Sneak Peak: Saturday Art & Craft Show At The Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church
This Saturday, the annual ‘Art and Craft in the Garden’ exhibit will be hosted at the Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church, located at East 19th Street and Dorchester Road, featuring more than 25 artisans and artists — many of whom live and work in the neighborhood.
There will be a diverse selection of wares and fine art, including handmade jewelry, homemade jams, porcelain and stoneware ceramics, hand-dyed silk scarves, fine art and photography, wooden pens and boxes, wrought iron garden objects, hand-spun woven fabrics and more treasures.
The fair’s founders, Ditmas Park husband-and-wife team CJ and Adam Segal-Isaacson, created the event “so that Ditmas Park would have an elegant fine art and craft show of its own,” writes CJ.
CJ has been a jewelry artisan for 13 years, during which time her work has evolved from wire and beads to a sculptural style using traditional metalsmithing techniques, patinas and “flame paint.” She also works extensively with silver, bronze and copper metal clay.
Lynn Goodman, a porcelain artist and 17-year Windsor Terrace resident, blurs the line between art and daily life. “If you buy a piece from me I want you to actually use it. Porcelain is very sturdy and I try to keep my prices lower so people aren’t afraid to use them,” said Goodman.
Goodman has been selling at the fair for three years and will bring her pottery wheel-thrown items from her tableware collection, featuring large and small bowls ($35 and $25), ramen bowls ($26) and jars ($60).
To make the decals, Goodman uses an underglaze process using images of her own design. “I’ll draw an image and then make a silkscreen out of them using my own ink,” she said. “The best way to think of them are as temporary tattoos.” But of course, they are permanently affixed to each piece.
Goodman began her career as a printmaking major in college, but after taking a summer class in pottery the art form took over her life.
“I was the worst in my class. Everyone else was making teacups and I couldn’t work with the material. But I couldn’t let the clay win. By the time I got it, I was hooked,” she said.
Check out Art & Craft in the Garden on Saturday, October 8 from 10am to 5pm at the Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church, located at 424 East 19th Street and Dorchester Road. The event is sponsored local businesses by the Flatbush Food Co-op, San Remo Pizza and others. The event is free and light refreshments will be served.
