Tag: Asbury Park

Meet The Maker: Half and a Third

We are a couple who started our creative business together in early 2016. After much discussion & coaxing, Ian finally convinced Katey to quit the corporate rat race, and Half and a Third was born. Together, we make quality housewares and paper goods.

Half and a Third is the brain child of Ian Stafford and Katey Mangels. Ian, a woodworker, with a BFA from Tyler School of Art, where he majored in Glass and Sculpture; and Katey, a graphic wiz, with a MFA in Graphic and Interactive Design from Tyler School of Art. We make all of our products out of our shared studio in the Historic Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia. The studio is located in a former textile loom factory that overlooks downtown Philadelphia. We have a full woodshop, screen printing room, and loft office – where our shop dog Sofie supervises us.

Working together we have found a creative rhythm. Having a shared aesthetic, we start working independently – Katey on graphics, and Ian on wood forms. We then come together with our ideas & sketches and find a way to combine the two. One of our signature products, our coasters, is a combination of both our disciplines. The coaster designs are inspired by Katey’s world travels and love for modern design. They are screen printed by hand on wood panels by Katey, then they are finished and cut to size by Ian. This is the process we use for many of our products.

You can find our products at the Art Star store, online at halfandathird.com, as well as the upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park – which we are very excited about! We are constantly making new products, so keep an eye out. Follow us on instagram @halfandathird to keep up to date on what we are up to next!

July 14, 2017
Meet The Maker: Monique Platt from DuTill & Daughters

One of my earliest memories is the smell of gold luster, the tiny jar of minerals sitting on my mother’s studio table (which also passed for our dining table at the time). She was a china painter when I was young, and I’m sure she was frustrated when I got into her precious supplies, but I loved poking through the tiny vials of pigments and oils. So it’s always been a bit surprising to me that I didn’t start working with clay myself until I was in college. Once I did, there was never another medium that felt so naturally like “home”. My father was, among other things, a carpenter at heart, with a full wood shop in our basement, and the ability to execute anything that we women in his life could dream up. Between the two of them, I grew up with a solid love of building and making.

Once I graduated with my Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), I struggled a bit to find footing as an artist trying to make a living. This was before the days of Etsy, Instagram, and the amazing makers’ movement that’s happening now, and there was no real “career path” in ceramics unless you were into the nomadicness of applying for artist residencies. I spent some time working towards a Masters in the History of the Decorative Arts through the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, but as much as I love curating, that “publish or perish” environment of museum life didn’t feel like a good fit for someone whose hands itch to be creating. So I took a few years off from art and focused on making a living until the timing was right. Once Etsy emerged onto the scene, I opened a shop with my opposite-coast sister, and between the two of us we started building a small but loyal following. Eventually, her military life took her overseas, and I took over running the shop solo. That was almost 4 years ago. In the time since that change, the focus of the shop has become entirely ceramics. This past year or so I’ve really pushed myself to create a cohesive body of work, focusing on the level of craftsmanship in each piece, and making sure that when viewed together, the entire collection is recognizably DuTill & Daughters.

I was lucky enough at SAIC to work with instructors who were well-versed in nontraditional approaches to clay, so slipcasting is a regular part of my process. You’ll see repeated shapes throughout the collection, but no two pieces are identical, even if they have similar patterns. With the slipcast pieces, I’ll start out by making a mold of the shape I want, then pouring multiple layers of hand-colored slips (liquid clay) into the molds. Once the pieces come out, I alter them by piercing or carving the surface to reveal the interior colors. Sometimes the rims are smooth and even, like the drinkware, and sometimes I’ll scallop the rim like you’ll see on the berry bowls and colanders. I use a combination of glazes that complement the colored clays, and leave some exterior surfaces unglazed so you can experience the buttery-smooth texture of polished porcelain. All of my work is glaze-fired to Cone 6, which is a mid-range ceramic temperature, about 2260°F.

The other main technique I use is called Nerikomi. Nerikomi (this term is used for hand-built work) and Neriage (for wheel-thrown work) are processes that involve stacking and layering colored clays to create intricate patterns. It can be a bit complicated because your clays need to have a compatible moisture content or they’ll split and crack during the firing process, but the intricate surfaces that come through this way are like no other process in ceramics. Nerikomi is perfect for making plates and platters, and I will sometimes use this technique for bowls. If you were to break one of these pieces in half, you’d see that the colors and patterns are all the way through the clay, not just sitting on the surface. I love how I can roll, stack, texture, add colors, paint on thick layers of slip, roll again, and come out at the end of the day with these crazy beautiful designs that I could never have drawn out on paper. The three jewelry trays below all came from the same Nerikomi block, and you can see how much variety there is from a single block. It’s a process that allows your hands to really be felt in every piece. The Nerikomi pieces are finished in clear glazes with the occasional colored accents, which allow the patterns to shine through.

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Monique Platt is the designer and maker behind DuTill & Daughters Pottery and has been working with clay for the better part of 20 years. She lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with her super-tall, bearded husband, their two astonishing girls, and studio pup/escape artist Nyx. When she isn’t in the studio, Monique is probably soaking up other people’s art, listening to as much music as possible, or eating pie. Maybe cake. Sometimes ice cream. You can see more of her work at dutillanddaughters.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @dutillanddaughters.

Photo credit: Monique Platt and Renee Zublic.

July 6, 2017
Meet The Maker: Amanda Hagerman

2016 has been a big year for me. In January I resigned from my high school art teaching position of almost 8 years to pursue my passion of designing and making jewelry, full-time. It was a leap into the unknown. Although running a business is grueling at times, I love every minute of it and have no regrets. I am living my dream.

I’ve always loved creating. I have fond memories of playing in the woods as a young girl growing up in rural Pennsylvania. Whether it was rearranging rocks in the stream by my house to build a man-made swimming hole (if you found a crayfish that was a major score), or leaning large branches against a tree to form a make shift teepee fort, I’ve always had the urge to make things. This urge carried over into loving art class all throughout school and being inspired by talented artists in all mediums. I was introduced to the concept of metalworking in high school and pursued this interest further in college by earning a B.F.A in Fine Metals in addition to my art education degree.

In 2014 (after about 6 years of having no feasible space to work as a metalsmith) I obtained my studio. I taught all week and worked in my studio during the off hours. Eventually, Amanda Hagerman Jewelry was established. It took several months of creative exploring to find my voice as an artist. I knew I wanted to create fashion forward designs that had a rustic, almost ancient appeal and I kept coming back to the notion of wanting my work to somehow reflect nature. Over time, I developed a lost wax casting technique combining geometric shapes with a rocky, ridge like surface. The result of this reflected the mountainous scenery I grew up around as a child. It embodied the parts of the landscape that make me feel whole and center me spiritually. It also achieved the rugged ancient look I desired with a fun and edgy twist. Each day I work to hone this technique and what has now become my signature style. It continues to grow and evolve and I’m excited to see where it will lead…

Each piece begins as a drawing on paper. I start with geometric shapes based on the elements in the landscape, specifically rocks, ridges, and ravines that influence the aesthetic of my work. After rendering the shapes, I make several paper copies of those shapes. From there I cut them out and rearrange them into various compositions. This is how I develop all of my designs. This process alone often takes hours, but is very satisfying and exciting. Once I have developed a series of sound designs, I set off to work in my studio.

To create my work, I often combine lost wax casting and fabrication processes. Items with my signature textured ridge surface are first hand sculpted using a combination of modeling and sheet waxes. The wax is malleable and allows me to manipulate the surface in order to achieve the desired surface textures. These pieces are then cast centrifugally using the lost wax casting process. This is an ancient technique that dates back to over 5700 years ago, which today involves investing pieces into a plaster cylinder, melting all of the wax out in a kiln, and pouring molten metal into the void where wax once was. Casting is an art in itself, one that brings me great satisfaction and control over what I create. Once shapes are perfected (after casting and finishing) I make molds of those pieces, unless they are for a one-of-a-kind design. Mold making saves me time in reproducing the wax pieces for my production line. In the images above, you see several pink wax pieces that have been made from molds of an original copy. Other details of my work are hand fabricated directly in metal by cutting sheet, forging wire, soldering prongs & jump rings, etc.

My process is truly my identity as an artist. I stand for the slow made item. The piece that was worked by hand from start to finish. I am about celebrating the Maker’s mark and the beauty of artistic exploration all the while finding balance in imperfection and skilled craftsmanship. I’ve been told that each of my pieces have soul. I believe it’s the care and attention to detail given individually to each piece that plays a role in establishing that. Because each piece is individually handcrafted, no two pieces will ever be precisely the same. In today’s world we often see things mass produced by machine. Millions of cookie cutter items that make us lose connection with the concept of artisan made and skilled craftsmanship. My work may not be precision perfect like items made by a machine, but I think there is great beauty in the imperfections. Behind each piece there is intention, consideration, and selfless devotion of time. In fact, a great deal of back pain inducing time, but time incredibly well spent nonetheless.

My work varies from large statement pieces to small dainty adornments, perfect for everyday wear. It consists of Argentium Silver and 14K gold vermeil. Everything, including the casting, is completed in my studio with the exception of the vermeil finish (for quality and certification purposes). All jewelry is nickel free and made in the most ethical ways possible.

I plan to have my entire collection, plus brand new one-of-a-kind pieces with me in Asbury Park! I can’t wait to see you there! Find me at booth #7!

July 28, 2016
Get to know Hot Sand Glass Studio in Asbury Park!

Hi everybody, welcome to a little picture of Hot Sand. We have been blowing glass for almost 10 years in Asbury Park. Originally founded by Thomas Stevens and Paul Elyseev, Hot Sand has always been a place for the public to blow glass and for local Glassblowers to show their works. Glassblowing typically has a fairly high barrier to entry, meaning that a lot is needed to get the show on the road, as it were. With the introduction of Walk-In Glassblowing we have been able to get that barrier just about as low as it can get! Anyone can walk in off the street, any day and let us know they want to blow glass and we happily comply. Typically it’s a much more formal affair and we are happy to make it easy peasy!

We have many Walk-In Activities ranging from a simple bubble to a pumpkin and an apple, a vase or a drinking glass and everything in between. When you arrive here you are greeted by one of our very helpful employees and we collaborate with you on deciding what it is you want to make, what colors you would like it to be and how you would like those colors laid out. We offer a myriad of different design elements that can be combined in many ways and with the broad selection of colors you can choose from, the combinations are nearly endless!

Also offered is more formal instruction that will set you on the path to becoming a Glassblower. If you want to learn all the in’s and out’s of this craft, Hot Sand is the place to start. We can walk you through all the particulars and eventually set you free in the Hot Shop so that you can eventually begin expressing your imagination with glass as the medium for your creativity.

We have a tight knit group of Glassblowers that work here and they have learned to blow glass in many different manners. There are people with degrees in glassblowing here, we have many people that have trained internationally and stateside. The 2 guys that started the business even have worked in glass factories in Europe!

All that said, we would love to see you in the studio. Any day we are open you and your loved ones are welcome to stop by the studio to blow glass with us, do a bit of shopping, or just watch! We look forward to seeing you soon in the shop or at the upcoming Art Star Asbury Park event!

Visit Hot Sand’s booth at this weekend’s bazaar and make a small sun tile for $24 or a large one for $36! They will fire it in their studio and you can either pick it up later or they will ship it to you for a small additional fee. See you there!

July 27, 2016
Meet The Maker: Nicole Hemmerly of MossHound Designs

Hey there! My name is Nicole Hemmerly and I am a macramé artist & the owner of a super fun business called MossHound Designs. Aptly named after two of my favorite things, moss (and anything moss colored) and our hound dog Maycie, the peaceful beast.

It all came about after spending most of 2015 craving a craft, craving something purely fun and uplifting to my soul. While doing research on different crafts I came across this weird knotting technique popular in the 70’s and thought “where have you been all my life!” You see, growing up we didn’t have a stitch of macramé in the house. However, my parents and the house I grew up in, is a complete inspiration to me. My mother can decorate with such ease & is crafty as all get out and my desire to be in the great outdoors comes from my father. My husband and I also share the same love for nature. When we go hiking, he helps me pick out the natural stones and driftwood I use.

My pieces are a culmination of earthy but bright color schemes and an equal mix of vintage and natural fibers. The cord I use for the macramé is 100% cotton and produced in the USA. The cream yarn used for weavings comes straight off the sheep on my in laws farm in northern Pennsylvania and the other yarn colors were taken out of an old school house being torn down. I try to repurpose and reuse as much as I possibly can.

What started out as a little craft is now a full-fledged business adventure that has expanded in ways I could have never imagined! Currently, I have been hand painting deer skulls, dip dying fabric, decorating with succulents and houseplants, weaving and even have created macramé pieces for weddings.

Swing by booth #10 and say hi! I love meeting new people and can’t wait to see you all!
Follow us on Instagram @mosshound_designs to stay current on products and giveaways.

July 26, 2016
Meet the Maker “Claudia Chloe”

I didn’t know I wanted to take pictures until I was accidentally placed in the photography program at Monmouth University after receiving my associates in fine art at community college. I had no idea what I was going to do for a living at that point, so I took it as a sign to put down the paintbrush and pick up the camera. And I am so beyond thankful that I did.

Living a two minute bike ride from the Asbury Park Boardwalk my whole life, I have always been heavily influenced by the playfulness of the beach-goer lifestyle. The bright colors of umbrellas and swooping lines of the Atlantic Ocean’s tides are a huge part of my aesthetic.

I’ve been attracted to aerial images since I began studying photography. I love the way they can simplify and organize such a chaotic world. So, when I had my first opportunity to hang out the side of a doors-off helicopter to shoot the beaches of Miami last spring, I was thrilled and I am so grateful that I was able to have that first experience.

In the last year I’ve also shot over Manhattan, Sedona, and most recently, the coast of the Jersey Shore from Seaside Heights to Asbury Park.

I hung a few of my shots in a local shop on the boardwalk, The Market, that summer, and the response was so overwhelming that soon after, I registered Claudia Chloe as a business and set up my own Etsy shop. I am now in several other shops both online and up and down the Jersey Shore.

I print the majority of my images myself. Watching my digital files turn into tangible objects that people want in their homes is definitely the most rewarding aspect of owning my company.

No matter where I am, I like all of my images to make the viewer feel the way I do when I’m up in the helicopter – completely elated with the overwhelming beauty of the landscape and the way the human figure interacts with it. I never feel more connected to this world than when I am dangling 1,000 feet above it.

When I’m not shooting, printing, editing, or answering emails, you can find me on the Boardwalk with my puppy, Lula Mae. In the past several years, Asbury Park has completely flourished with small businesses and artists and it is just so exciting to be a tiny part of this expanding creative community.

I’ll be flying over Asbury Park again on the morning of Saturday, August 6th. So, if you are in the area, look up and wave!

Claudia Chloe will be selling prints of her photos at our Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park on July 30th + 31st! Find her work online HERE.

July 21, 2016
Meet The Maker “Emilie Didyoung of Stick & Stone Designs”

I’m Emilie Didyoung, maker of Stick & Stone Designs. My mission is to create custom textiles that use natural dyes in an attempt to remain conscientious of my effect on the environment. I am always interested in using processes and techniques that have been around for centuries while giving them a contemporary voice.

I create all my work in my apartment in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia. I tend to do my work all over the place. I have a space set up in my room where I have my desk, computer, fabric, etc. but I also have to work in the kitchen when working with dyes/mordants that require heat. When the weather is nice, I try to use my little city backyard as much as possible! Bring out my vats to dye in and hang all the fabrics to dry. My apartment is small and unique, just like any old brownstone but it works just perfect for all my maker’s needs!

I primarily use natural indigo in my work. There is just something about those indigo blues that always keep drawing me in! I also have a very deep connection to the process of indigo dyeing. I’ve tried many different forms of dyeing with indigo such as fresh leaf dyeing, a fruit vat, iron vat, fermentation vat, and the vat I use the most—a fructose vat. I also had the special opportunity to experience harvesting and winnowing Japanese indigo and dyeing with the Japanese Sukumo vat.

The Art Star Craft Bazaar will be the first time I will feature my new designs in new colors! I recently shifted my focus from just indigo to other forms of natural dyes. I have experimented with other natural colors in small amounts over the years but this will be the first time I will be selling products in new colors. Of course I will not be abandoning those indigo blues! My new color ways will be over-dyed with indigo to create a vast array of shades in each product. My new natural color experiments include madder and fustic wood over-dyed with indigo. This will give a striking range of yellows, greens, and teals and a lovely selection of pinks, blush tones, and purples. I’ve also worked with marigolds, onion skins, cochineal, turmeric, hibiscus flowers, black beans, red cabbage, and much more to come!
As a surface designer, the design is just as important as the color. I mainly focus on using shibori and dip-dyeing techniques in all my work. I have also worked with resists, screen and block printing. But shibori and dip-dyeing have always allowed me to create that clean minimal look that I always strive for. There is something truly beautiful about creating a pattern just by the folding and binding of fabric. Simple techniques for my simplistic designs.

I’ll have a variety of products for the home and some wearable items available. Plenty of indigo and my new colors will be featured at Art Star Craft Bazaar! See you in Asbury Park!

July 19, 2016
Meet The Maker “Julia Passafiume”

Well, hello everyone! I’m Julia, and I design and sew a line of quirky and sustainably sourced kids and baby clothes.

Five years ago I was knee deep in mannequins and silk crepe de chine at a very fancy fashion school in NYC, and I loved it. I savored every moment I could arguing about the intention behind a style line or the consideration in debating to use one button over another. Most makers know this feeling of getting blissfully lost in the details, right? I graduated after being nominated for designer of the year in my class and I leapt into the arms of my first job offer as an Associate Designer for a kids clothing company.

But when I left the safe sewing rooms of Parsons is when I began to realize the overall motive of the fashion industry: to make money. The entire industry had devolved from creating products that had value and quality to just making as much money for the cheapest cost possible. This shift is at great cost to the lives of millions of people- just Google the Rana Plaza Factory Collapse or “what color are the rivers in China” for just a taste of the toll our fast fashion choices are having on the world around us. Obviously, my naïve little heart couldn’t handle it anymore, so I left my job in New York City and came home to Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

For me, sewing is about creating something from scratch and being mindful of the time and energy it takes to do so. I’ve been sewing for years, but not until I left my job in New York City did I realize this was where I find my happiness. I’m now also a full time seamstress for a local shop, so creating kids clothes is something that happens in the time before and after my 9-5 hustle. And whenever there’s interest, I love giving sewing lessons to people of all ages!

All of the products I make are from sustainably sourced materials such as organic cotton, fast-growing hemp, recycled vintage fabrics or traditional weaving methods. I also make a push to buy American made materials whenever possible. A company called Spoonflower that uses eco-conscious dyes and digital printing methods, which have a much lighter footprint than other printing methods, does most of my printed knits right in North Carolina. Just like other makers of handmade clothing, I know that small-scale fashion is part of the solution to a very large and complicated problem.
I’m so looking forward to the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park because the maker community here at the beach is so inviting and we’re sure to have a good time! Come by and say hello to my sister Leah (who is a printmaker and bookbinder) and me while we’re smushed in a booth together and chat with us about happy handmade things!

In the meantime, feel free to check out my Instagram and my Etsy Shop!

July 14, 2016
Meet The Maker: Daniel Jones of TAKE IT or LEAF IT

Greetings world, my name is Daniel jones and I run TAKE IT or LEAF IT. we make funky plant fixtures and furniture for your home or workplace.

Made from old cedar wood someone tore out of a home on my street, these honeycomb shelves are perfect for any rock collector, airplant enthusiast, or just someone with a knack for knick-knacks. Each individual hexagon is 2.75″ in diameter.

Nearly everything we sell comes from recycled refuse, or simple construction materials, and is entirely hand made. The main materials I work with right now are wood, concrete, and copper.

Tools of the Trade

I have been making things with my hands since high school, but have only been running this business for about two years. I live in ocean city, NJ about a block off the beach, and do all my work from my tiny apartment. Im currently fixing air conditioners and heaters on the island as my day job, but plan on taking the shop mobile for fall and winter across the country in a big ol van. We have lots of new items in the works for this year, and we may just be rolling through your town pretty soon so keep an open eye out for any suspicious looking vans.

Enjoy some eye candy of TAKE IT or LEAF IT’s line of home goods.

Find TAKE IT or LEAF IT online HERE or at our upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park, NJ!

July 12, 2016
Meet The Maker: Kimberly Frey of Happy Land Handmade

I started Happy Land Handmade in 2010 to put a name to what I do, which is crafting art objects, wearables, home goods and pottery out of ceramics. My husband and I derived the name from the title of a 19th century Scottish hymn as a ode to our faith. It seemed fitting to touch that vein as an identity piece because I find that the identity of an artist illuminates the work that we make. The pretzel happens to be a symbol I use which touches this vein too. The history of this beloved food is that it was conceived by Italian nuns and labeled as the “trinity loaf.” Besides my faith identity, it represents my heritage as the great great grand daughter of an Italian immigrant who ventured to establish himself as an American citizen and pretzel shop owner on 2nd street in Philadelphia.

I studied fashion design at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia before transferring to Tyler School of Art for crafts and ceramics. I still pull influence from my time in fashion school into my ceramic work. I am inspired to create wearable porcelain jewelry as well as styling and photographing my own photoshoots of people I meet in my own life. I absolutely love the process of creating my own photos of my work. It enables me to have full control over the marketing aspect. I also take it as an opportunity to make art in another medium; photography. So I’m not just interested in photographing a ceramic pot on a gradient background, but more about creating an interactive environment for my work and then photographing that. Though I’m mostly self taught, I truly am a novice of many art forms and am nearly always, unapologetically seeking out another opportunity to try my hand in something new.

I work at my home studio in Happy Valley Pennsylvania which is completely perfect for me. I am an artist mother and being in the home while I practice my craft is essential for this season of life. I am able to seamlessly float between domestic and motherly duties back to the ebb and flow of the ceramic process; one that is both meditative and ever undulating. I work with various ceramic processes such as hand building, throwing, mold making and slip casting. My recent work is inspired by various fashion trends, food, color and material. Honestly, I am an alchemist at heart so this medium a lot of times, informs itself. I will both interpret color and texture from real life into my work or uncover color and texture in my work and expound on it. I see mastering ceramics as a life time of testing and follow through. Each body of work that I make uncovers new insights on the endless possibilities of material, color and form. It’s really fun; at least when things don’t go disastrously wrong, which, any ceramist knows to always account for waste.

I am learning to be business minded as Happy Land debuts this July for its first real deal craft event. I am excited to bring well made and designed, affordable ceramics to the market place and to meet you and the other makers. And of course, to enjoy the sun and surf, which is where I would live permanently if I could! Till then, take care and see you soon.

Find Happy Land Handmade Online and at our Upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park, NJ on July 30th and 31st.

July 5, 2016