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Judith DeGregorio
Judith DeGregorio's hobby ~ creating lampshades ~ is a hobby out
of control. A part-time instructor at Pennsylvania College of
Technology, she has been making lampshades since 1986, and to
date has made approximately 6,500. "I have been making the shades
part-time, fitting it in around my full-time job of wife and mother
of four (and now grandmother of one, which cuts into production),
and teaching." Her inspiration was her oldest son, who created
a lamp in his seventh grade shop class and it needed a shade.
At the time, with four children and never enough money for extras,
she stumbled unto a workshop for lampshades. Her designs come
from everywhere: nature, cards, coloring books, wallpaper, fabric
and doodling. She is a juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild
of Craftsmen and the PA Guild of Craftsmen. |
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Jim Hinston
As a child, I always was in my dad's workshop in the basement.
The only power tools we had were homemade 1/4 hp. washing machine
motors. I always was making some little toy or go-cart. As a young
man, I combined two hobbies: Woodworking and archery. Under the
direction of my dad, I made and shot my own equipment. I took
carpentry in vocational school and worked in construction and
cabinet making. I was always making small gadgets, toys and furniture
for around the house. Before retirement, I built a shop to play
in. Now I make little (hopefully useful) items of hardwood with
a natural finish to sell at craft shows and in galleries. |
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Marjorie Mahoney
Marjorie Mahoney of Williamsport enjoys her hobby, shopping
for bright, colorful designer fabrics from the New England states,
and sewing them into men's ties, handbags, wine bags, jewelry
bags, and backpacks. She began sewing as a young girl, learning
to use the sewing machine from her mother. As a young wife and
mother, she sewed all of her clothes, as well as her daughter's.
Retired now, she seldom sews clothes -- the occasional dress
for a special event or quilts for each of her five grandchildren's
college dorms. She is a member of the Susquehanna Valley Quilt
Guild.
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Lynne Maietta
The country's renewed interest in nature printing, the process
of recreating images from the natural world, has captured the
fascination of Lynne Maietta, a nature-print artist from Montoursville,
Pennsylvania. Nature printing not only includes foliage, but animals
such as spiders and fish. After reading an article on Gyotaku,
Japanese fish printing, Maietta bought a fish, stuffed the cavities,
glued the gill openings shut, and then thoroughly dried the fish.
She applied block printing ink and rubbed a special kind of soft
Japanese paper on the fish. When the paper was lifted off the
fish, a print was left. Maietta has printed a variety of fish
including bass and trout. |
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Ricki Maietta
Gazebo Textiles is the culmination of all my interests. I’ve been
sewing and doing artwork since the age of three. I love to travel.
I study ancient cultures, and I have a fascination with outer
space. I’m a passionate follower of politics and current events.
I herb garden. These interests are the rich sources of inspiration
in my fabric, garment and wall art designs. My philosophy in both
garment design and wall quilts is a series of contrasts: simple
design - complex fabrics; straight lines - free form shapes; cool
- warm; texture - smooth; light - dark; loose - contained; abstract
- realism; bold color - atmospheric; whimsy - drama. Yes, you’ll
see all that, and also, some darn good sewing! |
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Mike Patterson
A full-time craftsperson for eight years, Mike Patterson's
extensive training in metal sculpting included building boilers
and railroad cars, seven years of pipe welding in a nuclear
reactor and eleven years of welding and supervising at scientific
research stations all over the continent of Antarctica. "Those
years of reading plans, taking measurements and cutting materials,
saw the birth of a passion that has seeped throughout my soul,"
he said. "Today, I like to do things with steel where a ruler
is useless. I like to put things together by cutting them all
apart first. I like to make things that will react with weather
and rain and time and dirt. I like to cut a whole stack of stainless
steel shapes and arrange them so they look like the bottom of
a stream or the edge of a marsh or a tree branch. There was
a time when the removal of tool marks, nicks, scratches, dents
and discoloration was important to call the job done. Now, I
have to determine when to stop adding all those characteristics." |
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Mark Robbins
Using the wood lathe, Robbins creates artistic and functional
pieces mostly from local trees that have fallen or have been
cut by tree surgeons. He seeks out wood with character such
as large cracks, insect damage and bark inclusions, and incorporates
them into the design whenever possible. “At an early age,
I was exposed to working with wood in my father's workshop.
I would ride with him to the sawmill where we watched logs being
sawed into lumber, some of which he brought back to the workshop
to be made into furniture and grandfather clocks,” he
said. "About the age of 12, I would sneak into the shop
and use the wood lathe to make baseball bats that we used in
neighborhood ball games. It wasn't until I was in 8th grade
shop class that I turned my first bowl, and I have been hooked
on spinning wood ever since.”
“Living on an organic farm for the last decade,
I have learned to work with nature, not against it, and I apply
this principle to the wood while I am turning. Many times the
wood has final say in what shape it will become.”
Robbins draws his inspiration from his surroundings, and tries
to keep his work very natural. Harvesting the wood to be used,
roughing it out, drying, and completing the piece may take a
year or more.
“I see firewood differently now. Usually nature has already
made the perfect bowl; I just have to find it. I strive to give
my work ‘life’ by creating smooth flowing lines
contrasted with texture and carved elements.” |
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Lindi Schneck
Lindi Schneck is a stained glass artist and owner of Stained
Glass by Lindi. Her business is located on Sheridan Street,
Williamsport. Her interest in stained glass began as a hobby
and she furthured her interest by taking a class at the Lehigh
County Community College in Schnecksville, Pa. Eventually, she
had the opportunity to design and build stained glass windows
for a church in Tennessee. Her experience includes teaching
and making repairs, including a lamp by Louis Tiffany.
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Donna Spangler
Donna Selfridge Spangler has lived most of her life surrounded
by the beauty of the central Pennsylvania mountains and heritage
of the Pennsylvania German culture. It is easy to understand
why the traditional fraktur designs -- flowers, birds, vines,
and hearts -- and the flowing letters of calligraphy have become
so much a part of her life and art. For over fifteen years,
Donna has enjoyed connecting today's families with the past
by creating lasting heirlooms of family trees, birth and wedding
announcements, and inspirational verses that are cherished by
people worldwide.Fraktur, a Pennsylvania
German folk art from the 1750s, began as a beautifully artistic
way for families to record special events, such as weddings
and births.
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Sharon Tishler
While living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in 1991, Sharon
made her first Santa with the help of a friend. "I did all of
the sewing and she did all of the sculpting," Tishler said.
They both worked on construction and details. Five years and
hundreds of Santas later, Sharon moved back to her roots in
Benton, PA. Anxious to resume work, she had to learn how to
sculpt. "After many botched heads, I was finally able to produce
a face that was suitable," she said. Since then, she has participated
in many juried arts and crafts shows and won several awards
here in the northeast. Heirloom Santas are constructed on a
wood and wire armature. Each head is individually sculpted from
blended Fimo clay, set with handmade eyes. Imported wools are
used for beards and wigs. Nearly all fabrics are natural fiber.
Recycled fur and leather are used primarily for trim and boots.
Heirloom Santas project a realistic look. "My style could best
be described as pure and simple; clean lines, good scale and
no frills."
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Dixie Wurster
Dixie is a wheat weaver from Montoursville.Wheat
weaving or straw work is a traditional farm folk art practiced
around the world. Weavings are created as symbols of love,
blessing, faith, thanksgiving for the harvest, and hope for
a plentiful crop the coming year. She grows small plots
of wheat, rye, oats, barley, sorghum, ornamental grasses, and
flowers on her farm. Harvesting begins in June. Straw for weaving
is cut, dried, bleached, cleaned, sorted for size, and stored.
A 20-minute warm water soaking of the straw is necessary before
weaving can begin. Her favorite designs are woven of 18th and
19th century hat plaits with names such as Diamonds, Snails
Track, and Batwing. She also weaves English “Corn Dollies.”
The word “corn” is a term used in Europe referring to all types
of grain. A “dolly” refers to any item made of straw. New designs
are often blended with the old traditional patterns.
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