Featured Artists
Two truths and a lie with Debra-Ann Salat
Embroiderer Debra-Ann Salat is up next in our Two Truths and a Lie contest. Which is the lie?!
1. I fell out of a moving truck in the swamps of New Jersey.
2. I was a medical assistant who couldn’t stand the sight of blood.
3. When not embroidering, I am a master chef.
The lie was #3. Thanks for playing!
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of this page on our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Nov. 13 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Barbara Sarvis
Painter Barbara Sarvis is up next in our Two Truths and a Lie contest. Which is the lie?!
1. I met Obama the night before his first election.
2. I have a brown belt in karate.
3. I attended Woodstock and didn’t stay for any of the performances.
The lie is #2. Thanks for playing!
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of this page on our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Nov. 6 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Cheryl Gutmaker
Glass artist Cheryl Gutmaker has some interesting entries for our Two Truths and a Lie contest. Which is the lie?!
1. I have parasailed, ridden in a hot air balloon, flown in a helicopter, dived in a submarine, driven a motorcycle, sailed a catamaran, and bicycled across NY state.
2. Viridian Catchpenny was my LARP character’s name.
3. I was the lead singer of a band made up of teachers.
The lie was #3. Thanks for playing!
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of this page on our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Oct. 30 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Martha Starke
Paper and botanical artist Martha Starke continues our Two Truths and a Lie contest. Which is the lie?!
1. I own a painting created by a convicted felon who painted it while in prison for art forgery.
2. My favorite piece of art is a sculpture made mostly of human hair.
3. I traded clothing or toiletries for most of the art that decorates my home.
Number 2 was the lie. Thanks for playing!
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of this page on our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Oct. 23 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Carolyn Kibbe
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of this page on our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Painter Carolyn Kibbe continues our contest. Which is the lie?!
1. As a kid, I often rode my horse standing up on her back.
2. I was a Classics major at Berkeley.
3. I am a Trekkie
The lie is #2. Thanks for playing!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Oct. 16 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Jerry Moppert
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of this page on our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Woodworker Jerry Moppert continues our contest. Which is the lie?!
1. In my 50s, I had to abort a cross country solo bicycle trip after 5 weeks because of repeated bee sting allergy.
2. I talked my way out of a kidnapping/robbery attempt in Ethiopia.
3. I was at the original Woodstock and didn’t do drugs.
Thanks for playing – the lie is #1!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Oct. 9 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Kathleen Horton
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; find the link at the bottom of the home page of our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Clothing artist Kathleen Horton continues our contest. Which is the lie?!
1. My first job was on a tobacco farm, harvesting tobacco leaves.
2. I have walked the Great Wall of China.
3. I have a twin sister named Karen.
Thanks for playing – the lie is #3!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Oct. 2 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Two truths and a lie with Bliss McIntosh
Valley Artisans Market is celebrating our 35th year in business with a contest: Two Truths and a Lie. Each week, from Sept. 18-Nov. 20, we will post two truths and a lie about one of our members on our FaceBook page. Guess the lie correctly by responding in the FaceBook post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive 35 percent off ONE item at VAM. (Yes, you can receive a discount off of an expensive painting, an item out of a Small Gallery show, or that piece you have had your eye on that is just out of reach.) The more correct guesses, the better your chances are of winning. The drawing will be held at VAM during our Holiday Open House on Nov. 26, 2016. To be a winner, you must sign up for our monthly email newsletter; subscribe at the bottom of the home page of our website. The winner will be notified via our newsletter. Winners must come into the market to make their purchase in person. Good luck!
Basket maker Bliss McIntosh kicks off our contest. Which one is the lie?!
1. My ancestors came over on the Mayflower.
2. I built my own house at the age of 23.
3. I attended the Isle of Wight festival in 1969 and didn’t do drugs.
Thanks for playing – the lie is #1!
Input your answer on our FaceBook page by Sept. 25 when the answer will be revealed and the next question will be posted.
Embroiderer Debra-Ann Salat
Recently, VAM member Lise Winne talked to Debra-Ann Salat, another member who is an embroiderer. Here is part of their conversation about Deb’s work:
Lise: Looking at your work, there is a theme with hands. What do hands represent to you?
Deb: Hands represent life. They are at the center of every interaction, every connection. We use them to comfort, nurture, nourish, create, and we also use them in love, even in anger. I use them because they are simple but all life comes from them.
Lise: Your pieces have a message of healing and hope, especially because of your use of hearts sewn. What is the message?
Deb: I learned how to embroider during a very traumatic time period of my childhood. I have always used the needle arts as a soothing presence, as a meditation to bring peace and tranquility to my life. I like to translate that peace into my work. Like most artists I use my art to express my emotions, be they peaceful or chaotic. I almost always end up in peace if I let myself go there. I would love a more compassionate world and think it would be if more people picked up an embroidery needle or a paintbrush.
Lise: Why did you choose embroidery as your medium?
Deb: I have been embroidering since I was a 6-year-old. Becoming an artist came much later in life. I can do more with an embroidery needle than I ever could with a paint brush; it’s something I’ve been in love with since childhood. My embroidery is very organic, it starts out with a simple design that I hand draw but all the details come from a needle. It is why if you pick up two of my heart ornaments they may have the same subject but they are never identical.
Lise: How does embroidery make you the person that you are?
Deb: It keeps me peaceful and even keeled. If I am embroidering all is right with the world. When I’m not embroidering I am an anxious kind of person and quite talkative; when I am embroidering I am at peace, quiet, contemplative. I process my feelings and create peace within myself. I have always been embroidering something but it has taken on more importance since I have begun to self express this way.
Lise: How do you want your images to effect others?
Deb: I would like them to feel peace and see the chaos of every moment. We live in a tangled twisty time period filled with emotions of all sorts. I’d like them to see the twisty turns of chaos come together to find peace. The hearts mean a lot to me because I tend to do them when I need them. If I need a little joy I embroider a little joy. If I need peace I embroider a little peace. They relate to people that way too. A customer said she loved my work and had given one of my joy hearts to her sister who was quite ill so she could bring a little joy into her life. It was a huge lightbulb moment that what I was hoping to accomplish. It’s one of the nicest compliments I have ever received.
Lise: Are there any other things you would like to say about your work?
Deb: I am so thankful to my grandmother who taught me to embroider as a child. I make custom pieces and create bereavement work where I will finish an unfinished piece of hand embroidery or teach someone how to finish it themselves.
To see her full profile: http://www.valleyartisansmarket.com/debra-ann-nielsen-salat/
Clothing designer Peggy Gray
Member Peggy Gray has been a member of Valley Artisans Market since 2014 where she sells her handmade clothing. Here is her story:
Peggy Gray grew up in a family of sewers. Her grandmother, mom and aunts all sewed for as long as she can remember. “They made what were called broomstick skirts in the 1950s,” says Peggy. “They all had about 50 of them with wide elastic belts to match. My mother also made matching outfits for myself, my two sisters and our dolls. I loved standing by and watching her operate the sewing machine; it fascinated me, even then.”
She started working in the garment industry at the age of 18 because she needed a job, but never imagined she would eventually start her own business using many of the tried-and-true techniques that she learned along the way. “In a very short time, I was making 
clothes for myself and my daughter. By the time I was 30, I was working full-time and had my own side line business selling my own designs,” Peggy says.
“After working in the garment industry for 30 years and building up my side line business substantially, I decided it was time for me to dedicate all of my time to being a sole proprietor and designing full time.”
Peggy did just that and created her company, 22 Shades of Gray, in her studio adjacent to her home in Buskirk, New York, where she has a gorgeous view of the Green Mountains of Vermont. “My favorite thing to do is to come into my shop with a vague idea of what I want to do and just play with fabrics and ideas to see what emerges,” she says. Sometimes she is disappointed but more often than not she is pleasantly surprised with the results. Trial and error is still her best teacher even after 50 years of playing with fabric and garment design. Each piece seems to build from the piece before it. “The more I explore the more ideas come to me. It really is like playing in a make-believe world where anything is possible.”
Peggy finds her fabric either online or from suppliers who sell at wholesale events that offer small minimums. She recently purchased a wide variety of upholstery fabrics from a business that was closing. “Because I create so many one-of-a-kind designs, I like having a lot of different colors and textures of materials on hand to play with.” Many of Peggy’s designs are a patchwork of colors and patterns, building on a theme or color story. She loves to combine different types of fabrics to create entirely new fabrics, allowing her to create unique and one-of-a-kind garments.
The purchase of knitting machines extended the possibilities of creativity. “Counter to my original thinking, I have less time to use them than when I was also working a full-time job. I thought when I gave up my full-time job that I would have more time to knit but having your own business is like having two or three full-time jobs,” she says. Peggy would love to learn how to weave but she doesn’t know where she would fit a loom of any size in her studio. “It is pretty well packed with fabric and garments,” she says.
Peggy brings an interesting life of experience and perspective to her work. She has owned horses and competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association for many years as a Barrel Racer (and her husband rode bulls). But Peggy’s second love is astrology. She has followed astrology since she was a young girl, and has practiced professionally for the past 20 years. She has done thousands of charts and has helped many people find a richer and deeper meaning to their lives. All of these wonderful experiences and her rich life bring forth a deep story that shows in her designs.
To see her full profile: http://www.valleyartisansmarket.com/peggy-gray/