Yesterday we drove out into central New Hampshire to visit The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's annual fair at Mount Sunapee. This fair has been running since 1933, giving artians a chance to gather and sell their wares. It's held the first Saturday of the month of August, and runs nine days, rain or shine. It costs $10 per person, and it's worth it. The fair is huge; there were over 200 exhibitors, entertainment, and a food tent, and it was all in a gorgeous mountain setting. There were lots of booths set up where the artists demonstrated how they blow their glass, weave their rugs, or throw their pots.
The quality of the work is high. This is the premier guild in a state long known for superior artists and artisans. Here are a few that caught my eye, with links to their online sites.
Serigraphs, or silkscreens, are beautiful graphic prints made with a series of stencils. These are surprisingly affordable.
Matt Brown uses a Japanese multiple wood block technique. Again, these are fairly affordable, and his frames, in cherry, maple, oak or walnut, are affordable and beautiful.
These handwoven cotton rag rugs are super finely woven, and they're gorgeous. They aren't cheap, but because they are so expertly woven they can be washed in the machine, and are meant to last forever (as opposed to the mass produced ones you're used to seeing) I loved these.
You'll just have to explore this site, there's too much to tell. I was intrigued by the handmade leather shoes and sandals (for men and women). They felt great, they were made of gorgeous leather, flexible, and made to your exact foot dimensions! All this can be done through his website, and all the shoes come in a choice of 5 colors of leather.
These prices are steep, but if you consider how much you (ok, I) spend on random cheap shoes all season long, these would make a fair trade-off. No DSW Warehouse for 6 months = these shoes.
Steven's website is under construction, but his intricate slip decorated stoneware is beautiful and unusual, and it's sold right in Portsmouth NH at the Strawberry Bank Museum. He sells pie plates and casseroles that can be used for baking, as well as stunning decorative objects. I did some early holiday shopping at his booth, and I plan to visit his Portsmouth studio as well.
Another booth that caught my eye. His photos resemble fine watercolors. They are really haunting. It's a little hard to see the unusual quality of the image in reproduction.
Tom works with alpaca, cashmere, bamboo, cotton, silk and wool.
These are just a few of the artists who happened to grab my attention. There are so many more. If you're even remotely in the area, I recommend the day trip. They're open today, and tomorrow is the last day of the fair. If you miss it this year, bookmark it for next year!
I love this post. I only live about a hour away and next year I will be sure to mark the date thanks to your information. It also gives me a year to save. Wow, I could buy something at almost every booth it seems. That is such a lovely area. My daughter goes to college in NH. maybe a half hour more up north so we know that area a little.
ReplyDeleteSusan---Definitely go next year. I'm now regretting not buying more early gifts because 'handmade in America' would be an appropriate theme for holiday giving this year!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you could almost live there. Food, clothes, pottery, paintings, shoes, and rugs; What else does one need?
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