6th annual show features artists from lower Michigan and beyond
When Silver Maples first began thinking about hosting an art fair, the question was: how do we make this different? How to make this appealing and affordable for both the artist and the shopper? How do we create a boutique show that will become a perennial favorite?
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Thus was born the term “market mix,” which became the credo for the organizing committee.
Find out what's happening in Chelseafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“The Harvest Art Market has grown and evolved over the past six years,” said Shawn Personke, director of wellness and public relations for Silver Maples, and show chair. “But we’ve stayed true to our original thought that we wanted the show to offer really interesting items, hand made, and fair prices. So that’s the kind of artist we welcome and who finds the most success.”
This year’s show features new craftsmen, including the funky repurposed zipper art from the Zipper Lady, Heather Merritt, ironsmith Russ Shackson from Webberville, handcrafted, artisan tiles from Julie Cohen of Ann Arbor, and Chelsea’s own Lindsey Dahl.
“Each year we seek out a couple of new artists and this year we specifically wanted to add something different. We’re really excited about these new artists. Heather Merritt was named Best of Show at the 2011 Henry Ford Maker Fair. We haven’t had a blacksmith or a tile maker before, and I think both Russ and Julie will be offering some beautiful work.”
The show also brings back some of past year’s favorites.
“Joyce Nass, from Saginaw, creates beautiful silk and handmade paper items. Cheryl Green’s botanical pottery is both original and affordable. And every year I have to buy something from beekeeper Jan Sevde. She makes all kinds of soaps, hand lotions, and lip balms,” said Personke.
Susan Falcone, an inaugural vendor at the Harvest Art Market, said she likes to come back to the show every year because it’s such a great mix of artists.
“As an artist, I like participating in these types of boutique art fairs," said Falcone.
The show also features entertainment by the Allegro Winds at 11 a.m. and John Latini at 1 p.m. As usual, a bake sale by the Silver Maples heritage bakers will benefit the Resident Council Scholarship Fund.
The 6th annual Harvest Art Market will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Silver Maples of Chelsea, 100 Silver Maples Dr., Chelsea, MI. For more information, visit www.silvermaples.org.
ARTIST PROFILES
Wood Carver Colin H. Mehaffey
Colin Mehaffey never expected to be a wood carver. The first generation of an Irish father and English “mum,” Mehaffey, who hails from Northville, grew up attending highland games, parades, and anything and everything to do with bagpipes. However, he discovered a way to celebrate his Celtic and Anglo heritage in his father-in-laws woodshop. Before long, Mehaffey was building wooden toys, shelves, and chests. But then his wife gave him 3 blocks of wood and a carving knife for Christmas, and Mehaffey never looked back.
“Over the last 24 years, he’s carved numerous Victorian Santas, Civil War-era Santas, St. Patricks, Halloween pumpkins and goblins, world flags, and much more,” says his wife Karen, who also creates Victorian pincushions. “He has sold carvings that now reside in the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and throughout the U.S.”
As for the pipes? He still has his father’s set. And there’s no better inspiration for creating whimsical Celtic carvings than the music of his youth.
Painter Lindsey Dahl
If anyone knows Lindsey Dahl, then they might call her a tad bit animal crazy. She says she just can’t help it, because for this Chelsea native, a love of animals, both wild and domestic, seem to be in her DNA. And somewhere along the way, this love merged with her passion for art – creating a satisfying creative synergy. Growing up in the countryside, she says, gave her special insight into the natural world. “There’s something special about having Sandhill Cranes as your alarm clock and an up close interaction with animals in such pristine surroundings.”
Dahl, a 2007 Chelsea High graduate who also owns a BFA from Eastern Michigan, has found herself experimenting with contemporary abstract “flavors,” as well as going for a folk art feel using barn wood as the base.
“The way I see it, God’s nature cannot be perfectly duplicated in a painting, and so it’s fun to put a twist on the ordinary by using non-typical colors and patterns. Every painting is uncharted territory, which makes for a challenge at times, but mostly a great adventure.”
Charlie Patricolo -- Dollmaker
Sometimes you discover pretty early on what your passion is, what you’re really good at. Charlie Patricolo was one of those lucky people.
“I’ve been making dolls since I was a teenager,” says Patricolo. “As a hobby, on and off, until about 15 years ago when I started making living making dolls and teaching doll making.”
Currently residing in North Carolina, she has dolls exhibiting in folk art museums and other venues in Michigan, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, and Massachusetts.
Her inspiration comes from many places. Sometimes it’s a fabric, other times a song lyric, or a line from a book. Other times, she just has an idea for a specific look or an expression or clothing style.
“Recently, I started a doll that I thought was going to be an old world Santa figure and when it turned out to be more of an elf, I adjusted and put a picture out on Facbook and asked my friends to tell me who they saw.”
The doll is now part of a line that is holding lanterns and sharing the light from the season.
All of her dolls are made of cloth with the exception of some of the bigger ones that need an armature (structural skeleton) to stand.
“I don’t use clay or any molds, so each one is needle sculpted for a unique expression. I love choosing the fabrics and embellishments.”
NEED TO KNOW
Harvest Art Market
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
No admission!
Silver Maples of Chelsea, 100 Silver Maples Dr., Chelsea.
Artists
Re-Zip It! – Cool reuse of vintage zippers
Knapp Studios – Frames and vintage fare
Mad Pottery Studio
Maker Dolls by Jill Andrews
Jewelers Beckie Ballard & Cherie Holodnick
Carvings by Mehaffey
Potter Cheryl Green
Julie G. Cohen Tiles
Joyce Nass – Silk, Fabric, & Paper
Lindsey Dahl – Painter
Honey Bee Happy Products
Hoola Jewelry
All Things Bright & Beautiful
MacInnes & Son Blacksmiths
Folk Artists & Wearable Art by Russeau and Jewell
Susan Falcone’s Studies from Nature
Woodworkers Joe Eisley, Dick Koester, & Hank Karner
Silver Maples Needleworkers & Bakers
Dollmaker Charlie Patricolo
Bittersweet Farm Antiques