A Great Time at the Beekman Street Art Fair

{Street scene of the Beekman Street Art Fair}

It's been years since I took on an outdoor show. (It's often tough to set up a booth, take down, deal with weather, etc...) But I made an exception for the Beekman Street Art Fair in Saratoga Springs, New York this month and was glad I did!

The festival was blessed with beautiful weather and a great turnout. I enjoyed watching all the dog breeds parade past. Saratogians love their dogs!

All the exhibitors were top notch, thanks to Cecilia Frittelli of Textile Studio for putting together a great show. In the booths to left was my good friend and super-talented jeweler Nancy Miller. See her work here. Nancy lives in Saratoga and I joked that the festival could have been called the "Nancy Miller Show" as everyone seemed to know her!

{Two If By Sea Gallery, Ballston Spa, New York)

The booth to my right was a fantastic painter, Melissa Holmes Hatch. Melissa's husband Gregory Tkal just opened a new shop in Ballston Spa called Two If By Sea Gallery that hold's Melissa's gorgeous paintings, of course, but also vintage light fixtures that have been restored and brought to code, ready to hang in your home. He also can rewire custom work and has new reproduction lighting, as well.

Greg has a twenty year career working with lighting in homes, museums and films, and this new venture is a dream come true. See a gallery of his work here. I have to visit this place, soon!

Loretta

James Sankowski and Ballston Lake Pottery at Beekman Street Art Fair

(Last post before the Beekman Art Festival tomorrow!)

{Oval Vase, James Sankowski, Ballston Lake Pottery}

Here's the beautiful work of Ballston Lake's James Sankowski:

In 2002, James was one of three artists I interviewed for the Times Union article "Artisans are at Home in the Handmade Life" Here's a little bit from the article:


" Sankowski marvels at the lure of a handcrafted item in today's world. He remebers when a woman came up to him at a show and told him she simply could not start her day without wrapping her hands around a particular mug she purchased from him. "I'm so immersed in my wor, the forms and the glazes," Sankowski says, "It's surprising when I realize the spiritual connection it has to daily life"


One thing I remember about visiting James Sankowski's home was the beautiful display of pottery -his and pieces he's collected - that he had on display in his living room. How nice to have such beautiful pieces to use every day!

If you'll be at the Beekman Street Art Fair tomorrow, be sure to stop by James's booth Ballston Lake Pottery! I'll have a copy of the full Times Union article at my booth.

..and here's one more image of jewelry I'll be bringing to the show:

{Loretta Fontaine Jewelry sterling silver Maria rings}

Loretta

Carly Wright Jewelry at Beekman Street Art Fair

{sterling silver and enamel jewelry by Carly Wright}

One artist I'm really excited to see at the Beekman Street Art Festival tomorrow is Carly Wright! She is one of the most expressive jewelers I know, and her work is exquisite!

Six years ago I traveled the back roads from Albany to the rolling hill town of Berne, New York to write a feature article on Carly for The Crafts Report magazine. Seeing her studio and listening to her explain her highly refined work made me appreciate her jewelry even more. Read the article here: “Profile In Success: Carly Wright: An Expressive Voice” (One of my favorite parts of this article is a portrait I photographed of Carly against some of the dynamic rock formations that so inspire her.)

If you are coming to the festival tomorrow, don't miss Carly's booth!

As promised, here's a piece of jewelry I'm finishing for the Beekman Street Art Fair in Saratoga Springs, New York tomorrow:

{Loretta Fontaine Jewelry sterling silver reversible Meredith necklace with miniature original photograph of Pale Pink Rose, freshwater pearls}

I'm making this necklace with white and grey freshwater pearls. It's a favorite!

Loretta

Frittelli Lockwood Weavers At Beekman Street Art Fair...

 

All this week I promise to share with you photos of pieces I'm bringing to the Beekman Street Art Festival in Saratoga Springs this Sunday, June 10. But, there are so many amazing artists exhibiting I can't wait to see at Sunday's show  that I  want to share THEIR work as well!

So first, the talented weaving of the frittelli & LOCKWOOD team, Cecilia Fritelli and Richard Lockwood. Cecilia has spent an enormous amount of time organizing the show. While they will not have a "booth" on the street, you'll find their studio and shop, Textile Studio, open at 143 Grand Avenue, on the intersection of Beekman Street and Grand Avenue. 

 frittelli & LOCKWOOD has fans across the country for their intricate handwoven clothing and exhibited at the Smithsonian Craft Show this year, a great honor. They dress women beautifully, but I really appreciate the detail in their fine handwoven men's clothing - ties, of course, but also light weight shirts and jackets. You rarely see men looking this stylish! See their website here: http://www.frittelli-lockwood.com/

Here's a piece I'll be bringing to the show:

{Loretta Fontaine Jewelry sterling silver Maria earrings with Green Leaf}

You can see how I did the watercolors for these reversible earrings in a previous post here.

Just got a list of all the artists exhibiting at the show:

Beekman Street Art Festival Exhibiting Artists:

Jewelry
Sue Brown Gordon—Greenfield Ctr, NY
Loretta Fontaine—Albany, NY
Carol Grasso—Ballston Spa, NY
Margie and Bill Lombard—Saratoga Springs, NY
Nancy Miller—Saratoga Springs, NY
Stefanie O’Brien—Glens Falls, NY
Christian Rodriguez
Carly Wright—Berne, NY

Ceramics
Art Baird—Holland Patent, NY
Jim Brunelle—Avon, CT
Randi Kish—Saratoga Springs, NY
James Sankowski—Ballston Lake, NY
Saratoga Clay Arts Center—Schuylerville, NY
Wayne Smith—Saratoga Springs, NY

Fiber
Marjolaine Arsenault—Chestertown, NY
Cherry Schacher—Ballston Spa, NY
Charlene Leary—Lake George, NY
Nanette Miranda—Rio Rico, AZ
Linda Slezak—A-Babies, Ballston Spa, NY
Daniel Storto—Gloversville, NY
Barbara Weingart—Syracuse, NY
Olga Zvezdina—Troy, NY

Mixed Media
Beth Cunningham—Artifacts, Melrose NY
Grace Gunning—Rhinecliff, NY
Jocelyn Keene—Boxes and Beads, Saratoga Springs, NY
Chuck Kish—Saratoga Springs, NY
Caroline Mundell—Old Tin Stuff, Warrensburg, NY
Ralph Prata—Concrete Abstracts, Bloomingdale, NY

2-D Art
David Aimone—Saratoga Springs, NY
Michelle Card—Newburgh, NY
Charles DeMarco—Clifton Park, NY
Judy Haller-D’Angelo—Clifton Park, NY
Melissa Hatch—Ballston Spa NY
Erik Laffer—Schuylerville, NY
Alyson Stryker—Saratoga Springs, NY

New Art Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York

Next Sunday will be the first Beekman Street Art Fair in Saratoga Springs and I'll be there at the festival exhibiting my jewelry! My blog posts this week will be previews of the jewelry pieces I'll be bringing...

{Cecilia in her charming Beekman Street shop Textile Studio}

It's organized by my good friend Cecilia Frittelli (Of Frittelli Lockwood) and she has lined up an amazingly talented group of artists to exhibit. The show will be outdoors on the sidewalks of this charming street and I can't wait! Here are the details:

Beekman Street Art Fair
Sunday, June 10, 2012
10:00am
Beekman Street, Saratoga Springs
Come to the first annual Beekman Street Art Fair, featuring a juried art show with displays and demonstrations by local and regional artists. Attend our family-friendly performances under the big tent, purchase fine art and craft works, and watch a demonstration of the artists' craft. In addition, enjoy refreshments and tasty treats from a variety of food trucks! The art show will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and performances run from noon to 5 p.m.

{Here I am visiting Beekman Street last summer - look at the flowers!}

 Most people when they head to the resort town of Saratoga Springs don't leave hustle and bustle of the main drag of Broadway. But insiders know to seek out the unique artisan shops and charming restaurants of Beekman Street, just a few blocks stroll from Broadway. One thing I love about Beekman Street is that many of the businesses plant lush plants in the area between the sidewalk and the street. It is like walking through a colorful garden wonderland!

{Beekman Street, photo L. Fontaine}

 Isn't this the PERFECT place for an art festival?

{next week!}

I can't wait until these sidewalks are full of people, artists, musicans (and gourmet food trucks!)  next Sunday for the festival! Will you be able to go?

Loretta