Judith Kinghorn

The American Craft Show in Baltimore, sponsored by the American Craft Council, is the largest juried,   indoor exposition in the United States. With more than seven hundred of the nation’s top craft artists, this is not surprising. A wealth of objects will be on sale, not only jewelry and clothing, but home decorations as well. This year’s show also presents a new element to the Craft Show: Craft 4 Kids, a children’s line featuring clothes, toys and accessories.

It is more than a little difficult to get a proper cross section of the wide variation of craftspeople exhibiting in Baltimore. Jeweler Judith Kinghorn from Minneapolis, Minnesota, produces intensely organic pieces. “My approach to the design relies on the interplay between the material and the process,” she states. “As I texture, pattern and fold metal to create surface interest, I become aware of possibilities. Shapes—organic,

	Diane Harty

architectural—emerge, often contrasting sharply with the softer finishes.”

Fiber artist Lynn Yarrington’s connection to weaving extends through generations of her family. Yarrington, from New Haven, Vermont, says, “Each garment is handwoven individually on Macomber floor looms, dressed with rayon, silk, cotton, and chenille yarns. In the creation of each garment, it is important to me that there is a balance of visual appeal.”

Even though in the same wearable medium, Diane Harty covers a completely different element—literally. “I think of hats as signifying motion and travel, even without going anywhere. Putting on a hat is traveling to another part of yourself, another personality.” Actually residing in Frisco, Colorado, Harty and her whimsical hats are a reflection of her outlook that hats make for a delightful moveable feast.

Hulda & Kenneth Bridgeman

Hulda and Kenneth Bridgeman concentrate on the use of color in their textile work for their beautiful garments. Hulda explains, “My work begins with choosing colors. I use color intuitively, holding silk fabrics together to see which combinations excite my eye. I also like the complexity resulting from ‘controlled’ accidental effects in both dyeing and later, piecing the fabrics. Tucking is laid over the piecing to blend areas and create a relief surface with an organic, often rippling texture, and a sense of movement.” The Bridgemans live in Spokane, Washington.

Birgit Kupke-Peyla utilizes German sensibilities and European design to create her geometric pieces. “My work is quiet yet dramatic, confident and delicate, complex in its apparent stillness and simplicity. I make precious one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry that harmonize with the human form with ease and elegance, expressing the wearer’s individuality,” Kupke-Peyla (Salinas, California) states. The vibrant and contrasting metals and stones in her work create a rich ensemble.

	Lynn Yarrington

In contrast, Mary Filapek and Lou Ann Townsend (Concord, North Carolina) make smooth elliptical work inlaid with polymers that resemble the cells of a plant or some surreal bacterium. The jewelry artists explain: “We are inspired by the awesome power and potential of the atom. Chemistry, cellular structure, DNA, mathematics, spirituality, the nature of reality and our planetary travels provide the primary sources of fodder for color, form and texture.” But all this is just a small sampling of what the show really holds. Jewelry artists such as Deb Karash (Rockford, Illinois), Gabriel Ofiesh (Charlottesville, Virginia), Anne Besse-Shepherd (Sudbury, Massachusetts), and Barbara Clieslicki (Plainfield, New Hampshire); fiber artists Susan Otterson (Janesville, Wisconsin), Sally Ryan (Fishers, Indiana), and K. Riley (Havertown, Pennsylvania) illustrate the breadth of artistic and national diversity. A designated section of the exposition also features the emerging talent in the craft world, enabling visitors to see new faces in the industry.

Birgit Kupke-Peyla