Thursday, August 07, 2008

League of NH Craftsmen's Fair

This is the 75th year of the nine day League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's fair with hundreds of participating crafts people. Here you see a barrel in which potter Richard Foye raku fires his pots. A fire is set, the clay pot burnt and it emerges beautiful.

Just a small segment of the several hundred or more booths. All are inside tents. You can sign up for various workshops in soap carving, pottery and glass blowing. There are many demonstrations: silk painting, weaving, woodturning, calligraphy, glass blowing, basket weaving among others. There is food for sale too. And real rest rooms not port-a-potties.

Betty Lathrop paints a silk scarf. (Photo taken and posted with Betty's permission). Gorgeous scarfs and wallhangings. She also has some screens with silk panels. Some earrings of silk. Many designs had an Asian feel to them. That day she was contribution 30% of her profits to The Hunger Project.

I don't know why this was there, but I thought it was cool.

Dichroic glass earrings by Julie Schroeppel. I purchased these for myself.

A handbound book by Adele Sanborn. Her booth was also a demonstration booth for calligraphy and paste paper. Some of her artists books were just gorgeous. I bought this blank book and the next for my collection but Mom thought they were for her so they are hers now.

Inside this one was a stick-it-note pad.

Another book by Sandborn. The crafts people come from all over New Hampshire and also Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts as long as their town is within 10 miles of the NH border.

The inside of the fern covered book.

A small dish by Lulu Richter. I loved her pottery, many of her bowls and pots had holes in them. In imitation of wasps nests, bark with woodpecker holes, worn driftwood and so forth. Most of these folks did not have personal web pages. I stayed three hours but after two hours I was bleary eyed and exhausted. Plus I got lost on the way there although not badly lost. I ask for directions unlike some folks (usually male). It was a totally fun day and miracle of miracle it did not rain until 6pm by which time I was safely home.

16 comments:

Roxanne said...

Suki, what a feast for delights. I can see how this kind of "outing" in the real world is much more restorative than "regular work".

You've inspired me to ensure when I go to the mountains this weekend, to just use it as a chance to rejuvenate instead of bring work along (as I was tempted to do!)

p.s. the fern notebook is a real delight!

patti said...

Fairs and markets are just the best, and you found some lovely things to bring home.

I often get lost, but always manage to find my way somehow. Asking directions? - now there's an idea!

The stack of stones is very zen. I collect (mostly sandstone) rocks around the size of my fist, to put in my pot plants. The plants seem to like this :)

Mim said...

This sounds like fun - wish I'd known about it and could drive up for the day. I love to watch people doing their crafts.

Umā said...

thanks for the tour of what looks like a fantastic fair — so much talent in one spot! i have always wanted to watch a demonstration of raku.

sukipoet said...

Honor, hope you have a fun time in the mountains. You know, I sometimes think I anyway get more work done when I have taken a rest and relax day or two.

Patti, I had been to this fair about 30 years ago and still have the earrings I bought there. If it had been a little closer I could have used my ticket to return for a second day. Of course, it has been pouring rain every day but the one I went so it wouldnt have been quite as pleasant. I made a small pile of rocks in my garden. I love driving by places that have piles of rocks like this.

Mim, they have this in the first week of August every year. It's at Sunapee State Park. Actually it runs through the 10th so you could still make it if you read this in time.

M.Heart, I love raku. My friend and blogger Mary Richmond raku fires some of her things. Another friend and potter on Cape Cod raku fires many pots, I have bought a lot of them but for gifts. Somewhere in my storage unit I have several that are mine. I love them.

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

Looks like you had a fun day. Nice notebooks you brought back. Nice of you to let your Mom have them.
It's nice to get away to somewhere creative. How far did you have to go?

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had fun and bought a bunch of beautiful things. Thanks for sharing.

Katiejane said...

Oh, this looks like fun. I love the green book that opens into many origami folds. I love to look at art fairs, especially if I can do it from my chair in my house.

There is a really nice art fair coming up this weekend and I'm trying to decide if I have the time and energy to go. If I do, I'll post it next week.

marianne said...

Wonderful things at the fair!
Did you have a booth? Or were you just visiting.
love >M<

Mary Richmond said...

oh what wonderful treasures! love that fern book! and the pottery is to die for. isn't it fun to go see other people's work and get out of our own heads for awhile?

soulbrush said...

oooh i do so love open air fairs, but have never seen one like this with crafts being demonstrated and attempted, i would have simply loved to be there with you...love the earrings too. what fun, and no rain, extra bonus!

sukipoet said...

Cris, as with just about everything up here, I had to drive for an hour to get to the fair, plus fifteen minutes for getting lost (I looked on a web site for directions but it turned out to be a website for an Inn that also had info about the fair on it so I ended up at the inn not the fair)

Annie thanks for stopping by for a peek at the fair. When in Taos, hope I didnt tell you this, there was a little fair in a park. Maybe ten people. I met a woman who made handmade paper. "Laughing Crow" was the business name. I bought some paper from her and was inspired by her to make some myself.

Katie Jane, so great that you too have a lot of fairs in Cincin area. Hope you get a good rest this WE whatever you choose to do.

Marianne, I was just visiting. To be part of this professional level fair you have to be a member of the League or some other arts organization. I do hope to sell a few things at some small local Fall fairs around here. We'll see if I have enough stuff.

Mary, that little plate cost $40. But I am a pottery nut so got it for myself. I hope to see more of her things during the Dublin Art tour in October.

Soulbrush, it is a great fair and the $10 ticket is good for two days also. No rain is a big bonus as it has rained almost every day for weeks and weeks. More expected today.

Lynn Cohen said...

What a fun day! Glad you asked for directions (unlike one male I know well) ;0
Sweet that your mom claimed the books as hers. And double sweet that you gave them to her.
Interesting one that pops out. Could one tape/glue pictures or fabric pieces to those sides of triangles? Might you at some time?

That silk scarf painting looked difficult but fun and very beautiful.

sukipoet said...

Lynn, oh gosh, if I hadnt asked for directions I might still be circling Lake Sunapee. The pop out book, yes you could also draw on the pages or write out a poem. I doubt I will do any of those though. I didnt know it was a pop out book when I bought it. The silk painting is beautiful, I've seen such before but this woman was exceptional I thought. And now wish Id bought one of her scarves.

human being said...

wow... a wonderful fair... thanks for sharing some of it with us...
real fun...
the earrings are so lovely...
love the books too....

watching the artits at work is one of the most beautiful things in the world... me think...

sukipoet said...

hello human being. I love to watch artists at work too and to me that was the best part of the fair. That and a few chats I had with artists at their booths. Course I love my treasures I bought too. Little perk me ups.