Embrace Quality. Be Inspired.

Juried member Betsey Von Dreele of Harbeson, DE works in fiber.  

From a distance, her work appears to be textural painting. On closer inspection, you realize her imagery is created out of bits of different fabrics , natural materials and found objects that are sewn together.  In her artist statement, Betsey talks about how her pieces draw from living near the shores of the East Coast. 

The see more of Betsey’s work, you can visit her at our upcoming show in Blue Bell. 

This week, I wanted to highlight the studio of juried member, Christine Goldbeck.

Here is what she had to say about her space:

The daytime natural light and gallery lighting for night painting make this my perfect hangout. The added benefit is that the floor is just plywood and the walls are white and unprimed, so I can drip and splatter all I want without having to stop the art-making process to clean up. It’s kind of like the walls and floor are a blank canvas. When paint needs to dry or I need to process a photo job, I just head to the other side of the studio and sit down in my digital darkroom. When I need a break, I pull up a chair and pull out a book or just lay on the floor with my Golden Retrievers and take a power nap.

On the practical side of things, the studio is between the gallery and the kitchen on the first floor of our home. When I do an event in the gallery, the studio breaks down to become reception space and, since the kitchen is just a room away, it is convenient for food service during openings and events.

Really, I don’t need the rest of the house. I’m rarely upstairs because I love being in the studio or I take my gear outside to the garden.

Green-gold paint, the warm quinacridones, molding paste and glazing mediums are my all-time favorite tools for painting. I try to bust out of my palette; sometimes, I succeed, but for the most part, I keep returning to these colors. As for molding paste, there is nothing quite as fun as layering it on a substrate and moving it around with your fingers. Because I work my paintings in layers – lots of them – glazing mediums and gels are essential.

In photography, my 70-300mm lens is my tool of choice, I prefer it to my macro, actually, especially for florals. And, really, were all these digital gadgets to go away, I would be perfectly contented with my plastic, medium-format film, toy cameras.

Being barefoot in the studio, my books (unremorseful, insatiable bibliophilia is what I suffer), music (I listen as per my mood and I really like big band, folk and Zydeco), painting and photographing my garden, and exploring new techniques energize me.

We have 2 very exciting workshops this month.

On August 7,  Phil Haralam will be teaching a Photography for Artists workshop.  If you’ve ever had trouble getting good images of your work, consider this class!  In this one-day workshop, you will learn basic camera operation, lighting techniques, and Photoshop skills like cropping, resizing, and color correction.  For members, this class only costs $99.  $110 for nonmembers.   You can sign up on our website.

August 7th and 8th, the president of the Enamelist Society, Averill Shepps will be teaching an Enameling  Workshop. This workshop is designed to introduce attendees to enameling on metal.   Students will be taught two basic techniques for applying the enamel – sifting and wet inlay.  This 2 day workshop only has a few spaces left.  Cost for members: $146.  For non members: $165  Sign up here!

Joyce Inderbitzen of Yardley is an artist working in clay.

On her website,  amongst images of all her beautiful work, Joyce has included her artist statement:

To me art is a visual expression of some inner concept important enough for the artist to want to share with others. Usually it is an experience or feeling to which most people can relate. Clay is my medium to do this. It is most flexible and expressive. Each clay, porcelain and stoneware, have different qualities, characteristics and possibilities. The piece itself needs to be pleasing, balanced and well designed. If functional, it must function well.

The stoneware stands alone with its colored glaze, an added grace to enhance its beauty. Raku, on the other hand, is a method of firing: very radical, exciting and immediate. It leaves its mark on the clay as no other method can. I form my raku pieces with this in mind. For me it is difficult… no impossible… to stick to one type of expression. Life is varied, and so my ultimate selection of clay and firing method is varied.

This week, I wanted to focus on the studio of jewelry artist Wendy Edsall-Kerwin.

This is an excerpt from Wendy’s blog, www.hammermarks.wordpress.com.

You can see that I have a window, an inside and an outside door, and, of course, garage doors that I insulated.   Moving on to the hot area of the studio.  I bought a welding table with shields to use as my soldering area.  I have an acetylene/air torch and also a MAPP gas blowtorch that I use here.  There is a crockpot for pickle, a fire extinguisher (one of two), annealing pan, soldering pad(s), and protective glasses that you can’t see in the photo.  I also have a vent to get rid of those noxious fumes.

Next we’ll move on to the forming area.  Here is where you’ll find my anvil and stakes on two stands with my best vise.  On the floor by the anvil stand is the stump I use for sinking.  The giant scary stake is my blowhorn stake that I use most often.  It works for almost everything.  I have a couple mushroom stakes and t-stakes, and I also use the vise for fold-forming.

Behind the stands is my other workbench.  It’s pretty cheap and I got it Ollie’s right out of college.  But it works!  Here is my #2 vise and a couple of other forming tools and my wonderful sandbag.

You might have noticed that there a few odd tools I have.  I took a toolmaking class in college and I made my own sinusoidal stake, tubing block, stake from a railroad spike, delron hammer, and a bezel pusher from a horseshoe nail.  These are some of my favorite tools and they areused somewhat frequently.  I sometimes wish that I had a gas forge, power polisher, and sanding belts so that I could make more tools.  But, alas, that will have to wait.

Thank-you so much for sharing, Wendy!  For more information about Wendy, check out her booth at the Chase Center this weekend!  She will be in booth #513

We are getting so close to the show!  I just wanted to remind everyone about all that we have going on this weekend. 

The show, held at the Chase Center in Wilmington will be on July 31 and August 1. We will have over 180 fine craftsmen—for a full list – go here:  Guild exhibitor list or check out our flickr page for a preview of the craft you will see!

by Pam Cummings

We are still offering discounted tickets on our website!  Be sure to order them by Friday! 

Ordering tickets online also places into a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate towards a craft purchase this weekend! 

by Scott Deming

Also consider making it a craft weekend!  The Hotel DuPont put together an AMAZING craft weekend package – which includes free admission to the show, free breakfast each morning of your stay as well as VIP parking all for $150! For more information on this fabulous deal or to sign up-check out their website.

by Armond Scavo

Questions?  Call us at 717.431.8706      See you at the show!

Greg Hardy, of Mechanicsburg, PA works in micaceous pottery. 

I love the feel of his work.  On his website, he talks about the process of digging the clay and the importance of where it comes from.  When viewing his work, I love that it seems archaic and modern at the same time.  On his website, Greg says:

I was born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania and began creating micaceous pottery in December 1999. I apprenticed under Felipe Ortega, who is world renowned for his micaceous cookware. The clay I use is hand dug from his ancestral clay pits in the mountains of northern New Mexico.

My art is created in the ancient method of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. It is constructed in the centuries-old practice of “coil and scrape”, the method used by American Indians of the Southwest. The walls are built by adding successive rope-like coils of clay, then thinned and shaped using scraping tools. Once air-dried, the vessel is wet scraped and sanded with a piece of sandstone to smooth the surface. Several coats of slip (a rich liquid form of clay) are applied and burnished with a polishing stone. Firing in an open pit creates the unique color markings known as “fire clouds”. Black finishes are produced by placing the red-hot pottery into a container with organic matter.

My style of pottery is quite varied and is created to be utilitarian. My first pieces were traditional bean pots used for cooking. As I began to produce larger pieces I envisioned them as table lamps. Working with my teacher, we designed a process to fit an oak branch “wafer” into the vessel to secure lamp hardware. This gave me the inspiration to insert an agate to produce a night-light. In addition to cookware and lamps, I have created several ceremonial pieces.

If you are as intrigued by Greg’s work as I am, check it out at our upcoming show on July 31 and August 1.  He will also be demonstration his process! 

This week, I wanted to feature the studio of Guild artist and juried member Margery Erickson.  Continue on to see why…

Wow.  Here is what Margery had to say about her studio:

I used to work out of one of our guest bedrooms.  The room had a double bed, two looms and a sewing machine.  Instead of buying a weaving business in New Hampshire we added a studio on to our home in Pennsylvania.  My husband designed and built it.  In the process he gained additional basement space for his workshop.  What I love the most is the open feeling and natural light I gain from the sky lights and bay window.  I also love all the room. I have four looms, storage shelves, a sewing machine and a jewelry workbench.  I can have several projects going at one time. 

Outside we planted hundreds of pine and spruce trees.  They are now mature and some are twenty feet tall.  I feel secure and comfortable when working in the studio.  Right after we built the studio we had some friends visiting. They said our property had a great Feng Shui.  At the time I did not know what this meant.  They explained that the energy around our home had a positive flow.  I agree and believe this is why this space is so conducive to creativity.

A big thank-you to Margery, for sharing this!  Your studio is stunning!

If you like Margery’s studio, you will LOVE her work.  Check it out at our upcoming show at the Chase Center!  July 31 and August 1.  If you have a studio, we would love to see it.  Send your images to jenny@pacrafts.org.

Thank-you so much to everyone who participated in our ticket giveaways!!  Congratulations to our winners, Amanda Bowman, Maureen Sopko and Paula Lewis!  For those of you who didn’t win tickets to the July 31st and August 1st fine craft fair, be sure to buy your tickets on our website where we are offering great discounts up until the show.   Buying your ticket online or leaving a comment on our giveaway posts  enters you to win a $50 gift certificate towards a craft purchase at the show.  Double your chances to win and do both!

Michie Taylor, of Berwyn PA is a jewelry and fine artist. 

She creates 3 dimensional wall art and jewelry out of synthetic colored clays.    I love how she captures the vitality of each plant.  You can almost feel them breathing or growing or blowing in the wind. 

If you would like to see more of her work,  come to our upcoming craft show–July 31 and August 1!  Details and ticket discounts here!  Or leave a comment on our EMERGING artists post for a chance to win 2 tickets!