Stony Creek Art Fair puts out call for artists

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The third annual Stony Creek Art Fair at Stony Creek Metropark in Shelby Township, which will take place July 29-30, has its artist deadline coming up relatively soon.

Located at Stony Creek Metropark’s Baypoint Beach, the art fair usually incudes about 80 juried artists who exhibit for purchase handmade creations including ceramics, glass and garden arts, jewelry, fiber, and accessories.

The art fair is looking for more artists to join in on the fun, and the application fee costs $25. Booths cost $395, and the application deadline is April 30. For more information, visit www.stonycreekartfair.com.

Miguel “Mike” Denyer, from Garden City with Captured Wilderness, has exhibited his work at the Stony Creek Art Fair.

“The items I have are fine-art nature and wildlife photography prints, which I offer as framed prints or matted prints (so my buyers can use their own frames), and postcards,” he said via email.

He said he took up his art after having to give up a previous profession as a close protection specialist due to poor health.

“It was while I was recovering from two strokes in 2014 that I discovered my talent for nature and wildlife photography, and really just took off from there. What started off as a means of recovery — going for walks in the woods with my camera — has since become a small business. Last year, I attended more than 20 art fairs all over Michigan,” he said.

He can be reached at miguel@capturedwilderness.com or www.capturedwilderness.com.

MaryBeth Mitchell, from Mussey with AugustaWynde Designs, said she has been a part of the Stony Creek Art Fair since the very beginning — even though organizers had to postpone the first year due to COVID-19.

She said she will be showing her pottery creations this year.

“My work is a bit different than what most people think of when they think of pottery, though. I love bright colors and fun shapes — think ceramic flowers on springs and birdbaths that look like a huge blossom. I love bright colors because they’re easier for me to see, so they became a bit of a trademark of my work. I like taking “normal” objects like flowers or mugs or animals and turning them into something unexpected. My work is primarily hand built, though I do throw micro-miniature pots on a mini wheel,” she said in an email interview.

She is currently still working on her website, but she does have links at AugustaWynde.com.  

“My work can also be found at a couple of shops, and of course at shows. I’ve been creating since I was old enough to hold a pair of scissors. One day I was at a show with my mother, and one of the older ladies there asked me, ‘If you could do anything you wanted art-wise, what would it be?’ I immediately said, ‘Pottery, but I’ll never have enough money for a kiln.’ Turns out she had an old kiln I could buy cheap, and I took the leap into clay. I did it part-time for around 10 years, selling my artwork while holding down a regular job and being a mom,” she said.

She said that approximately eight years ago, she suffered an injury that left her with permanent vision issues.

“It would be several years and five eye surgeries before I could really drive more than a short distance, and I still have issues with double vision and depth perception. That forced me to really dive into my art and find a new way to create. My artwork changed in that I focused on how the clay felt, playing with its shape and how delicate I could make things,” she said.

She said started pushing the limits of what clay was traditionally supposed to do and be.

“My color pallet has become bright and bold because, for the first year or so after my injury, I needed the contrast to be able to see my forms. I believe that injury really changed my life and my art for the better, and in a weird way, I’m grateful for it,” she said.

Laura Rangos, from the Rochester area with LRDesign LLC, has been participating in the Stony Creek Art Fair from the beginning too.

She will be showing custom-made framed pictures that resemble fine paintings but are actually made by using patterned cotton fabrics that are cut and assembled to match designed artwork or original photographs.

“Each piece of material is individually stitched together and stretched over a wooden frame or base (like stretching a canvas) to create a colorful collage of quilted beauty. I also make the frames myself, finishing them with various colors of ‘milk paint’ that accent the artwork they surround,” she said in an email.

In addition to her original works of art, she will have different sized color print reproductions as well as an extensive selection of greeting cards that vividly capture the originals.

“I’ve been drawing and painting since I was very young, but I’ve also been an avid seamstress for much of my life as well. My art has evolved over the years, and I now work almost exclusively with fabric. My love of texture and vibrantly colored fabric led me to experimenting with my technique, to the point of now being able to stitch together beautiful works of art to create a colorful collage of quilted fabric pictures. I love using playful prints and luxurious batiks to form the highlights, shadows and mid-tones of any subject that interests me,” she said.

Creating pictures of animals, flowers, landscapes and architecture has been her latest focus.

“So far, exhibiting my work at art shows and art fairs has been enjoyable. I like the Stony Creek Art Fair because it’s close to home but also because it draws a very nice crowd that is genuinely interested in art. Art fairs are definitely hard work, but the rewards are plentiful. Other artists we’ve met have been very kind, offering helpful advice and sharing their art fair stories. It’s also been extremely enjoyable meeting the people who visit my booth,” Rangos said.

She said she is normally a little shy but finds it easy to talk with people about her artwork and to hear about their impressions.

“By far, quilters are most attracted to my work because it involves a lot of quilting techniques and gorgeous batik style fabrics,” she said. 

Her website is lrdesignllc.com and her email is lrdesign@comcast.net.