Meet Kirkland Allen from Kirk's Pencils...
I’m a Father of four and a grandfather to nine grand kids. I work as a truck driver and have worked in the AutoCAD drafting field for six years. I’m a self-taught sketch artist and I have been drawing since the age of ten years old. It has been a period of off and on, but I have always love to draw pictures. As of this date I would have participated in three of Avant-Garde Art & Craft shows
My grandmother was the first person to inspire to become creative, then I meet her neighbor who used to draw pictures for the local grocery store in our neighborhood. From there, comic books and cartoons kept me going. I got into craft hobby from a private art group that encouraged me to show my art. Before then, my family were the only people that I would share my drawings with, and sometimes they didn’t see my works at all.
My talent was discovered at an early age by a neighborhood friend. His name is Greg Brown, a big-time artist from Chicago. He told me that if I practice every day that I would become as good as him. My creative process can be described as shapes and circles...that’s how I start. From there the details fall in place with what my eye shows me! In five years, I would love to have a studio large enough to pay it forward to some kids that need a safe place to go and learn new things as well. The message behind my work is that everyone needs a hero, and that’s not totally just meaning a marvel hero, it could be a drawing of someone special or even a place.
Meet Ashley Harris from Harris Handicrafts...
I am 24 years of age, and I live in Bedford with my husband and two rescue dogs. My husband and I do everything together, we have both raced motocross since we were 4 and still do, we ride mountain bikes on the trails in the summer, he rides a BMX bicycle and I have a dirt jumper bicycle. We ride indoors in the winter at Rays MTB in Cleveland, we both ride our own street bikes, and are total adrenaline junkies! I also have a passion for creating, and modifying items to make them my own. Currently I sew, knit, scrapbook, and craft in my spare time, and I am learning to crochet. I need something to balance out the excitement! Creating new pieces or modifying a pattern to make it my own really gives me a sense of accomplishment.
It all began when my mom enrolled my sister and I in sewing classes at Joann Fabrics when we were little girls, maybe around age 8. I also taught myself how to knit around the age of 15. My sister-in- law introduced me to scrap booking, and I have been learning new things ever since! This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show.
I enjoy making pieces that you cannot find in a normal market. Being a girl that enjoys anything on 2 wheels, it is a very male dominated industry and as I got older I started to notice the lack of anything girly for these sports. I really enjoy making pieces that fit the needs and style of girls involved in these types of industries, but I also love making cute, out of the norm pieces as well!
My mom used to sew quilts in our living room as she kept an eye on my sister
and me; these are some of the earliest memories I have as a child. She had
us involved in girl scouts, sewing classes, cake decorating classes, and always
helped us create things at home.
I had been carrying my old sewing machine around to all of the different
places I lived, always sticking it in a closet for a “just in case” scenario. I had
stopped at Joann Fabrics and found a material I loved, so I picked out a
pattern and bought the fabric. I had picked a dress pattern, something I could wear to work. It took me a little time to re-acquaintance myself with my machine, and the different stitches and sewing jargon, but I completed the dress within about a month. While it is far from perfect, it reminded me just how capable I am to do anything I set my mind to!
I usually don’t have a specific idea in mind. I find something I like, whether it
is the material, a special zipper, or a tassel, and decide what I want to create
based on what the item is. From there, I build around that item I first picked
out, creating unique pieces that I am happy to show off. At this point, I really enjoy sewing and crafting and working on new projects. A lot of what I make is for personal use, and friends and family. I sell my pieces for fun. While I would love to make this my primary job, I actually work full time as a financial advisor so this is a fun thing for me. I see myself continuing to make new items, trying different ideas. Beyond that, I am a firm believer that things fall into place the way they should, so I’ll continue down this path I am on and see where it leads me.
My message behind my work is, don’t be afraid to be who you want to be. A lot of what I create has something in it that I personally love. My pieces usually don’t meet the status quo, nor do I want them to. I like making things that aren’t going to be found anywhere else, for people who have as unique of a style as I do.
To shop my collection, visit Etsy.com/shop/HarrisHandicrafts!
Meet Robin Sweigert from Purposely Repurposed...
I'm a school librarian and my husband is a stay at home husband/grandpa. I have been crafting on and off for a couple of years, and this will be our second Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. I create because I think other people would like to decorate with the type of items that we make. Each piece is one of a kind! They also aren't the type pieces you could buy at a local store, or if you did find something similar it wouldn't be the same quality as our handmade pieces.
My husband has always been able to do construction type projects. He has designed our last two houses and created one of a kind decorative pieces for them. I have always been very crafty, using different materials and pieces in other fun ways. In five years, I'd love to lease a small building in Garrettsville and start a co-op with other crafters. I think it's a great area since it's close to so many cities and it's an adorable town. I don't really have a true message, but I guess maybe that what one person would think is of no use can be used by someone else, even if it's not as it's intended use. We try to repurpose materials as much as possible.
2018 Avon Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
