Pottery Demo at Lehman's

Mary Ruth Kamp during Pottery demo at Lehman's.



I had the pleasure today to help OACG member Mary Ruth get set up for a demo today at Lehman's. She will be a 'regular' from now on by demonstrating a couple times a month at the store. I could see already what a treat it was going to be for the customers as they peeked in at us as we set up. Before I could leave Mary Ruth already had several eager onlookers!

Now for some background on Mary Ruth Kamp. She was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and grew up in Kidron, Ohio. After graduating high school she volunteered in Nepal, worked for a wilderness canoe camp in Minnesota for 10 summers and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Art from Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, Ohio) in 2003. Her first introduction to pottery was in a community ceramics class that she took with her sister. Besides creating functional pottery, she enjoys working with mixed media and constructs blank journals and altered books. She can be contacted by email at recycledclay@gmail.com.


Rod Hardy's Wildlife Wood Carving at Lehman's demo

Rod Hardy is another OACG member who regularly does demonstrations at Lehman's. In addition to the beautiful floral and wildlife woodcarvings you see above he is also an accomplished painter and muralist. Rod maintains a working gallery in the arts district in Canton in the Annex above Second April Art Gallerie just around the corner from the OACG Gallery.

You can read what I wrote about Mary Ruth's time in the store today on Lehman's blog here: There's some fun things going on in Kidron this weekend so it was a lively morning!

As I left the artist to enjoy the demo I thought what a great opportunity these types of activities are for everyone involved. The business, Lehman's in this case, brings in local artists and crafters which in turn is good public relations. The OACG members are thrilled to be able to be a part of this and their enthusiasm spreads to the customer. When we are able to make a good fit between demonstrator and business, the demonstration then promotes in a comfortable, 'ma and pop' way the stores products. This happened quite naturally when OACG member Rod Hardy was in Lehman's a couple weeks ago doing a wood carving demo. He uses the same wood carving tools that Lehman's carries to create these beautiful floral and wildlife woodcarvings! I can be sure his artwork inspired those who saw it!

When I do my farm animal mural painting demos I notice right away how much the customer wants to chat and connect with me by telling me about what they like to do! We all want to be creative! It feels good to create and it feels good to have people enjoy what you are doing. I always make a point of making my demos more about what the other person likes to do then what I am doing-- unless they ask specific technical questions. I am thankful for the opportunity to promote the arts and my fellow artists. I am thankful for the public's appreciation as we do our craft. In our mass produced world it is refreshing to be able to create and work with your hands and have people understand the value of that.

With the movement so much in the direction of supporting the local economy this is something hopefully we will see more and more of. I think people see the value in unique, original artwork and products. It really benefits everyone all the way around!

If you've not stopped by the new Ohio Arts and Crafts web site please do. The Guild has added some very nice member benefits and is modernizing its record keeping with the help of Kelli Swan. We sure appreciate her computer savvy! I value in the networking that is taking place with the other members to grow and evolve the OACG in new directions as we all get to work from our strengths.

If you are interested in learning more about demos or the Guild please feel free to contact me or other Guild members. My e-mail is artbysue@hotmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

equine and animal artist

pet portraits

Artist Profiles and the benefits of demos for businesses

Dennis Lipp during a recent painting demo




Dennis Lipp, a resident of the Kidron/Dalton area is a member of OACG and a regular demonstrator at Lehman's. Recently he brought his easel, oil paint and brushes to treat visitors to the store to his finely detailed rural landscapes. Dennis' eye for color and detail allow him to create beautiful oil paintings of the rolling farmland around his home. He also has an interest in painting wildlife but his real passion is to paint biblical themed art that engages the viewer.



Visit Lehman's Calendar of Events to see what is lined up for future demos.



Beginning tomorrow Mary Ruth Kamp, another Kidron resident and OACG member, will bring her potter's wheel and do a twice monthly pottery demonstration at Lehman's.



If you are a OACG member and wish to participate in future demos please contact Sue Steiner at artbysue@hotmail.com or 330-857-2404.



If you are a business owner and would like to hear how artists and crafters can help in creating interest and excitement in your establishment we'd like to talk to you as well! Some examples of businesses that can benefit from an artist or crafter would be:



Restaurants: Iris, a Canton restaurant partnered with Art In Stark by bringing in artists for a 'Picasso' night recently. They served Spanish food and had artists painting while diners enjoy the change of pace. They took an ordinary dining experience and made it memorable!



Garden Centers: Many arts and crafts can have a garden theme. Shoppers stay around longer in the store and they can be drawn in during 'off' season times. Even out your off season with some garden crafts!



Banquets or Seminars: Have an artist create a treasured keepsake at an event to be given to the person being honored. During business seminar encourage creativity in the workplace or get employees to 'think outside the box'. What better way than to do an art project that spurs creative thought and expression?



Retirement homes, hospitals, resort hotels..... virtually anywhere people gather, art can be used to help convey a message, male special memories or draw attention to an event.

Thanks for stopping by!
Creatively,
Sue Steiner

Artist Profiles, 'Sue Steiner'

White Horse Studio




My name is Sue Steiner and I am an animal and equine artist living in the Dalton/Kidron area. I am a member of the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild and have the pleasure of pairing up interested OACG member artists and crafters to do demos at Lehman's in my hometown. Many people know me from Lehman's as the artist who painted the life sized farm animal murals outside the store and in the Buggy Barn. I am periodically back in the store adding to the murals as part of the ongoing demos that the OACG members put on through out the year. I am using this blog to profile many of the artists and crafters who are participating so please take some time to browse awhile.



When I am not painting the farm animal murals at Lehman's or working in my home studio on pet portraits, horse portraits and rural themed art I am at my studio White Horse Studio above Second April Art Gallerie in Canton. You can find me there during Canton's First Fridays in suite #207. The studio is also open during regular gallery hours so please stop in!



I work primarily in oils and watercolors but love to mix things up with collage, graphite, mixed media and pastels too on occasion. You can see new work and work in progress pics or just read about the newest adventure on my hobby farm with my animals on my blog at http://www.amulti-coloredlife.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

Artist Profile "Vicki Boatright"

Vicki Boatright, also known as BZTat, is a Canton artist whose signature style consists of bright, colorful pet portraits. As you can see from the artwork pictured above it has a contemporary flare and abstract quality which makes for a unique, one of a kind gift or keepsake for the animal lover.

On Friday, May 1, Vicki shared with the visitors to Lehman's some of her cat and dog art as a demonstration in the Buggy Barn. In keeping with the start of the garden season and the flavor of the store Vicki's cats were depicting frolicking in a garden! Even the felines love the coming of spring!

Vicki maintains Art Adventures Studios at 336 4th St. NW, Canton, Ohio 77502. She can be found during Canton's First Friday at her studio next to the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild Gallery. Stop in and treat yourself to some whimsy and cheer!

Artist Profile, "Rod Hardy"

Sat. May 2nd Rod Hardy was at Lehman's as part of a partnership between the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild and Lehman's to bring quality demos to the store. Rod wears many hats as a muralist, carver and painter but on that day his focus was on demonstrating his skill in creating beautiful, intricate floral and wildlife wood carvings.

Rod Hardy has an art studio at 318 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton, Ohio 44705 by appointment or can be contacted by phone at 330-455-5498. He participates in Canton's First Fridays and can be found in the Annex above Second April Art Gallerie.

Social Networking and Marketing for Artists & Crafters

Marketing yourself at times can feel overwhelming and intimidating but at the same time is a necessary evil if you want to sell what you create. I do not claim to be any kind of an expert but I happen to actually enjoy the marketing end of things so I will share with you some of what I have learned.

First of all I really got my start learning about marketing in a previous career of selling real estate. Many times artists and crafters already possess of the skills they need to market their product but feel shy or hesitant when it is directed at themselves. I remember at a sales conference years ago the speaker made a point to tell us 'it doesn't hurt to ask'. This was in reference to real estate agents asking for a listing to sell their house but sales techniques can be applied to anything you want to market. The example he gave was of a small child asking for a cookie. A child will ask and if they are told no will think of ways in which to ask again--often times being rewarded by wearing down their parent who finally says yes. When selling for yourself obviously you don't want to use the 'wear 'em down until they are ready to pull their hair out' method but there is value in telling yourself- it doesn't hurt to ask. It doesn't hurt to ask people for their business in a pleasant way. It doesn't hurt to tell people I DO sell my craft. I think we as artists/crafters have an added hurdle that people think since we enjoy what we do than we should just be doing it for free but that's for another blog entry!

When asking for business you can expect no's but if you keep asking (enough people) you will get a yes. Try not to see the 'no's' as personal but rather bringing you closer to the 'yes'. Sales often run in cycles often described as feast or famine so just expect this. It also doesn't hurt to think of new ways in which to ask for business, like the young child's method of operation of looking for new ways to get the yes. If at first you don't succeed keep asking! You also need to be mindful that if what you've been doing is not producing results than it may be time to look for new methods, a new twist to your product or you have not hit on your niche group of people yet who would be interested in what you have to offer. As creative people we ahve an advantage because being able to look at things in different ways is usually a stong point for us. If you can remove yourself from your product and imagine what kind of person would be interested in what you have to offer and then find ways of putting your product in front of them.

The Internet and social networking opens up a whole new avenue in which to find 'new' ways to ask for business. I wrote briefly in an earlier post about twitter and facebook. In addition to this there are smaller networking sites geared to specific audiences. For instance I am an equine artist and have found several social networking sites geared specifically to horse people. With a little bit of investigating you may find something suited specifically for the group of people you would like to target. Its worth checking into.

If you are a member of the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild that one way in which you can begin to market yourself is by participating in activities at the Guild. This provides an opportunity to meet people face to face and also to get a feel for what people are interested in. People enjoy meeting the artist or crafter. It gives you an opportunity to talk about what you do. The arts community in Canton is active and vibrant so if you are close enough to take advantage of it you can reap the rewards of a captive, interested audience. Plus you'll enjoy yourself! Have fun with what you do because people pick up on your enthusiasm.

I also encourage you to support the artists and crafters who have items for sale at the Guild. I was at the Guild recently and bought some wonderful gifts-- all handmade, original work reasonably priced! I was thrilled to have such cool things to give as gifts. Its nice to support other local artists and in turn it is nice to be given an avenue in which to market handmade, original arts and crafts. Art communities come together and thrive because creative people enjoy other creative people! Art communities also come toether and thrive because people in general love the energy and inspiration that comes from this kind of face to face interaction. Seek it out and take advantage of it when you can.

Check back again or subscribe to this blog for updates. I will add more tips periodically. Remember too May's First Friday is just around the corner. If you've not been to Canton's First Friday I encourage you to check it out to see for yourself! There are schedules, lists of restaurants, maps, parking information at http://www.cantonfirstfriday.com/ Stop by http://www.artsinstark.com/ too for more info and examples of how Stark County is supporting the arts! The OACG web site has a page with information on artists and crafters interested in participating in First Friday here:

If you are a member of OACG and would like to be profiled on this blog please send me a digital image of you or your work, along with a written description of what you do along with contact information you feel comfortable posting on the Internet. I welcome the opportunity make an entry here about what you do. My e-mail address is artbysue@hotmail.com

If you are a business owner I would love to tell you about the benefits of partnering with local artists and crafters.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

Artist Profile "Clever Nesting"

Colleen and Devonna, members of Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild will be at Lehman's this weekend to share their passion for recycling using found objects.

"Colleen and Devona are passionate about conservation and creativity. They enthusiastically want to share this lifestyle with others, hence, the Clever Nesting website was developed in early 2009. At Clever Nesting you’ll find posts about crafting techniques, full craft tutorials, and links to other great crafting resources. There are design ideas for the home and techniques for the garden, many of which reuse and repurpose items often thrown away. Plus, read artist interviews who also share the Clever Nesting vision…a world where people do more with less.
Off the web Clever Nesting is active in the Greater Akron, Ohio community spreading the creative and repurposing spirit by hosting local events and teaching craft classes and demonstrations."

You can contact Clever Nesting for more information devona@clevernesting.com, colleen@clevernesting.com , visit their web site at http://www.clevernesting.com/ or stop in Lehman's in Kidron, Ohio and watch their demo!

If you own a business and would like to hire an artist or crafter to do a demo or if you are an artist/crafter who is interested in doing demos please contact Sue Steiner at artbysue@hotmail.com