OOAK Artisan Showcase is proudly sponsoring the upcoming showings of "It's a Wonderful Life", the classic holiday film! The film is being shown at the Rome Capitol Theatre on December 18th and 19th - at three different times. The Theatre is located at 220 W Dominick Street, Rome NY. For tickets and further details visit www.romecapitol.com/events.html In connection with the Rome Capitol event we have a special Holiday Creative Challenge exhibit on display in our gallery. Currently over 30 artists' works are on display. In addition to local artists, we have artists from all around world included in this exhibit. *A percentage of the sale proceeds are being donated to theAmerican Foundation of Suicide Prevention.Read more about itHERE. Come by and visit us at OOAK Artisan Showcase- 425 W Thomas Street, Rome NY. For more information and current hours visit our Facebook page HERE. And while you are in town be sure to attend the Rome Tree Lighting Ceremony taking place on Friday, Dec.4th from 5:30-7:30 at the corner of James and Court Streets.
Help Santa and Mrs. Claus light Rome’s Christmas tree on Friday, December 4th at the Veteran’s/Gansevoort parks on Court & James Street. Thanks to Joe Fazio Auto Sales and the Bobby Page Foundation sponsorships, the evening’s activities start at 5:30pm-7:30pm with a free Christmas Movie by Bill Dipaolo and Entertainment Services, the Trinkaus Village display, free bike give aways by Ron Crever and Bikes for Kids, food, fireworks, and live music/entertainment including the Christmas Music DJ’s, Scott Rutledge & the Holy Cross Academy Choirs and Anne Gannon & the Strough and Alumni Band. Come visit, make some wishes, and take a picture with Santa inside the Rome Historical Society. Only severely inclement weather will postpone the event, which has no rain date.
In case you missed it, here's our features from this week at OOAK Artisan Showcase -
News :: (#ooaknews) We had a great opening reception for the Holiday Creative Challenge Exhibit! Want to see a little peek? CLICK HERE! GUEST BLOGGER Call-out! Any artists who might be interested in doing a guest blog post, please message me. We are looking to hear about your creative process or any interesting story about your business.
CALL FOR ARTISTS! Star Trek Vs. Star Wars @ The Tech Garden, January 2016 For more info visit The Gallery at The Tech Garden.
Events :: (#ooakevents)
Through Nov 25 :: Alice C W Dennis has a solo show at Fusion Art and Gift Gallery which is part of The Photo Shoppe on Upper Turin Road, Rome New York. The hours are Tuesday through Sat 10-5. For more info visit https://goo.gl/4lUPZU
Dec 5 :: Kathy SmithofVenice in the Valleywill be showing at the upcoming "A Wonderful Christmas Craft Show" being held at theFolktale Winery from 10am - 4pm. They are located at 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel, CA 93924.
OOAK Artisan Showcase extended a SPECIAL holiday creative challenge to jewelry designers, greeting card makers, photographers and visual artists (mixed media, ceramic artists, painters and the like).
By Dan Bertrand
This year's challenge is based on our theme, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, the classic holiday movie.
ALL submissions are on display in a SPECIAL holiday exhibit in our gallery, located at 425 W Thomas St., Rome NY. The exhibit opened on Friday, November 20th at 6:30 pm with a public reception and runs through December 31, 2015. COME SHOP with us - SHOP Handmade!
Here's just a glimpse -
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Our gallery will be open for your holiday shopping on both Friday, BLACK FRIDAY, November 27 and Saturday, November 28 from 9-4 pm. Additional Hours will be announced soon. Watch Facebook for updates!
The exhibit is being held at 425 W Thomas St., Rome NY.
A percentage of the sale proceeds will be donated to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. Artists Include:
FINE
ARTS & PHOTOGRAPHY
Dan Bertrand
Betsy Franz
Rod Best
Lynne Reichhart Linda Panes Linda Younkman
JEWELRY
DESIGN
Susan Nelson Bowie
AmyRenee Cornelius
Vincenza Carter
Tina Clancy
Solange Collin
Susan Couch
Earth & Moon Design Tammie Tusher Everly
Gloria Ewing
Diana Keever
Heidi Kingman
Marissa Perkins
Erin Prais-Hintz Cynthia O'Toole Kashmira Patel
Nancy Rocknich
Vicky Sophin Lindsay Starr Jana Perez Stribel
Shelley Graham Turner
MIXED
MEDIA ART
Shelley Graham Turner Betsy Walcheski
Janice Parks
CRAFTS
Holly Cosimeno
Caroline Drake Heather Gulick Laura Reed
Betsy Walcheski
Shelley Graham Turner We look forward to seeing you! Happy Holidays!
I had reached out to Tawny Reynold of Sundrop Jewelry to ask if she would share with us her creative process. I am happy to report that SHE DID!
Sundrop Jewelry is handmade from recycled bottles and stained glass, and melted with sunshine and a giant magnifying glass! My magnifying glass (technically a fresnel lens, originally designed for lighthouses) measures 2.5 by 3.5 ft, which is about as big as they get. The larger the lens, the more light can be concentrated, and mine can reach up to 3000 degrees fahrenheit - but only on a clear day!
The biggest difficulty with using focused sunshine is that my work is weather-dependent, and the temperatures fluctuate quite a bit. Is the sun high or low in the sky? Is the sky hazy or crystal clear? And most important - what color glass am I working with? Dark-colored and opaque glass will absorb all the light (converting it to heat) on one side of the glass, while the other side of the glass remains cold. In contrast, light-colored translucent glass lets more of the light shine right through and does not heat up as much. Clear glass won’t melt at all!
In addition, glass often changes color when melted, and it sometimes depends on exactly what temperature it was. Red glass in particular can do very interesting things - I have tried red glass that ended up yellow or orange after it cooled down, or red with dark streaks! I find the glass-melting process very zen. Sitting outdoors working under the magnifying glass is calming and repetitious, as I watch for subtle signs indicating the glass is starting to melt, and judging the right moment to pull out of the hot spot. Until a cloud comes along to block the sun…
Environmental impact
Concern for the environmental impact of Sundrop Jewelry has been a mainstay since the beginning. Though my original partners left to form an environmental non-profit, our shared vision of sustainability and creative re-use continues. I use recycled materials whenever possible, using reclaimed sterling silver findings, packaging with recycled content, and minimizing and recycling the inevitable business paperwork. And, of course, using glass bottles otherwise destined for the trash or recycling bin! Since the color palette of glass bottles is generally limited to blues, greens, and browns, I fill in the rest of the rainbow with stained glass.
Love of glass
I grew up in Alaska, which still holds on to a bit of the old "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" motto. That mentality really encourages learning to make your own... everything. And to improvise as needed. I took community classes with my mother when I was young, including stained glass, lost wax casting, pottery, paper mache, and more, and she was often working on some kind of project. I did a little bit of everything, but only really got into working with glass as an adult.
I am inspired by colors, and I love the way translucent glass glows in the light. A new bottle color, a sheet of glass or millefiori rods in the glass shop - I want to try them all! And I am always excited when I find a bottle in a new color!
Pumpkin Orange Simple Earrings
My pieces have a bit of a bohemian feeling with the simplicity of the natural, free form droplet shape. Anyone who has fallen in love with sunlight through a stained glass window will recognize the same vibrant, glowing translucency in much of my jewelry. So many people are immediately attracted to the colors of recycled glass, even before realizing they were made from their favorite liquor bottles! I’ve never met someone who, on hearing how my jewelry is made, didn’t say, “What?! You’re kidding!” I think the story appeals to the inner science geek in us all. Who can resist a chance to tell their friends, “Oh, these new earrings? They’re made from Skyy Vodka bottles melted with sunshine and a giant magnifying glass!”
Dusty Orchid Cameo Choker
Morning Glory Belly Ring
Find out more
My work can be found online in my shop, http://SundropJewelry.com, and I occasionally sell at craft fairs in the Bay Area, but my largest market is wholesale. I’m currently in 80 boutiques and science museum gift shops around the United States, including the Mauna Kea Observatory and MIT Museum. I’m always looking for more shops that focus on earth friendly products!
Who would ever imagine that these delicate sundrops of color were created using such an interesting process? Seeing ALL that goes into each piece just makes these pieces that much more beautiful. Thank you Tawny for sharing with us!
