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07/12/2018 12:01 AMMore than 180 nationally recognized craft artists will be selling their work at Guilford Art Center’s annual Craft Expo on the Guilford Green, Friday through Sunday, July 13 to 15, marking the 61st anniversary of Craft Expo.
Artists from more than 20 states will be participating, with specialists in a variety of media, including clay, glass, leather, metal and non-metal jewelry, wearable and non-wearable fiber, metal, mixed media, paper, painting, photography, printmaking, soap, and wood.
Artists new to the craft expo, or those who are only participating for a year, include:
• Betsy Himmelman, Promethea Potters, from Killingworth, a ceramic artist with alternative fired ceramics and unusual functional pieces with a natural and earthy feel.
• Briah Luckey, a paper artist from East Haven. She is also a licensed art therapist who translates her “intrinsic connection with nature” through her paper-based artwork using natural materials such as roots and seaweed. She also creates with watercolor paint and pens.
• Marguerite French, a fiber artist from Enfield. She designs and dyes wearables textiles, mostly scarfs. Her work is a contemporary expression of “shibori,” a traditional Japanese resist-dye process. She hand-stiches patterns into silk, then gathers and pull the stitches tight.
• Jim Flood, a metal artist from Cheshire. Flood works at Bovano of Cheshire, and continues generations of intricate handcrafted enamel sculptures created by the family. Bovano has only just recently introduced the occasional use of modern technology to create unique pieces.
Established artists attending, with more than five years of participation, include:
• Vicki Thaler, a jewelry artist from West Hartford. She has been a custom jewelry for more than 30 years, using a hands-on approach to her work, which can be seen in her forging and forming techniques. She uses gold and silver, highlighted with gemstone and minerals.
• George Gabriel, a metal artist from West Haven. He sculpts with welded metals including copper, brass, iron, and stainless steel, adding color through enameling. Through his work at Infinity Arts Designs, he’s been making art and jewelry in metal and glass for more than 20 years.
• Peter Petrochko a wood artist from Oxford. He studied both architecture and fine arts, but became enthusiastic about making objects out of wood, which he’s been doing for more than 30 years. Currently, his focus is on creating wood vessels, sculpture, and furniture. He doesn’t use a lathe, instead carving many of his vessels from a single log, with a focus on environmental conservation.
• Frank and Judy Dobai, wood artists from Shade Tree Fine Woodworking, Moodus, They’ve been creating wooded trays and cutting boards since 1996 when they opened their woodworking studio.
• Megan Brogden, a wearable fiber (clothing) artist from Wilton. She’s been designing clothes for more than 25 years, using a variety of unique fabrics and colors. Many are reversible, including nylon taffeta jackets, mesh dresses, and tunics, that are washable and designed to be ideal for travel.
• Patricia Disantis, a wearable fiber artist from East Haddam. She runs a make-your-own booth at Craft Expo, where people can come and make their own designs on silk scarfs, with a process called watermarbled silks. One of the very few interactive booths at the craft festival, it’s always popular among attendees.
There will also be a family tent for young visitors, a silent auction of exhibitor-donated work, live craft demonstrations by Guilford Art Center faculty and students, and a sale of Guilford Art Center student work. There will be a food truck area, and live music.
The craft expo is the Guilford Art Center’s most important fundraiser, providing proceeds that support all of its educational and community programming. It is also sponsored, in part, by Shore Publishing/Zip06.com, with additional support from WSHU Public Radio.
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or www.facebook.com/guilfordartcenter, email expo@guilfordartcenter.org, or call 203-453-5947.