ArtStar Craft Bizarre

A few weekends ago, I spent the days in Philly helping the missus at her booth for the ArtStar Craft Bizarre--a two day event featuring over a hundred vendors of materials ranging from clothes to pottery to artwork to toys, mostly all handmade and all original. In a world where the same junk is sold on the streets of NYC as in the shops of Dubai, there's very little to get excited about. It's the same crap everywhere. That's what I love about these kind of places. You can find some really unique things. I thought I'd share some of my favorites from the events.

Horrible Adorables: These creations were amazing. Felted stuffed animal heads mounted on plaques. There was a fox that was incredible. Check out her stuff online here. (Postcard at the top of the page).

Marlo the Loyal Dog: These were great prints and postcards featuring a really great looking dog in really striking places. Check out the website here, there's a new Marlo comic on the blog every week.

Miss Millie Porcelain Wares and Wearables: This is some of my favorite stuff ever. I already have one of the porcelain heads, a bowl and a vase. I still need a mug. Check out this amazing stuff at her etsy store here.

Kerri Conrad: Some really interesting fine arts pieces. I really enjoyed the style of the line drawings and how they worked with the more fantastical mixed media set pieces. Check out her site here.

Phil Barbato: I've always been a stuffed animal nut ever since I was a kid and these might be some of most original I've seen in years. These monsters are really appealing, clever, but yet remain cute (Kids were gobbling these up at the fair). Check them out here.

Meerwiibli - Saving the best for last, my wife's stunning handmade clothing. Check all her creations here.

...And Then I Made You

Dolls are a symbol that show up a lot in my writing. I have always fascinated with them, ever since childhood. Not only traditional dolls, but also stuffed animals, or any toy designed to be a surrogate friend. I can clearly remember many trips to the toy store and choosing a new one. It was never a difficult process. There was always one that spoke louder than the others. Because that's the thing about dolls, looking at them with the right pair of eyes, it's impossible not to see them as something waiting to be given a life.

I can understand the objection to dolls in regards to gender roles, etc. But I suppose being of the opposite intended gender, it's easier for me to be detached from those objections. For me, I've always seen dolls as a child's first attempt at creating an imaginary life. A doll is never really looked upon as a toy, it's always something more. They are given names, personalities, likes and dislikes. You see children talking to them as if holding a conversation with something living. In many ways, the relationship between owner and doll is similar to an author and character. I know that I personally made up hundreds of stories for my troop. I can also remember never thinking about their responses while conversing. These created personalities take on a life of their own...again, much like characters during the writing process. I wonder if this is a common experience of writers' childhoods or if (as usual) I'm just odd.

Of course, I've always believed that things created in the imagination are not completely imaginary...that they exist in some other level of reality independent of the creator. Perhaps this is why I still collect such toys. There are still certain ones I see in a store with a look pleading to be liberated.