Meet Brian Bakos from J and B Artistic Notions...
Jenny Koschack and Brian Bakos are the co-founders of J and B Artistic Notions. Both of us are quirky and creative, so we decided to brand Artistic Notions and begin to come up with whimsical pieces of art with ideas we both love. We take ideas or items we love, and put them into whimsical pieces of art using coffee as a medium and acrylic paint.
We find the inspiration to create through the joy in the little moments, along with the natural surroundings, and lots of coffee! Now, we want to share these joyful moments with others.
We both have been creating with different mediums since childhood and professionally for several years. After a period of time, our family and friends would continue to ask us to create and design artwork for them, which led to us discovering our talent for creating.
We have participated in two Avant-Garde shows previously, and are so excited to be back for a third. We also are currently working towards opening our own gallery/studio.
We hope that through our work, we encourage people to be joyful in life, and share those moments with others.
Meet Jordan Barnett from Scorched Timber...
Hello! My name is Jordan Barnett and I am a web developer, musician, and audio engineer. This is my short candle story. I sort of stumbled into the candle world as a "scratch-your-own-itch" situation. I had spent a year looking for a specific scent, but I could not find it. I ordered candles from all over the world - even Paris. Still I couldn't find what I was looking for - thus began the journey into making candles.
Organization is having a free, open space to create, and it is vital to digging in deep and getting your hands dirty. I work best when I have the the creative space to do it.
This is our first Avant-Garde show, but hopefully we will attend many more! We would love to grow our little company into something much larger. Our philosophy is one step at a time though. Also, remember quality and reflection matter. It is there where we get to re-learn about ourselves all over again.
Meet Nick Lime from Lime Skincare Co...
Hi! My name is Nick Lime, and I am the creator of Lime Skincare Co. I am a student business owner, and I love to formulate and create new products whenever I can. I started making skincare products at age 10, and ever since I've loved doing it. I loved to attend vendor shows, and support small businesses... so I took what I love to do and made a hobby out of it.
This will be my first Avant-Garde Show that I will be attending, and I am so excited to share my work with everyone. The opportunity that I have to be able to create clean and safe skincare products for my community inspires me on the daily.
I have always loved to try out different skincare products so I decided to start experimenting with some recipes and I fell in love with it. Each one of my products start out with a "hey it would be cool to make that," and then I research and do a deep dive into that product. After my research, I formulate for what seems like forever until I make the perfect product.
Through my products, I want to educate people on the importance of clean skincare products, and why you should care about what is in them that can make them dangerous. I also want to provide people with the opportunity to enjoy safe, clean, and authentic skin care products.
Meet Cara Romano from Gopi Girl Designs...
Hello, my name is Cara. I am a lifelong artist, and I teach drawing and painting classes. I grew up in Oberlin, Ohio. Now I live in Cleveland with my husband, step-daughter, and our small zoo of pets. I love creating art, listening to and playing music, enjoying nature, traveling, and animals.
I have been making jewelry for about 12 years. I’ve sold some here and there, but I am new to showing and selling at art and craft shows. I signed up for my first two Avant-Garde shows this year, the Solon Holiday Market was my first and Avon will be my second.
I get inspired by art and design (both historical and contemporary) from various cultures across the globe. I am interested in how people adorn themselves, both in daily life and for special occasions. Music is also a big influence. I used to work in the museum field. Seeing jewelry from all over the world inspired me to try making my own. I began with a silversmithing class, and eventually developed a love for assembling and constructing jewelry from beads and other found objects. I love to use my hands and I especially love working on a small scale – whether it’s making jewelry or detailed drawings – these types of activities give me a feeling of satisfaction and control.
I thank my parents who were always encouraging me to create. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t draw, paint, sculpt, assemble, etc. I always want to try different media to see what I like. I am also really interested in combining media, often in unlikely or unexpected ways. My creativity is usually sparked by the beads or stones I have in my collection. I like to make series of pieces that use similar materials and techniques. One piece will inspire another. I really like to try unusual combinations of beads, findings, wiring, and found objects.
In the future, I would like to attend shows regularly, and travel around the country (maybe the world?) to share my creations. I am interested in partnering and collaborating with other artists, whether that is in a coop or collective type of setting, or possibly collaborating in the design process. I also want to develop my metalsmithing skills and incorporate them into my beaded jewelry.
I hope to inspire my customers to see that beauty can be found in unlikely places, through unique combinations of opposing elements. Art should make a statement about the individual creator/owner/wearer, but we can’t forget that it has the power to unify people from all walks of life, from all over the world.
Meet Tina Evans from Sweet Beautiful You...
Hello, my name is Tina Evans. My friend Jan and I started Sweet Beautiful You in 2019 when we started learning about the damage the chemicals and preservatives in many household products were causing us.
We began making soaps from natural ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil & shea butter. We use a cold process method that helps to retain all the natural benefits of each plant based oil and butter. This process also naturally produces a bar high in glycerin, making it very moisturizing. Our products are free of any parabens, sulfates, and other harsh chemicals.
This is our first Avant-Garde event, and we are very excited to share our mission at this event - which is to help women love and accept themselves as they were created. We encourage women to not only protect themselves from the harsh chemicals in commercial skincare products, but also from the harsh words we tend to speak to ourselves. We are passionate about natural beauty, both inside and out!
A portion of our profits are donated to a women's shelter in Akron, Ohio. We visit that shelter monthly to remind these women that they are beautiful, and that their current circumstance does not define them. We also teach them how to make a natural skincare product that they can use and make for themselves again.
We are Sweet Beautiful You - making natural products for a naturally Beautiful You!
