Northwoods Creations Art Blog

Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show

2008-11-15T13:06:00.000-08:00

We're participating in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show this week. What an AMAZING show! The opening night reception on Wednesday was very nice and the crowds have been huge every day. The artists are treated SO well, we are really appreciative of the staff and volunteers who are bending over backward to make this a successful and enjoyable show for all of the artists.

In addition to enjoying a very well run show and great sales, we're getting to take in a bit of Philadelphia. The show is at the convention center right across the street from the Reading Terminal Market and the walk back to the hotel takes up by the liberty bell, among other historic sites. What a great setting for a brilliant show! We'll have more photos up soon.

Change in Schedule

2008-02-23T04:27:00.000-08:00

Some exciting changes have been made to the show schedule. First, Steve has been pulled off the waiting list for the Bonita Springs National Art Festival for the weekend of March 1 & 2! So Steve will be at that show with his work. Additionally, he has been asked to participate in the First Annual Boca Grande Art & Wine Festival. That new show will take place in the community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island. So he has moved his schedule around a bit to make that show possible. Steve will NOT be attending the Anna Maria Island/Holmes Beach show as previously scheduled.

The Sanible Island show was a great success. Thanks to all of you who stopped by to see the new work and chat with us. We hope to hear from many of you in the future! We extend a huge thanks to the Sanibel Rotary club. They really put on a great show and are brilliant to work with. We have a great time spending the weekend with them!

Start of Florida Show Season

2008-02-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Northwoods Rustic winter art show season in Florida is officially underway. After leaving a very snowy Calumet to head south, the first show of the season, Art Fest Ft. Myers, took place this last weekend and beautiful weather was enjoyed by all and the crowds were huge. It was great to see past customers and new art enthusiasts in Ft. Myers.

The next show on the schedule is the Sanibel Island Arts & Crafts show on February 16 & 17 - a great show in a great location! If you're in the area, this little show is well worth a stop on the island. And really, who needs an excuse to spend a day on Sanibel Island?!

On the trip to Florida, Steve picked up a new gallery in Apalachicola, Florida. Artemis Gallery is a wonderful place with a nice and growing selection of artwork. Northwoods Creations cutting boards are now available for purchase at the Artemis Gallery. If you haven't visited the artsy little town of Apalachicola, it's worth consideration. Really great galleries, restaurants and people!

The final view of Calumet!

The Northwoods Creations booth at Art Fest Ft. Myers.

Funky new table.

The artist taking a much-deserved fishing break!

MiElements Gallery in Chicago

2008-01-02T18:01:00.001-08:00

If you're in the Chicago area, take the time to check out the new Mi Elements furniture, design and art gallery. Steve has some of his work in the gallery and we've heard rave reviews about all of the artwork featured there.

The gallery is located at 851 Randolph Street - right in the heart of Chicago!

One Of A Kind Show And Sale

2007-12-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

We braved the weather to get to Chicago on Tuesday for the One of a Kind Show and Sale. The drive between Milwaukee and Chicago was a little sketchy, but after driving 40 mph for the last few hours of the trip, we made it safe and sound.

The show this year is once again amazing. We get to see some of our favorite fellow artists and Chicago customers. The caliber and mix of artwork here is so impressive and we are honored to be in such great artistic company. Too many great things to list here.

Our booth took all day Wednesday to set up but we are happy with how it looks. The show hours yesterday were noon to 9:00 p.m., today it's 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow we go until 8:00 p.m. again and Sunday until 5:00. Chicago has been snowy, windy and cold but it doesn't seem to have kept the crowds away!

Not just furniture...artwork for the walls

2007-10-10T06:07:00.001-07:00

Beginning in early 2007, Steve began creating a new line of framed artwork. This was a completely new venture for him. In the past he had focused on furniture of all kinds (bedrooms sets, dining sets, hutches, tables, etc.), his well-known line of cutting boards and other accessories like wine corks and a few sculptural pieces.

He debuted the framed artwork at Art Fest Fort Myers last year and immediately got great feedback. Since then, the wall art has become one of his most popular lines. These new framed pieces are perfect for those who have limited space or aren't in the market for piece of furniture but would still like a decorative wood element in their homes.

Each piece is truly one-of-a-kind. Some simply reflect the natural beauty of wood in that they are not altered at all but are selectively arranged to showcase the grain or other aspects of wood that is so amazing on it's own. Others are slightly altered to combine woods or to take a natural element in wood and add a unique unexpected twist.

All of the artwork is matted and framed in high quality natural or black wood frames. Available inventory is constantly changing and new designs are being created almost daily. Check the website (http://www.northwoodsrustic.com/) for new items or email Steve directly if you're interested in viewing the newest items.

There will also be a whole new line of framed art and many new furniture pieces showcased at the One of a Kind Show in Chicago in December and the various shows in Florida that Steve will attend in February and March.

Opening at Lansing Art Gallery

2007-10-08T12:49:00.001-07:00

Steve has a month-long exhibit going on at the Lansing Art Gallery throughout October. The opening was on Friday the 5th. The display looks great and Steve met some great people at the opening. All of the furniture he currently has in his inventory is at the gallery! He'll spend the month building up more inventory and working on some custom work.

We hope anyone who has a chance and happens to be in the Lansing area this month will stop by the Gallery to see the display and support the work this gallery is doing.

Custom Work

2007-10-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Between art shows Steve works to build up his inventory while also working on custom orders. This past month he completed a bedroom set for a wonderful couple in Duluth. He met them and visited their home while at the Park Point Art Fest over the summer.

Although Steve has crafted custom orders based upon photos, he prefers to visit the home of customers to get a feel for their style and to see exactly where the piece of furniture will "live" when it's completed. This bedroom set was very unique and a lot of fun for him to build.

End of the Summer Show Season

2007-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up our summer show season with the Lake View East art show in Chicago. The weather was amazing - unlike the other two shows in Chicago this past summer that had temps in the 100's. Overall a good show although the traffic and set-up made things a bit tiresome at first. Driving a van with a trailer in Chicago traffic took an immense amount of patience (both from us and from those sharing the road with us, I'm sure!).

We are now looking forward to heading to Lansing for Steve's month long exhibit at the Lansing Art Gallery. We'll head there to set up on the last weekend of September and stick around Lansing for a week so we can be there for the opening of the show on October 5th. We hope to see you there!