Meet
Sheri Shaffer of Fluidity…
Fluidity is a small, family-owned
business that was started in January 2019, which proudly features lampwork glass and
fluid paint art uniquely created by Robert Reeder Glassworks, SheriBaby
Jewelry, and the blossoming art talent of 13-year old Marc Shaffer. We have
happily been a blended family since 2012, with three kids, two cats, a hound
dog, two guinea pigs, and a lizard. And our story is as follows:
Robert has been interested in art his
whole life, and clearly remembers being the only child in class in the first grade
who wowed his classmates by drawing wheel wells on his car drawings! Art was
his favorite subject in high school, and credits his Highland High School Art Teacher,
Beverly Melrose, for her encouragement and support of his artistic talent;
especially in drawing and painting, where he excelled in his abilities. He went
on to further study in art at Cuyahoga Community College by taking drawing and
painting courses, and even briefly dabbled in Commercial Art Classes,
Then, in 2011, he happened to watch a
YouTube video on glass marble lampwork and it thoroughly lit his creative
spark. So, he decided to teach himself how to make them, and he purchased a
torch, propane cylinders, an oxygen system, built himself a workbench in his
garage and ordered a box of borosilicate glass rods. Over the years, he has
perfected his first attempt molten blob, into beauteous, infinite-looking,
sparkle-filled vortexes which magically turn mere glass spheres into
spectacular pieces of marble artwork. He also creates beautiful glass pendants and unique glass wine stoppers. Robert Reeder Glassworks has been successfully
selling his glass artwork on Facebook and Instagram since 2013.
Sheri, on the other hand, was never
good in art in school, and it was always one of her least-favorite subjects.
Never one to progress beyond stick figures and artwork that looked like a
five-year-old created it, she believed for almost a decade into adulthood that
she was completely unartistic. However, some of the benefits of being an adult
is a higher level of self-confidence, a willingness to try different things,
and becoming more self-aware of one's talents and abilities. She loved creating
and planting cottage floral gardens, sewing, cooking and trying new recipes,
scrapbooking, interior decorating, and making crafts; she soon realized that
being able to do those kinds of activities took a certain level of artistic
talent to create, and that one didn't have to be labeled as “an artist” in
order to possess a natural creative ability.
Suddenly, a serious vehicle accident
in early 2016 ended her beloved career as a School Bus Driver and sent her on
an almost 3-year downward spiral of physical and mental debilitation. It wasn't
until November of 2018 that her artistic spark was reignited with: the planning
and execution of her baby sister’s “Miracle Baby” baby shower, attending her
first clay sculpture class at Studio Clay in Ravenna, Ohio, and a Wine and
Paint Night at West Main St. Winery presented by Blue Tree Designs. She was
creating actual artwork! Were they great works of art, the likes of
Michelangelo or DaVinci? No, of course not! However, “Gasp!”, they actually
turned out looking like an adult had created them and she could actually
proudly display them in her home! And, it was doing wonders for her mental
health (the physical, unfortunately, is a permanent, chronic condition,
however, there’s been some improvement with that, also); there certainly is a
lot to be said for the good to your mind, body, and soul that the flow of
creative energy does for oneself!
Then, a
kids-are-away-let’s-have-an-adult-date-night in December changed everything! We
attended an “Intro to Fluid Painting” class presented by, For the Fun of It Art
Studio at Charmed Wix Candles and More in Ravenna, Ohio, and we instantly
became obsessed! We then went on to create so many paintings ourselves in our
own home art studio, that we decided we needed to start selling them since we
couldn't possibly keep all of them ourselves, we'd run out of wall space! And,
since Robert felt like his marbles influenced his fluid art, and vice-versa, we
decided to incorporate Robert Reeder Glassworks into the Fluidity business. In
the meantime, Sheri had discovered the joys of incorporating fluid art into
stunning, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, and SheriBaby jewelry was formed as another part of our flourishing Fluidity business. Shortly thereafter, it was
realized that fluid painting could beautifully cover many other materials other
than canvas, and so, coasters, photo frames, vases, clay pots, clock faces, and
even magnets, have become a regular part of Fluidity’s unique wares for sale.
She continues to enjoy creating clay projects at Studio Clay, along with
attending stained glass classes provided by their newest tenant, Pisanello
Glass Co.
As this has become family
business, 13-year-old, Marc, has contributed his unique, out-of-the-box creativity
to our Fluidity business by creating his own paintings on canvas and ceramic
coaster sets. He has a wonderful sense of composition, is not afraid in the
least to do something different by creating his own techniques or using lots of
colors, and especially loves the metallic paints. He has always enjoyed art
class in school, especially clay and felting, and has also participated in
Robotics Club and Computer Club. And as typical with most teenage boys, he
absolutely loves playing video games (So, Mom is especially glad that she can
lure him away from them when he's come home from school, proclaiming, “Mom, I
had this great idea stuck in my head all day for fluid painting! Are we going
to paint tonight?”)!
The true joy that fluid painting
brings to us, is that it’s so unstructured and unpredictable, but it always
brings about fabulously interesting results. No two paintings are ever alike,
and with as many different techniques as there are to incorporate, it never
gets boring to create. And even though there are basics to the fluid painting
process, we’ve each seemed to develop our own styles: whether it be boldly
abstract, nature-inspired, or just contrastingly colorful. Our Fluidity
business might just be getting started, however, it has sparked a desire to
have art be our lifelong work!
The Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show in
Medina will be our first show with Avant-Garde. We are truly looking forward to
vending at the Medina Community Center on April 27th, as we have heard nothing
but good things about the first-rate quality and high attendance of the
Avant-Garde venues. Fluidity is especially proud to be a part of their
philanthropic endeavors and we look forward to seeing all of the good that the
proceeds to the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) will provide for all
of its rescue animals (Our dog and both of our cats are rescues themselves!).
Meet Maria Falorio from Maria Falorio Kindness Creations...
My name is Maria Falorio and I was
born and raised in Cleveland, OH. I am a full-time preschool teacher, but I
have a love of creating and crafting. I have tapped into many areas of
crafting, from painting to crocheting, but have recently found a love of creating
household items and jewelry for friends and family to enjoy. I am excited to
begin to share my talents with others!
I have had a creative side for as long as I can remember, but I
really started creating for other people in college. Since graduating, I find
that crafting and creating gives me a sense of joy and relaxation from the
“real world” stresses and find myself creating in my free time.
I am inspired to create when I think about the joy that art can
spread between people and with an entire community. My hope is that when
someone wears my handmade jewelry, they are reminded of how powerful their
thoughts, words, and actions are and choose to have a positive day. I also hope
they are a reminder to the customer to spread some kindness that day, whether
that be through a random act or a small conversation. I hope the same for my household items. The
purpose behind them is to serve as a reminder or just bring a smile to
someone’s face.
To be honest, I discovered my talent through trial and error. I
fumbled through multiple mediums until I found the one that truly showed me
that my creations were not just for me, but that they can bring joy and
happiness to those around me if I share them! As I stated earlier, crafting became a big part of my life
during and after college. I have always found it to be a stress reliever and an
enjoyable hobby. Once I was gifted my Cricut, I soon realized the wide variety
of items that I can create and personalize and I took off from there! I do
not have a clear plan of where this tiny business will be in the next 5 years,
but I hope to spread kindness through my work and hope it is shared with
others! I plan on exploring other products to create as well as find a way to
use this business to give back to the community. This is my second Avant-Garde
Art & Craft Show. I am so excited to share some of my work.
I try to create things that I feel would serve as good reminders
to choose happiness. I enjoy creating items (such as pillows, dish towels, and
makeup bags) that I know people can look at each day, in common areas of the
home, and make them smile. I think it is so important for people to remember
that they have the power to decide how their day is going to go every single
day. You have the opportunity every day to decide to have a good day and to use
your own positivity to lift others. I hope that my work is a reminder to
everyone who sees it to choose happy, to spread kindness and to find the
positives in each day. I hope my work becomes a reminder to share kind words or
participate in a random act of kindness. We have the power to make the world
kinder, let’s do it.
Meet Lindsey
Mitchell and Matt Becker of White Fox Black Koi Candle Co...
What began as a love of candles and obsession with collecting
them, turned into a passion of creating our own. In the summer of 2018, we
began this adventure with the thought that it would be a fun hobby and nothing
more. That quickly transformed into a business idea when we realized how much
we loved the process of candle making. Since then, we have worked hard to
develop a brand that you can trust and love as much as we do! When we decided to venture
into the wonderful world of candle making in August of 2018, we had a couple
goals in mind. First, we wanted to create candles that would be as sustainable
as possible and to use non-toxic and phthalate-free fragrances. Second, we made
a commitment to use fragrances sourced locally right here in Ohio, and only
work with 100% natural soy wax grown in the U.S.A. Our mission is to spread
creativity, good vibes, and great smells.
We both have a huge passion to create, whether candles or other
forms. Matt – who has a day job in software development – finds creating
physical, tangible pieces of work inspiring, especially since he works in a
field that doesn’t produce physical things. Lindsey has always had the urge to
create and holds a B.A. in fine arts. She finds inspiration in all things,
colors, books, music, baking, smells and imagines each has its own story to
tell, which she does in watercolors. For White Fox Black Koi Candle Co., she
was in charge of designing the logo and branding package.
We discovered our talent by accident! We had no idea what went
into the process of making candles when we began, however, as we practiced and
perfected our work did it become something more than a hobby. Attending craft
shows and realizing that we were buying tons of candles is what gave us the
idea! We decided that we wanted to learn more about making candles and started
making them on our own.
Our philosophy is that everyone deserves to have their room
smell awesome, so it all begins with a smell. With that mission in mind,
we want to help people find “that smell” that will brighten their whole day,
bring back good memories, or help them relax. We go to our supplier,
located in Ohio, and sample fragrance oils by the tens and hundreds before
narrowing down our choice, which is easier said than done. We take notes on the
pros and cons for each, thinking about what will connect with our customers and
will it fit with our vision. Once that is finally accomplished, we sit down and
brainstorm a name and think of a color for the scent. We want to find a unique
and creative name that also fits the overall notes of the fragrance.
Because we primarily sell our goods online, we don’t get many
opportunities to interact on a personal level with our customers That means our
five-year goal will be to get our product and brand in front of an ever-growing
audience and connect with our customers face-to-face. Ultimately, we aim to
build wholesale relationships with retailers who are looking for well-crafted
and visually striking candles to put on their shelves. White Fox Black Koi
Candle Co. was created with the mission to spread creativity, good vibes, and
great smells. We believe that everyone deserves to have their room smell awesome
Meet Deirdre Gerowitz of Sprite Hollows...
It all began in my garden with a few fairy houses for my 3-year-old
grandson and 18-month old granddaughter. It’s fun to make stories
about fairies, sprites, elves, and gnomes and share with them. I
founded Sprite Hollows this year and will be attending my first Avant-Garde Art
& Craft show in April. I’ve always loved myths about fairies and other
mystical creatures. By recycling nature’s items, I create homes for the magical
folk to live in.
I start with a piece of tree or root and using the natural
contours and knots, create doors and windows. Each of my homes is lit so the
wee ones have light in the evenings. I use other natural materials and eclectic
items that catch my eye as embellishment for the houses. Each one is unique and
has it’s own name. They are designed to use indoors or outdoors in gardens and
patios. They are all treated with polyurethane to withstand the elements. Recently
retired, this has become a wonderful hobby for me and my husband. It has
allowed us to express our creativity and let our imaginations soar. I hope that
my creations inspire people to dream of fairy princesses and elfin kings.
Meet Pat Simkanin from Pat's Rock'n Art...
My name is Pat Simkanin and I’m a self-taught artist. I
probably started drawing way back when there was a "Draw Me" page in the back
of comic books. I have always enjoyed drawing and painting and doing
artsy type things for my children. I
finally got serious in 1991 and started doing woodworking. I made
calendars, shelf sitters, potty chairs, cradles, and much more. I painted on them as well. About the same time, I also did wall murals.
In 1996 I changed to painting with China paint on ceramic tiles
for kitchens. I had a kiln that I fired them in and sold them through kitchen cabinet stores and tile stores. Then, in 2008, my husband and I moved to Florida where I started painting
canvases. I became very interested in colored pencil and graphite pencil drawing about four years ago. My other interests are my husband, family, friends, and golf!
We returned to the area in October 2018. This will be my
first Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show and am very excited to be part of it. I have been displayed in several galleries in BlueRidge, Ga., Bellview,
Fl., and now displayed in the Tallmadge Eye Center. I’ve also been
featured in the Akron Beacon Journal many years ago, plus our local paper in
Florida.
I’m inspired to use this gift from God to show my appreciation! I continue to be interested in learning new ways to use my gift. Since I’m 77 years old, in five years, I hope to still be doing what I’m
doing!! My message would be “If you have it use it!” Be grateful!
2019 Medina Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, April 27, 2019
10:00am-5:00pm
Medina Community Recreation Center
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
