2024 Demonstrating Artisan

Marquet-Place

Wood

Bill Ferster

I studied design in college in the mid-1970s and began my working life as a film animator. When personal computers came along, I used them in my work to automate the tedious camera movements, and ultimately began manufacturing motion-control systems for other animators to move their cameras. As digital graphics technology progressed, I founded a number of companies that made tools for creative people to ply their craft from drawing to animation to editing. I changed career mid-life into academia, as an educational technology professor at UVA, until retiring in 2021.

Dan Murphy

I am fascinated by how simple turned forms reveal the stunning beauty in the grain, color, and pattern of local hardwoods.  My projects use trees felled by storms that might otherwise be destined for the burn-pile.  I like to think of this as “re-turning” as it gives me a chance to re-purpose that wood in celebration of the beauty of the wonderful place where I live.  Each piece is a bit of the Virginia Piedmont.

www.marqet-place.com

Tatted Webs

Fiber/Textiles

This artist has been making homemade tatted lace for almost forty years. Her designs go from traditional doilies and shawls to more modern household decorations and wearables for the ever changing customer preference. Over the years she has participated in several craft fairs along the East Coast and New England. You will not find another with her technique and creativity when it comes to lace making.

TattedWebs.com

Thicket

Mixed Media

My passion has always been nature.

My wreaths and baskets are handforaged from natural materials. 

I’m always in the forest searching for wild grapevines, wisteria and bittersweet and wildflowers.

Each basket and wreath is unique and handcrafted.

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Alexander Brothers

Mixed Media

We grew up in a home that fostered a love for the handmade. So much so, dad
insisted that craftsmen training came first in our lives. With a heritage of
accomplished inventors and tradesmen, who could blame him?

Our parents took us along on frequent visits to antique stores, galleries, and
other places that sold fine furnishings. Mom always reminded us at the door,
“Look with your eyes, not with your hands.” For us boys, that wasn’t always easy.
Learning traditional methods of artistry—blacksmithing, woodworking, and
leather crafting—was never a chore for us. As teens, we didn’t just apprentice
with master craftsmen, we built our own forge and workshops in the backyard.
Today, we thrive on creating beauty in our lives, and the lives of others. By
transforming natural, raw materials into quality home and lifestyle goods, we
write stories to tell for generations to come. If you love the smell of leather, the
warmth of real wood, and the heft of metal, let us help write your story, too

www.ALEXANDERBROTHERS.com

Hand Carved Signs by Adam

Wood

Master wood carver Adam Willie has been practicing the trade since 1990 and specializes in hard-carved wood signs and customized horse (tack) trunks and stable products. Adam works with each client to ensure a unique and distinctive design and uses only the finest materials to create a one-of-a-kind product that will leave a lasting impression.

handcarvedsignsbyadam.com

Heart’s Desire Pottery

Clay

As a gardener comfortable in the dirt, Linthicum finds satisfaction using that same type of medium, clay, to try and replicate Nature’s art.

Porcelain allows her to create a three dimensional, tactile effect and try to bring native habitat to life for others to enjoy year round in their homes and gardens.

Through handbuilding, slabwork and coiling, the clay is manipulated into buds breaking from the surface just as real blossoms spring from the soil. Mason stains and underglazes give a wide palette to paint the details, then a clear glaze is added and fire to cone 6. Some pieces are further enhanced with lusters.

Some regular visitors may recognize Lori’s work from the Old Mill Shop, where she has sold for many years.

HeartsDesirePottery.net

Refiners Forge