Jen Eddinger | Jewelry Designer

 

 

Jen Eddinger is a Boston-area artist that creates jewelry, sculpture, drawings and paintings.
Her work is generated from her life experiences as a woman, daughter and yogini. A penchant for raw expression and a love of form are the basis for her work.

Jen received her BFA in sculpture from the University of New Hampshire in 1999. She worked as a bench jewelry assistant for the internationally known glass bead artist and jeweler Kristina Logan. She then gained experience in jewelry design and jewelry production while working in the costume jewelry field.

The ‘Tree of Life’ series originated at a hata yoga program in the mountains of Tennessee. Upon completing the program, Jen experienced a pattern of vital and harmonious energy throughout her body. Immediately Jen began to draw. A ‘tree’ of vitality or life was born. The original pieces were cast silver and bronze. Now they are also available in silver plated brass. The image is modern, timeless and rooted in nature.

‘It’s my hope that you’ll find beauty in my work and through it experience a connection to humanity.’ - Jen

Nancy Plante | Owner of The Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery ~ Jewelry Artist

 

Nancy Plante is a Jewelry Artist and the Owner of The Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery.  It was Nancy's vision to create a space where people could come to find peace, joy, beauty and healing through art.  Whether it is creating a beautiful piece of jewelry for themselves or a loved one or purchasing something handmade by a local artisen.

The Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery is a community and family of artists whose heart-centered artwork creates an atmosphere of love and beauty through creative expression. 

By supporting local artists and businesses, you are helping to provide a sustainable community and environment that honors the connection we all share... Our love for each other and the Earth.

Celebrate our gifts of love and beauty by shopping local.  Thank You!!

 

 

Maggie Mehaffey | Mixed Metal Jewelry

Maggie Mehaffey is a jewelry artist who creates funky, chunky, jewelry from silver wire, and semi-precious stones. She also does mixed media pieces in silver, copper, brass and woven paper. Her art is a personal journey, somewhat of an obession, but also a way toward balance. She thinks of herself as both teacher and student, open to discovering the new in any experience. "Together we are free to explore the limits of the materials at hand, as we discover our own expression of them." She teaches mixed metal workshops, wire wrapping,soldering, metal bead making and more. Check our calendar for a listing of her classes. www.maggienowdesign.com

Victoria Parrott | Mixed Metal Jewelry

                

Victoria Parrott - Mixed Metal Jewelry Artist

About the Artist:  

My interest in handcrafted jewelry began in college, where I took a semester of jewelry making. Learning the basics of soldering, mixed metal work, molds and basic metalworking, I discovered a deep link with this lovely form of art.

I rediscovered that passion several years ago by taking classes in mixed metals, and haven’t looked back.

My work primarily focuses on fine silver and mixed metals, blending them with gemstones and pearls.

With the mixed metals, I work in sterling silver, copper and brass sheet metal, and love how they blend to create interesting and beautiful miniature pieces of art, mixing shape and texture, size and color.

Having also studied ceramics in college, the move to metal clay was natural (and very exciting). Working with both sheet and metal clay vastly expands the horizon of what one can create with metal, making both mediums very exciting and satisfying.

Terri Talas | Wild Bone and Antler Carvings

For more than thirty years Terri Talas has created a wide variety of art portraying the animal and nature world. Her reputation for exceptional artistic versatility was acquired through the numerous murals she produced for museums and nature centers, her book illustrations on nature and the animal world, and the distinct beauty of her animal spirit bone carvings and wildlife portraits.  Her bone carvings, paintings, and other artworks can be found in corporate and private settings as well as museums and state agencies. Her studio is in the coastal community of Newburyport, MA.

The goal of my work is to explore the meaning and symbolism of the natural world and to express their essence through my art.

I feel that the subjects I‘m drawn to carve and paint have actually chosen me to speak for them.

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These Pendant Carvings are Animal Totem representations carved in ancient wooly mammoth ivory, fossilized bone, caribou and deer antler, and buffalo horn.

In native traditions around the world, totem animals are believed to hold important lessons and to offer spiritual guidance on the path of life. Each totem animal carries its own special power and message, and exemplifies qualities that can serve as guides on the journey toward self-discovery.

Patricia Garrison | Bead Weaver

Patricia Garrison was born in Austria and raised in England. After graduating from the West Sussex School of Agriculture, she began a career in landscape design on the estate of the Earl of Malmsbury in Hampshire, England.

Patricia married and moved to the United States where she found a new outlet for her artistic nature by designing custom draperies and soft furnishings.

Bead weaving and embroidery started as a hobby and quickly became a passion. Patricia is inspired by nature. Each piece is the result of many hours of joyful work, and each bead is hand stitched.

Heather Crowley | Watercolor Artist

 

 Art has always been an integral part of my life even though I'm not formally educated in the fine arts.  I grew up surrounded by easels and paint brushes while my mother taught numerous art classes out of our childhood home.  Trained as a physician, I chose pathology as a specialty after being drawn to the beautiful world I experienced under the microscope lens. To deal with the stress of my career I turned to yoga and daily meditation. Unexpectedly, these methods of self-exploration led me to realize I needed to make more time and space in my life to explore my creative path and to share that journey with others. In 2009, I left my pathology practice of six years for a part time position with another group in order to do just that.

 

So far, I've found that the process of creating is a way to reach a meditative, peaceful state.  Through my brush I attempt to explore the natural and mystical world and to capture the spirit of the subject I am painting. I believe the only way to truly know nature and in turn ourselves is to study it, contemplate it, explore each exquisite detail and only then finally, truly recognize it.  Our modern lives have become so overfilled with technology and multitasking that we seem to take for granted the beauty that is all around us. I hope my artwork will serve as a vehicle to remind us and reawaken us to that beauty. I am currently a member of Seacoast Artist Association and Manchester Artists Association in New Hampshire and my artwork has been juried into state and national art shows and is part of private collections in this country and abroad.  Enjoy the beauty!

 

Noel Schroeder | Jewelry Artist and Registered Yoga Instructor

Noel Schroeder is a Registered Yoga Instructor and part-time employee with Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery. She is a new artist to the shop and creates natural and elegant jewelry. Her DVD on Yin Yoga, Notice Your Experience: A Guide to Finding Balance, is also featured in the shop.

Lori Morse | Lori Morse Jewelry

Ever since I can remember, even as a small child, I have loved jewelry. Vintage costume jewelry, strands of ethnic beads, silver and gold, shiny and bright. Anything and everything with glitter, sparkle, and beads. In addition, I was constantly collecting interesting objects at garage sales, flea markets, in secondhand shops and in nature. At the time, I didn’t know that anything could be made with these “found” objects. I just knew that I had a love for beautifully unusual whatnots. It wasn’t until I started experimenting with beading and jewelry design that I realized that I could mesh the pre-fabricated with the found into a harmonious final product. I specifically make my jewelry to be funky and unique but also completely wearable.

Some of my favorite materials to use are vintage beads, chain, and brooches; natural materials such as beads made from seeds, beach stones, shells; and sterling sliver, vermeil, brass, and copper. Each item you purchase from Be-Jeweled is designed and handmade by me. Each piece is one of a kind.

Lori Morse Jewelry

Michelle Dyson | Fine Art, Multi-Media, Fiber and Wearable Art

Michelle Dyson ~ Goffstown, New Hampshire

Michelle is a an artist of many mediums!  She loves color and texture and it shows in everything she does!  Michelle's fabric pins,  felted landscapes, pinch pots and paintings are a source of great joy and expression and make wonderful gifts to give and receive!!

David Wentzel | Glass Artist

David Wentzel is a scientific glassblower doing research and work for NASA for over the past 40 years.  It has been his dream to expand into artistic glass, which he creates in his beautiful, small studio at the end of Spinney Creek in the woods of Southern Maine.

Eva Anderson | Jewelry Artist; Wire-wrapping, Bead weaving, Mixed media, Resin, and Design

Eva Anderson is a new artist and instructor, as well as part-time employee at Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery. She has over 15 years of experience working with and designing jewelry. She has several classes available and is also available for 1-on-1 private lessons. In her free time she enjoys anything crafty, going to the beach, traveling, hiking, gardening, and spending time with friends and family and her cat, Rosie.

Averill Haines | Oil Paintings and Giclee Prints

I spent my childhood in the picturesque Finger Lakes region of western New York State and the seacoast communities of southern Maine. These areas of pastoral surroundings afforded me an early appreciation of nature’s beauty and serenity. My family home was located on the stony shores of crystal clear Keuka Lake and for six years, I attended a one room country schoolhouse. My fellow classmates and I had the benefit of learning from a dynamic traveling art teacher who introduced us to drawing with expressive shapes, using the myriad of colored crayons in the art box and forever pointing out how light played on the surfaces of the scenery just outside our schoolroom windows. The art teacher excited my vivid imagination while my parents provided encouragement for me to observe and appreciate the outdoor environment with its changing seasons and its abundant wildlife. My three sisters and I reveled in all sorts of outdoor activities with our neighborhood friends. We spent countless hours building tree houses, toboggan runs, grass huts, and Tom Sawyer rafts. It is no wonder that I have chosen to paint scenes inspired by the natural world. I readily developed a passion for the splendor and symmetry of nature. Clearly, it was the unbridled freedom to explore all of these sensory experiences so early in my life that gave me the impetus to become an artist.

I recently retired from a fulfilling and exciting career as Assistant Athletics Director and Compliance Coordinator at Boston University. Living in the coastal community of Newburyport, Massachusetts has given me more time to devote to exploring my creative talents. I am presently a member of the Newburyport Art Association and the Seacoast Art Association in Exeter, New Hampshire and show my work at the association shows, various area art shows, and by appointment in my studio in Newburyport, MA . Some of my oil paintings have been commissioned by individuals who have seen my juried artwork in area galleries or in the private collections of friends and family.

As you view my landscapes, I invite you to stroll with me in the meadow or along the sandy beach; stand on the dock to view the boats in the bay; experience the stalwart solitude of a lighthouse or observe the ebb and flow of a tidal marsh. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you will enjoy the simple pleasures of this shared experience.

Erin Siegel | Jewlery Artist/Author

Erin Siegel ~ Erin loves creating everyday jewelry with rustic, organic materials such as antiqued metals, gemstones and fibers such as waxed linen cord. For the past 6 years, She has been a dedicated jewelry designer and beading instructor with a passion for sharing her knowledge, experience and ideas. Erin is Co-Author of the book Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords published by Interweave Press due out in the Spring of 2012. She is also a regular project contributor for Stringing Magazine. 

    

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Carol Cavallaro | chain maille jewelry artist

Carol Cavallaro is a prolific chain maille jewelry artist. She uses a wide variety of styles and weaves to create necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. She teaches beginning and intermediate classes on traditional and original chain maille weaves. Check our calendar for a list of her classes.

Julie Schmidt | metalsmith

As a self-taught metalsmith, Julie Schmidt has created jewelry since 1994 with all the right curves and twists. Each handcrafted design fuses vibrant metals with stitching or cold connection and heat. Julie enjoys working in sterling silver, copper and brass and she often combines them in the same earring, pendant, brooch or bracelet.

Her love of movement, texture and form speaks with whimsical and organic inspiration that complements your style. Julie designs, produces and etches her name into each unique creation. Earlier in her career, Julie worked for a number of world-renowned jewelry artists and designers. Her studio is located in a refurbished button factory that serves as an artists’ haven in the historic seacoast city of Portsmouth, NH. Julie Schmidt’s designs are in fine galleries from coast to coast.

Angela Zaremba | Jewelry Artist

Being a member of 1% for the planet I love making each piece knowing that it will help support the environment. Luxa Jewelry was fully established in 2007. After a road trip across the country I had the misfortune of losing my collection of accessories. I took this as a sign to recreate and remake! I love putting my energy into something beautiful, which has the same effect on the adorned.  With my collection constantly developing I love to learn new methods of expressing this energy inside me. I focus on natural stones to emit the natural healing benefits and recycled metals to help do my part. Luxa jewelry incorporates free spirits, trendy styles and classic pieces to connect with the desires of every woman. This ever developing collection ranges from bangles with vintage Czech and German glass, hand dyed silk wraps to dainty sterling silver and gemstone necklaces. Every every girl can find their piece.

Andy Todzia | Landscape Photography

Andy's love for the outdoors, gardening and an appreciation for the natural beauty of our environment are the major motiviations for his landscape photography.  Andy's photography captures the essence and the feeling of being there.  Response to his photography elicits a unique response within each viewer.  For some it brings back a fond memory, others become fascinated with the aesthetic.

Andy prints all of his own photographs using a variety of processes - RC prints, Ilfochrome, Light Jet and Giclee.  Andy currently prints his photographs using Archival Giclee and is his preferred printing process.  The amount of control over the final print, wide choice of fine art papers and the longevity of the inks are the main reasons for this preference.  Andy has been doing his own printing since 1998.

Jeremy Barnard | Photography

Jeremy Barnard has been primarily a practitioner of black and white photography for the past forty plus years. He is self-taught, his craft having been molded and influenced by the photography and writings of some of the great masters. “My love affair with photography began when I developed my first roll of film and created my first print. I fell in love with the process, the magic.” His passionate pursuit of technical excellence has kept Jeremy involved in every step of the photographic process. He retains control even into the presentation stage by doing his own spotting, mounting, matting, and framing.

    More than twenty years ago the computer made its appearance in Jeremy's work environment. In the beginning he viewed it as an overly complex typewriter. As it began to insert itself into the world of photography it was easy to be skeptical about its photographic future, since the early results of digital imaging were disappointing. Things, as we now know, have changed radically in the digital world of photography. Output quality has surpassed that of film. At this point it has been over ten years since Jeremy has shot a roll of film, and he's not looking back.

     Mr Barnard's approach to his work can best be described as an ongoing  process of self discovery. His photographs walk a fine line between abstraction and realism. “My process of observation begins with a wide view of my subject, seeing it in its environmental context. With the knowledge that my image will lack impact if I don't get close enough, I ask myself what it is about the scene that captivates me, and I move in to isolate that element.” The resultant images possess the abstract qualities of shape and form. Jeremy prefers natural to artificial light, but has over the years learned to be comfortable in the studio. In his artistic work he prefers to make images that do not contain people. However, his images frequently contain evidence that people have been there, adding an element of mystery. “I like to make pictures that ask more questions than they answer.”

    Artist/writer David Raymond wrote in Art New England  that Barnard's photographs “not only convey a sense of place, but a sense of time transcending place,...his work is poetic in unexpected ways.”

Roger Cramer | Clay Vessels - Common and Sacred

About the Artist:

Currently by avocation I am a studio potter and have been so intermittently since the spring of 1970 when Bud Wilkinson, the Potter of Dayspring, set my imagination on fire for this work. Since this first encounter with clay, I have been drawn deeply into the work because of it’s creative energy and the tactile response of such supple material. Pottery as metaphor has also been a rich gate of spiritual inquiry.

Shortly after meeting Bud, I had a crash course in throwing with Richard Lafean, studied with Nancy Joy at the Corcoran School and took a year of courses at the School of the Chicago Art Institute. After moving to Columbia, Maryland, I worked as a part-time studio potter and made clay bodies for local potters. Since then I have continued to study at workshops with some amazing artists: Jim Kempes at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Wayne Higby and Stewart Kastenbaum at Haystack in Maine, and Jim Romberg and Biz Littell at Laloba Ranch in Colorado.

All of my inner and outer life as a potter has evolved part-time alongside my primary work for 30 years as an Episcopal priest, the last 24 years at St. Paul’s Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

My clay work now moves in two directions: raku and ^6 oxidation porcelain. Shown here are a few raku pieces, with my porcelain work eventually being available as well. Both my clay work and website are very much works in progress so I hope you will return from time to time to see what is new.

In addition to clay, “word” and “spirit” have also been central to the language of my creative life. I have lead occasional workshops on spirituality and clay work and will announce when such events are available in the future. As with many who are drawn to the spiritual life, reflective writing has also been a “gateway” for me to the inner journey. So you will also find on my website an occasional meditation, poem or (heaven forbid!) even a prayer!

Please contact me to let me know if anything you see or read on my website is stimulating. Clay, word and spirit are all part of the Great Conversation.

Clay Vessels - Common and Sacred

Carol Presberg | Felt Bags

Felted Bags by Carol Presberg

Carol has been a fiber artist for over 30 years, and was a sheep farmer for 25 years. I work in a variety of media and techniques (felting, knitting, weaving, etc.) Among the materials I use might be handmade felt, handspun yarn, leather from clothing found at yard sales and flea markets, antique fur given to me by friends, contributions from nature, buttons and beads, and waxed cordage.

I am heavily influenced by Northern cultures: Sami, trans-Siberian, and the northern Native Americans and Canadians. Elements of the Scottish and the Scandinavian can also be seen in my work, as well as some Tibetan, Mongolian, and other northern Asian cultures. Why I am attracted to cold climate peoples I'm not sure. I suppose it's because they bundle up in the material I like to work with best: felt, wool, leather, and skins.

I am passionate about fiber. The material drives my work. I use material for my inspiration, so, for example, if I have a beautiful old piece of leather, a really earthy-looking piece of felt, some incredible handspun yarn, I will build a piece around it. In the same way a squirrel skull, a beautiful bead, or a lovely spiral branch may inspire me and be incorporated into one of my pieces.
Right, collaboration-2 detail. Weaving by Eva Fleg Lambert. Felt by Carole L. Presberg.

I also work in collaboration with other people either using their work in mine or sending them my work to use in theirs. I enjoy collaborating, and you will see some examples of collaborations on this web page.
Over the last few years my main focus has been small bags/pouches/vessels. Most of my bags are small, too small to carry as a "handbag", but really too big to wear around the neck. They are meant to either wear at the waist (with the strap tucked into or around a belt) or to hang on the wall as you would a piece of art. In my house, they hold things like knitting needles, glasses, spindles, jewelry, etc.

Kim Sheehan |

About the Artist:

Kim Sheehan was born on Rings Island where she still lives today with her husband Gene, three dogs, & four ducks. Their daughter & her husband also live ‘up town’ in Salisbury. A self taught artist working in many mediums she has only recently begun to show and sell her art on a full time basis.

“My mother was a brilliant seamstress & artist who instilled a love of animals and the environment in me at an early age. We spent many hours discovering the marshes and tidal pools around our home and the area beaches. I think of her often while I am working in my studio.”

Kim’s needle felted pieces are created using local hand dyed wool, & often embellished with other fibers and found objects. She also creates hand carved decoys, watercolors, and painted floor cloths of local wildlife. Many of the floor cloths are also very whimsical in nature rarely making it to a clients floor, usually ending up on their wall instead.

“Gene and I often collaborate on designs, he is a very talented metal sculptor and expert woodworker. It is great having someone to bounce ideas off of. I also work with my friend Liz at Riverslea Farm on getting just the right fiber and colors that I need. Her knowledge has been invaluable to me.”

When Kim was selected as an instructor for the Fiber College on Penobscot Bay last year a love for teaching was born. Since then she has taught needle felting and displays her work at A Loom With A View in Newburyport, and will be teaching at Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery as well. Her artwork is also available at Tulips American Handcrafts in Portsmouth. They have also been displayed at the Wenham Museum and the Haverhill Art Society.

Peter Ridabock | Ridabock Glass

About the Artist:

Peter takes a painterly approach to the surface design of his glass.

Large fields of solid color are balanced by more intricate and defined design elements. Layers of contrasting colors and patterns merge and then separate, creating windows in which to view the depths below. The imagery, although intentionally abstract, recalls life beneath the ocean. Forever moving and sustaining life, the ocean is a constant source of inspiration for him to draw, and has provoked such well know glassworks as the WAVE series, the BARNACLE series, and the SHORELINE SHARD series.

Another strong force influencing Peter's work is music. He appreciates a wide variety of music and use music to renew his spirit and free his soul. Creating music, as in creating handblown glass, involves an orchestrated team of players. Each player is fine tuned and synchronized under the direction of the maestro; each contributes his personal rhythm in response to the group's rhythm and each is dedicated to the final piece - a masterpiece , that will move its audience and have them call for more! The culmination of these inspirational forces can be seen in their Oceanic Concert Series; which is a visual testament to their love of the sea and music. Some of the pieces in this series suggest musical "sea instruments" - like trumpets (i.e. OCEAN JAZZ sculptures), while others might make one think of miniature "sea symphonies" (i.e., SEA SYMPHONY sculptures) and "waves" that rock and roll (i.e., ROCK & ROLL WAVE vessels).

Peter is proud of the fact that Ridabock Glass is a small studio, geared towards creating original, one-of-a-kind work. The production is limited because Peter is involved in the execution of every glass piece. The work is such a personal expression of Peter's, that only he can make it. It is this personal touch that makes Ridabock pieces truly works of art, of the highest quality. Superior quality design and craftsmanship are Peter's first priority, and this is why his hands can be seen in every glass piece they make; a claim not all glass artists and studios can make.

Peter is always creating new visual and technical challenges for themselves, and hope that some of the joy in making his glasswork is passed on to the people who purchase it.

Linda F. Desmond | Dichroic Glass

 

Designs by Lifah

About the Artist

Linda has worked in various media for over 30 years-oil painting, fabric art, stone faceting, lapidary work, beading, PMC (Precious Metal Clay), and silver-smithing. The addition of Dichroic glass to her portfolio is a recent one; the brilliant colors make this an exiting inclusion in her jewelry.

Every piece of glass created is unique. Small pieces of glass are hand cut and arranged in several layers. They are then fired in the kiln at temperatures up to 1500 degrees where they melt (fuse) into one piece. Some pieces are fired multiple times to produce a specific effect.

Each piece is numbered, signed, and photographed by the artist allowing for similar or matching future pieces to be made upon request.

“What makes this media exciting for me is the lack of 100% predictability of the glass and how it will fire - you can plan what you want or hope to produce, but never know exactly what you have created until you open the kiln twelve hours later. “

In her professional life Linda is Project Management Professional (PMP) and independent consultant (providing both certification training and project management consulting). With a degree in Mathematics and minor in Art, for many years the creative side has taken a back seat to the technical one, and now finally is being given it’s much deserved priority.

Dichroic Glass	Kiln Shelf	Earings	Bracelets

Lucinda Talbot | Mixed Media Collage and Egg Tempera

Mixed Media Collage and Egg Tempera

Inspired by the beauty of the Atlantic coast and the mountains of Maine, I concentrate on visual forms that develop as light sails over the land, illuminates a line of trees along a pond, or spotlights a shell on the beach.

I use collage, acrylic inks, watercolors and egg tempera on paper and prepared panes to abstract the essence of these natural phenomena.

I play with paper and paint, dripping, building up textures and layers, relying on my intuition to interpret ocean elements, mountains, and beach. Often the jazz music I play on the piano is included in my work.

I began my art career as a studio art major at Michigan State University and continued my studies with teachers in Maine, Canada, and Michigan. I have exhibited nationally including the National small Works Show: An American Landscape, juried by the art critic, Carl Little. I am a signature member of the Society of Layerists In Multi-Media, a life-long learner, a clinical therapist, and I facilitate Creative Spirit groups to help others access the healing power of art. I was one of the founders of the Art Alliance, a cooperative gallery, and now am the Owner/Director of the First Light Gallery.

Bruce Iverson | Chinese Brush Painting

About the Artist

Bruce Iverson is an artist who has specialized in Chinese Brush Painting (sumi-e in Japan) since 1972 with master Chinese brush painters Jean Shen, Ning Yeh,  and I-Hsiung Ju.  He has exhibited in group and juried shows throughout the United States and has had several one-man shows in New England.  He has traveled to China for a deeper understanding of the context of brush painting and is a juried member of the New Hampshire Art Association.  His work is grounded in a three thousand year old tradition in which the tools, techniques and philosophy of this Asian art form have had a lifelong resonance.

About the Work

Artist, Bruce Iverson brings a 3,000 year-old tradition to life. Using a style called "hsieh-", Iverson paints spontaneous strokes of watercolor to create images of the natural world on handmade rice paper. According to tradition, the artist wanders outdoors, observes nature and then paints what is most vividly remembered. In all cases the painting should express "chi". This term can best be translated as breath or spirit...the energy that gives something life. To create his works, Iverson uses very simple yet elegant tools called the "Four Treasures"....hand ground sumi ink, bamboo brushes, a carved inkstone, and handmade rice paper. Though sometimes appearing simple, the art of Chinese Brush Painting demands a high level of skill, concentration, and knowledge of the materials. Once the brush is committed to paper, there is no turning back or touching up...success or failure in an instant!

The best pieces result from times when heart, mind, and hand are in accord and are in fact "written ideas". The traditional red seal or "chop" is a handcarved stamp in Chinese characters which designates the artist's name, studio, or a poetic idea. Bruce has been painting in this manner for over thirty years and has studied with three master Chinese brush painters...Jean Shen, I-Hsiung Ju, and Ning Yeh. His work is part of corporate and private collections in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Bruce teaches workshops and classes in Chinese Brush Painting, has a greeting card line, and is a juried member of the New Hampshire Art Association.

Chinese Brush Painting

Zen Tea Lights

Beth Bell Pottery | Pottery

Beth Bell’s journey with clay began 19 years ago at the Worcester Center for Crafts, where she developed her unique, playful style. Still a student of clay, Beth finds that learning and teaching are two sides of the same coin. Her combination of passion and patience helps her students find their own voice in clay whether they are hand-building or throwing.

Rachel Kohn | Electrical Tape Art

ELECTRICAL TAPE ART? WHAT IS THAT?

It all began in December of 1992...I was wrapping holiday gifts and decided to use some stickers I had on hand to decorate holiday packages wrapped in brown paper. I just let my mind wonder and had a blast decorating the packages. I was living on Beacon Hill at the time and found myself browsing the aisles of Beacon Hill Hardware looking for picture hooks or something random and then I saw it...A rack of colored electrical tape! The light bulb went off in my head and I bought one role of every color and an Exacto knife. That evening I created my first piece of tape art: A city park scene emerged from the stickers and tape.

I have been playing with tape ever since. I love the elasticity and movement it allows and the vibrant colors it comes in. What began as a unique way to wrap gifts has evolved into a passion, bordering on obsession, for tape. Wherever I go, I keep searching for different colors of tape to play with.

My formal “training” was two drawing classes taken as an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst in the late 1980’s. In 2005 I started taking classes toward a Certificate in Graphic Design at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston. (In between which, I earned two masters degrees – Social Work and Public Health – from Boston University.)

My art collection continues to grow as I explore shapes, color and the use of negative space to bring to life images and designs and new surfaces on which to display them. All of my work is 2-dimensional and the graphic style lends it self well to printing and reproduction. I am excited to continue creating new artwork and building my graphic design portfolio.

What does “Kokoro” mean? Kokoro is the Japanese kanji (word) for heart, core, and spirit. I was looking through an English/Japanese dictionary while thinking about my artwork and what I was currently working on (a series of heart designs) and literally flipped to this word – Kokoro. The meaning resonated and I liked the minimal lines of the written kanji. Eventually, I created my logo using a formal interpretation of the type written kanji and, in my usual form, used the negative cuttings of tape to a sort of reflection of the kanji back onto itself. And now I call my studio and business Kokoro Designs as a constant reminder to myself to step back, simplify and tap into my core when creating a new design

Four Seasons	Holiday Images

Leslie Aisner | GUZALI liquid art medium

Leslie is an artist, whose passion for design started in childhood with inventive work in the arts, leading her into all kinds of shows, fairs and stores as well as teaching “The Creative Experience” at a community college in MA. Her artwork includes drawings, paintings, stick & face art plus her new “Primitive in Nature” earring line sold in select stores and galleries. She lives in her 300 year old seaside home, where she often hosts openings for local artists. Artist and inventor, Leslie Aisner Novak has lived by the sea in Newburyport MA for 20 years, raising her business Howda Designz while working at other jobs and being an artist. Replicating an old circus seat from 1929, Leslie brought back to market a portable seat to care for the back, reinventing the way it was made and patenting the newer version. Bags, too, developed a larger product line. From L.L. Bean to Brookstones and from J. Peterman Co. Catalog to Solutions catalog, the HowdaSeat and the Howda Bags traveled the catalog circuit. From New York to San Francisco, the Howda Designz Company traveled to Trade Shows. Now, primarily, an internet Website Store (www.howda.com), Leslie is selling all the standard items plus the newest seats, the HowdaHUGs, designed for children with sensory integration disorders and the autism spectrum that includes aspergers, other attention related issues like, Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and other undiagnosed conditions that just make kids fidgety. The HowdaHUGs provide cradling and rocking that allow these children to be more peaceful and calm and to attain focus in school and in the home.

Earrings, made of her own invented GUZALI liquid art medium, have come from a long list of other ways this medium has been utilitzed in her art work over the years.

Guzali is a, patented and trademarked, three-dimensional liquid art medium that Leslie has developed for working into her art and earrings. Her earrings are made by dipping leather into Guzali, adding color, etiching, sanding and then, sometimes, finishing with a glaze.

There are variations in colors and designs on all Guzali Earrings. No two are exactly alike. Many Guzali Earrings are reversible. The handmade sterling hooks make it easy to remove the earrings from the hook, flip them over and reattach, provided there is another color and/or design to expose.

Beginning in the Midwest, Guzali was mixed in the kitchen sink and poured into ketsup bottles to be used on canvas in a 3-dimensional application and sold at art fairs. This work was well accepted by the public and Leslie spent her time divided between raising 3 children and mixing and painting with Guzali and working at other jobs, including ceramic tile and radio.

At one point, in this long run of uses that GUZALI was getting in the arts and craft field, Leslie introduced the GUZALI formula to CRAYOLA, who recognized its art-worthiness and took out a license for 3 years. After this time, it was turned back to Leslie with the statement that it was too expensive to manufacture and therefore no longer of use to them. While under license to Crayola, Leslie stopped painting with GUZALI, and when the license agreement ceased, she began to use it for crafting primitive, uniquely designed, one of a kind, earrings. These have been produced for several special shops in Maine and MA and through art shows in her area.

Carol Walker Morin | Funky Button Jewlery - Folk fantasy paintings

 

	Fabulous Folk Fantasy Paintings	Funky Button Jewelry

Mary Jo Griffin | Metal and Stones - Mixed Metal Jewlery

About the Artist:
MJo (Mary Jo) has had a life long love of rocks and stones, from preschool days (when her Dad gave her a beach bag for her stone collections and her Mom gave her the "First Books of Rocks and Minerals" for her stone "research") to studying geology in college. As time went by, MJo designed needlepoint, competing in local art and craft shows, while gradually expanding her designs to include primitive metal embellishments. Today, after studying with local and nationally known goldsmiths and jewelry artists, MJo's style of combining silver, bronze and stones into funky and organic creations continues to evolve as the "ingredients" form, color and texture speak to her.

Metal and Stones – Mixed Metal Jewelry

Susan Kenna's | Colorful Hand Felted Bead Jewelry

Susan Kenna's Colorful Hand Felted Bead Jewelry

Artfelt Creations

In 2003, Susan was introduced to needlefelting by her friend, Sue Young, a potter in the Adirondacks. She immediately fell in love with this ancient craft, eventually turning it into a business.

Susan was born in Boston, MA. She spent her youth at Fenway Park and Boston Garden rooting for her favorite teams. She married her husband in 1992. After her daughter was born, Susan became a stay at home mom. She spends many hours at the YMCA where her daughter is on the gymnastics team. Here she can watch Andrea and felt at the same time. Today, Susan lives in Beverly with Larry, Andrea and their four cats.

Zelda Hotaling | drum maker and storyteller

	Zelda's Native Art Show at Riverwalk Gallery	Deer Antler Rattle	Hickory Nut Rattle

As a Teacher of Natural Ways raised in the Native American Traditions, Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee, I have been a drum maker and storyteller since 1992.  I share with others how to recycle the fibers of the earth to create drums, rattles, personal shields, capes and more.  When creating a custom piece, I talk with you and then through dreams and prayer your special piece is created.

"HEALING CAN COME THROUGH THE PROCESS OF CREATING YOUR OWN SPECIAL PIECE."

“I ASSIST PEOPLE IN THEIR AWARENESS OF THEIR LIFE JOURNEYS."

I offer many modalities for healing and transformation through workshops, personal guidance and creation of your drum, personal shield, rattle or mask, as well as offering individual healing sessions  by phone or in person. I trust that you will find something that “calls” you to a deeper connection with your spiritual self.

Iris Minc | Purple Sage Pottery Studio

About the Artist – By Iris Minc
I had my first life altering experience with clay as a Junior art major at Michigan State University while taking a year off from going to Principia College, a very small liberal arts college in the Midwest. There was something about touching clay and working with it that just transported me. I was in love with clay.

At that time I didn’t really understand much about clay. I was amazed and mystified by what I saw some of the graduate students create. The whole firing process was a mystery to me. I had no idea what I really wanted to do with clay, but I knew I had to work with it. I had from a child always loved making things. I had worked with fabric, found objects, wood, paper and sheet metal. Those materials I understood, but clay seemed to have some magical power that I couldn’t quite grasp but that I knew I had to pursue.

Now 30 years later, after having been a production potter for over 25 years and having taught pottery for over 15 years, I still love clay. I love the way clay goes through multiple personalities as it changes from very wet and soupy to buttery to very malleable and impressionable like soft putty, to leather hard, to brittle and dry. Then like alchemy it is transformed by the heat of the kiln into bisque ware, impervious to water and ready to absorb the glaze, and then once again in the heat of the fire the dry powdery glazes melt and acquire luscious gemstone like surfaces while the clay turns a toasty brown.

I love all the stages of clay, each having different possibilities in the creation process. I feel I have come to know clay and my gas kiln to a degree, but there is still a mystery about clay and the firing process that intrigues me.
I feel that my work has reached another level in the last two years. I’m excited about my new work, almost the way I was excited about clay when I was first starting out. Right now I am most excited about handbuilding with a very coarse dark stoneware, but I'm also really enjoying throwing with porcelain. Nature and flower arranging have been a big inspiration in much of this new work. I find that more and more I will have ideas that combine my imagination with the organic way clay naturally moves and works as well as how the glazes and kiln works.

The forms made of the coarse dark brown clay are organic, strong and sculptural. While beautifully complementing flowers and plant material, for me these pots are about the clay and how it moves and sometimes cracks to the touch of the hand or tool and how the glazes interact with its rich dark brown color. The pieces made in porcelain are totally opposite the affore mentioned work. They are comparatively small in scale, finely tuned, and mostly functional ware. I use a very white Grolleg porcelain which makes the glazes clear and bright. Still, I strive to maintain a looseness in the porcelain work.

My favorite pieces are the ones that happen by some act of grace. As much as I strive to be in control of the forming and glazing processes and of my gas kiln, I find that when I trust the higher power that moves through me, something happens in spite of me which is much more beautiful than anything I could have planned. My new challenge now is to really trust my inner voice and let it lead.

Purple Sage Pottery Studio
Purple Sage Pottery is made of stoneware or porcelain clay which is very durable and sure to give you many years of service and pleasure. It is lead free, and dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Each piece is wheel-thrown and/or slab-built over custom made drape molds. Many pots are carved or embossed with ocean, plant or geometric patterns. The pottery is then reduction fired in a gas kiln to over 2200º F. The flames, hungry for oxygen, react with the glazes to give depth and luminescence in often unpredictable and dazzling ways.
Iris Minc, the owner, makes an extensive line of reduction-fired functional stoneware. In addition she has a new limited line of works in porcelain as well as a selection of one-of-a-kind vases and flower arranging containers and sculptural leaf forms.

The Studio
Purple Sage Pottery is an old carriage mill with high ceilings and good natural light. The well-equipped 2500 square-foot studio is divided into two main large work spaces, a small studio, a gallery space and a kiln room. The custom-built 70 cubic-foot gas kiln is the center of the studio's operation.The gallery, which is open almost year round, features mostly Iris' works. Twice annually, once in the spring and then again in the fall, the whole studio is transformed into gallery space and 12-15 other clay workers join Iris to sell their wares at Purple Sage Pottery.

Julianna Goldstone | micro-macrame

Julianna Goldstone learned the art of micro-macrame when living in Peru. She incorporates fiber and semi-precious stones from Peru in her elegant, one of a kind necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Micro-Macrame