The Arts: Bringing You The Best For Show And Sale At The Abbotsford 2011 Christmas Craft Fair

By Doreen Jung. At the Abbotsford Arts Council’s 2011 Christmas Craft Fair, talented artists and craftspeople brought out their best for show and sale. For 31 years, the Fair has been a local tradition where generations of visitors from near and far have discovered special treasures and found handmade crafts.

Coming face to face with fine artisans and their work has always been an inspiring experience. Many vendors have intriguing stories behind their creativity which build a special connection between fair goers and the work that they see.

Anne Pradine works in stained glass and fused glass as well as wire art. She has just returned to the fair after a six year absence and was displaying a collection of beautiful glasswork as well as wire art pieces. Born in The Hague, Netherlands, Anne immigrated to Canada at the age of five and lived in Vancouver for most of her life. Now residing in Chilliwack, Ann works on her art and participates in community art events.

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It was Annette Potts’ first year at the craft fair. A Pitt Meadows resident, Annette has been sewing for 60 years, making weddings dresses and men’s suits. For the last 12 years she has been creating Victorian carolers. All handmade, she creates the heads from clay, painting them after air drying. She designs her own patterns for the carolers’ clothes and has a great deal of fun looking for fabrics and accessories. Each caroler is unique with their costumes carefully detailed and embellished. Many of Annette’s sales are by word of mouth. Her carolers are so popular that they have been purchased by people from all over the world. Annette’s carolers can be found in homes in New Zealand, Louisiana, England, and in all the provinces of Canada.

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Robert Montana Janzen is an avid fly fisherman and artist in watercolour and mixed media. One day he caught a large brook trout and froze it. He wanted to preserve a record of his catch. Doing some research, he discovered gyotaku, a traditional form of Japanese fish printing or rubbing. This is done by painting the fish or other subject and then rubbing material such as paper over the paint covered fish. Robert works with his prints to create beautiful mixed media art, an amazing way to record his catch. Find out more at www.fishfinsnink.com.

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“If you’ve ever talked to someone who is making their own glass beads,” says Debbie Armstrong, “you’ll probably have heard them say it’s addictive . . . and it is!” Spending many hours at her torch, Debbie creates a breathtaking variety of beautiful lampwork glass beads. This feeds into her other passion of creating jewelry. She uses her own glass beads as well as various metals to accessorize each piece. Debbie’s beads are a great find for anyone who would like to create their own jewelry. For more information on Debbie’s work, go to www.thedesignden.ca.

For more information on the fair and other Abbotsford Arts Council events, visit www.abbotsfordartscouncil.com.

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Doreen Jung