Varied artisans’ work featured at Ocean View fair May 27

When John Cooley of Rehoboth Beach exhibits his whimsical animal-themed, hand-built stoneware at the 10th Annual Artisans Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 27, at Lord Baltimore Elementary School in Ocean View, it will be his first time at the show as a full-time potter.

Cooley has participated many times in the fair, sponsored by the South Coastal Delaware AARP Scholarship Committee, but in previous years, sculpting was his avocation. For 20 years, he taught art to 600 students in preschool through third grade at Showell Elementary School in Berlin, Md.

He retired from teaching last year after his hobby became more profitable than his teaching career. Now he travels as far north as New Hope, Pa., and as far south as Richmond, Va., to exhibit his art. He now attends 24 shows a year, instead of the 14 when he was teaching. "If I am not traveling to shows, participating in them on weekends or packing up my garden and home décor molded out of clay, I am in the studio sculpting, firing or glazing. It has become my new full-time job," Cooley said.

Cooley has always had a passion for animals, and that is reflected in the extra touches incorporated in his stoneware. "I used to have cats and dogs as pets, but now I travel so much, I can only have fish." Working in marketing for the Friends of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., early in his career, he took a computer graphics course which enhanced his ability to create storybook characters and animals he had drawn for years. When he moved to Rehoboth in the 1990s to help his elderly parents, Cooley completed a fine arts degree at Salisbury University and obtained a teaching certificate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Not content to just teach, the Rockville, Md. native enrolled in a course at Rehoboth Art League to get back to creating his own art. "Everything all came together,” he said. “I have always been drawn to folk art and the work of artists who don't have formal training. That is what excites me. I was also inspired by what my students did. For one project, the third-graders posed,showing emotions from happy to sad. Then they would build themselves using wire, tape, paper mache and paint. They really made some cool stuff."

At the art league, Cooley's instructors encouraged him to show his creations at art shows and then to begin selling them. "My art, whether bird baths, totem poles or home accessories, such as soap dishes and mirrors, seems to have wide appeal. I like bright colors and strong textures," he said.

Cooley's latest efforts, which he will display at the artisans fair, are 3-D wall pieces that resemble jungles or underwater scenes.

Gloria Harris

New to the fair this year is Gloria Harris of Ocean View, who makes a wide array of outfits to fit 15-inch and 18-inch dolls, such as American Girl, Madame Alexander, Gotz, Bitty Baby and others. Human resource management in the federal government was her professional career, but sewing is in her DNA. Her grandmother was a quilter who showed Harris how to make patterns using newspapers. Her mother was an excellent seamstress and taught her daughter to sew. "She was exacting and would make me rip out and resew if it wasn't perfect," Harris said. That attention to detail has carried over into the creation of the one-of-a-kind doll clothes she makes, whether casual, formal, sports attire or costumes.

Harris focuses on girl dolls, but she did make her two sons' clothes when they were children. Her 20-year-old granddaughter Jazmine benefitted from having a lovely wardrobe for her dolls when she was growing up. Harris loved dolls as a child and collected mostly Madame Alexander dolls as an adult.

"My greatest pleasure is hearing the 'oohs' and 'ahs' from my customers, who are mostly grandmothers and little girls, and also from my husband Ken Oprisko who is always willing to offer suggestions."

Harris does not like to make the same outfit twice, although she will if a customer requests it. "I often look at the outfits on the red carpet at the awards shows on television to get inspiration for the doll outfits."

Especially popular in the local area are outfits with the words "Lewes," "Rehoboth Beach" or "Bethany Beach," on them. "I usually sell out of them at local shows," she said.

Harris uses all kinds of fabrics but never scraps. She said, "I like to use exquisite lace, embroidery and accessories. I choose fabrics and prints that are appropriate for small clothes."

She uses or alters factory patterns, but she also designs patterns herself. "I generally start with a pair of shoes and design the outfit to go with them, because every girl wants a pair of shoes to go with her outfit." For more information about her Carolina Classics 4 Girls outfits, go to www.duds4dolls.com, but to see them in person, visit her at the artisans fair.

Lois Porterfield

Locksmiths, blacksmiths and silversmiths are all experts at what they do. So that is why Porterfield calls herself a beadsmith. Her creations, such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, keychains and small boxes, are the handiwork of a bead artist, and her work will be on display at the artisans fair in Ocean View.

Beads have been used in many cultures, including early Roman, Mediterranean, Egyptian, Venetian and Native American, dating back thousands of years. They have been made of pebbles, shells, teeth, claws, clay, glass and gemstones. The word "bead" comes from the Anglo-Saxon words "bidden" (to pray) and "bede" (prayer). Today, as throughout history, beads have many purposes including important roles in fashion.

Porterfield discovered beading following a career with the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. After she moved to Rehoboth Beach from Virginia six years ago, she took a jewelry course from a local private teacher, and then took a noncredit course at Wilmington University in downtown Rehoboth. "I was hooked," Porterfield said. "There are six or seven major stitches and beads that come with multiple holes, so figuring out what to do with the stitches and various holes is like fitting a puzzle together."

She began selling jewelry about three years ago after she applied for a license to conduct business. She participates in local art fairs on Delmarva including the Artisans Fair on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. "Besides the joy of beading, I have experienced wonderful encounters with people - those who organize the art shows, the buyers and fellow artists. Art shows are a culture unto themselves. Those who participate are wonderful people, not selfish or competitive. We share tips and have a lot of fun," she said.

Porterfield works in a dedicated studio in her house. "When I am pleased with what is coming together, the work is very relaxing." In the early days, a friend who took the first course with her would join Porterfield for sessions where they both did their own projects. "I would really like to form a beading club, but that is for the future." Now she is content to work on Russian spirals, right-angle weaves, different architectural shapes and multilayers of beads that give structure to her objects, and then offer them to others for their enjoyment.

Farmers market

The artisan fair will include a farmers market area. Vendors include Fresh Harvest Hydroponics, Millsboro; Tranquility Gardens, Rehoboth Beach; Magee Farms, Selbyville; Inland Bays Garden Center, Frankford; Delaware Provision South, Ocean View; and Parsons’ Farm Produce, Frankford. Backyard Jams and Jellies Inc. of Milton will bring their award-winning fresh, local, handmade jams, jellies, mustards and chutneys. Carol Hudson of Frankford will bring honey and beeswax items. A Touch of Glass from Naples, Fla., will offer stained-glass sun catchers, wind chimes, flower vases and more. Carol Gentes of Selbyville will sell painted rocks and animals.