Trip to Unicoi and more exhibitors added to 'Summertime' show

The annual trip up to the Fireside show at the Unicoi  State Park in Helen Georgiawas so good . The jonquils were bloomimg along the road side ,a sure sign of spring . I enjoyed visiting with my  fellow artist friends (I previously exhibited at this event when my sons were in college) .
The crowd s were good and much shopping going on . The quality at this show is tops with many artists that come to our show ,too.
 When I returned home , some new exhibitors have been added to the 'Summertime' show :
Doreyl Ammons will be returning with demonstrations of pastel paintings and her latest creations of butterflies and  various prints.
Ken Rudd will be back with his wood trash bins and potato bins . (No one makes them any more )He will have various cabinets and tables if you are looking for quality furniture at great prices.
Bill Reed is returning  with his goat milk soap ,balms and lotions .
Jeri Landers is an author of children's books and paper cuttings .We welcome her to the show for the first time . She will have an amazing collection .
Elton Love,  a talented wood craftsman, is showing off his best work for customers looking for exquisite pieces. He is a first time exhibitor too and we welcome him .
Alison Temples embellishes mirrors and other accessories with all kinds of nature materials . She will bring some pieces that are just right for your mountain cabin .
Polly Wells is a clay artist that will delight you with her unique pieces .
And to "top the cake " the delightful guitarist who entertained us at the 'Hard Candy Christmas' show last year , will be featured at 'Summertime' ! Ronnie Evans will be bringing his CD's and strumming your favorite  tunes while you enjoy all the wonderful crafts at this  upcoming show  .
Stay tuned for other exciting exhibitors who will be comimng on in as the date approaches .

'More 'Summertime' Exhibitors Added

• More exhibitors have been added just today to the roster for the  2012 'Summertime' show.
• Renee Russell is coming from Tennessee with her soy candles and tarts. She has crushed potpourri and some fancy soaps.
• Ester Lipscomb is an excellent potter. She will be bringing functional and raku pieces as well as food service and home decor .
• .Stay tuned for additions as they come in.

Heading to Unicoi Show this weekend

     The next art and craft show that heralds the winter's end is the Unicoi Fireside show.  Feb. 18-19.  It is always the week end after Valentine's Day inside the large Unicoi Lodge in Helen Georgia. It has about 70 quality artists and craftsmen, some of who will exhibit with us. I used to exhibit there every year to make some late winter money. I will be visiting it to pass out our show information. Hours are 10-5 pm each day.  I will have updates, stay tuned.

The 2012 "Summertime Show" is Shaping up

     Some updates and observations about the very exciting "Summertime" show that is shaping up.  I have some super craftsmen and artists participating and I can hardly wait to tell you about them.
 
     Cullowhee is a tiny college town snuggled down in big, soft mountains of Western North Carolina.  It is home to Western Carolina University, a top notch school with the finest regional activity center in this area.  The Ramsey Center arena usually hosts basketball and other events  but two times each year, it comes alive with the Mountain Artisans Arts & Crafts shows.  The 18,000 square ft area gives good room for the  100+  regional artisans and artists.
     In the hot summer, the air conditioning is wonderful inside.  However, some artisans like to be outside along the sidewalk going into the building.
    
 This year is starting  off strong with  two yard artists who will  have a good selection of creations for your lawn and or garden. 

• Jimmy & Marlene Hopkins  are popular with  the bright metal flowers you liked so much  last year.
• Bobby Bearden who makes  amazing critters from throwaways that  will bring a smile to your  yard.
• If Wesley Angel does not have a big custom project going, he will be back with his forged candle holders and accessories. He may demonstrate some blacksmithing secrets, too.
• Brenda and James Long have been away for a short while but are returning with their hypertufa pots and kudzu baskets.
• Pauline Marr will have her summer collection of acrylics and maybe a few of her sister's funky hats.
• The canjo queen, Alice Bowden will be back ,playing her spam cans to the delight of all
• Jan Kleinrath's canvas hats and purses are  just in time for beach going.
• Remember the personalized  pier sign man from November ? He will be back if you missed getting  one.  John Bowen will fix it while you shop.
• Last year,  Ed & Celia Scheffer sold many pieces of their whitewashed  furniture.  All customers who want another can drop by their sidewalk booth.
• We are hoping Steve Carter who makes the driftwood bird houses and waterwheels is coming up from Alabama.

In the truck tunnel, look for Sue Malsnee, potter

• Jim Smith with rustic bird houses from recycled wood.
• Another popular potter is Tricia Woodland who is in her usual space in the back for her collectors.
• We have a talented artist  who paints original fly fishing themes and will be using shirts to show off her work.  Tina Marie is bound to be a hit as fly fishing is so popular with the Tuckasegee River in the back door.

In the arena, get ready for a grand mix of unique artisans in many mediums.

• The Broom Brothers ,Dan Donaldson, will be back making  decorative and functional brooms . They have dust sweepers with graceful handles that look good on your wall when not in use .The whole family will enjoy seeing how brooms are made  right before their eyes.
• In the glass catagory: favorite  Janet Anderson ,  Dana Minette and newcomer The Glass Art Shack folks from Columbia, S.C. 
• Do you remember Neal Hearn 's unique glass boxes with gemstones ?  He is working overtime to turn out a collection just for you.  His wife Nanci may have some of her bead work that she has started.
• Two seamstress who loves making clothes for children: Betty Sherman and Sandra Aplin  will have something just right for your little ones.
• Other skilled  seamstress : Glenda Davis :ladies shirts with lace and Joy Garcia
• antique fabric creations. Norma Jean Corhn : little clothes for the 18" dolls.
• She has a following for her dresses and outfits.
• Linda Levy is a quilting 'nut' who will have new items for shoppers.
• Are you a "Beary Hill Bear " collector ? Linda and Bill Van Order will be here with their once a year sewing creations.
• Eva Tolotti has taken off like a rocket with her beautiful knitted accessories.  My inlaws live in Germany and I delighted Oma with an "Eva scarf" last year.
• Susan Kennedy's hand quilted purses take weeks to make.  No one else will have one like you buy. They are worth every cent with quality, quality.
• Did you check out Gretchen Branning's little purses made from men's neck ties at  the  "Hard Candy" show?  Yes, each purse is a single man's neck tie.  She will be back at this show if you missed getting one.
• And favorite Elly Davey always has a new whimsy folk figure for her collectors (and there are many ).
• Just across the aisle is Dora Reynolds.  She has a very popular craft that turns fabric onto glass to make a cheerful, bright platter or hot plate. It is a hard -to- beat gift, if you can part with it !
• The wood catagory is running over with talent : Ron Thompson is a perennial favorite. He may have a special apple wood bowl just for this show
• Other wood craftsmen are Buzz Dunning (turned bowls and platters) and Brad Smith.  Brad is new this year.  His specialty is cutting boards and small boxes.
• Last December , I took a trip down to the Greenville, S.C. Holiday Fair.  One of the best booths there had Harold Dodson's  rocking chairs for adults and children.  Great work! Some of the best that I had ever seen. He had to be at the show with his heirloom pieces.
• Another custom furniture makes is Knotty Blue from Leicester.  You are going to find that perfect piece for the cabin. 
• I purchased a pie server turned from maple wood for my special daughter in law last year.  It was such a hit that I invited the creator  to exhibit at this show.  Connie Molland is her name.  You are going to say that you have not seen anything like her work.
• Gary Morris, master scroll saw artist,  has a wide selection of his craft and Brian Shope will be here again.  If you missed getting a piece of his work in November, now is the time.
• Ken and Martha Campbell had a great November show with their fine wood and textiles.  Look for them just inside the arena entrance.
• On the opposite side will be Pat and John Koval creators of fine ceramics.
• The only leather worker we have is Tommy Hill .  If you are needing a fine hand tooled leather accessory, he will have a nice selection.
• It looks as if  Bill Roy will be here with his fun folk art.  He recently finished  Uncle Sam riding a goose for the  Fourth of July Celebration of our country.  It has  just been photographed to be featured on our publications.
• Hugh and Barb Webb .  What can I say?  They have inspired me for years.  As members of the Southern Highlands Guild,  I admired their paintings on driftwood  at every guild show!  I am so honored that they are exhibiting at my show!  What quality and fineness.
• The fine art catagory  is very exciting this year.  The cat capers will be back in Elizabeth McAfee's animal paintings.  They may be cooking or golfing just to make you smile.  Don't forget Beth Dix. Her scratch board is so special.  Connie Tilley is painting original watercolors of favorite birds this very day to bring to the show.
• Alan R. Young's wildlife art is gaining popularity in this area.  His delicate detail is captured on prints and originals and giclees in many sizes.
• Carolyn Cordell is metal painting like crazy to have enough for her customers.  She had whimsical copper figures as mobiles, too.
• Have you ever seen rosemaling?  It is an old Norwegian folk art (floral art).  Monika Hoerl paints a lovely collection of this vanishing tradition  and will be at our show.
• Also at the show is a different kind of painter.  She is Tammie Hulse with decorative painting.  She may have some of her ornaments along with her fun accessories for your house.
• Her friend, Charlene Wooten, recycles china pieces into chimes and night lights. If you have  some of your Mother's prize dishes in the cabinet, she can make you something special.
• Lois Armstrong, another fine artist from Tennessee, will have her  leaf paintings and scrimshaw jewelry.  No one carves on bone anymore, but Lois does.
• Guess who is coming back with award winning gourd art ? Sandra Taylor, of course,  with hot off the vine !
• Kay and Will Lake  are top wildlife carvers.  They only exhibit one time a year with us. They will have new ducks this year for you collectors. Look for  their summer  work.
• Betty Cabe missed the "Hard Candy Christmas, because of illness.  But her corn shuck creations are on the way this time.
• Drusilla Eudy etches on stones. She will be bringing everything from markers to your family name.
• Jan Smith is a very talented clay mosiac artist. She has been out for a few shows but is coming back with new pieces for her fans.
• Pine needle baskets are hard to find and  "scarce as chicken's teeth"! But we have Betty Z. Rogers with her special creations.
• Larry and Shirley Cotten's  hummimgbird feeders are always a hit. They only come in July so pick up several for nature lover gifts for Christmas.
• One year ,I exhibited at the Tallahassee market Days and met Shevia and Lane Whitley . They sold poured pewter of all sorts of animal Christmas ornaments.  I bought an elephant for my daughter.  They are coming to this show with a big assortment for your tree. 
• Another Christmas themed artist is Debbie Trantham who makes the wonderful Old World santas. If you missed getting the one you wanted in November,  you can have  another chance.
• Roy and Dottie Meade  were under the weather in November and missed the show. They will be back with their 'wow' collection of wire wrapped jewelry.
• Also, Jan Nethery missed the last show, but she will be back with her nature based jewelry for her customers.
• A new comer is Susan Sorrentino. She makes art to wear jewelry you are sure to enjoy wearing.
• Other jewelry makers are Joy Whitney,  a favorite with nature beads and wire designs and Peggy Nolan who uses  antique silver plate to shape rings, pins and wind chimes.
• The photography section has Mary Ann Baker ,  a Jackson County girl who catches the area and Mike Naney a Tennessee artist with the camera who has a keen eye for the Smokies.  It will be crowned with Dave Allen who has won top awards last year and will this year,  too.

 
 
 

Hard Candy Christmas 2011

**From the show producers notebook:  The 'Hard Candy Christmas' show is over for another year. All the props are put in the closet for another year.  I can settle down and prepare Christmas for my family.  It is a time of reflection and thinking about how my faith has carried me over life's trails .
Many people ask me how did the "Hard Candy Christmas" Show get it's name.  It hark ens back to the mountain heritage of celebrating Jesus birth.  It was and is important.
     I grew up in the post war days when  we children always got stockings with an apple, orange and a piece of hard candy no matter how slim the year had been.
  It was a wonderful time when the Christmas Spirit came  to me.  IT seemed that angels sang over our little mountain  home.   My family members created magic from the pastures and fields with cedar limbs and cones.  I always helped "bust" open the coconut and grate the meat for the divine once- a- year-  mile- high- cake.  I  patiently cracked Black walnuts to  sprinkle over the chocolate one and Mother's secret  recipe fruit cake is still made today .  The ham baking always woke me up on Christmas morning with promise of a bountiful feast.
Our tree was always Cedar, No fancy farmer grown was known.  It was spotted out in the fall, usually in the field full of saw briar's and scrub bushes.  My sister and I crawled through the thickets to find the best one.  It was somehow smaller in the field than when we got it home.  The farther we drug it,  the larger it became.  (We managed to cut it  down it with a hatchet saved  just for this sacred project).  We did not feel the sticky resin or prickly limbs.  The anticipation of that decorated evergreen overrode all else.
The decorations were colored paper chains held together with flour and water glue. I remember the first bubble lights to adorn the branches.  My big brother had just came home from the war with them.  He had no idea the wonder those colors brought to my  artistic eyes.  Later on we had angel hair and silver icicles that we hung carefully one by one on each branch. The lights were multicolored.  Only later did white become popular.
Not many folks had light on their trees, much less in the yard .
Dr. Furman Angel had a tall pine in his back yard.  Sometime the first of December , he would turn the switch on and a million lights would shine down toward our house. Our kitchen sink window looked out that way.  My three sisters had dish duties each night. Whoever saw the tree lights first was 'special ' that year.
    The best presents then were handmade with love.  That joy and excitement has never left me.  It is what inspires the show each year.  I still believe the best presents are handmade with the human touch on them, from the heart.
Back to Christmas 2011:
     The big tree in the entrance has gone home with my daughter for her geathering  room.  The show could not happen without her calm guidance .A big chunk had to be cut out to make it fit her door.  She is hosting our growing  family this year .
We will be celebrating Christmas  early with my son and his family before they fly across " the pond "to Germany to our inlaws  there.
Meanwhile , winter is a quiet season for shows.
The artisans will rest, clean up their studios and plan the 2012 show schedule.  Already we are filling the 'Summertime "show. There are some surprises for you .
        The Ramsey Center, on the Western Carolina University campus, is a wonderful venue for the shows.  We are blessed to be inside the 18,000 sq ft arena  for both shows.  The arena has good lighting, convenient parking, and is comfortable no matter what the weather.  The Ramsey Center staff is busy behind the scenes and they  "make it happen" for me each show.  They are a joy to work with.
     The arena is where the Catamounts play basketball but it will come alive two times each year  with a dazzling variety of original arts and crafts from the hands of 100 quality artisans!  Some are local, but many drive from surrounding states
     The Mountain Artisans shows are held two times each year in the Western Carolina University Ramsey center in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Cullowhee is a tiny college town that nestles down in the Cullowhee Valley with big, soft mountains all around.  It is  soothing to the soul to be here.  If you park in the left lot,  you will walk the bridge over Cullowhee Creek to the show.
     This has been our 6th year at the college. I thank you all who came to our 2011 shows and purchased  work from our artisans.  Thank you for supporting our American Craftsmen.  You will not be disappointed this year.  It just gets better.  Wishing all you a very Merry Christmas and a hopeful New Year .
 Doris  Hunter, show director

Welcome to the Show Promoters Blog

Welcome - I am currently in the process of updating the Mountain Artisans website to make it easier to navigate and read.  I have uploaded the Hard Candy Christmas Video to youtube to allow it to be viewed by more people.  Keep checking back as I will have updates from time to time of the shows that I visit each week as well as updates of the upcoming shows