Monday, December 01, 2008
|
Tess Rooney of |
|
|
Local artisans shine at
holiday craft fair
Martin was one of the hundreds who visited the craft and artisans’ show,
Christmas at the Hotel Viking, on Saturday. The historic hotel is located at
the northern end of
Martin was at the booth of Jay
and Christine Camisa of
Craft fairs at the Viking have a long tradition,
although this was just the third year for this particular fair. The vendors
said Christmas in
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
Two of the artisans, Ann McMahon
of Newport and Lark Roderigues of Portsmouth, then
co-produced the crafts fair at Glen Manor in Portsmouth for a couple of years,
before returning to the Viking’s upstairs ballroom with a scaled-down version
of the Christmas in Newport event.
“We call it a boutique show,” McMahon said. “These are
things here you would find in a boutique and perhaps not at a typical crafts
show.”
She said there were 26 crafters and artists at the
show. She was selling elegant hats, ranging from broad brim to cocktail styles,
that she designs and makes in her home.
“People looked forward to the Christmas in
“It was quite a tradition in
Roderigues hand turns and crafts her pottery at her 1790 farmhouse in
“This is the first year I did mirrors,” she said.
She has been making pottery for more than 30 years,
ever since she was a sophomore at
“But
Suegray Fitzpatrick of
“I mixed my love of collecting sea glass with my
jewelry making skills,” she said.
She started collecting sea glass when she was in the
sixth grade. She taught kindergarten at the
Now, she works out of her home and sells her product to
about 20 stores in southern
“It’s a nice living,” Fitzpatrick said. “A hard day’s
work is a day at the beach.”
It is not easy though.
Fitzpatrick said there is less and less sea glass to
find because society uses fewer glass bottles. Also, there are more and more
people looking for the dwindling amount of sea glass.
She said she uses the sea glass exactly as she finds
it, which is impressive when the seemingly matching earrings are viewed.
“I have a big jar of cobalt blue pieces, for example,”
Fitzpatrick said. “I match the pieces by size, thickness, and shades of blue. It’s
like a jigsaw puzzle. I can spend a whole day just sorting pieces for jewelry.”
Besides the earrings, she also has bracelets, necklaces
and tableware that feature sea glass. She also works with sterling silver.
“Someday, I may not find enough sea glass,” Fitzpatrick
said. “So, I need a plan B.”
Maria Furtado and Karen
Vinci, both of
“People have a certain attachment to a certain place,”
Vinci said. “It might be a place where they have a second home or just a place
they love to visit. They like having a memento with the zip code on i