Douglas Starry, of Gettysburg is a fourth generation chair maker.  Using old Shaker techniques, he creates rockers, tables, stools and trays.   Douglas handmakes every piece of his furniture.  He even cuts and dries most of the wood he uses in his work.  He doesn’t use a single drop of glue in his chair and only uses 4 nails for the entire piece! 

His work is so lovely.  With his clean lines and sharp forms, the detailed craftsmanship really stands out.   To see more of Douglas Starry’s work, come  to the July 31 and August 1 craft show in Wilmington, DE!

Art Shoemaker, of Lancaster is a very talented woodcarver.  His pieces range from a single lone cat to a 12 scene nativity story with 25 different pieces.  His carvings are so beautiful, full of the whimsy and colorful character that lives in a fictional life.  When you look at one of his pieces, you imagine where the character came from and what his story is.  The first piece I remember seeing was at the Guild’s Handmade Holiday store.  It was of a clown, holding three colorful balloons.  It was so delicate and lovely but all I wanted to do was play with it.  His work has that effect on you. 

This piece is a carving of a young boy on a rocking horse in the 1930s.  I just love how he has created so many details.  I notice more everytime I look at it. 

On his website, he talks about his goal to:

reflect a distinct humor and realism with intricate detail.

In this, he is so successful.  Every tiny detail of his work is treated with importance.  Nary even a shoelace is ignored.  Art has created a style that makes pieces that you want to be around because they are fun and lively, but you also want to keep forever because of their beauty. 

Jupi Das, of Camp Hill is a juried paper cutting (or scherenschnitte) artist.  Her beautiful pieces are hand cut out of a single piece of paper and then mounted 3-dimensionally.  Often, she will even hand paint sections to highlight particularly important areas.  The art of paper cutting can be traced back many years through many different cultures.  On her website, Jupi talks about how her work is influenced by the folk cutting traditions of the Chinese, Japanese, German and Swiss.

Jupi creates as much for others as she does herself.  On her website, she says:

“I create, so that the energy and enthusiasm that I put into each piece will bring as much joy to people as the process of creating them brings joy into my life”

Are you looking for something warm to do this weekend?  Check out “The Craftsman’s Journey-Enhancing Peoples Lives”, the newest exhibit at the Mechanicsburg Museum.  This exhibition features the work of craftsman in the Yellow Breeches chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, including woodworker Doug Starry and enamelist  Averill Shepps.

Opening this Saturday (Feb. 13th), the show goes through May 1st.  There will be a public reception on Sunday (Feb. 14) between 2-4pm.

Eric Weit, of Akron, is an award-winning rag rug weaver.  He’s recently set up a shop online on Etsy and its worth checking out.  Plus he just passed along a few rugs to show in our gallery shop until April.

Eric’s approach to weaving is “it is like a puzzle using recycled materials and trying to put them together using the colors of the material that I find and coming up with a new pattern for the warp.”

His Grandmother said something to him a long time ago which he uses as his inspiration and motto, “The secret to a happy life is to keep your hands busy”.

Brian Cunfer, of Kirkwood, is the current President of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.  He is also the instructor for our popular ‘Women-Only! Stool-making’ workshop.

We’ve officially scheduled our 2010 session for May 15 & 16.  It’s a very enjoyable two-day class for women to explore and discover the processes behind wood-working and furniture-making.  For details visit www.pacrafts.org/workshops.

That's my mom on the left.

Our gallery in Lancaster is open until 9 pm today for First Friday.  Stop by and check out the great selection of handmade crafts in our popular Handmade Holiday store.  I’d like to give you some suggestions of what you can do tonight while you’re in town.

• Catch the James Ransome exhibition at PCAD (Pennsylvania College of Art & Design)
• Open Studio at Kevin Lehman Pottery
• A must stop is Veleska Jewelry on Orange St.
• Warm up at  Square ONE Coffee on Duke St
• Gingerbread houses at Lancaster Convention Center by Hempfield High School students
• Catch Annie at the Fulton Theatre at 8
• Or dinner at the Belvedere Inn or Annie Bailey’s

Hope to see you this evening in Lancaster.  Come out and support the arts by giving handmade this holiday season.

Okay, so the bargain-hunters of the nation have their day coming up: Black Friday.  They run out and gobble up all of the cheapest of the cheap items that have been churned out a world away.  It’s not about quality, it’s about pricing.

Although I won’t be one of them, I understand the wish to stretch a dollar.  But when the item only lasts a couple years, is it really even worth the cheap price paid?

Well, the Guild has an alternative for you: give locally handmade.  Starting this Friday we begin our holiday hours at our seasonal gallery store Handmade Holiday at 252 N. Prince St, Lancaster.  Sorry, you won’t find discounts.  The upside is, the work here is really worth what you pay for it.

If you’re brave, you can probably avoid the traffic snarls around Park City to get downtown to our gallery on Friday (we’re open 10 to 4).  If Friday’s not your top choice, we’re open this Saturday from 10 to 4 and Sunday from noon to 4.

As of this Friday we’re open seven days a week until Christmas day.  Here’s our hours…

Extended Holiday Hours

November 27 to December 20

• Mon – Sat: 10 am to 4 pm
• Fridays: 10 to 8, Sun: 12 to 4

December 21 to December 24

• Dec 21 – 23: 10 to 7
• Dec 24: 10 to 2

Closed December 25

December 25 to January 2

• Tues – Thurs & Sat: 10 t 4
• Fri: 12 to 9

Our Holiday Fine Craft Fair opens today at 10 am and runs til 6 pm.  Sunday hours are 11 am to 5 pm.  Full details are at www.pacrafts.org/holiday.  Have a question or need directions?  Call 717-431-8706.

The act of giving handmade is inspiring because you know where the item came from and you can tell your friend or family about your exchange with the craft-maker.

There’s millions upon millions of options out there for holiday gift-giving.  But giving locally-made handmade crafts supports your neighbor-artist and your community’s economy.

Independent craft-makers are small business owners, which means their expenses are tied closely to their physical location.  If you know about the 3/50 Project then you know that $68 of every $100 spent with a locally owned independent business returns to their community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures.

31 out of the 126 participating members physically reside in Lancaster county.

If you’re an aspiring locavore, you may know about the concept of the 100 mile diet.  If we put that idea to our show, 86 of the total show participants live within that 100 mile radius.  So your craft diet will be full of options.  The bulk of the remaining members live in Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware (not exactly the other side of the world).

So come on out and browse thousands of unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade crafts at this weekend’s Fine Craft Fair at Manheim Township High School, and know that your money not only supports the artists you buy from but also supports Pennsylvania’s economy and the community services it offers.