Participating Artists at the Berkshires Arts Festival 2024

Artist: Gail Markiewicz
Gail Markiewicz Ceramic Art

“My fourth grade teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up and without hesitation I decided that I would become an artist. As the years passed my convictions only grew stronger. It seemed it was not only a vocation, but some inner calling that I could not deviate from.” Professional Ceramicist and Artist Gail Markiewicz of Woodbridge, CT has been working in the medium of clay for the past thirty years, creating beautiful, nonfunctional vessels that showcase her love for color, textures and pattern. By combining textured pieces of clay and juxtaposing them into interesting positions to form a patchwork design, she creates striking, decorative, one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Markiewicz’s work will be on display and for sale at the 13th annual Berkshires Arts Festival. For more information, visit www.gmceramicart.com

Artist: Patricia DiSantis
Shibumi Silks

“I've always been totally enthralled with fabric,” says Artist Patricia DiSantis of Shibumi Silks. “I used to make and sell herbal pillows, and I would water marble fabric for them. The act of water marbling is so pleasing to me, I wanted to do only that; and I realized how much pleasure there is in sharing it.” DeSantis will share her passion for water marbling at the 13th annual Berkshires Arts Festival in a series of hands-on demonstrations that will give guests a rare opportunity to participate in the ancient art and experience the creative process. The Shibumi booth is a silk art experience showcasing one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art. For more information, email patriciasfavorite@gmail.com

Artist: Peiliang Jin
PL Art Studio

Peiliang Jin is a painter of landscapes and outdoor scenes, primarily in watercolor. His technique is inspired by his classical training in the traditional and ancient watercolor methods of the Chinese art culture. Fine point brushes allow him with a single stroke to convey accuracy and delicacy to highlight anchor structures such as trees and flowers within a painting, while at the same time blending curve, color and light in the more expansive parts of the painting. The total effect of his technique pulls the viewer into the painting itself. Says a fan of his work, “Peiliang’s paintings convey a refreshing sense of optimism. His watercolors evoke the dawn of a new day or the very pleasant golden haze of a world we may wish to see, but somehow seldom find.” For more information, visit www.plartstudio.com

Artist:Marlene Housner
CUT and PASTE

Foxboro, Massachusetts-based artist Marlene Housner is a multifaceted talent whose artistic works have been selected for many juried craft shows, featured in esteemed galleries and museum exhibits across the USA, and who has been profiled in numerous newspaper articles. The line of artwear from her creative business CUT and PASTE featuring collections of one-of-a-kind works are exhibited and sold in galleries as well as by the artist directly at crafts shows around the US. The CUT and PASTE booth at the Berkshires Arts Festival will feature Marlene Housner's distinctively unique line of jackets, coats, vests, tunics, and handbags. For more information, visit www.housner.net/

Artist: Matt Johnson
Wedge Works

Wedge Works is an artist — driven design and production house based in Easthampton, MA producing highly original works of fine art sculpture, furniture and custom fixtures designed specifically for its environment and application. All pieces are hand — made by Matt Johnson, sculptor, who delights in the individuality of every project. Matt works primarily with forged/fabricated steel and wood (often antique timbers), as well as with found objects and reclaimed materials. The Wedge Works booth at the Berkshires Arts Festival will feature a sampling of hand-made, uniquely-crafted pieces by Matt Johnson, sculptor. For more information, visit www.wedgeworks.net

Artist: Sam Stark
Stark Art Glass

“I first saw molten glass as a boy, and the idea of making it consumed me. For the next thirty years, I immersed myself in the techniques necessary to work with such an old and complex material. ” Art Glass Artist Sam Stark employs traditional techniques in his glass art work, which is assembled at the furnace, using only the heat to weld parts and to blend colors together. Sam’s approach of blending primary colors in over lapping layers of clear glass, allows him to use color as a painter to create unique hues and tones in his glass work. The Stark Art Glass booth at the Berkshires Arts Festival will feature a range of decorative art glass pieces, as well as functional Art Glass Doorknobs and Tumblers. For more information, visit www.starkartglass.com

Artist: Peter Handler
Handler Studio

“My goal is to have people look at my furniture 20 or 30 years from now and still love it”says Peter Handler of Handler Studio in Philadelphia, PA. A self-taught jeweler, Peter got his MFA at the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he discovered aluminum as a material and metal machining as a creative subtractive process. Today, Peter makes decorative custom-built tables, chairs, cabinets, displays and other commissioned furniture and liturgical pieces made primarily from aluminum. After the pieces are fabricated, they are either powdercoated or anodized or both to provide a rich variety of colors and finishes.“My goal is to design and create residential and commercial furniture that portrays beauty, sometimes whimsy, that enhances the use and utility of a space, and that gives lasting joy to my clients.” For more information visit www.handlerstudio.com

Artist: Debra Steidel
Steidel Fine Art Porcelain

Debra Steidel’s work is made from porcelain clay, each piece an original design. As a result, her work exhibits a uniquely unorthodox approach to porcelain, free from outside influence or conventional monotony. The majority of Debra’s pieces contain interdependent vessels and lids. The lids are sculpted by hand, drawing inspiration from Debra’s love for nature, animals, and birds, but also containing more archaic influences from fossils, shells and bones. Yet, the true beauty of Debra’s pieces is rooted in the techniques of her creative process, more specifically, the crystalline glazing method of firing her vessels and the whimsical, handcrafted nature of her lids. “I constantly strive to create works of art that can be cherished and enjoyed for generations.” For more information, visit www.steidelfineartporcelain.com

Artist: Shekina Rudoy
Shekina Designs

Shekina Rudoy creates hand-painted silk wearables. “From the moment my dye ladened brush touched the silk and I experienced the generosity and hunger of that fabric to receive it, there was no turning back for me.” Each Shekina Design original is individually created. Color and the endless relationships within the color spectrum has always been Shekina’s artistic exploration. When combined with the luminescent quality of silk, and its ability to take color, and the personal expression of the wearer, her wearable art creates a unique statement.For more information visit www.shekinadesigns.com