Ward Davis: Wooden Toy Maker This month’s artist of the month is Ward Davis, our wooden toy maker. If you haven’t seen his things yet, you are going to want to stop in and take a look. He has trains, planes, and automobiles. An ark with lots of animals. Giraffes and dogs you can pull behind you on a string just like in the good old days. And because they’re sturdily made of child-safe materials, they will last into the next generation and beyond. Not looking for a toy? We have lots of other fun things for the young at heart. Anthony Ferrerese’s whimsical animals will make you laugh. (A chicken on roller skates, anyone?) Pretty jewelry, amusing pictures, even pillows with cats on them. Come by and see!
One of a Kind Gifts One of the best things about shopping at The Artisans’ Guild is that everything in the store is handcrafted by somebody local or regional. This is especially important during the summer, when wedding time is upon us and people are looking for the perfect gift for the bride and groom. After all, nobody wants to be the one who brings the third toaster… When you buy something handmade, it is much more likely to be one-of-a-kind, reducing the likelihood that Uncle Bob is going to bring the same exact thing, only in green. Plus it gives you the opportunity to really tailor the gift to the couple’s tastes. Are they foodies who love to cook? Get them a wooden peppermill, a large wooden bowl, or a set of pottery dishes. If they are decorating a new home, there is artwork for every taste and budget, not to mention the tradition “new house” gift, a...Read More >
By Deborah Blake One of the great things about this time of year at The Artisans’ Guild is that we always get a few new artists. (We always seem to get a bunch of new people coming into the shop to be juried in the spring, and right before the holidays, although a few folks wander in at other times.) Although we hate to say goodbye to any of our existing members, it is always great to have something fresh and different to spice the place up. Last month, we were joined by three new members, all of them with very different crafts. Katrina Boest does bright and colorful crochet. You might not think of yarn as a summer craft,but she has fun, lightweight vests and cover-ups, halter tops, and great kid’s gifts. Anthony Ferrarese creates adorable and humorous whimsical wooden animals. Wait until you see the chicken on roller skates! He also has some fabulous walking sticks, which is something...Read More >
By Deborah Blake It is finally starting to feel like spring at last! At the Artisans’ Guild, a not-for-profit artists’ cooperative located at 148 Main Street in Oneonta, that means a couple of fun things. For one, our Artist of the Month, Robin Briguglio, has a great assortment of beautiful items that she covers with gorgeous and exotic papers. Especially for spring, she has decorated eggs, some of them displayed in little nests she makes herself from the grapevines that grow wild in her yard. There are also vases for your spring flowers and other cool decorative items, so be sure to stop by and peek in the window. Spring also means that our almost fifty artists are slowly coming out of hibernation. New soaps and pottery and jewelry are appearing almost every day as people venture out of their houses and back into their studios. (And of course, Laura Haney has brought in fresh chocolate!) As with all other...Read More >