Meet Charlene Parker from Shea Elements...
I've been a practicing massage therapist for the past 10 years, and have always been into natural and holistic alternatives. My passion is just helping people get back a more pure and natural state. I started making body butter to use on my clients as it was cheaper to make my own, and I could customize it for different people. They loved it so much that they began asking if they could purchase it from me. So I started there, and would gift it to friends and family members while trying out different blends. Then I had a baby a couple years ago, and really got into homemade everything! Haha. I wanted to know exactly what I was putting on my precious baby's skin. So in total I've been making skin care for about the past 5 years, but have always been a creative mixologist!
I believe my passion for helping to heal people is what inspires me. I do this more so because it's like my hobby but if business continues to grow, then in 5 years I could be selling in some local health food stores and doing several farmers markets.
My message is "Feed Your Skin!" We absorb 60% of what we put on our skin. It is our largest organ and yet the least vital. This means that our skin, gets last dibs on what nutrients we do get from out diets. Most people don't get adequate nutrition for their vital organs, let alone for their skin... Shea Elements provides you with nutrient dense skin care at a food grade level. Never any preservatives or artificial fragrance or colors. Just pure, natural, wholesome goodness!
Meet Andrea Simpson from Witchway Design...
My husband Mike has been a welder fabracator for over 20 plus years. I myself come from a family with a strong artistic background. One of the hobbies we enjoy is going to the Renaissance Festival and studying the different roots of religion from Druid , Celitc and Wicca eras. We have found that the symbolism of the different religions are intriguing and intricate. Most of the symbols are for protection.
We purchased a wind chime while at the festival and even though it was beautiful you could tell it was mass produced and felt commercial. So I asked Mike if he would be able to use his experience and give it a try. We purchased the steel needed and started our craft.
We have been working with our ideas for about a year and we have fun coming up with new designs and color schemes. It all begins with Mike taking a piece of roundstock steel & turning it into a symbol by cutting, heating, hand rolling & welding it, into the design. It is then sanded & ready for paint. Thats when I take over. All pieces recieve two coats of primer before the actual color is applied. Once dry, the beadwork begins on the wind chimes.
All wind chimes are different, no two are alike. We feel that our designs are beautiful & can be a wondreful piece of art for anyone's home. We can only hope that in the future that our winchimes & art designs will be seen & purchased by people all over, especially over seas, where most of the symbols orginated from.
Meet Vernae Blackwell from Spray Art by Rick...
I grew up in a typical 70's family with three brothers. My
father was an auto-mechanic and while my mother was a stay at home mom, she
liked to get involved with various community events like the Junior Bowling
League and The Soap Box Derby. I got my first job when I was about 15 working
for my uncle's Television Repair and Antenna Installation shop. Seems I had a
knack for climbing very tall structures without suffering vertigo so was
perfect for the job.
After graduating High School I attended the Fort
Lauderdale Institute of Art for a couple semesters before finances forced me to
drop out. I then entered the military as a Missile repairman stationed at
Schoefield Barracks in Hawaii. I served 4 years and was honorably discharged at
the end of my service. I worked several years for the state of Ohio in data
entry before trying my hand at several home businesses when cutbacks closed
down our Data Entry site. I married my wife in 1997 and we have two wonderful
young ladies whom both graduated High School by the time they were 15. My
eldest is currently in her 3rd semester of a Criminal Psychology degree and she
is not even 18 yet! For several years I built and sold Cornhole yard games that
were painted by hand. When I found physical limitations were too much to
continue doing that I discovered Spray Paint Art and have been doing that.
I discovered Spray Paint Art in June of 2014. By August, my
family and friends were encouraging me to begin taking my work public to sell.
My work area is in my garage which is not insolated so I had to stop painting
when the weather got too cold in October. I started painting again in May of
this year (2015) and have painted since then, although currently the weather is
changing for the cooler side again and I will soon have to store away my
painting until next year. So in total, at the time of this writing, I've been
doing Spray Paint Art for 10 months if counting only those months in which I
could work.
I've always had a skill for artwork. In highschool I
maximized my time in the Art Department and won several awards and ribbons for
my work. Soon after returning from the military I experienced a fire in my
house and lost all but a few of my pieces of art. Even those I have remaining, are charred and smoke stained. As a result I lost any desire to really apply
myself to art until my wife ecouraged me years later and rekindled my
inspiration. Before I was inspired to create artwork for the sake of creation.
I just enjoyed doing it. Now my inspiration is derived much from the knowledge
that my artwork is procurred by others. It gives me a sense now that it can
survive. That people are appreciating it. When I produce something that excites
someone so that they desire to have it, then that makes me feel like one
devistating event will not destroy everything that I've made. I trust expression
again.
I've always been crafty. I just like to make things. When I
was a boy our family moved into the countryside and my father built his own
house. I also participated in the Tuscarawas County Soap Box Derby. Between
these two things I developed carpentry skills. Even as a child I loved to get the
crayons out and draw things. My wood skills led me to building Cornhole games
and my artskills allowed me to advertise myself to decorate them with unique
and requested themes.
I feel like I've been drawn to various forms
of art for as long as I remember. Family was probably had a large impactive on
me. I would often draw things or build things and show them to visiting relatives
and they would always express encouragement. In High School I recieved quite a
few compliments from both teachers and students. When you are a kid and other
kids start asking for your advice or help on something you quickly realize that
you have a knack for it. Although I truly believe anyone can produce art. But
it doesn't just plop onto paper or mold itself to shape. You have to have a
love for it. A desire to do it. Even when something doesn't work out right, you
try again. Eventually your hand and mind become one to develop the image that
you have in your head.
My five year plan.. Well, my hopes are that I'll have established myself enough
that the interest generated will allow me to either weatherproof my workspace
or build and dedicated Shop in which I can also display my work in a gallery.
Because of the methods Spray Paint Art it is a very crowd friendly skill.
People just like to watch the artwork come alive so quickly out of so much
starting chaos. I live in an area with much Amish tourism so hope to tap into
that.
My creative process... It's difficult to say. Sometimes I'll see work that others
have done and want to try it myself. Other times I'm curious to see if I can
accomplish it in another medium. Often I'm just struck by a concept. I am
actually pretty bad at trying to do artwork on demand. If someone says
"Can you draw this for me" I'll think 'sure'. But then struggle
because I feel I'm just not getting it right. These kinds of pieces are the
ones that I am personally most unhappiest with. I am my own worst critic. On
the other hand, if I just start out with a very general idea of what I want to
do and then follow the art as it develops I end up with things that I am very
happy with. It is then that I could do something successfully by happenstance
versus when someone asks for it specifically. I think this is the largest
attraction for me about Spray Paint Art. I am building off the texutures and
mixing of the paint to bring out the image that it is suggesting, not forcing
into something I want. I am literally often surprised by the outcome of my own
work when its done.
Although I'll do some pieces based on a theme, generally the
message of anything I do doesn't realize itself until I am done. I'll start out
by doing some clouds, adding in mountains, adding in some form of water and
then develop the details as they appear to me. Then when I'm finished I'll look
at it and think "what does this say to me" and generate a message
from that. For example. A fall colored tree I painted. When I looked at it I
kept thinking "that would be a great place to have a picnic on a romantic
date". So the message, and title, lept out at me as "The Picnic
Tree"
Meet Georgia and Kalyn from Wonderful Wishes...Wonderful Wishes is a craft and illustration team dedicated to bringing you art that delights and inspires. The studio is made up of two friends, Kalyn (programmer and geek extraordinaire) and Georgia (doodler and hair flower enthusiast). Kalyn specializes in crafts such as jewelry, hair accessories, and teddy bears. Georgia focuses more on illustrations. Georgia has been drawing for 9 years and Kalyn has been crafting for 5.
What inspires us.. Georgia draws inspiration from the beauty in nature and art. Bright gardens, rich skies and lovely landscapes all serve to fuel her imagination. Kalyn creates fun, shiny, beautiful, and cuddly things as a way to enjoy their unique beauty and communicate her own inner world to others.
How we got into our craft... Georgia entered the field casually, doing it for fun at first. Then she began to practice, study and hone her art skills. Kalyn made a Christmas ornament for a white elephant party and loved seeing how something she created could bring joy. Kalyn kept making more and expanding her skill sets.
We discovered our talent by trying out a format we saw others doing and finding we had a knack for it ourselves. Our creative process.. Georgia does a mix of sketching and digital art and Kalyn uses different beads, ribbons and fabrics to create her crafts.
In five years our goal is to create more, doing what we love, and always learning new ways to bring art to life! The message behind our work is that art can bring joy to both the creator and viewer. View more of our work at http://wonderfulwishes.weebly.com.
2015 Canton Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Time- 10:00am-5:00pm
St. George Serbian Center
4667 Applegrove Street NW
North Canton, OH 44720
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
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