Meet Bridget Rurka from
Stringing Bridge...
My
name is Bridget Rurka, I grew up in Romeo MI and I now live in Clinton Township
with my husband, Steve, and our 5 year old pug/Chihuahua, Zeus. I have a
masters degree in social work from Wayne State University and I work in the
behavioral health field. I love being able to balance the two things I love; my
profession and my string art business.
I
did my first string art piece in the summer of 2014 while I was on a break from
my graduate program. My first string art was less than perfect and I actually
required a lot of help from my husband and friends. In December 2016 I found
myself itching to do more crafts and projects. I did another string art and I
just kept going with it. I'm not sure what I did differently but something
clicked the second time around. I had so many ideas which led to an Etsy Shop
that month and now an art and craft show! This is my first Avant-Garde Art
& Craft Show and I am so excited!
What
inspires me to create is being able to try new and different things. One day
I'll have an idea for a modern piece and the next day I'll be working on
something more rustic. I like being able to show myself that I'm versatile with
my art. I get excited when people come to me with their ideas because I know it
will be something new. I also love doing custom orders because it gives others
the opportunity to envision something and then I get to create it.
I
got the idea for string art on Pinterest. I saw string art of Texas while
scrolling through Pinterest one day and I had to try it. When I started to
do more intricate designs is when I realized I had a real talent for string art
and that it could go beyond a hobby.
My
creative process is that I'll tweek things, like the type of string or the size
of the nails to see what looks best. I'm constantly trying new little things in
efforts to improve.
In
5 years I hope to be doing art and craft shows on a more regular basis. I
hope to have a booth to display my string art in one of my local art shops. I'd
love to see myself continue to build my Etsy shop as well as my social media
accounts.
I'd
like to say that my message behind my work is for everyone to think outside the
box!
Meet Andrea
LaRose from Afternoon at Andrea's...
I am an interior designer and
life-long crafter, and I live in Auburn Hills with my husband and daughter. I have been sewing since my grandmother taught me
when I was a little girl. This is my first craft show ever, and I am
VERY excited to be here!
I collect
discarded upholstery fabric samples and can't stand to see them go to waste,
and I like creating beautiful, functional items like bags, quilts, and pet
beds. I come from a family of
very creative people, and I am lucky to be surrounded by creative friends and
colleagues. I've always been into one thing or another, whether it's sewing,
making jewelry, or sculpting with polymer clay. I've loved sewing and
crafts my whole life. I remember my grandma teaching me how to sew a pillow
using scrap material and stuffing it with the discarded cotton from pill
bottles. I learned at an early age that most things can be reused for a
different purpose. Most things I've made have been gifts for people I love.
I've been making bracelets for my mom since I knew how to spell "MOM"
with letter beads.
I learned a lot of what I know about
sewing and crafts from my friends and family. We're talking four generations of
incredibly creative people. I am so lucky to be surrounded by creative people
who constantly inspire me.
The fabrics that I collect are all so
beautiful. When I pull together coordinating patterns for a bag or quilt, I am
so excited to see it all come together.
In 5 years I hope to still
be creating beautiful things, and to be more and more successful with this
hobby that I love. I'm hoping to collaborate with others, create new
things, meet new people, and grow as a shop and as an individual.
Most of what I sew these days comes
from recycled and repurposed materials, and I think it's important to see
beauty in things that would otherwise be thrown away.
Meet Lisa Leix from
Mango Creations...
I'm 46 years old fully employed as a floral designer for a large
event company. I've been doing some aspect of floral for 26 years. I'm married
to a man I've known since 6th grade. I don't have kids but am in love with my 6
pound Chihuahua, Monty Bradley :-)
I have been crafting for 33 years, since I was a kid and this
will be my very first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show! I have always made
things my whole life. I have taken breaks from doing flowers and then I realize
I can't go more than a couple days without creating something. It's just a
drive that's within me..
My mother realized that this was my passion and encouraged it
and bought the beginners supplies for making jewelry. I honestly don't
remember how I really discovered my talent. The 1st memory I have of making
something was making tiny "framed and matted" artwork for my doll
house.
The way I would describe my creative process would be that I see
a color of something and my mind starts putting it together. I once even
designed a ring while I slept.. Remembered it upon waking up and made it!
In 5 years I desire to be doing floral just part time as I also
still enjoy designing that as well. However want to be a part of a craft show
every month out of the year.
Meet JoAnn Revesz from
JGRDesign...
My
name is JoAnn. I am a native Detroit-er, born & raised in Southwest
Detroit. I am 56 years old and live about 15 minutes south of my old
neighborhood. I have been passionate about art & photography since
high school and it has rescued me from some very difficult times. I find
peace and relaxation in my crafting, photography and artwork. When my
adult children moved out to start lives of their own, I transformed one of the
spare bedrooms into what is now affectionately referred to as my
"Relaxation Room". My room is filled with scrapes of materials
just waiting to be transformed. I work full-time in Human Resources, but
aspire to spend my retirement upcycling everything I can get my hands on.
In addition to art, photography and Coaster Cards, I have recently been
expanding into making jewelry from old discarded jewelry.
I've
been creating abstract art and photographing nature/animals since high school,
so many moons ago! I started creating Coaster Cards in 2015. I have
a booth under the name of "Upcycled Accents" at a local antique and
craft store called Town Peddler as well as a few items in my Coaster Cards
store on Etsy. This will be my very first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!
I
hate to see things go to waste, I am an avid recycler! I aspire to find
ways to transform items that people would normally send to our landfills.
I try to see beauty in everything, it's healing to take something and re-create
it into something else. I like things that are one-of-a-kind & this
is what I strive for in my crafting. I wanted to find a way to
"re-think" the idea of "greeting cards". So many
people just throw away greeting cards and the memories attached to them.
My Coaster Cards allow a gift it be a more tangible, a decorative
reminder of the good wishes sent by a loved one.
My
art teacher in high school inspired me & encouraged me to draw and take
pictures. Over the years I was always involved in crafting with my kids.
When my daughter got married, we did a lot of things for the wedding
ourselves and the time we spent together was a wonderful experience, filled
with warm memories. Once my kids were grown, I had to fill in the time,
what better way to do that then to return to something you are passionate
about.
I
would describe my creative process in one word; Visionary. I look at
everything and say "How can I make it into something else?". From
there it's trial & error until I develop a process that works.
I
plan to retire in 6 years, the next 5-years will be building on my creative
efforts so that I can enjoy every day the way I do when I'm locked up in my
craft room. I am currently working on ways to use scrap wood to create
jewelry & home decor items. I look at it as a way to stay young &
sharp, I'll be attending a lot of garage sales to find items to inspire a
re-creation.
If I
had to say what the message is behind my work it would be, never give up on
your dreams, big or small. Giving others the opportunity to find
something unique and special for themselves or a loved one is a
dream come true!
Meet Kelsey Kaptur from Dear Handcrafted Paper
Goods...
I consider myself many things – a bookmaker, an illustrator, a
calligrapher, a graphic designer, a photographer, a writer, a reader. I'm a
full-time art director at a small advertising agency in Royal Oak, MI. And Dear
is kind of my passion project – my very own contribution to the world. I
started Dear almost a year ago, but I've been creating, in one form or another,
since I was little. This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!
I find inspiration from all over. It's probably why I'm always
trying new techniques and styles. I tend to get restless very quickly and don't
want to put myself in a single box. So I create something I've never done
before. I just bought this pure cast-iron tabletop letterpress machine from
1893 solely because I love letterpress cards and stationery and I want to make
them. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but I'll learn. It could be
considered a flaw, but I think that's what pushes me to expand my skill-set and
knowledge. It's not so much of an inspiration as it is a need ingrained within
me. If I'm not creating something, or learning something, I'm not happy. I'm
not me.
There are, of course, things that inspire me, or make me really
excited to create something. I look towards nature a lot. Many of the papers I
use to make my journals and stationery are made from the Nepalese lokta plant.
The paper has this amazing natural texture, it's very soft yet durable, and is
often screen printed with these really beautiful patterns.
I'm really not sure if there was a particular event or defining
moment when I realized I wanted to make art. But I always joke I started
Dear to finance my paper addiction. Since I was little, I've had a love
affair with paper. It was never something I could explain, only feel. With any
allowance I had I would buy packs of paper and notebooks. I couldn't even fill
them all, I was just open them and flip through the blank pages. I loved the
texture, the smell, and the possibility of it being transformed into something
even more beautiful. This brought me to my second love affair – books. Holding
an old hardbound book, the smell of time, and the promise of something
wonderful once you open it up. I took a bookmaking class in college and just
thought "wow – this brings both of my favorite things into one – and I
could totally sell these!"
I think I'm still discovering what my talent is exactly. I guess
I don't really think talent is something you discover. I mean, yes, people
generally have a natural inclination to do something. But talent only takes you
so far. I think the real talent is whether you're going to keep trying. If you
want to be truly good at something you have to work really really really hard
at it. Even if you have a natural ability. Because you will fail at some point.
I know I have an artistic talent (at least I like to think so!), but whether I
have a talent specifically for bookbinding is kind of irrelevant. Because I
absolutely love it, so I try and try and try, and I get better at it every time
I make a book.
I'm in my head – a lot. I often go through my whole creative
process in my head before doing anything, which is one of my worst habits.
Working with your hands is a hugely important part of the creative process –
but when designing on the computer it can be easily overlooked. Bookmaking is a
different process entirely, though. I have to be working with my hands.
Otherwise I get lost in an imaginary maze of thread and paper. It's one of the
many reasons I love working with paper and making books – it gets me out of my
head. Paper and books have to be physically worked with to be understood.
"How will it look if I fold the paper here?" "What if I cut
these edges, but tear this edge?" "What if I sew these pages together
like this?" It's playful. It's trial and error. It's problem solving. When
I see a book I have to pick it up and examine it really closely to see how it
was made. I've taken one class on bookbinding, we learned one type of binding.
Everything else I've learned is self-taught. Bookbinding can be complex but it
makes sense. I just work at it until it's right.
Right now I have a little 4 foot by 4 foot cubby-hole of a work
space, but eventually when I have the space, my long-term goal for Dear is
to make my own paper. It's a bit of a quandary for me because supporting these
paper artisans from Nepal and India has huge socio-economical benefits. But
I've also never made my own paper, so it's just something I have to try. It
would also be really awesome to partner and collaborate with paper-making
artisans from India and Nepal. Another goal of mine is to have my products in
local stores. I'm just getting started so right now everything seems like a
possibility.
One final thought...Find beauty in the
imperfections of something made by hand. Right now everything is mass-produced
because it's cheap and convenient. But it has very little value. When it takes
minutes to make an item, and thousands of people buy the same thing, it's worth
very little. But the value of something made by hand is infinite. The words you
write, the paintings or illustrations you create are worth everything – the
pages on which you keep those treasured thoughts and ideas should be a reflection
of that.
2017 Detroit Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, September 30, 2017 - 10:00am-5:00pm
William Costick Activities Center
28600 Eleven Mile Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com
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