delightful feline art

I had the pleasure of attending the League of NH Craftsmen, 78th Annual Craftsmen's Fair, in Sunapee, NH earlier today. The fair is billed as the oldest craft fair in the country. There are 200 craft booths featuring jewelry, wood accessories, decorative glass, pottery, fiber arts, metalwork, furniture, prints, and lots more. There are also a number of demonstrations taking place which are very cool to see.

As I walked around this year's fair, I kept an eye out for artists who displayed feline related art. I found three artists with lots of beautiful feline art, who graciously allowed me to take a few pictures of their art to share. Click on the picture to see it bigger.

Karen B. Mitchell, from Dog Portraits in Silver creates gorgeous silver jewelry. Using a photograph of your pet, she recreates your pet's portrait on silver. She had many cat and dog pieces at the show.

Nancy S. Stillwagon, of Gunther Hall, Ltd. had a large collection of feline character prints in many playful situations. The expressions on their faces are priceless! I love the creativity expressed in each piece. I wish I had spent more time browsing the various scenes as one of these would have been fun to add to my office.

Walker Boyle creates amazing pewter figurines. My pictures don't do these works justice. For better pictures, check out Walker's website. He really captures realistic feline expressions on these adorable figurines. One of the cat's in his collection was modeled on his own cat, a Siamese mix.

I liked his figurines so much, I had to take one home! The long-haired kitty in the top picture (right side, back) now lives with me. I was very impressed by his representation of a long-haired cat.

One thing I noticed at the demonstrations was how the artisans used their hands. I first thought about how they could easily prevent possible injuries by wearing gloves. Then, as I thought about it, I realized how gloves might impede the creation. Art requires the senses - the creation process is very hands on. I love all the use of basic materials, wood, fiber, metals, etc.

Seeing purposeful art is very fulfilling and delightful. The artists and craftspeople who displayed their works at the fair are so amazingly talented. Thanks to all of them for sharing their talents with us all.

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artist contact info:

Karen B. Mitchell

3 Harwood Road, Mont Vernon, NH 03057 (603) 672-9648  kmitchell5@myfairpoint.net

www.dogsinsilver.blogspot.com

Nancy S. Stillwagon

Gunther Hall, Ltd. PO Box 140, Alton Bay, NH  03810 (603) 875-2248  gunther@worldpath.net

Walker Boyle

17 Gregg Lake Road, Antrim, NH 03440 (603) 588-6726 walkerb17@yahoo.com

www.walkerpewter.com