I’m lucky enough to live in close proximity to some fantastic art fairs. The Chicago 57th Street Art Fair was the first one I attended this season. I was blown away by the quality of the work displayed in this juried show. Here are some of my favorites from the 57th Street Art Fair:

	Natalya Sots is an enchantress of a ceramist. Her whimsical pieces immediately bring out a smile and a giggle. She works with earthenware clay. Her pieces are hand-formed and hand-glazed and hand-painted and she never uses any molds. Her beautiful ceramic teapots, cups and plates are decorative AND functional. See her Etsy shop here. Tea party anyone?
	KG Textiles by Kristin Gereau. Kristin studied textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design. She now hand-looms award-winning from natural fibers. Her gorgeous scarves create an extravagant collar effect. Also sold in the Museum of Contemporary Art Store in Chicago! Or through her website here.
	Joachim Knill stages very complex and bizarre still-life and fantastical environments before photographing them with his self-made “world’s largest portable instant film” camera. His work is completely fascinating. You can view and buy his 20 x 30 Polaroid prints and panoramas online here.
	Bekah Ash – Naïf, girly. It takes talent to pull this off and make it look so sophisticated. Her subjects are fictional portraits that would look gorgeous in any room. You can contact Bekah here to see what paintings are available or to commission a “real” portrait.
	Mark Stephenson Photography – I particularly enjoyed the Weed Series photographs: “Brightly illuminated against a dark field, the line and gesture of these dry weeds seems so alive”. Arresting imagery. Contact the artist here.
	Deborah Banyas creates sculptural wall pieces featuring characters, entirely made by hand and adorned with polymer clay metal and acrylic details. They are completely endearing in their naïve style. The “Happy Couple” piece would make a great wedding or anniversary gift. See her gallery here.
	Dolan Geiman’s art is part silk screening, part decoupage, collage and painting. Dolan creates eco-friendly work make from salvaged wood, found objects and recycled materials. Totally something that you would see at Anthropologie. Love it all. See the online shop here.
	Valerie Hector is an amazing beadworker. I have never seen beads assembled in this way, beads out of beads in completely modern sculptural configurations. You may shop online here.

Audrey Heller and Melissa Banks of Rapt in Maille, previously mentioned on our site (here and here) where also invited to present their work at this fantastic event.

Well, I’m quite sorry that I couldn’t fit more of a selection of the great 250 artists that exhibited at this fair. Do check out the website to search for other artists and mark your calendars for next year’s fair if you are in the area.

I’ll be reporting on other great artists found at other art fairs in my next “After the Art Fair” edition. Stay tuned.

How about some adornment for… her walls (home, office, cottage?). I mean, a hand-picked, original piece of art that will make her think of you every time she looks at it. There are some great online galleries where otherwise unknown artists can now market their wares. Here are some of these galleries that caught my eye…

ArtQuiver.

I wrote about this online gallery some time ago. It’s still one of my favorites in the space. The site is well curated and wonderfully organized and so much fun to surf. I love the gallery view that gives a real perspective of how each piece will look on a wall.

20 x 200.

I love the intro of this online gallery’s About Us. It goes “As we see it, there are a lot of people out there who want to sell their art and a lot of people who’d like to buy it. They just have a hard time finding each other.” Exactly. This online gallery offers limited – and completely affordable – editions of some very cool prints, signed by the artist that come with a certificate of authenticity et tout le tralala.

The Art Gallerist.

This gallery features original art and fine art prints in its juried website. I really like that they have an Emerging Artist and Student Artist category, where some pretty amazing young people are showing their work. The Art Gallerist also has a satisfaction guarantee policy, which is a good idea should you find that your idea of a great landscape differs from your mother’s.

Artnet Auctions.

This is the place to go for the really BIG Picture: renowned, modern and contemporary auctions from 2,200 galleries in over 250 cities worldwide, more than 166,000 artworks by over 39,000 artists from around the globe. Amazing art & collectors’ items. René Magritte or Joan Miró or Roy Lichtenstein anyone? Yes please.

Tammy trained in graphic design but went on a tangent after she realized that she couldn’t shake the dumpster-diving bug she inherited from her mom, also a recycle-based artist. She learned how to weld the reclaimed metal treasures that she found (metal disks, rebar and machinery parts from salvage yard and various waste from steel manufacturers) to design these wonderful and functional objects.

I’m seriously eyeing her Steel Pebble Holder to use indoors or out. I love the multiple possible uses for this piece: as a carrier for drinking glasses, vases for centerpiece arrangements, to place silverware for a buffet style gathering or to hold votive candles.

And, who’s not infatuated with that very modern birdhouse and bowl and door entry organizer? I especially love that these pieces are equally viable in a masculine and girly setting. Great gift idea for the guys who are consistently hard to buy for.

This is upcycling at its most stylish, wouldn’t you say? Oh, and so is the selected music that you will hear immediately as you land on the website. I ended up buying the Louis Prima CD with the Buona Sera track. I imagine I’ll be playing that in my backyard while the candles are glowing in my One Eighty votive holder.

One of my favorite toys growing up was my dollhouse. I spent many hours playing make-believe with it. It was a very basic square construction made of wood, with no stain or paint finish. My doll furniture was a mix of mismatched plastic pieces with a few wooden handmade ones my father had lovingly crafted for me. My dolls were a variety of stuffed animals, Barbies and an assortment of different figurines.

On a search to recreate my own childhood memories for my daughters, I came across a sophisticated and oh-so-stylish version of my own basic dollhouse. The Emerson Dollhouse, a vision of modernist architecture, has six rooms including a living room, kitchen, library/office, master bedroom, bathroom and child’s bedroom. It has a large, open floor plan with floor-to-ceiling windows. This DOLL house has features that I want in my own house! Like mitered-glass corners, two fireplaces, sliding glass doors, solar panels on the roof and LED recessed lights…Crazy. Parents will also like to know that the house uses only non-toxic and lead-free wood stains and paints.

Fabricated by BrincaDada, a uniquely new toy company based in New York, the dollhouse is the brainchild of Douglas Rollins and Tim Boyle. The design was inspired by the flat roofs and organic flow of Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann Desert House and the ultra-modern stone, glass, and steel home that A. Quincy Jones designed for Gary Cooper.

Brinca Dada’s motto is “Beautiful Fun“. They create toys that combine high-aesthetics with great play-value, or as they like to say “toys that adults love to look at and children love to play with“.

My daughter’s imaginations will be able run wild in all the beautifully appointed rooms in this piece of art (Dollhouse modern furniture and dolls coming this spring). I may have to borrow it every so often and put it on display in the living room for my own enjoyment. It’s that spectacular.

Although it’s not available just yet, you can pre-order it brincadada.com. Get updates as to exactly when the house and accessories will be available on Facebook and Twitter.

I first discovered Audrey Heller’s photographs at the One Of A Kind show in Chicago and have “run” into her art work since.   Although Audrey calls San Francisco home, she travels much of the year showing her photographs. With a background as a lighting designer for theater and a great sense of humor, Audrey was able to use her unique abilities to create distinct and playful photos.

As you look at the photos they look like everyday items; a cup of coffee, a martini glass or a bowl of strawberries.  Taking a closer look each photo has a figure or figures in the images.  Audrey uses the figures from model railway sets.

To quote Audrey: “There is something very familiar about the image of being tiny in a giant environment, and something inspiring, as well as humorous, about seeing such serious and industrious workers and explorers take on the daunting tasks that they face.”

One of my favorite prints is “Never be lonely again!” where a women with a broom figure is sweeping up the life size crumbs from someone’s morning pastry treat, or “Double” with two figurines enjoying a life-size cup of coffee.  I’m pretty sure I want that one over my breakfast bar. Two new prints that seem particularly appropriate in this Olympic season is “Slopes” and “Peaks” using miniature skiers and climbers on wine bottles and martini glasses respectively.  All prints are limited editions, signed and numbered by Audrey (the other Audrey, not me).

Audrey’s work can be purchased on her website, audreyheller.com or on her Etsy shop. Audrey also has published a fantastic book of some of her very popular prints which can be purchase over at Amazon.  And, in case that’s not enough information, you can also follow her on facebook.

We think that the prints and/or the book make for fantastic gift ideas. For any occasion and to delight practically anyone.

You can read about Laurie Pollpeter Eskenazi’s training as an artist here and shop for her ceramic hearts (and her other inspired ceramic work) here and here.

Lovely, n’est-ce-pas?

Note: The Succulent Wife is honored to welcome an “old” friend & colleague as our first male contributor! Scott is a talented writer and photographer and I am quite excited to be bringing you his articles on photography. He will be providing tips & tools to make the amateur photographer look like a real pro. Thanks Scott!

Capturing great photos of children can be a challenge. But there are simple steps you can take to dramatically improve your photography, virtually overnight. Try these tips, and you’ll be taking great photos of your kids in no time.

1. MAKE IT FUN!

Nothing creates stilted, unsatisfying photos of kids like a parent saying, “Sit still and smile!” It’s time for a new tactic. Have fun! It’s time to give your children permission to just be themselves. That means once you have your photographer hat on, they get to play and be silly and even, yes, misbehave. Why? Because misbehaving makes for wonderful photos! The first rule of photographing children is to always make it fun.

2. GET UP CLOSE AND FILL THE FRAME

Probably the biggest mistake parents, and photographers, make is that they don’t get close enough to their subjects when taking portraits. Getting up close means the eyes take center stage, and that’s the key to images with impact. So, get in close. And when you think you’re close enough, get even closer!

3. MASTER THE RULE OF THIRDS

There’s a technique in photography that can quickly turn a “snapshot” into a “photograph,” and that’s the Rule of Thirds. If you divide an image into thirds, like a tic-tac-toe board, and put something of interest on one of the intersections of the lines, you’ll improve your photos in a big way. It takes some getting used to, but it’s well worth practicing.

4. FIND THE LIGHT

Photography is all about the direction and “quality” of light. Photographers spend lots of money on expensive, “fast” lenses so they can shoot in low-light situations, like in your kitchen or living room. An alternative is just to find the light wherever it is. Move your kids toward the light! Take them outside (the shade is best), or next to a big window (window light is some of the most flattering). You can often determine the best place for photos by holding up your hand and slowly turning in a circle. As you move, the light on your hand will change. It’s not just about the most light, but also if it’s direct or “diffused” (much more flattering).

5. SPEAKING OF LIGHT, TURN OFF THAT FLASH!

It’s tempting in low light to use your camera’s built-in flash, but flash photography is difficult to master, so just turn it off whenever possible. If you must use flash, look into getting a light modifier. For example, the Lightscoop is a device that slips onto your camera and re-directs your flash to the ceiling and walls, creating a soft, flattering light. There are numerous do-it-yourself diffusers, and just about any of them increase your chances of creating better light and decrease your chance of red eye, that most dreaded of photo-spoilers.

6. GET READY TO MOVE

Get more dynamic photos by encouraging your kids to move around. Running, jumping and dancing are photographic gold. Just make sure there’s enough light so your camera can freeze the action, or try panning (following the movement, freezing your subject but creating a blurry background).

7. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Most photos you see of kids are taken from the same perspective. The photographer is standing up, shooting down at the child. Those images can be great, but why not shake things up to add some fun or drama? Images have much more impact if you move to a child’s level. It can be tough on the knees, but it’s well worth it. Shoot from way up high, or from ground level. Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you have a digital camera, it’s just pixels!

8. WORK FAST!

Kids don’t have the patience to pose for you too long, so work fast. People who photograph children often know there’s about a 10-minute window of opportunity for most kids, and after that, they just want to go back to other, more interesting, things. So, snap away, but don’t drag things out. The expressions of your kids will tell you when they’ve had enough. The photos that come thereafter are not likely to be the ones that end up on the holiday card.

9. USE REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY

Kids are smart, but we can still outsmart them! That’s where reverse psychology comes in. What’s the first thing a kid does when you say, “Don’t smile”? Or perhaps, “Whatever you do, don’t kiss your sister!”? What happens if you say, “Don’t you dare make a silly face right now” or “Whatever you do, don’t scream”? Right. The opposite. Fake consternation goes over great with kids, so use it to your advantage! Camera ready. Deep breath. Fake out!

10. CLICK BEFORE YOU SHOULD AND AFTER

One of the best ways to get interesting, surprising, memorable photos is to shoot before you think you should, and after. A child waiting for a photo, fidgeting, rolling their eyes, giggling, tugging at a too-tight tie…all those images are far more fun and interesting than the one with the forced smile and squinty eyes. Same goes for just after a photo is taken. After that “click,’ everyone tends to relax. That is the magic moment, so don’t miss it!

11. BITE THE BULLET AND LEARN A PHOTO EDITING PROGRAM

In the digital age, photography is just one part of creating great images. Having a basic knowledge of photo editing software (Photoshop is the standard, but there are a number of less expensive alternatives) can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos. Adjust colors, remove distracting elements, make eyes brighter, sharpen your images and much more. There’s a learning curve, certainly, but the ability to tweak your photographs is likely to be the key to taking your photos to the next level.

That’s it! If you can take on learning even a few of these tips, you’ll start to see your photographs improving right away.

With kids, nothing’s going to work every time. Bribes of videogames or candy might work one day, but not the next. That’s part of what makes children’s photography so fun, challenging and rewarding.

Get out there and make some camera magic!

Judy Ebert (she goes by artist name jbEbert) is one of the fabulous artists who displays her jewelry on 1000markets, among other places. I think that her work is simply arresting. There is such an abundance of jewelry makers out there that when I find a – pun-intended – pearl like Judy, I need to tell everyone I can.

It appears that her talents were obvious very early on as she was hand-picked, at the age of 8, to train and apprentice in the art department of Carnegie Tech (I’m not sure that I could even tie my own shoes when I was that age). Today, jewelry making is the art form that she practices the most; she gravitated into it looking for a three dimensional platform to convey her creativity. Clearly, her background in fine arts & art history, her career as a fashion buyer and then as a portraitist have developed her sophisticated eye and style.

Her inspiration comes from her world travels, art background and even in the latest movie that she’s seen. Each piece is constructed as a tableau, to tell a story through its form and colors. She uses the finest gems and findings and her own wiring technique. Many of her pieces feature gorgeous one-of-a-kind antique Japanese Satsuma buttons as the focal point. It takes two to four days to complete just one of these heirloom jewelry pieces.

Judy designs for the woman with an eclectic, but somehow still classic taste, for the woman who dresses for herself, not for the latest trend. This is probably what attracted me to her jewelry in the first place. But, I also fell in love with the highly sophisticated yet quirky assemblage of stones and gems. The colors and texture combinations make the pieces so rich yet entirely wearable. jbEbert. Here’s a designer to watch out for. You’ll see.

In the meanwhile, you can indulge in her work right here.

The ArtQuiver online gallery just launched this last April. It showcases original artwork from hand-picked artists. “Meritocracy” is the method of selection from a deserving pool of emerging, student and professional artists. In a refreshing departure from traditional gallery operations, artists did not have to play the who-knows-who, elitist game to be featured here. They were selected for their talent. I like that.

I also really enjoy the proprietary “filtering” system that ArtQuiver has developed. This recommendations system is fun to go through, almost a game, where you visually choose from an array of different style art pieces to narrow down your taste. And if that isn’t spot on, there is a visual search to select paintings by price, artist, size, medium, color and style. Once you’ve made your picks, everything is displayed on a virtual gallery wall. Very cool.

Also note that investing in art with this gallery is pretty much risk free. Indeed, they offer free shipping (always), free return shipping & lifetime return guarantee. And for the featured artists? Their cut is a solid 55% of sales with  absolutely no fees. I like the way this game is played.

“Artists needed to get to buyers, beyond the limited foot traffic of the geographically isolated gallery. Consumers needed a credible, convenient source of original art, and a way to validate quality and price. Leveraging the power of technology and the reach of the web, ArtQuiver was created to solve both problems bringing back to prominence the wonder and inspiration of unique one-of-a-kind original artwork in the process”

And now, for the up-to-$5000 Giveaway. It’s a wonderfully motivating way to spread the word about the resident artists on ArtQuiver. So easy to enter (full details here): Follow ArtQuiver on Twitter (use hashtag #artquiver), Fan on Facebook and post a comment. The Giveaway can balloon from $250 to $5000 according to a rising scale of fan and followers (10,000 fans to reach the $5000 mark). The giveaway runs until August 31. With a little viral effort, we can do it. Spread the word!

But, thank goodness that there are people like Julienne LaFleur who still see all the magic of the movie. Julienne, in her first book, Lessons From Oz, has created a philosophical allegory. It’s a fun “positive thinking” primer for children who are fans of the movie or a great reminder for the rest of us, of inspiring thoughts that we already know but consistently forget. Indeed, Lessons from Oz was selected as one of the best inspirational books of the year and was an Independent Publisher Award Winner.

“When I watch The Wizard of Oz, I’m still filled with a sense of wonder. It’s not just a nice story; it speaks to my spirit. It inspires, it warms, it touches my heart and makes me want to go skipping.” It certainly seems that Julienne has found the magic in every segment of the movie, which she interprets over 35 lessons in her book. Her favorite chapter “I’d Kill for Those Shoes” refers to the fact that, as adults, we easily become jaded and completely lose our sense of magic and wonder (of which the ruby shoes are so representative). Here is an invitation to play dress up and find out magical, playful selves again. As she says: “Never underestimate the power of a new pair of shoes”.

As for the book’s lessons relating to Julienne’s publishing experiences, “I think almost every single lesson applied at one point or another. The publishing world is really unkind to writers just starting out, and I got a tornado of “no way”.  I think the hardest part about it, was to keep plugging forward no matter what. In the end, “the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true” but you have to make them happen!”

The book is out just in time to celebrate the Wizard of Oz’ 70th anniversary. The movie will be re-released in Hi-Def with a newly remastered digital presentation across the nation this coming September 23.

THE GIVEAWAY: In the meanwhile, you can order Lessons from Oz here or hope to be the lucky winner to our giveaway for a personalized signed copy. To register your entry for this giveaway, please post a comment to let us know what The Wizard of Oz means to you. This giveaway is open until August 26 @ 11:59am PST (Usual giveaway rules are: One entry per person. The winner will be chosen at random using a random integer generator. Your information is confidential and used for this giveaway only. Multiple entries will be deleted. Valid in US and Canada only).