Another Craft Show Roundup

[daphnep]

This time, the American Craft Council Show.



More travel, more shopping, more bright and shiny goodies to attract my wandering magpie's eye.




Reina Mia Brill



Clay sculpted characters from children's stories we just haven't been lucky enough to read yet, complete with wire knitting. I've seen her illustrations online but never saw her sculptures in person, and they are really captivating, with careful details and textures and colors. She also makes little "brooches", which are miniaturized sculptures for those wanting an original piece for a smaller price. The show offered a few imitators, as well, which was interesting, but Brill is ahead of the crowd and I think her work will get the attention it deserves.

Brill's website is here.

Mackey's Mark



Jewelry is one of the hardest crafts to differentiate at these shows, simply because of the sheer volume present. You've got rows and rows of booths full of teeny-tiny-things, and you have to have some "catch" to draw people in to your booth and get their attention for just one second to show why your jewelry is different than everyone else's. Macky's Mark Jewelry is its own catch...there simply is nothing else like it. It's color photography under resin, mounted in silver. But instead of showing you a whole image, these pieces show only a simple color or texture shot through a macro lens. Sometimes the photo relates to the shape, as when a leaf-shaped pendant reveals a leaf's veiny texture. Most importantly, though, the pieces have a unique feel to them: heavy, solid, cool to the touch, and utterly smooth. Most of them are also reversible, giving you contrasting colors on opposite sides for a two-for-one deal.

Mackey's Mark Jewelry website, here.

Justin Rothshank Decalware Pottery



Mao on a floral china plate? A matching Obama tea set, with pitcher and stackable mugs? How about just some vintage floral fashions with a bright-red lobster layered over top? The pottery pieces are hand-thrown and quite solid, and the witty mix of decals with old and new imagery are clever enough to survive a while. It's functional, home-dec collage.

Justin's website is here.

Chris Roberts-Antieau



I was drawn in by the circus-sideshow-posters, I stayed for the funny, like "Awkward Social Situations" spelled out in quilting. Unfortunately, I wanted to stay and read every single piece--these are just funny, like that--but the jam of people crowding into the booth to do the exact same thing created an "Awkward Social Encounter" of its own. Life imitates art, and all.

Chris's website, here.


Range of Emotion Handbags



What kind of craft show would it be if I couldn't find a new handbag? This time the winner was from Jenae Michelle, who uses vintage fabrics and paint and everything else in bags with really nice shape, sturdy closures (including old-school metal frame clasps), the right length of strap to actually wear, and with actual pockets inside. This is a handbag designer for women who want to really carry and use their fashion handbags. The one I got came with vintage velvet, "textured with bulletholes".

Make Bags, Not War!

One more, because I love that she used shibori felted wool in these:



Natalia Margulis

I'm always intrigued by "embroidered paintings" or the really elaborate machine-stitched artworks. Part of me is fascinated because, as a painter and an avid sewer, I think "I could do that!" (even though I've never tried) and part of me just falls into the sumptuous world created in textures and patterns and colors of criss-crossed threads.

Then I see this:



That's stitching, you see. Stitching. I could probably not do that, but I'm really, really glad that somebody can.

Margulis has a really nice web gallery, here, with so much more I could swoon.

Comments

[lawbabeak.livejournal.com]

I love that I can experience these things vicariously through you. The few trade shows I've been to overwhelmed me almost immediately, to the point of my shutting down all but the most vital systems. The one I worked was fun, but perhaps that was because I was 17 and my job was to keep the mohair fluffed.

[daphnep.livejournal.com]

They're overwhelming, for sure. You kind of go into this sort of "tunnel vision", scoping out exactly what you need to see, sorting it from all the rest.

But fun, just the same.

[molinaslim.livejournal.com]

This just lifted my spirits a little bit - especially the strange picture of the woman getting licked by her dog.

Thank you :)

[daphnep.livejournal.com]

That one's perfect for you: it's called "Dog Germs".

[susanjacobson.livejournal.com]

I love Mao on a floral plate!

I interviewed Zhang Hongtu for my dissertation project.

http://www.momao.com/mao.htm