Tag: philadelphia

Meet the Maker: Heidi Shenk/Row House 14

Words and Photos by Heidi Shenk

I’m Heidi, the owner and designer of Row House 14, an indie stationery and paper goods company. I’m a small town Indiana girl that made her way to Baltimore somehow and became a teacher. On the days I felt burned out in the classroom, I turned to art as a creative outlet. The final products– cards and stationery.

Six years later, I moved on from the classroom to design and make cards full time from my home studio in my historic Baltimore row house. I never thought that something I did to keep a creative energy going would turn into my job, but I am always excited for a new adventure in life and haven’t looked back since.

My inspiration comes from daily life, so many of my cards embrace the humor in every day life. I enjoy writing the cards just as much as I like to design them. I pair bold and bright colors with recognizable images to create designs that are relatable. If I can make someone laugh or smile or just make someone’s day a little better, then I think my ultimate goal has been accomplished.

I love experimenting with the final product as well. Some of my cards are bolder and brighter in design and finished digitally. Others, I print myself using a letterpress printing press. Each medium offers its own creative challenges and pushes me to hone my craft and think outside the box.

Aside from greeting cards, I offer other stationery goods such as note cards, notepads, and pencils. The pencils are all individually hand imprinted with a vintage Kingsley press– a piece of history in itself. The process is one that I enjoy immensely and is truly a labor of love.

Working with my hands is incredibly fulfilling for me. I also find importance in using recycled and sustainable paper and products for the end results in my shop. I want my business to not only bring happiness to others, but to be an extension of my own lifestyle from the day to day, so that includes being environmentally conscious while still providing an incredibly high quality product, as well as finding joy in what I do in the day to day.

Through Row House 14, I hope to offer witty, stylish, and ridiculously hilarious stationery goods.
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Thanks for sharing Heidi! Visit Row House 14 at our May 7th + 8th Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza, Booth #86 (along the Walnut Plaza).
http://www.rowhouse14.com/

April 12, 2016
Upcoming Exhibition “After The Flood” by Faryn Davis of Fernworks

CHECK OUT ALL THE WORK HERE

We are so pumped to announce our next exhibition with the incredibly talented Faryn Davis of Fernworks. We have been carrying her line of jewelry at Art Star for years now (you can see it here), but what you might not know is that Faryn also creates dreamy painted landscapes to adorn your walls! I am in complete awe of the 3 dimensional worlds that she creates with her unique technique of layering painted resin.

Her very first solo show at Art Star will features a brand new collection of resin paintings. The show is titled “After the Flood” and will be up from March 19th – May 15th. We will be hosting an opening reception on Saturday, March 19th, from 6-8pm. Come get a first look at the work and share a drink or two with us!

Faryn Davis creates mixed media paintings and a line of jewelry, under the name Fernworks, which combines hand painted scenes and found natural ephemera into layers of polished resin. Each piece is painted with toothpicks and tiny brushes, embedded in multiple layers of resin, then cut and polished into delicate, dreamlike 3-D landscapes populated by plants, birds, bears, foxes and other woodland creatures.

Growing up in Waynesville, N.C, the artist spent many afternoons gathering and collecting items on the family farm. She’d pick up and preserve bird nests, feathers, interesting clumps of dirt, moss, leaves, bones, fur, twigs, bugs, and other tiny things. Her paintings and line of jewelry reflect this lifelong passion and tradition.

Her first solo exhibition at Art Star will include a new body of resin paintings. The artist states, “These new resin paintings reflect a lifelong exploration of the natural world, the land, and how each tiny self finds its place in it all. After the Flood is an allegory of the land and its diverse beings emerging after a metaphorical flood or shift. Many of these pieces quietly reflect restoration and new beginnings; how new land rises to meet us after old things have been washed away.”

Faryn Davis studied at North Carolina School of the Arts, in France, Italy, and Nepal, and received a BFA degree in sculpture at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2000. You can find her work in stores and galleries throughout the US and abroad, as well as at various art and craft shows like the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philly, The Renegade Craft Fairs in Chicago, Brooklyn, Austin, San Francisco and Los Angeles, The Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle, and many others. She now lives in Asheville, NC with her husband Eli and their 6 year old son Milo Gray after an 8 year hiatus in the Pacific Norweast. She creates art full time in a modified 8’x8’ garden hut in her backyard.

Get a sneak peek at her studio and process here
go visit her website here

February 15, 2016
Art Star Gift Guide: $25 and Under

Hi there! This is Megan, Co-Owner of Art Star. We’ve got so many great gifts to give this holiday season.You can shop for everyone on your list without breaking the bank. All of these items are quality, made in the USA goods that you won’t find in a big box store. You will feel good giving these thoughtful, unique gifts that support US independent artists, as well as our small business! So without further ado, here are my favorite gifts this season that are all $25 and under! (pssst, there is still time to buy online, as long as you live within the US! All our items ship out Priority 2-3 day and we ship out the day after you order!)

“Keep Going” digital print by Mai Autumn, 8×10″, $20, BUY NOW
I am impressed with anyone who can work in watercolors, b/c I am terrible at it. Mai Autum is a master and her delicate floral prints are some of my favorites in the shop. I love this simple thought – “Keep Going”. It is important daily rememinder and a lovely gift for any friend of family member.

Leather Star Key Rings by Mason Made, $15 each BUY NOW
Both guys and gals will love these simple leather key rings. Features a little snap on the end so you can hook it on your belt buckle or on a bag. I really love the contrasting thread detailing and I’m a sucker for anything with a star on it.

Bitch Please Bowl by Stanley Chester and Albert, $20 BUY NOW
I’m sorry to say, but this phrase runs through my head often. Get it for one of your snarkier friends. They can use it as a jewelry dish or for dips or a scoop of ice cream. Or they can just use it as a catch all. A daily reminder not to take things too seriously.

Made by Unicorns Woven Labels by Sublime Stitching, $4.50 BUY NOW
These are great for for all the makers in your life. Not to mention it is by one of my favorite lady crafters of all times – Miss Jenny Hart! Each pack includes 4 sew in labels.

Love Ornament by Mason Made, $10 BUY NOW
These babies have been wildly popular in our shop this season. You can really get one for any Philadelphian and we’ll dig it. Makes a great stocking stuffer, gift for a co-worker, or tie it to the top of a wrapped gift as a nice little extra something!

Felt Crowns by Opposite of Far, $24 BUY NOW
For the litte king or queen in your life! I love all products by Opposite of Far b/c they encourage imaginative play and are so very well made. These fit kiddos aged 3-5.

Sapele Turner by E&D Goods, $25 BUY NOW
Lovingly handmade from Sapele wood. These turners would be great for any aspiring chefs or home cooks in your life.

2016 Wall Calendar by Laura George, $25 BUY NOW
Laura George is one of my most favorite illustrators. I love the humor that she imbues into her work. She is my kind of lady! This calendar basically gets you 12 awesome pieces of art b/c it is designed so you can cut them out and frame each one when the year is through.

Enamel Pins by Yardsale Press, $8 each BUY NOW
I am so happy enamel pins are making a come back and equally as excited to see Yardsale Press come out with a line. Choose from a bunch of designs!

Package of 8 Recipe Cards by Wild Hart Paper Co., $12 BUY NOW
I love all of Wild Hart’s designs and these recipe cards are no exception. I think it would be really cute to fill each one out with 8 of your own signature recipes and give to a friend that just got married or bought a new house. Those personal touches are the best this time of year.

Bottle Openers by Woodshop Dropout $25 BUY NOW
These bottle openers work amazingly well. There is a magnet on each side – one to catch your bottle cap and another to attach to your fridge. I have gotten these for every dude in my life and they all love them. Great gift for dad or the bros. Of course, ladies would like this too. But guys are so hard to shop for!!

And that ends my first Gift Guide of the Season. I’ll try to post a few more before the holidays. Go here to shop the full range of products that we offer. Happy Holidays!

xo,
Megan

December 15, 2015
Meet the Maker: Indigo Marie Illustration

by Indigo Marie Illustration

Hello there! I am an illustrator & soft sculpture maker residing in Baltimore, Maryland. I have a strange fascination with hairless kittens, tea, & otherworldly splendor. I am a collector of old, weathered textiles, driftwood scraps, & anything with a story that’s since been neglected.

As a young child I was most often found hunched in the branches of the old apple tree in my backyard illustrating & writing books. Not much has changed since then. As a fresh graduate from Maryland Institute College of Art with my BFA I’m slowly starting to carve away my artistic path.

I love working in a variety of mediums however my primary mediums include ballpoint pen & acrylic paint for my 2D illustrations. For my sculptural work I use polymer clay glazed with acrylic paint and fibers for their soft bodies. Being a maker allows for a very magical opportunity to inject art into peoples everyday lives with it being serendipitous and affordable. This is the reason why I delight so much in making my strange little, dusty creatures. They look as if they have arrived on a ship from a different world, a charming nostalgic treasure hidden on a book self end or crevice of someone’s sacred space. I delight in creating these odd treasures that people tend to double take to fully soak in.

All I ever hope to achieve with my works is to inspire people & get them out of their heads to reconnect with the pure wonder of imagination and the feeling of being 5 years old again, uninhibited by worry. I use nature as a primary muse to my works as well as my love for soaking in different people essences and injecting them into my characters.

I currently sell work in local artisan shop Strongbox and at scattered pop up markets around Baltimore. I enjoy doing commissions for people. I find a lot of pleasure in getting told what to create from other people’s worlds and hopefully superseding their expectations. The unexpected collaboration between the artist and the client is oddly beautiful to me. After the chaos of the holidays are over I will be helping illustrate a book for a dear friend which I’m very excited to dig into and have high hopes for.

This is my first time vending at the Art Star Craft Bazaar and I could not be more excited. Please take a gander at booth #36. I look forward to meeting all of you!

Visit Indigo Marie Illustration on her website

November 5, 2015
Meet The Maker: Lital Gold

Hello! My name is Lital. I’m a print designer and illustrator. I was born and raised in Israel. As a kid, I used to spend time at my dad’s studio (he is a graphic designer). I was always drawn to the art books, catalogs and design magazines that he had in his library. He had exciting things in his studio, like a Pantone fan and boxes filled with colors, paints and different kinds of papers; it was like heaven for me. I used to sit there all day during summer break and draw with him. This is where my love for painting came from. Watching my dad really inspired me to have a design studio when I grow up and that’s exactly what happened.

My trip to India before college inspired me to study textile design and major in print. I was looking to study something creative that contains a little bit of everything – art, fashion, graphic design and pattern design. I wanted to keep painting, but put the skill into something more practical and this is how I found textile design. After graduating, I had two different options. I got accepted to an internship at DVF in NYC but was also offered a job at the Free People studio in Philadelphia. I chose Philly and this is how I came to the USA. I worked at the FP studio for two years, creating original artworks and patterns.

These days I work from my studio, collaborating with different brands and working as a print/cad designer. I also work on my own line of clothing that will be launched in spring 2016.

My work is inspired from the organic motif of nature, animals and different cultural patterns from around the world.

My favorite mediums to work with are ink and watercolors and I paint all of my patterns and artworks by hand, with an intuitive and tactile approach. I love it when colors look happy and vibrant and I always make sure to have this in my work. I usually start from collecting some inspiration according to the subject I’m exploring. After I have a good amount of reference (pictures, prints, fabric swatches) I start to paint. I also work with books and nature magazines, when I paint animals, especially birds!

Hope to see you at the Fall Art Star Craft Bazaar, I will be selling holiday goods, wall art prints, greeting cards and more! Come say hi!

and Visit Lital Gold’s Website year round!

October 29, 2015
Meet the Maker: Kerry + Neil Stavely of Horse and Hare

Horse and Hare are me, Kerry Stavely, and my husband Neil Stavely. We started working under this name in 2008 when we opened our Etsy shop, pulling it from our Chinese Zodiac signs. I am the Horse and Neil is the Hare.

Neil and I met in Memphis, Tennessee while attending art school in the late nineties and have basically been together ever since. We later moved to Winchester, Virginia where we continue to work and live to this day. We do our work mostly out of our home but also have a gallery/handmade retail store here called Tin Top which serves as a home base for us to showcase our work as well as the work of other artists and crafters from around the U.S. We have some studio space there as well and our beloved letterpress lives there too.

Although our work is rooted in linoleum and wood block printing, neither of us focused on the medium very much in school; we came to it as a way to work on smaller projects that we could easily pick up or put away when our daughter was young. We started off just doing linocut prints but it grew from there and has since evolved; exploiting the medium in more experimental and playful ways, creating mixed media works and semi-sculptural assemblages and carved paintings. Now we do everything from commissioned design work, to our own prints, wearables and home goods to one of a kind fine art pieces.

The subjects of our are work are pulled from history, literature, occult/spiritual symbolism and iconography, and the natural world. We like to blur the line between art vs. craft, low brow vs. high brow. Despite the diversity of content, the work is tied together stylistically which primarily comes from the block printing medium but also from our approach.

A lot of people ask us if we work collaboratively on pieces. Usually we do not. Although we think of ourselves as team, our collaborative process is mainly on the conceptual level, whether it’s bouncing ideas off each other or giving each other constructive criticism. On occasion we might work on the same piece but it’s pretty rare – we both have a hard time relinquishing that control!Again our work is tied together due to the nature of the medium but our styles are pretty different. Neil’s work tends to be more controlled and illustrative whereas my work is rougher and more expressionistic. All in all though, I think we work pretty well together!

Neil and I, on average, only do a couple art fairs a year. This will be our first adventure to Art Star and Philadelphia together, we are really excited about it!

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Find Horse and Hare at our Upcoming Fall Art Star Craft Bazaar on Nov. 7th + 8th. or visit their website here

October 20, 2015
Upcoming Artist Opportunities

Genevieve Geer of Le Puppet Regime at our Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar. Photo by Chris Kendig

Thank you so much to everyone that came out to our 12th Annual Art Star Craft Bazaar on May 9th + 10th. It was one of our busiest years yet – over 15k people came out to buy handmade this past year! If you did not make it to our show, please visit our vendor line-up page or stop by our store to shop our vendors!

We have just a few (winks) events coming up! AND many opportunities for Artists and Crafters who are looking to vend.

Art Star Craft Bazaar at Asbury Park, NJ – July 25th + 26th Details HERE

Art Star Pop Up Market at Spruce Street Harbor Park. Every Saturday through September 26th from 11-4pm. NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Art Star Pop Up Market at 2nd Street Festival. August 2nd, 12-8pm. NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

You can find info and applications for ALL OF OUR UPCOMING SHOWS now at www.artstarcraftbazaar.com This includes our Pop Up Markets

AND Please check out all the beautiful photos taken by Chris Kendig at our May 9th + 10th Bazaar here.

12th Annual Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar

More Artist Opportunities in Philadelphia via some of our friends (all now accepting applications):
Art Market At Tyler School of Art
Bang!Boom!Craft fair
Art For The Cash Poor HURRY! Only a few spaces left!!

May 26, 2015
Meet New ASCB Vendor Aaron Powers of New Antlers Illustration

Thanks to both of my parents, I was born as someone with a compulsion in his blood to visually describe the world to others. There was always a story to tell in a meticulously rendered portrait or a quick accidental brush stroke resembling something familiar.

Playing to my strengths, I was focused by my teachers and honed by my years at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s illustration department. After college and the requisite years that a twenty-something guy spends in a van playing music with his friends, a series of events pointed me towards a job in New York City that evolved over years into a position at a better known apparel catalog as a head fashion photo retoucher/compositor. Though grateful for the experience over those years, there came a point where I realized I needed to spend the majority of my time creating rather than concealing. Although it was mildly rewarding to have a god-like command over reality through Photoshop, it felt unnatural to be largely defined by covering the tracks of others so that it seemed as if no work needed to be done in the first place.

Every night I would come home and scrub dried up pixels from my hands and try to squeeze a few minutes of drawing in before sleep takes over and the alarm resets the day. So when the corporate belts started tightening and heads needed to roll, I opted for the fresh air of Central Massachusetts so someone else could have my desk instead of an unemployment check.

It’s been an exciting year since then, from teaching myself the craft of screen printing to publicly displaying my work for the first time. The din of a midtown office has been replaced by the sounds of migrating birds and the echoes of my past professors/peers while considering my compositions.

In addition to my personal work, there have been the opportunities to produce hand-printed gig posters, music packaging, greeting cards, and entire suites of custom wedding invitations as well as the chance to teach youth printing workshops.

I find inspiration in old friends and new strangers, and in the varying levels of connections we all have with nature, technology and each other. These prints are a blend of vectors and gestures, flora and fauna, and the coping with (and preparing for) equal parts of both happiness and loss. Even though my back is sore and the hours are long, it’s now ink I’m washing off my hands every night and it still feels like I’m getting away with something. Thank you for taking a moment to visit the Art Star blog and I look forward to meeting passers-by at the New Antlers booth #54 at this weekend’s Art Star Craft Bazaar.

May 8, 2015
Meet New ASCB Vendor sPACYcLOUD!

sPACYcLOUd was born in DC, from the mind of designer Tatiana Kolina (AKA Tati) with a focus towards the sui generis spirit that lives in all of us. The ethical core of sPACYcLOUd is built on self expression, love, and positivity. Its visual aesthetic breathes from the world of break dancers, hip hop artists, street artists, skaters, and motorcycle riders. Those whose wardrobe exists in a state of counter-culture, carving through life to the rhythm of their own choosing. sPACYcLOUd reflects political and social currents though clothing, artwork, and attitude.

sPACYcLOUd ‘s jackets are made of custom printed fabric using Tati’s and other artists’ art work. From the choice of commonly overlooked fabrics to the colorfully designed prints displayed on each garment, sPACYcLOUd is a social rebellion of creativity. sPACYcLOUd life and street styles are imbued with movement: biking, skating, evolving, but also creative, rebellious, musical and artistic lifestyles.

Leftover jacket fabrics are used for patches on T-Shirts, string bags, hoodies patches, skirts, and other apparel. No fabric is being wasted. Tati is also using a screen printing technique to design her own collection of skateboards and mini cruisers.

Tati’s journey is a testament to her spirit. Born in the Soviet Union, she was without a mother and father after age 7, she grew up with her grandmother, often times taking care of herself. While a teenager, she joined a number of tusovkas (street groups) to survive. The group which affected her life the most was “farsovshiki.” It was a group of kids, the first wave of black marketers in Soviet Union, who ran around big cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev, Tallinn, etc.) and traded Levi’s jeans, t-shirts, gum, etc. for matreshkas, black caviar, and KGB paraphernalia with American tourists. Doing her best to avoid the attention of undercover militia and the street mafia, Tati spent time in Russian jail several times for possession of foreign currency and talking to foreigners.

In the Summer of 1990, her life changed dramatically. Meeting an American family in St. Petersburg, she sold them two lacquer boxes with Russian fairy tales depicted on them. Touched, they took her contact information, later sending her an invitation to come to the US. It took some time and convincing before she made one of the biggest decisions of her life.

In January of 1991, she landed in San Francisco with no money, a tiny backpack, and a present for her new family, a cuckoo clock. More important than the room and board she received was the love and support, that echoes in her spirit to this day. One day Tati was moved to ask her host father, “How can I ever pay back for all you have done for me?” His answer was simple, “You pay back by helping others when you have an opportunity.”

The sPACYcLOUd family has been proud to have organized and participated in a number of events and groups that share a spirit of creativity and alacrity. Always with an eye to the future, sPACYcLOUd moves to involve and inspire the younger generation through surf and snowboarding camps, longboarding rides, internships, and skate events. From celebrating local heroes like Maryland Stunt Rider Alonzo and local DC Skater Angelina to BBoy Atomic Goofball, sPACYcLOUd moves to reflect what’s happening now.

Tati launched Skate Girls Tribe after being inspired by Skatistan, realizing that skateboarding, and action sports overall, can be used to build communities and help building confidence in girls, free from the limitations society tries to hinder them with.

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Thank you Tati for sharing your incredible story with us! Shop her collection online here and visit her in booth #50 at this weekend’s Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza!

May 6, 2015
Meet New ASCB Vendor, S. Casey of Desarc by Susan Casey!

I am so happy to introduce Desarc, and myself to the Art Star Craft Bazaar this year. I’ll be offering jewelry, accent lights, and decorative mirrors for sale. My objective as a designer-maker is to produce useful objects that are attractive, meaningful, and well-made.

I earned my BFA from the Tyler School of Art in 2010, with a concentration in jewelry and metals. The variety of ways I learned to work metal gave me the flexibility to explore object design and craft in many directions. Making functional objects like jewelry gives me a sense of purpose when making creative decisions. I love how jewelry intrinsically deals with concepts of identity. My current line, Resist, is an expression of personal introspection. The balance between the bold and the delicate elements in the collection celebrates feminine strength in an industrial aesthetic.

In addition to jewelry, I have fallen in love with making objects for living spaces. I created the Echoes line of light fixtures (and now mirrors!) years after a summer trip to England where I saw Stonehenge and many other ancient artifacts in London’s museums. Being close to the large monuments, watching the shadow play in and off the slabs of rock, and knowing our ancestors were so compelled to respond to their world, made me feel connected with humanity and craftsmanship in a new way. The Echoes collection is my homage to mankind’s commitment to shape our world like a river though rock.

I cannot wait to see you all on Saturday and Sunday to show you more of my work, but until then you can see behind the scenes photos of my progress on Instagram @desarcbysc or on my Facebook page Desarc by Susan Casey. I also have other lines and more photos of these collections on my website: desarc.carbonmade.com.

Come check me out at booth #69!

May 4, 2015