PREVIEW: Paradise City Festival, Pattern Play: Rhythm & Decoration in Art & Design

Paradise City Festival, Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA

www.paradisecityarts.com

October 6, 7, 8, 2018

Piece by Ira Frost

Playful, mesmerizing, seductive, even startling patterns captivate visitors at Paradise City Festival with their clever, intricate rhythms.

Patterns are all around us, playing an important role in our ability to navigate through life. Some scientific studies suggest seeing patters will even make you smarter. And what a pleasure it is to be mesmerized by the pattern found in a snowflake’s design, a tiger’s symmetrical stripes, or the never-ending spiral of a shell.

Following in nature’s footsteps, artists use patterns to repeat or echo important ideas in their work, letting a pattern communicate a sense of balance, harmony, contrast, or movement. Drawing patterns is one of the oldest art of rms. Think of the re pleating patters of lotus leaves carved into the great tombs and monuments of the Egyptian pharaohs. From the 7th century on, the ultimate pattern masters had to be the Islamic artists whose geometric patterns still inspire our awe in magnificent buildings throughout the world.

Piece by David Winigrad

At Paradise City, artists and makers of all stripes continue to enchant with their pattern play. Handmade textile and clothing designers turn useful coast and scarves into fashion extravaganzas wit the clever us of repeating designs. Jewelers transfix us with gold, silver, and precious stones  placed in delicate, rhythmic arrangements.  Painters, photographers, ceramicists, woodworkers, glass blowers, and all manner of metalsmiths us patterns to create works of art that let us lose ourselves in their intricacy.

This year’s Paradise City’s theme is “Pattern Play!” Discover the mysterious power of patterns to communicate ideas, create new connections, and spin a web that draws you deep into the artist’s imagination.

Valerie Bunnell

Ceramic & Mixed Media Artist

Paradise City Arts Festival

Northampton, MA

www.paradisecityarts.com

October 12 -14, 2013

The following is an interview with artist Valerie Bunelle of Florence on her first time participation at Paradise City.

Q: How did you learn your craft? How long have you been doing this?

A: I have always been interested in clay. I dabbled in high school and unofficially minored in ceramics in college. After school, I worked in several apprenticeships in Vermont and worked on mostly functional pottery. Not until my early-30's did I return to school to earn a BFA from UMass ,and went on to receive an MFA in ceramics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990. Since then I've continued using clay in a more sculptural way.

The Art Institute influenced me greatly because of its interdisciplinary focus. I had the opportunity to study art history and develop varied technical skills. Along the way, I was exposed to self-taught artists and discovered outsider art. After my formal education, I embarked on a series of hand-built slab constructions that were tower like. I am still inspired by unusual architecture and man-made mechanical constructions. Intrigued by antique dolls and old marionettes that my mother collected, I began making mixed media and ceramic figures.

Q: What gives you inspiration?

A: So many diverse inspirations. Child-related toys and other items (antique dolls, marionettes, automatons, clowns, board games), to folk  traditions (fairy tales, myths, fables, Tarot, medieval costumes), to scientific illustrations, relics,to science (robots, mechanical debris). Very important to me is inspiration from art of numerous  countries -- especially Africa.

Q: What is your process of creating? How is your craft and/or designs unique?

A:  I employ slip molds, press molds and hand building in creating my figures. Using form, texture and text, I tell stories through my characters which are made in separate parts and assembled with wire, providing movement and animation. Many of the figures have wings, lending them a sense of potential. They spin, hang, bounce or balance on a pointed stand. A good number of my latest figures are entirely hand-built and highly textured. I have recently begun to collect and incorporate found objects, making each piece one of a kind.

All surfaces are stamped, textured and drawn on, then stained and rubbed off in varying degrees before and after firing. This treatment suggests a layered history and gives mystery to the figure which is often made in parts like a 3D puzzle.

My work incorporates many ideas and themes which are unique and varied, and as an evolution. The best pieces are arrived at by observing and following up on ideas and directions that occur while I am actually in the process. The difficulty is in making the time to do this kind of slow work in such a fast-paced world and choosing the best ideas to explore.

Angela Gerhard, Holyoke Jeweler

Paradise City Art Fair
Oct. 9, 10, 11, 2010
Three County Fairgrounds, Northampton, MA
http://www.paradisecityarts.com/october/homeoct.html

Describe your jewelry and how it is unique from others?

My work is predominantly vitreous enamel on metal - contemporary with techniques that are different from traditional cloisonne. I use opaque colors and focus on surface design, texture, and finish to create wearable art jewelry. Bold colors and an uncharacteristic matte surface finish set the work apart.

What is the process of creating your craft? Do you know the outcome at the start?

I start with a flat sheet of copper, which is worked into a base form and shape. From there, layers of powdered enamel are sifted onto both sides of the metal and then fired in a kiln at 1500 degrees. I then create the surface designs, adding color and manipulating the surface texture using a variety of techniques. Commonly, I draw into layers of liquid and sifted powder, exposing the base coats below. When creating individual pieces and designing new work, I often start with an idea, but find that the process takes me down a different path. I try to be open to new possibilities.

How did you become a jeweler? Is this full time work?

I have always been interested and involved in both art and craft. Three years ago, I began taking workshops in metalworking to fill my spare time. Once I started working with enamel, the work just came pouring out. It was an organic process. My pieces gained attention and praise, making it easy to transition into a full-time business.

Paradise City always has a huge crowd. Due to the economic realities, are people still making purchases?

People are definitely buying, but perhaps more cautiously. There is a huge benefit in having an already-established relationship with your customers. I am seeing people coming back again and again to add to their collection and purchase gifts which run the entire spectrum from accessibly priced earrings to signature pieces.

What's in your future as an artist?

I'll be continuing to work on my jewelry, but on a smaller scale, as I add to past collections while experimenting with new techniques and pushing the boundaries of what and how I create.

Vitek Kruta, International Artist from Holyoke

Paradise City Fair, Northampton
May 23 - 25, 2009

"Doing art is a basic human right. It's my way of life, a force and purpose for being here," says Vitek Kruta. One of the hundreds of professionals showing and selling art at this spring's Paradise City, Kruta is also one of the many talented individuals who does not need a "day job." In Prague, Germany, and now in Holyoke, Kruta has perfected his various art genres for the past 35 years.

A bedroom wall was his first canvas as he sculpted a purposely lopsided molded frame with painting inside. People went to the wall to straighten the picture, and the joke was on them. This Trompe L'oeil 3D art form can be translated "fooling the eye, illusion." This continues to be one of Kruta's styles which have been successful and popular - enough to have made him a "regular" at Paradise City for eight years. This juried show accepts only the best of fine and functional art from throughout the country.

Visionary Landscapes are Kruta's mainstay. From his mind and memory, he almost feels, smells, and hears a scene. "I try to open an esoteric door and invite the viewer to go to these places," he says. His Surrealist Paintings "illustrate reality that is not real." Kruta's explanation of his technique is exploration of the subconscious. Shapes are familiar and resemble what is known - not the tangible, but the essence. "I like to work with materials - wood, clay, mosaics, metal. The enjoyment is in the process of making things. I get an idea and I do it," he says. His home is his workplace with an attic and basement full of materials of all forms, shapes, and sizes.

Exposed to art since he was a youngster, Kruta's own children have followed this career path. Three family members restored the paintings in Northampton's First Churches. In fact, art restoration is a large section on Kruta's resume. One genre which will not be seen at Paradise City is his murals. Needless to say, they are too large, not to mention affixed to walls in hospitals, buildings, and homes. Yet, easy to carry and perhaps place in one's garden are exotic 3' metal flowers. He cuts, bends, and shapes the stems and petals out of sheet metal "to simultaneously become real, yet not real," not unlike his other art.

He made the clear decision as a youngster that he would never separate himself from art. "Whatever I do must be connected to art," continues Kruta. That was his commitment to himself many years ago, and still holds today.

Image by Vitek Kruta