Fine Craft & Friends in the City of Brotherly Love

Peruvian pattern

This past weekend, Coco had the pleasure of exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen Fine Craft Show in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. For those of you who may not know it, the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen is one of the nation’s largest and most recognized craft guilds. The work of Guild members can be seen in exhibits in their gallery in Lancaster, PA and at their juried craft shows held annually in Lancaster, Wilmington and Philadelphia.

In case you missed this past weekend’s show in Philadelphia, we would love to introduce you to some of our talented friends who were exhibiting their amazing work at the show. First up is fellow jeweler, Joanna Nealey, who was Coco’s neighbor on the windy SE corner of the square. She and her mother, Susan, were so kind to help Coco when a sudden gust of wind blew over Coco’s table and his jewelry scattered everywhere!

Joanna is a studio jeweler working in Baltimore, Maryland. We first met Joanna in 2011 at the Brandywine art show in Delaware, where she was showing her beautiful and colorful enamel work.

Joanna Nealey Enamel Necklace

by Joanna Nealey

At the Philadelphia show this past weekend, Joanna introduced a new line of cube jewelry, which is absolutely fabulous. Be sure to check out her website and follow her on Facebook. She is always creating something new and exciting in her studio that you don’t want to miss.

Joanna Jeweler and Metalsmith

by Joanna Nealey

Next up is the dynamic glass duo, Chelsea Foehr and Jeremy Griffith of Delish Glass. It is always a pleasure to see this friendly couple on the art show circuit. We are disappointed we didn’t get to say hello this past weekend. The show was just too busy! We hope some of you got to see their beautiful glass work. The creative efforts of Chelsea and Jeremy are focused on techniques that produce colors and patterns which reference the natural world, such as layers of sediment, water, and celestial skies. Each of their stunning vessels is a one of a kind, that is individually hand-blown in Rochester, New York and signed by the couple. Be sure to follow their fun updates on Facebook and Twitter, which candidly portray their life on the art show circuit.

Delish Glass

by Chelsea Foehr & Jeremy Griffith of Delish Glass

Another family business we would love for you to know about is that of Natural Renaissance. Wood artists Trisa and Doug Haisma travel the art show circuit with their two young boys, so we love meeting up with them for playdates on the road! Trisa and Doug believe that art should imitate nature in as many ways as possible. With this in mind, they use wood in its natural color (no stains), natural finishes (shellac and beeswax), and the natural force of magnets instead of conventional hardware. The process they use to make their patterns was born from the desire to use what others would call scrap or discards, and transform those pieces into something beautiful that would make people question what is thrown away. Visit them at an art show or order their beautiful boxes directly from their online store.

Wood 3 Square Box by Natural Renaissance

by Trisa & Doug Haisma of Natural Renaissance

We first met fiber artist, Alan Resnick of Coloratura, at a Sugarloaf show in January of 2011. Our son Mayu was only two months old so he came with us to Coco’s booth in his infant car seat. Alan took having a baby as his neighbor with grace and wit. Luckily Mayu slept most of the time and did not cause any major disturbances. Coco and I both immediately fell in love with Alan’s charm and his work. We were both particularly struck by his jackets featuring gorgeous feathers. Check out his website for more beautiful works of art to wear. As a juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, you can also find Alan’s work in their Lancaster gallery store.

Alan Resnick Feather Jacket

by Alan Resnick of Coloratura

Did you make it to the Philadelphia show? If so, tell us about the artists you loved in the comments below. We would love to hear what you thought of the show!

If you weren’t able to go this past weekend, be sure to join us at the next Guild show in Wilmington, Delaware. There you will find close to 200 talented artists exhibiting their one of a kind work. We hope to see you there!

July Fine Craft Fair Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen

Join us at the next Guild show this summer!

  1. Another beautiful blog post! I love hearing about your life going to the art shows and it was wonderful to hear about and see the other artists work you have gotten to know. It was like going to the show myself. 🙂

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