Vendor Spotlight: David Jacobson Glass

 

Conversation Pieces by David Jacobson Glass

Ohhh drizzle, drizzle.  The weather’s forecasting cloudy and in the 40s for Saturday but as long as it’s ANYTHING but this we’ll be psyched!  Actually, rain is a huge part of the thaw – after all, how would thirsty crocuses get what they need to start popping their heads out of the ground?

Here’s a bit of glass magic from David Jacobson Glass to brighten up your gray day.  We’re intrigued by his text bubbles and beautiful rendered housewares!

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What new wares can customers expect to see at The BIG THAW?

I’ve been making a lot of new work for this show that I’m excited about.  Handblown glass bud vases in celadon, robin’s egg blue, turquoise and white. More slumped glass platters and bowls in new color combinations. For example, black and white stripes, cobalt blue stripes, a pale blue stripe that looks like spun sugar. And, my Conversation Pieces™ — just like the word balloons you see in comic strips, but made out of handblown white glass. You can hang them on the wall, if you choose, and write and draw on them with dry erase markers to say whatever you want, whenever you want.

Vases by David Jacobson Glass in super Spring colors

 

2.  What inspires your glass work?

Textile patterns, and colors and textures that I see in nature. The texture of the finished piece is as important to me as the colors I use and how it looks. For example, the glass bowls I make have a lot of texture as a result of the two layers of glass canes that I fuse together.

Textures and Tones in David Jacobson's Work

 

3.  What is your favorite thing about Spring in Maine?

Knowing that summer is right behind, with tennis and kayaking.

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As if we weren’t excited enough for Saturday!  You can find David peddling his wares at The BIG THAW Arts, Crafts and Vintage sale this Saturday, April 16th.  Mayo Street Arts Center, 10 Mayo St, Portland, right off of Cumberland Ave on the East End.  We look forward to seeing you there!

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Vendor Spotlight: Shaun Johnson Photography

 

Radio Print by Shaun Johnson

Our vendor spotlight on Shaun Johnson Photography is brought to you today by Malaika Picard of Hand Me Down Designs.  Thanks, Malaika!

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Although I’ve met Shaun before, I only recently became aware that he did photography.  And after seeing his work, I was very impressed.  I asked him a few questions about himself and his art, and this is what he had to say:

When and how did you first become interested in your craft?

I have always been interested in photography, but I never really took it seriously until July of 2010 when I participated in the Kelby International Photowalk. After the photowalk ended, my picture was selected best of the Portland photowalk and was entered into the international contest for the photowalk. Needless to say I was shocked. I was an armature with a simple point and shoot camera, and my picture was chosen over professionals. That is when my interest was really peaked to precede more into photography.

Crashing Waves by Shaun Johnson

 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get my inspiration from everything around me. I like to take something everyday and turn it on its side to create something new and not really noticed before.

Is there any impression or statement that you would like your work to make?

What I would like my work to say is that anything can be turned into a work of art, no matter how obscure.

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Many thanks to Malaika and Shaun for their time!  You can find Shaun and his photographs at The BIG THAW Arts, Crafts and Vintage Sale on Saturday, April 16th (this Saturday!) at the Mayo Street Arts Center at 10 Mayo Street in Portland.  Can’t wait to see you there!

 

Sunset by Shaun Johnson

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Vendor Spotlight: Quercus Design

 

Set of 3 Beachcombing Photos - by Quercus Design

Hey, readers!  Wouldn’t it be great to RSVP to The BIG THAW now so our vendors can get all excited to see you?  Visit our Facebook event page here.

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Jenn Boohers of Quercus Design joins us today for an email-interview we shared.  We love Jenn’s meticulous arrangements, stark white backgrounds and turning the artifacts of the ocean and woodlands in Maine in to contemporary art!

20"x20" Sand Dollar by Quercus Design

The BIG THAW:  How did you hear about The BIG THAW?  What made you want to apply?

Quercus Design: I first heard about the Big Thaw in an etsy team forum thread about craft fairs in Maine. I had never done a fair, although I’ve been to plenty, and was doing research to see what was involved. When the Big Thaw was proposed I realized that the timing was perfect, before all the summer craziness starts, and what could be better than a fair full of team mates from etsy? I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone!

 

8"x8" Beachcombing Series No. 28 by Quercus Design

TBT:  Your photography combines contemporary art with rustic, Maine subject matter with a fresh, clean aesthetic.  How did you arrive on this process?

QD: I’m 43, so there’s a range of experience packed into things I make. I’ve been an artist all my life, and I come from a family of artists, doctors and scientists. It’s hard to say which images are more deeply ingrained, my mother at her microscope, my father at his computer (back in the days of tape drives!) or my grandmother in front of her easel. I’ve been a landscape architect for about fifteen years, myself, which has been a very satisfying way to blend sculpture and engineering. Along the way I studied art history, historic preservation, sculpture, and Japanese. And I live in a National Park on an island!

All of that got mixed together last winter when I decided I had run out of room and needed to sell off my enormous collection of sea glass on etsy. I started taking pictures for listings, and got caught up in arranging the pieces in huge grids. It was playful, but very very intense, and all sorts of things I’ve learned over the years pop up in these images. Everything from negative space to Linnean nomenclature! I wasn’t a photographer at that point, and had to learn about lighting and cameras quickly as I became more and more obsessed with taking these pictures. I googled everything! I learned an awful lot on Flickr, too. Those early photos are a little embarrassing, but I keep them up on my Flickr page so other people can learn the way I did. I’m very very grateful to the online community! I still consider myself more of an artist-who-takes-pictures since my technical skills haven’t quite caught up to my ambition. They’re getting there, though!

Beachcombing Series No. 17, 8"x10" by Quercus Design

TBT:  What items are you stocking up on to sell at The BIG THAW?

QD: I’ve got half a dozen images printed extra-large (20×20 or 20×24) that look fabulous, and I can’t wait to see them up. Check out the enormous sand dollar! I’m bringing a lot of 8×8 and 8x10s, as they are more affordable and are very popular in my etsy shop. And of course I’m bringing a good stock of my postcards.

8"x10" Golden Leaves by Quercus Design

TBT:  What do you love most about Spring in Maine?

QD: Winter is frozen, to me it is the smell of snow. I know it’s spring when I wake up one day and smell DIRT! It’s the most wonderful smell, because it promises everything else that follows – snowdrops and crocuses and that bright chartreuse new grass…

Oh, and Peeps. I sure do love me some Peeps!

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Mmmm, we love ’em too, Jenn!  And with The BIG THAW Arts, Crafts and Vintage sale just one week before Easter you can throw handmade, local goodies in the basket with those Peeps!  The BIG THAW will be held on Saturday, April 16th at Mayo Street Arts Center (10 Mayo St) in Portland from 10am-4pm.   We look forward to seeing you there!

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Vendor Spotlight: Beyond the Lens Photo

By Sara Picard of Beyond the Lens Photo

Wednesday!  Malaika brings us another vendor spotlight, and a very special one at that.  You’ll see why!

Today’s featured vendor is very near and dear to my heart (she’s my daughter!).  I promise to do my best to present her art in a professional and unbiased way, but if I’m not successful, please forgive me!

Sara Picard, currently a freshman in college, is a self-taught photographer.  What started out as a young girl’s favorite pass-time is now emerging as a young woman’s chosen art form.  She calls herself Beyond the Lens, and, in my humble opinion, she does a fantastic job of bringing that quality of deeper sight to her work.

Sara has done photo shoots for family portraits and weddings, but her specialty is bringing out the over-looked beauty in ordinary, every-day objects.  She has a knack for seeing the extraordinary in things the rest of us take for granted and finds a way to bring that quality to the forefront.  Her photography has a way of making you think, “Wow, I never noticed that before!”

While Sara is a bit nervous about bringing her photography to The BIG THAW beside all those other “real” artists, her offerings will be the perfect compliment to the amazing mix we can look forward to on April 16th.

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