Rocking and Shopping

On Saturday, I met up with my friend Caroline at the Rock and Shop Market in downtown Raleigh. This is a venue for mostly local or nearby artists to showcase their work. I was hoping to find a few Christmas gifts. I didn't find a whole lot of Christmas gifts, but I found alot of stuff I wanted to buy for myself. Precisely not the point, so I didn't buy much.

I noticed that textiles seem to have replaced pottery as the hot craft medium. There were a number of artists selling handmade purses, bags, and clothing out of beautiful fabrics. One in particular I liked was Pear Threads. Mary Kruger is the artist, and she makes lovely hand-sewn bags. Pear Threads also makes adorable headbands in colorful vintage-looking fabrics. I agonized for about 10 minutes over which pattern to buy, and then I discoverd that they are reversible. This only made the decision more difficult. When I walked out of the bathroom wearing my "Dottie" headband, Caroline laughed and said all I needed to complete my 1940s look was a matching apron and she was right! Unfortunately, aprons aren't available.

Another artist I struggled not to buy from was alena hennessy. Alena's work is of 'flora' and 'fauna' and her pieces are on hefty wood frames with thick resin coatings which make them look luscious. She also makes giclee prints of her originals. I liked the subject matter, particularly the horse, bird, and deer images, as well as the simplicity of her work and the deep colors she uses. Her images remind me a bit of cave paintings. I feel certain I will be adding her work to our home at some point.

I am a fool for jewelry and I was totally enamored (no pun intended--I didn't buy anything) by KL jewelry designs. There are loads of jewelry metalsmiths and so many of them are incredibly talented, however, Kristin Linton's use of polished wood and highly textured fabric in her pieces was novel to me. That is an innovation I have never seen.

Other artists of note were Laura Drewry of Ant Farm Studios and Duy Huynh (pronounced Yee Wun). Laura's leaf and plant prints and her choice of colors in representing them are especially beautiful to me. Just another perspective of the usual, which reminds us to pay attention. Duy Huynh's paintings were lonely but evocative. Some of the subjects moved me in a personal "I identify with that" sort of way, such as "Rebirth". Others had a playful humor about a familiar feeling, such as the piece "Grace Under Pressure", which depicts two opposing jockeys stuck in an endless race on a two-sided rocking horse.