Jewelry Extravaganza Saturday, December 3rd 12 pm - 3 pm
A great chance not only to admire work of the very accomplished local jewelers but also to meet them in person. It's always interesting to learn about the creative process and technique chosen for a piece.
The jewelry represents many different styles, from sterling silver chain mail and vintage to fused glass and lampwork, with various esthetic approaches from the very classic to modern if not cheeky.
What is there not to like about jewelry? Particularly if it is both beautifully designed and executed with skill and care.
Please join us at Think Long Island First at 36 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY, on December 3rd, 12 pm - 3 pm. It's a free event, open to public.
Bethpage knitter Mary Burke was born and raised on a family farm in Kenmare county Kerry in Ireland, one of the westernmost places in Ireland, 'next stop Boston'. Her father was a deep sea fisherman in the scallop and lobster seasons and carpenter when not at sea. In the true spirit of self-reliance, the family made most of the things right on the farm. One of seven siblings, Mary remembers fondly some of her tasks - making butter and cheese, collecting and washing eggs for the market, even making fishing nets.
Baby sweater by Mary Burke Photo by Ewa Rumprecht
Mary was six years old when her grandmother plucked two quills from a turkey, stripped them of feather, and gave the quill needles to Mary to start knitting; there was only one pair of metal knitting needles in the house and grandma was not willing to part with it. Also, grandma was dubious that Mary, who was left-handed, could master the craft. Just to prove her wrong Mary learned to knit, right-handed, and continues knitting to this day.
Shawl by Mary Burke Photo by Ewa Rumprecht
Since commercial patterns were beyond her means, Mary relied on the word of mouth and on her observation and common sense to pick up stitches and patterns. It worked quite well for her. She learned from her family, friends, and colleagues. She returned her accumulated knowledge in equal measure to countless novice and experienced knitters.
At Think Long Island First we carry her baby sweaters, baby hats and headbands, and scarves for adults - a very small sample of the vast number of items she had made since the first sweaters she knitted to supplement her modest school wardrobe. She knitted out of necessity, out of curiosity, and out of the generosity of spirit.
Baby knits by Mary Burke Photo by Ewa Rumprecht
Far removed from her first turkey quill needles, Mary now prefers bamboo needles - they are noiseless and more calming. She likes working with wool as it has a natural stretch to it. She finds cotton too rigid and does not use it at all.
Mary favors knitting over crocheting and other fiber arts, because, as she jokingly puts it: 'I can look at other things and gossip'. She exercises this merry employment every Monday when she joins a group of senior knitters at her clubhouse; 14 ladies get together to make clothes for premature babies from underprivileged families, clothes are distributed to local hospitals - a wonderful way to give back.
We are gearing toward another event - Knitting Circle - Potluck Lunch which takes place at the store on Saturday, November 5th, between 11 am - 2 pm.
A group of novice and expert knitters, weavers, fiber artists, and spinners meets at the store for a few hours of swapping patterns, exchanging ideas, and just pure fun.
We held a similar event last year to a great success. In addition to knitting and crocheting we got a chance to try our hands at spinning and weaving - Donna Lee Trunk brought her portable loom, Carrie Wood set up her spinning wheel.
It's a potluck event so please bring a small dish (really small) to share with other guests. We will have limited storage and heating abilities so make is something uncomplicated.
We have celebrated our One Year Anniversary last Saturday with a gathering of artists and guests at the store. As always, it was a pleasure to meet the many talented Long Island artists, craftspeople, authors, and chefs and to welcome guests who appreciated their skill and creativity.
It was a beautiful day complemented by the generosity of our visitors - a local pantry benefits from the food items brought to the event. It is much appreciated.
Let us take this opportunity to express our gratitude to All who worked with us and supported us in the last year - from the artist community and the public to the members of our families. Many thanks!
Anthony Farah, Wantagh woodworker craftsman, got his first taste of hands-on work at 15 when he picked up a summer job at a frame shop. He enjoyed both the precision and the tactile aspect of fitting frames, cutting mat boards, glass and adding finishing components. He stayed there for 3 years.
Bubinga Console Table
by Anthony Farah
Having imagined himself a cattle rancher in Montanta, he studied animal husbandry at The State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. His first venture into wood art happened in a woodshed at the college grounds - Tony made a jewelry box for a prospective girlfriend. Neither the cattle ranch nor the girlfriend came true.
Tony joined his cousin Charles at his carpentry business in Philadelphia. He had used his time there well - learned flooring, window making, trims, visited various museums and galleries in search of clever use of wood.
Little Round Table
by Anthony Farah
Throughout the years he had a number of other experiences from barn building to employment at a mirror shop at the time when mirror walls and ceilings were all the rage. A memorable and eye-opening experience was an on and off involvement with Filmways Studios in the Bronx where he built movie sets.
He started his own shop with just a handful of machines in his backyard, then moved through a succession of workshops of ever increasing footage and capacities. He is now comfortably set up in Uniondale, where he runs a woodworking shop Big Twig Woodworks. He makes custom cabinets in a variety of styles, creates sumptuous bars and paneled libraries, is well known for his railing work.
Glass Top Table
by Anthony Farah
In addition, Tony creates one of a kind furniture where he utilizes reclaimed and recovered wood. If he hears of or sees a fallen/felled tree of potential he will make sure it ends up stashed in his shop getting ready for a table/bookshelf/etc yet to be conceived.
Recently, Tony's interest and perseverance got an official recognition; he was a recipient of the Think Green Award given by Think Long Island First at The Long Island Fair, an annual event held on the grounds of the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. A console table of local maple and red oak was the winning piece.
Though Tony is a self-taught woodworker, he has gained his esthetic training and inspiration from the study of works by George Nakashima, Wendell Castle, Frank Pollaro, or Wharton Esherick whose staircase in Esherick's house/museum he considers one of the finest achievements of woodworking. Tony is a member of the Long Island Woodworkers Guild.
Please join us in the celebration of our One Year Anniversary!
We are marking the momentous event with an Open House on Saturday, October 8th, between 2 - 4 pm, at our recently expanded store at 36 Audrey Avenue in Oyster Bay.
We have opened our doors last year with the beautiful works of 28 artists, craftspeople, writers, and chefs. Throughout the months we have met with many other talented Long Islanders and we now have the pleasure of working with 109 of them.
We have been overwhelmed with the positive response and support from the public for items made locally on Long Island.
We hope the Open House event will be a great chance for artists and public to meet and to celebrate the skill, talent, and resourcefulness of their fellow Long Islanders.
We ask our guests to bring non-perishable food items that will be donated to a local food pantry.
There are many definitions of folk art. Regan Tausch, painter from Bayville, NY, subscribes to the one identifying folk art as self-taught.
Princess by Regan Tausch Photo by Ewa Rumprecht
Regan was drawing quick sketches already in school, where her classmates used to line up for her pencil doodles of horses, castles, and princesses. The three remained recurring topics until this day, later joined in by houses, other animals, angels, hot air balloons, snow scenes, etc.
Cows in the Field by Regan Tausch Photo by Ewa Rumprecht
Art teachers in the very few art classes she ever took, Drawing 101, Painting 101, were not able to convert Regan's style to the ones they taught. All she retained in her art she had learned on her own. Regan chose acrylic on canvas as her medium, found her favorite brushes (due to a lot of details in her work she goes through a lot brushes with very fine tips), and continued on experimenting and discovering easier ways to convey what she imagined.
Detail of Sea scene by Regan Tausch Photo by Ewa Rumprecht
This is not to say she was immune to external influences. Regan was impressed by the charming works of folk artist Cate Mandigo, among others. She liked various traditional crafts and, as a stay at home mom, made ornaments, stuffed bears, dinosaurs, and dolls for her children. Some are still in her possession. Quilting was particularly significant for her artistic development, she now treats some of the areas in her paintings as patches of fabric.
There is peace, joy, tranquility, and hope in her paintings. There is no conflict in them of any kind. They make viewers happy. They make Regan happy. She is content with her current style and considers herself blessed as an artist. This is a wonderful place to be!
Asked how such an idyll could be improved, Regan painted yet another picture of perfect happiness - an art studio with live music jamming in the background (Regan is an amateur guitarist/singer and occasionally performs in public), and a small cafe on premises.
