hand, 145 Harrison Street.
Angela Potaczek
I am a licensed counselor and art therapist in Oak Park. I also design and make jewelry and notecards. The jewelry I create consists of materials that reflect the beauty and variety found in Nature. I especially enjoy working with shells, fossils, and natural stones. My notecards also reflect Nature and include images such as wildlife and anatomical drawings assembled into eclectic collages.
Gina Thomas - has been artistic since she was a young girl. She has dabbled in many different arts and crafts, including drawing, sculpture, painting, sewing, crochet, dried floral arranging and scrapbooking. She began beading when she wanted a very specific design for a necklace for a special event and, unable to find it readymade, decided to create it herself. Since then she has been addicted to making jewelry. Gina loves the variety of materials and the endless creations possible using mostly gemstones, glass beads, and sterling silver. While loving the process of creating, Gina decided it was time to share when she had more than she herself could wear. Gina is a guest artist of Bead in Hand, 145 Harrison Street.
Sandra Wilcox - Pearls for Good
My jewelry designs are inspired by travels, literature, nature, and the beads themselves. My world includes traditional knotted pearls, but in non-traditional colors and textures. I also have been weaving pearls and stone beads into organic collars and exploding spikes of color. These are unique pieces intended for people who like ’statement’ jewelry.They are exciting, fun, and very special! My company is called Pearls for Good, because a portion of sales is donated to charity.
Mixed Media:
Amani Borah
I was born in Mombasa, Kenya. I am a self-taught artist. My work has been shown at the Third Friday Gallery, Tratttoria 225, and The Jerk Grill.
Steven Bukowski
I work with abstract designs, dealing with found and hand-made papers to create a juxtapose of textures, using the combination of acrylic paint and paper. The works tend to give many views of the same theme. I also work with small black and white landscapes, along with colored scenes, showing a slice of life of some great areas.
I work with Encaustic Painting which is an archaic medium dating back to 100 BC. Encaustic paint consists of beeswax, dammar resin and pigment. The paint is melted for application and each layer is fused to the previous layer with heat. This process-driven technique can lead to pleasingly unpredictable results, making this medium enormously interesting and exciting. Encaustic surfaces can be deliberate and smooth or captivatingly dimensional.
Through my art I examine the definition and nature of the urban existence. Within the urban landscape there is an innate sense of order and randomness, of clutter and balance, of history and change. I am fascinated with the idea of chaos and the imprecise sense of harmony and order that can exist in such an environment. I seek to deconstruct this environment into the sparest of abstract compositions, giving testament to the complex and yet simple beauty of an urban landscape.
Simon Gallo
I find it hard to label myself strictly a painter or drawer rather I would say that I am primarily a painter using painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and sculpture to reach out across all mediums to create works of art that I find playful and interesting. Fascinated with children art, most recently my work is focused on the young male’s fascination with the exploration of space, the haunting of monsters, and the world of superheroes that come to live in the surreal mind of the child. Gaining inspiration from past comics, toys, TV, and movies, my work embraces the inner child and its imaginative voice, striving to arise feelings of nostalgia, remembrance and innocence. Growing up frightened of monsters, enamored with superheroes, and amazed by outer space these works act as a release for my still living imagination. I believe that the imagination is key not only in art but in the role it plays in shaping the world. I currently live in Oak Park, teach at the Oak Park Art League, attend the School of The Art Institute of Chicago going for my BFA in Art Education and continually make art in and outside of school.
Renee Glos-Block
I paint children’s furniture, doll furniture, bird houses, garden plaques, etc., and am happy to personalize what I paint to fit your needs. I primarily sell in a shop called “Gunnerson’s” on Washington Island, Door County, WI.
Suzanne Peters
My work is an exploration of disappearing edges, where one reality becomes part of another. The subject begins to be simplified until it is often described as a feeling. Color becomes a description of a feeling and emotion. My work is strong, when the deliberate mark and my emotion spark, it is pure. Only what is felt remains.
Photography:
Heath Hays
Olivia Liddell
I am a photographer who has lived in Chicago for four years. I visited the Oak Park Conservatory for the first time this year, and I was immediately struck by the vivid color and texture of the flowers. These were the main themes that I kept as my focus when photographing this series, in addition to the interplay between light and darkness in nature. www.olivialiddell.com
My approach to my art is based on a deep reverence and strong interest in the Earth
…this endless source of beauty and curiosity that surrounds us. Since just a kid I have
always enjoyed using a camera. I loved being able to record the things and places I had
seen and visited …freezing in an instant some moment in time …and then, to share those
experiences and ‘captured’ moments with others. To me this seemed to be almost ‘magic’!
Having learned photography with the help of a pretty decent hand-held light meter, I shot
film. In the past few years however I have evolved with digital captures and computer powered ‘dark-rooms’. The ‘basics’ are still the same: composition, focus, exposure, etc.,but now I process the image digitally. From editing to printing I am able to more efficiently and precisely control my craft.
Glenn Raines
The art of nature’s beauty can be found in the Wildflower.
Enjoy the beauty of the Wildflowers of North America in beautifully-illustrated, double-matted art prints and other items of the Wildflower Art Series… ideal for home and garden. Who else, but nature creates the finest art.
Created by nature and made possible by Glenn Raines, a local afficiando of the Wildflower as art, and living art, for growing gardens. Take home an artistic Wildflower memento… the perfect companion to “What’s Blooming… on Harrison”
Yvonne Reina
I think of myself as a ‘documentarion’ who happens to use a camera to capture a slice of time and space; there are no limitations or rules that will prevent me from capturing the essence of “being” the moment I release the shutter.
Who are our business exhibitors?
Avon
Take a Sabbath Day and endulge yourself in Avon Wellness Products. Take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others. Revitalize and Rejuvenate! Plant Spa Products and Liiv Botanicals available. Liiv Botanical products are enriched with powerful botanicals, clinically and dermatologically tested and preservative-free and dye-free. Bubble Baths, Whipped Body Balm, Mediterranean Olive Oil Whipped Body cream, Moisture Body Butter, Brown Sugar Body Scrub, Foot and Elbow Cream. Liiv Botanicals products are enriched with powerful botanicals, clinically and dermatologically tested and preservative-free and dye-free.
Nicole Larde, Independent Avon Rep
mypraise4life@yahoo.com
Explore. Imagine. Create. Connect. Give Back. That’s what Barefoot Books is all about. It’s exploring other cultures, our planet, ourselves. It’s making time for make-believe and letting imaginations run wild and free. Most of all, it’s about using the power of stories to nourish the creative spark in everyone and strengthen connections with family, the global community, and the earth. Look for my booth near Harrison and Taylor.
Baby Blend Tees, Inc.
Baby Blend Tees designs and sells 100% organic cotton tees for infants, toddlers, and kids up to size 12. All of our designs have fun, humorous sayings that are printed with water based eco-friendly ink. These shirts make an excellent gift because each one comes in an adorable, custom designed coffee bag! ~Jennifer Leaphart
Home Cure Inc., is the perfect solution for the smaller jobs in your home. We provide a wide range of high quality maintenance services to meet our client’s need. Our skilled technicians are knowledgeable, clean, licensed, and insured.
509 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL
Irv & Shelly’s Fresh PicksSM offers year-round home delivery in the Chicago area of local and organic produce, meat, dairy and eggs. You can order online anytime to choose the specific items you want, or opt for a Fresh Picks Box that is automatically delivered to your door weekly or bi-weekly.
We are committed to working with local sustainable farms we personally know and trust. Our fresh picks will arrive at your door ripe and bursting with flavor, vitamins and minerals within hours of leaving the farm. We’re as proud of our farmers as they are of their food, and have developed tracking systems for the great local products in your order so we can tell you who raised them and how they protect your health and the environment.
Midwest Pinball, located in Oak Park, IL, sells and services pinball machines and shuffle alley bowlers throughout the Chicagoland area. We provide on-site service as well as pickup and delivery services. We can be reached at (312) 925-1386.
SEOPCO:
The South East Oak Park Community Organization, SEOPCO, was formed in 2003 to address concerns and quality of life issues affecting the people who live in the neighborhood.
SEOPCO has four goals:
To instill pride and sense of place by naming and defining our neighborhood. Our area is bounded by I-290, Austin, Roosevelt Road, and East Ave. This is the same for the Police Department’s Resident Beat Officer and for most of the Irving School district.
To create for the Southeast quadrant of Oak Park a positive identity for the residents and an improved image within Oak Park.
To involve citizens in activities that promote a positive sense of place, such as coordinated block parties, cleanup campaigns and festivals which highlight local performance and artistic talent.
To sponsor informational forums about affairs relevant to the neighborhood.
Ten Thousand Villages Oak Park
“Ten Thousand Villages will be selling Fair Trade handicrafts from around the world, including our handmade home decor and gift items as well as personal accessories. In addition to such merchandise, we will be concentrating on keeping with the idea of ‘What’s Blooming on Harrison’ to include skillfully made gardening goods and floral or vegetable themed items. Visit us at our booth on May 22, or stop in Ten Thousand Villages Oak Park anytime, located on the corner of Marion and Westgate.”
The Triallta Irish Dance Company
The Triallta Irish Dance Company teaches kids, teens and adults how to Irish dance in a fun, supportive environment and gives them a platform to share their talents. Triallta will be selling Irish dance scrapbook supplies and bottled water, and will be dancing throughout the day. Stop by our booth for a free lesson. For more information, please visit www.triallta.org.
Who’s Yelping all over the internet? Meet Jelena in front of Val’s Halla, 239 Harrison Street, on Saturday. Stop by and say hello!
