Featured Artist: Heather Keew

Time for another sneak peek! This time from one of our fiber artists, Heather Keew. Heather specializes in creating nature inspired pieces from felt and stitching. I love her work for its creative twist on plants, trees, and landscapes. Her pieces have such an ethereal quality to them, and the whimsy of it all just makes me want to collect each piece. (I am lucky enough to already own one.) Come see Heather's work in person! You'll love it as much as I do.

Featured Artist: desoria design jewelry

Olivia DeSoria's pieces are a fresh take on handmade metal jewelry. Inspired by nature and travel, Olivia designs her necklaces and earrings to reflect the beauty she's found around her. All of her pieces are cut and assembled by hand. The clean lines and quirky designs make her jewelry perfect for any look or occasion. To see more of her work, check out her Etsy shop.

Featured Artist: Hawks and Doves

One of the great themes of the indie craft movement is repurposing. Whether the objects be vintage finds or things headed for the trash, indie artists can find a beautiful use for them. Jessica Reed, the artist behind the Hawks and Doves shop, does just that. She finds vintage feed sacks and turns them into these fabulous pillows. Every feed sack has a story, and Jessica preserves that story through her amazing work. I can't wait to see these in person!

Featured Artist: Emily Jeffords

Emily Jeffords, one of our 2-D participants, has her hands full as a wife, mother, and full time artist/designer. But she still manages to produce really beautiful, fresh work inspired by life's travel and experiences. Adept in many mediums, Emily will be bringing paintings, collages, and unique jewelry pieces to Indie Craft Parade...in just a couple of weeks! I can't wait to see these in person.

Emily also has a fantastic blog. If you want to know more about her work and inspiration, check out Beautiful Hello.

Featured Artist: Spectrum Jewelry

Julia Riffel has been a vendor at Indie Craft Parade in previous years. But she's bringing a brand new line of jewelry to this year's event. Within the past few months, Julia began playing wood shapes, and soon after, Spectrum Jewelry came into existence. Her beautiful geometric inspired pieces are sure to make a stand out presence at Indie Craft Parade. To check out more of Julia's work, see her blog: Life without Television.

Featured Artist: Jeanette Zeis Ceramics

I'm so happy to be sharing the work of Jeanette Zeis Ceramics with you today! Her work is amazing, and I'm so excited to add this brand new vendor to Indie Craft Parade this year. Jeanette has created a fresh line of functional ceramics from her Atlanta based studio. These whimsical pieces from cake stands to berry bowls to salt cellars and more are going could look incredible in any kitchen. To see more check out her Etsy shop. She also does custom work such as personalized items and registries. Can't wait to see these in person!

Featured Artists: Ink Meets Paper & Sparrow Nest Script

Now that we've posted this year's official vendor list, we get to do something fun--give you a sneak peek of what kind of goods will be available at the 2012 Indie Craft Parade. Each week from now until the festival, we'll be featuring a smattering of artists from each of our 6 categories. So be sure to keep checking in to not miss anything! Today we're featuring two artists who will be selling paper goods--specifically cards and other stationary. Emily of Sparrow Nest Script creates beautiful, hand-lettered cards. These are absolutely amazing! I cannot wait to see this beautiful calligraphy work in person.

Then I also want to introduce you to Ink Meets Paper. They're husband and wife team Daniel and Allison, and they have a letterpress studio that's brand new to Indie Craft Parade this year. They have a great website where you can not only buy their paper goods but also you can see a little bit about their process. Check out the video below! If you're not very familiar with letterpress, this is a great clip to learn a little more.

http://vimeo.com/44220265

We're getting so excited about this show! Can't wait to share more vendors with you next week.

Applications: Stand out from the crowd

Photo: Finkelstein's Center

Each year, more talented artists are competing for the same number of Indie Craft Parade spots. The jury may change each year, but what they're looking for doesn't. As you prepare your applications, we wanted to share a few tips that could help you stand out from the crowd.

We state that work will be selected based on how well it aligns with the vision of Indie Craft Parade, as well as its: · originality · quality · uniqueness · innovation

Here are a few ways you can showcase your strengths in these areas with your application.

Photography: This the primary method jury members use to determine the quality of your work. Last year, we did a short series about ways to improve your product photography. If you feel that your photos don't portray your work accurately, brush up on these basics or ask for tips from someone you know who takes great photos.

Some other ways to ensure your photos show off your work:

Show more than one product. Photo: Merciful Hearts Farm

Use a neutral background. Photo: Rachel Feece Pottery

Give your product context. Photo: Pogoshop

Or let it have the spotlight. Photo: Lily PotteryThe vision of Indie Craft Parade: We are looking for the highest quality handmade goods in the realm of modern craft. The emphasis is on quality and modern. Experience and background aren't a deciding factor; if you create the most amazing handcrafted work, we don't care if you’ve been doing it for 30 years or 3 months, we want to see it! This isn't your grandma's church bazaar, not a place where you'll find "country crafts" or monogrammed tupperware. We feature modern craft; high quality work with a fresh and unique spin.

Also, as a sidenote, if you typically participate in art shows, you already know you'll want to have a varied price range, with plenty of items that can be sold at an affordable price point. One of Indie Craft Parade's goals is to make art more accessible, which means the average price of goods sold at our festival maybe lower than other Fine Art shows. No matter how well made your items are, remember they need to be a good fit for the audience. That doesn't mean that all your products should be $20 or under, but just be aware that for our show, the more affordable items sell better. So bring those beautiful big ceramic vases or original framed paintings, but also have plenty of mugs or prints that are offered at a lower price point.

6149354668_e143ef7f1a

2011 Booth: Illyria Pottery

Originality, Uniqueness and Innovation: You want your work to stand out from other applications, especially if you're entering a competitive category like To Wear. Our best advice is to show the jury something they haven't seen before. An item made with an unexpected material or color is going to catch the jury's eye a lot quicker than something they've seen a hundred times before. Also, our jury loves seeing a fresh, modern take on a traditional craft... like a dip-dyed woven basket or a carved wooden pedestal with clean lines.

If you're afraid your product may get overlooked, consider other ways you can innovate, maybe with interesting packaging. Branding is something our jury considers, so a well-designed logo and packaging will certainly work in your favor.

Photo: Sweeteeth

Quality: The jury is looking for signs of craftsmanship, so if an application is completed haphazardly — the description unclear or photos out of focus — this reflects poorly on your work. Take an extra minute to re-read what you've written and make sure you submitted the best photos. This extra attention will convey that you care about what you do.

If you have tiny details that can be missed from far away, consider using one of your images for a close up shot that will show off your skills.

Photo: Royal Buffet

We hope these tips help you put your best foot forward, and we can't wait to see all the submissions! You can apply online through June 24.

Are you an experienced exhibitor? Share your tips with us in the comment section!

What are you working on? Local Art and Craft.

We've seen a lot of crafty goodness recently--from people's personal projects to local craft nights to official art shows. We love being a part of this brilliant community, and I've got some fun pictures to share from some recent events. First a round of photos from last weekend at Craft Bar Happy Weekend--the show in Columbia. We had a great time reconnecting with some of the vendors who participated in the 2011 Indie Craft Parade.

Rachel Feece pottery

Shed Labs prints

Owlette Collective children's accessories

Fox to the Opera fabric jewelry

17 Dove Street jewelry

Marisol Spoon fine art

Second, I wanted to show some pictures of the fabric jewelry making class held at Even A Sparrow. Such a fun night!!

The group learning to make yo-yos.

The adorable Anya, showing off her fabric rings and pin.

If you're getting your craft on, we want to know about it! Email pictures to jen@indiecraftparade.com. Or better yet, submit an application to be a vendor at the 2012 Indie Craft Parade!

Meet our Jury: Doug Young

Today, I'm happy to introduce the third member of our jury, Doug Young. He has been an artist for nearly thirty years, with sculpture as his primary medium. His work is quite recognizable in Greenville. He's best known for sculpting Shoeless Joe Jackson, located in Greenville, South Carolina. As a member of the Metropolitan Arts Council, Doug plays quite the leadership role in the Greenville art scene. He is also on the advisory board for Upstate Visual Arts, as well as the Pendleton Street Arts District Business Association and Indie Craft Parade. His work is on display in his studio as well as in private collections around South Carolina.

Indie Craft Parade: Have you always been a sculptor, or did you start in another medium?

Doug: I’ve always been interested in sculpting, but I didn’t really get consumed with it until 7 or 8 years after college. I took a night class at a community college in North Carolina and “caught the bug.”

Indie Craft Parade: You've been active in the Greenville art scene for a number of years. What kind of changes have you witnessed over the years? Is there a direction that you would like art in our city to take?

Doug: I've seen Greenville develop an appreciation for the arts that makes artists, from other places, very envious. Maybe, in the future, we could start an "art community center" (sort of like the YMCA) where artist could go and work-out.

Indie Craft Parade: Your sculptures have become quite iconic in the Greenville area--particularly Shoeless Joe Jackson. Are you currently working anything that you're particularly excited about?

Doug: I've been working on a sculpture commemorating the start of the first settlement school. It represents a teacher giving a book to a student and will be installed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Having been a teacher, I'm really excited to be part of this project.

Meet our 2012 Jury: Barb Blair

I'm very excited to be introducing Barb Blair--another member of our esteemed jury. Barb has made quite the name for herself with her one-of-a-kind furniture pieces. As the artist behind Knack Studio, Barb manages to turn passed over chairs, headboards, and chest of drawers into unique works of beauty. And her talent has been noticed by movers and shakers in the industry. She has been a guest contributor to notable publications such as Design*Sponge, and she's even becoming a published author herself. To get a personal look at Barb's fabulous work, you can check out her studio on Pendleton Street in Greenville or at the lovely Antiques on Augusta shop, also in Greenville.

Indie Craft Parade: Your business has expanded quite a bit in the last year, and your upcoming book is incredibly exciting. What can readers expect to find in the new book?

Barb:The book will be chock full of furniture tutorials, makeovers, and beautiful photographs that will get you motivated and inspired to create.

Indie Craft Parade: I know you find your diamond in the rough furniture from all sorts of places. There's potential everywhere from estate sales to junk heaps. In the past year, what has been your most interesting (or favorite) find? Anything with an unusual story?

Barb:I think one of my favorite finds this year was a sweet little nightstand that I purchased at an estate sale. When I started to clean it out and prep it for painting , I discovered that the drawer was full of hand written poetry. I ended up permanently lining the drawer of the piece with some of the poems and named the piece after the author....whose name was "miss Jenkins".

Indie Craft Parade: You've been working in furniture restoration for a number of years, yet your pieces continue to be fresh and inspiring. How do you manage it?

Barb:Thank you so much! Sometimes it is hard to "feel" creative and invent new designs on a regular basis, but I always try to keep things fresh by traveling, taking photographs, pinterest, magazines, and nature. I find that just day to day living inspires me to create, and that inspiration is around me at all times whether it is a fallen leaf, an outfit that my daughter puts together, a pretty plate of food, or a piece of art. Being creative to me is about being able to create even when you don't "feel" like it.

Meet our 2012 jury: Teresa Roche

We have just over 2 weeks until Indie Craft Parade applications open. We're so incredibly excited to see the new talent that comes our way. We're also excited about our fabulous jury that helps us bring to our event the very best of the applicants. And we love introducing them to you. All of our jurors have made an impact on the Greenville art scene and continue to shape and develop it. Our first juror is also an Indie Craft Parade board member. Teresa Roche, the manager of Art and Light gallery, is often at the center for Greenville’s artist community. Besides the numerous tasks that come with running a chic art boutique that boasts some of the best finds in town, Teresa manages to produce her own work. She’s best known for her whimsical mixed media pieces. Next chance you get, visit her gallery in the Pendleton Arts District. You won’t be disappointed.

Indie Craft Parade: What kind of projects currently occupy your time?

Teresa:I am so excited to say that at the end of the summer  I am moving my gallery to a new location - open 6 days a week (#2 Aberdeen Drive off Augusta Rd). In the new gallery I will be curating seasonal openings with four collections a year to include my own mixed media art, as well as some exciting new and "old" furniture and lighting. I will continue to feature many of the same resident artists that I currently feature, but will have a more finely curated collection. A new website/blog is in the works as well!

Indie Craft Parade: Art and Light is famous for hosting trunk shows or events-- such as the mini book collective--that are lot of fun and totally unique. Are you planning any new or different type of events we should expect in the future?

Teresa: Absolutely! An art exhibit combined with a book signing (the art inspired the writer) -- and of course these two talented female artists are from Greenville and two very special people in my life - excitement ahead and more details coming soon! And oh, Sarah Mandell, Once Again Sam is working on a felt installation for the new gallery's grand opening - can't wait for everyone to see!

Indie Craft Parade:In managing you own gallery, you have many opportunities to rub shoulders with many types of artists. Have you learned any great tips or advice that you'd share with artists or crafters who are just getting started?

Teresa: I have learned so much in my career and especially from the artists I have been so fortunate to meet and get to know.  I think the advice is simple - First, start with a business and marketing plan - execute that plan but have enough flexibility that you can respond to changes at any given time. It's not enough to be a great artist or crafter, Business basics are extremely important.  Second, always be a "Love Cat", a term coined in the book, Love is the Killer App by  Tim Sanders. It is the business book that I live by. Embrace your business partners, and remember the value of relationships - sharing your intangibles. Your biz partners are each and every person in your work life. As Tim says, "share your knowledge, your network and your compassion."  Third, have a strong work ethic. I can't say enough about how important that is. And last, create a buzz about your work!

Etsy Treasury of Mother's Day Gifts

There's a week and a half before Mother's Day, which means you still have time to buy presents. Seriously, this year skip the teapots and flowers (unless they're orchids), and make sure she knows how much you love her with a fabulous handmade gift. To give you some inspiration, we've put together this Etsy Treasury, featuring local and regional artists. The list includes cards, jewelry, even a DIY book for all the crafty mamas out there. But if this list doesn't fit your fancy, many of the other treasuries for Mother's Day have great ideas you'll want to check out. Mom's are awesome, and they deserve the (handmade) best.

Mini Book Collective Recap

We've mentioned before the Mini Book Collective that's been on display at Art and Light for most of the month April. Well, if you haven't seen it, there's just a few more days left in the month for you to swing by. Besides the Collective on display, the rest of the gallery is curated with everything made from paper and books. Entry way to Art and Light Gallery where it's books, book, books.

Display of Greenville themed books. Jason Wagoner, Christin O'Bryan and Rachael Madeline have new work including lots of handmade journals. The pieces are quite beautiful.

Teresa Roche also has a new collection of mixed media pieces using book jackets. The pages of the books were folded into creative mobiles shown below.

Only a few more days to see these. It's worth the trip!

What are you working on? Art and Craft in Greenville.

I've got some cute handmade goodness to share with you today. More submissions from around Greenville! We have such an awesome crafty community. If you have a craft or art pieces you want to share, please email photos and stories to

jen@indiecraftparade.com

.

First these adorable applique baby tees from Annabelle Carter from

Humdiddly Blog

. She makes them for her boys and also sells them on her Etsy shop.

Owl appliques for both boys and girls.

I love the giraffe!

Second, I want to share these refinished furniture goods from Shan Grech. This London born girl now lives in Greenville, and as a hobby she refinishes cast off furniture with the oh-so-popular chalk paint.

She gives second hand uglies, like this, a fresh life, like these below.

If you want to see more of her work, she has some on display at

Even A Sparrow Boutique

.

Studio Tour: Quill and Arrow Press

We love getting updates on the success of Indie Craft Parade participants, so we can't wait to tell you about Beth Schaible who owns Quill and Arrow Press. She's an incredibly talented letterpress artist, and she's recently moved into a new studio. Beth was kind enough to share her move with us, so we asked her to tell us a little more about the move and about her work as a letterpress artist.

Indie Craft:  How did you get interested in letterpress? When did you start doing it professionally? Beth: I got interested in letterpress when I was in college. As a graphic design major I felt like I needed to spend more time working with my hands. I completed a two year fellowship at the Penland School of Crafts where I learned the majority of what I know about letterpress and got a lot of time to tinker in their beautiful letterpress studio.

A shot of the front room and gallery.

Indie Craft: What kind of projects make up the bulk of your business? Do you have a favorite type of project (posters, business cards, etc?) Beth: As someone who does both letterpress and calligraphy, I find a lot my time being devoted to wedding invitation projects. While I enjoy that work, my favorite thing to print in the studio are postcards and paper goodies to send in the mail. I really love sending mail, so a lot of my letterpress work revolves around making stationary. In my "free time" I also love printing large monotypes on my press because the process is so much different and open ended.

View of the print shop.

Close up of Beth's press.

Indie Craft:

What prompted the move to the new studio?

Beth:

The studio is a dream come true. After three years of living at Penland and some time away in Virginia, I needed a place to call home. I am lucky enough to have a few lovely friends in Asheville who are also printers (Ele Annand :: Two Step Press, Bridget Elmer :: Flatbed Splendor, Kelly Kelbel :: Tiny Factory Story) and we decided to share a space. We moved into our West Asheville studio on January 1st and have been hard at work cleaning, painting, moving in all of our heavy equipment, and getting the shop in working order. Together we are 7 Ton Letterpress Collective, and I can't wait to see where it takes us! A grand opening is in the works for sometime this spring!

Thanks, Beth! If you want to see more of Beth's work, check out her Etsy page.

Don't Forget! Mini Book Collective this Weekend!

Remember when we announced the call for entries for Mini Book Collective? Well, now all of the applicants have completed their work, and they'll be on display this weekend at Art and Light Gallery. We've got a sneak peek of the work to show you. All of the books are themed on the artists' experiences in Greenville, and I think they've made our little city quite proud. The opening celebration of the Collective is tomorrow night! The show takes place April 6 from 6pm to 9pm as part of First Fridays. This is one special event you don't want to miss!

Mini Book entry by Furman Student, Patrick Rice

Melinda Hoffman, Director of the Mini Book Collective's book

Jason Wagoner's Handmade Greenville Journals

Wallpaper Book Series by Teresa Roche

What are you working on? Art and Craft in Greenville.

You know how we love to share what's going on in the art sphere of our creative little city. We try our best to keep you updated on the professional events, but we've also recently become interested in sharing what individuals do around Greenville (and surrounding areas) to exercise their creativity. We started this post series a couple weeks ago, and I'm happy to share some new projects with you today.

Chalkboard Kitchen Wall.

The ever talented Elizabeth Ramos kindly shared her new kitchen wall with us--which she and her husband painted with chalkboard paint.

From her blog: Around Christmas time, Andrew and I were discussing how (in spite of us both being designers) our everyday lives don’t seem to allow for much creativity. One small way we decided to combat this is by adding a small chalkboard wall to our kitchen. We’re hoping that this will give us a good place to make art that’s intentionally temporary and help us remember to have fun creating things.

Not only did Elizabeth share the pictures, her post includes a great tutorial for doing this yourself

Greenville is getting a letterpress shop!

Our friends over at Dapper Ink have exciting news. They're the screen print shop that makes our tee shirts each year, and they've just expanded their printing capabilities to include letterpress printing. The vintage Chandler and Price letterpress still needs a lot of care to get it up and running, but they expect by summer time to be fully set up and taking orders.

Celebrating the press arrival to the Dapper Ink lot.

Located in the shop window, the press is ready to be cleaned and tuned up for action.

Don't forget--we want to see what you're working on. Please email photos and stories to jen@indiecraftparade.com.

Indie Craft Parade Scholarship: Update on Brook Glenn Elementary School

I have a super fun update today. Remember this post when we announced that Brook Glenn Elementary School won our 2011 scholarship? Well, Laura, the school's art teacher, has shared with us some of the work the students were able to do because of the scholarship funds.

From Laura: I just wanted to send you guys a note and say THANKS for choosing us for your scholarship.  We have been furiously making all sorts of ceramic projects since I was able to purchase massive amounts of clay and glaze (hooray!).  I wanted to send a few pictures.  Two of the pictures are of clay animals third graders have been working on (the most awesome zebra I've ever seen!) and one photo is of a stocked kiln room-- something that makes this art teacher very happy.

We're so glad we were able to help out the kids from Brook Glenn. Looks like these students have an art future for sure!

What are you working on? Arts and Crafts in Greenville and surrounding areas.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent us pictures of your current creative work in response to last week's post! I have a couple of good ones to show you today, and there will be plenty more to come. We really want to see what our friends are working on. So whether you're a longtime follower, participant, or attendee of Indie Craft Parade or if you're just joining us, please shoot us a photo of the creative projects you're working on (or have worked on). Just email jen@indiecraftparade.com and include a brief description of your project as well as photos that do not exceed 500 pixels wide. Here we go! First a creative headboard by mixed media artist Kristen Solecki.

From Kristen: My fiancee and I recently moved into our new apartment. We wanted something over our bed but did not want a headboard. We are both obsessed with Instagram (who isn't?) and I printed a bunch of our photos from it but wasn't sure what to do with them, there were too many to frame!  I designed this great way to display them using two pieces of found lumber and bull dog clips. This works perfect because it is functional art and the photos can be changed and updated with our current favorites. 

If you're interested in learning how to do this project yourself, Kristen has kindly offered to share the tutorial. Visit her website to get in touch.

Second Cory Godbey has kindly shared a sneak preview into his 2012 sketchbook Menagerie. I'm so glad he sent this over, because it reminded me to tell you all we're interested in a lot more than just crafty/DIY projects (as awesome as they are). If you're a fine artist, we'd love to see your work too.

From Cory: I'm in the midst of producing my yearly sketchbook of all new work titled Menagerie. The 40+ page book will feature drawings and sketches of animals and dragons in sometimes dramatic, sometimes operatic situations. Currently I'm doing study drawings of all the pieces. This is basically me working out all of the tigers and bears and creatures that will populate this new book. 

The final drawing of the sketch above.

Another look at the Tiger King.

Menagerie will be released this May. You can find out more about the project at Cory's blog.

And finally I too wanted to show off a project I did with my little sister this past weekend. We tried making the geometric pendants from the DIY round up featured a little while ago. I think they turned out quite well.

There's always room for more! Let us know what you're working on!