Monday, July 14, 2008

Art fair.

This weekend N. and I went to an art fair where we had the pleasure of meeting Amie King of Amy King Fine Art Jewelry. I'd long admired her jewelry in her Etsy shop and when I read on her blog that she was going to be in Orland Park, I thought it would be fun to see her artful pieces in person. We had a really nice chat and I hope she makes it back to the Chicagoland area soon.

I went with the intention of looking closely at this or this, but I walked away with this beautiful piece instead. The rabbit is from an old tobacco tin. I love the antique look of it.

She also stamps the back. Given that I also like stamping metal, I like this finishing touch.

After purchasing this necklace, N. and I walked around and admired other artists' work. He especially liked a pottery artist who was making vases in front of his booth. That was a very smart move, as all the kids at the art fair made their parents stop to watch. N. was enthralled with the whole process and now wants to learn how to work to with clay. He talked me into buying him a piece for his room.

There was also a bus to paint on and we stopped there so N. could paint a picture of his pottery piece on the bus.

We had a snack at Panera and then found ourselves at Amie's booth again. This time I asked her if she'd brought a piece with her I'd seen in her Etsy shop. The photos in the rest of this post are from Amie's shop.

And it came home with me, too.

Amie's work looks like it would be at home in the Sundance catalog.

While we were walking around, I learned that N. thought an art fair is a place where people go to get rid of the artwork they don't want anymore, sort of like a garage sale. When I explained that the artists are making their work to sell and this is how many of them make money to live on, his eyes lit up. He thought that was a fantastic idea, but he was disappointed that there weren't any artists making paper sculptures because that's what he likes to make. Later that night at his grandparents' house, he made his own art fair with paper bowl painted "pottery."

I'd say he enjoyed the art fair, too.

6 comments:

iSew said...

hahaha, What a great story. That kid of yours is too much.

Sarah and Jack said...

What gorgeous things you bought!

Jack would definitely think it was a "rummage" sale too. LOL

Amber Leilani said...

love tha trickster necklace. you always find the coolest things!

louloupink said...

that is such a cute story. he is adorable thank you so much for talking about my stuff on your blog. so sweet. i love your blog and i love you weaved beading. it was great to meet you too!

Melissa J. Lee said...

Wow, you found some beautiful things! My husband hates shopping, but his mother is an artist and he grew up going to art fairs, so he doesn't consider attending one "shopping". Thank God. There's a great pottery studio in Evanston that holds children's classes ( both handbuilding and wheel) called The Pot Shop, but I imagine that may be a bit of a trek from where you live?

Jonara Blu Maui said...

Awesome jewelry pieces...but the best is the story at the end about N. I love the way kids think..and how excited they get over things we take for granted..how excited they get when they learn something new. I love hearing about N. it brings back memories of my Cameron as a young guy..he's now 17!