Artisan Market at Shine Cafe

Jewel Simmons is an Abstract Expressionist painter and Fine Silver and Assemblage jewelry maker. Previously her career included 35 years in graphic arts, publishing, and writing in both the Philadelphia and Boston areas.

   The daughter of an engineer and clock maker, she developed a fascination for watches and clocks. “My father had his hands in clocks or watches all the time, and my mother is a creative, crafts oriented person. We were always doing something with our hands."

   She began making jewelry out of watches, ephemera and other 'found objects.'   "I was doing 'Steampunk' style jewelry before I knew what Steampunk was. The jewelry is driven by my desire to repurpose what I find to be lovely and nostalgic from the past and compose it in a beautiful or whimsical way."

   Jewel has always loved painting. "Having a brush in my hand is the the most joyful feeling I know. Abstract Expressionism allows complete freedom. I let the painting lead the way to what it wants to become.”

Jewel moved to South Carolina in order to convert a barn into her studio. “I feel like I’ve come home to everything I love.”

Sharon raised two sons and pursued careers in the arts and education in Washington, DC. She earned a BFA in Design with minors in Art History and Education receiving instruction from renowned artists Lois Mailou Jones and David Driskell at Howard University leading to positions at the National Gallery of Art and the National Endowment for the Arts. Later, a Masters Degree in Library Science led to a rewarding career with the DC Public Schools.  Sharon and her husband, Anthony, recently moved to South Carolina, enjoying the beauty and cultural significance of the coastal area. Sharon is a board member of the Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild and the Seacoast Artists Guild, and vice president of the SC District Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America. She has participated in exhibitions and juried shows where she has been honored as featured artist and has received various awards, including Best In Show. Her oil, watercolor, and acrylic paintings can be viewed at the Mercy Care Art Gallery in Myrtle Beach, SC, Seacoast Artists Gallery (The Market Common), Myrtle Beach, SC, and the Georgetown Art Gallery in Georgetown, SC.  “I never tire of exploring and photographing the rural and low country landscape, people, towns, rivers, and beaches, and historical and cultural sites of this beautiful area. Most of the paintings I have completed recently illustrate these experiences.   I love to use color, light and expressive brush strokes in landscapes, figurative paintings, and portraits. Many of my landscapes feature pathways, roads, and meandering waterways intended to pull the viewer into the scene.   Needless to say, I love to paint! And lately I have been exploring other creative activities and media as well, including block printing, pastels, colored pencil, and jewelry.” …Sharon Sorrels   
sorrelssf@usa.net www.sharonsorrels.com 

Formerly from New York State, I was a Certified Nurse-Midwife of 25 years, and a Registered Nurse of 50 years. In 2016 I decided to both retire, and move to Conway, South Carolina, where I live with my daughter and her family, and my sweet Yorkie – "Pippin."                                                                   I have always been encouraged by my multi-artistic and talented family to create. Having much time on my hands has inspired me to express myself through the arts.
  I have been crafting for over 60 years.  It all started when my mother enrolled me into 4H at age 8. I learned how to sew, knit, crochet, and create small crafts. I have been “crafting” ever since. I loved to paint, especially in watercolor, but have found my niche now in later life to work with Precious Metals to express my other side.
   In 2004 I began creating beaded and silver jewelry. I started selling my jewelry at local craft fairs as well as in-home shows where I developed a successful following. In 2010 I branched out and began creating Fine Silver (99.9% pure) jewelry from Pure Silver or Pure Copper and Bronze “Clay.” This Precious Metal Clay** is unique in that it allows me the ability to imprint, texture, sculpt and mold it into any design I choose. Once Fired it becomes Pure Silver or copper.  Living a few miles from the "art hub" of Woodstock, NY gave me the opportunity to meet several artisans and to take classes as well. At the Woodstock School of Art, I studied alongside Statts Fasholdt. I was also fortunate to take classes with local artisan from Kingston New York - Elke Hekler, and with Bianca Terranova (Bianca Nova Jewelry) in Rhinebeck, NY.  Although I have created my own line called, “This Heart Matters," I am particularly partial to re-creating nature’s gifts." 
    I am inspired by nature’s infinite woodland beauty and seashore. Through the use of Precious Metal Clay, I create leaves for my collection called “Please Don’t Leave Me." My creations have a timeless appeal and are affordably priced with the buyer in mind. I also enjoy recreating Jewelry in the Art Deco style. While these are both my signature lines, I specialize in personal design items created especially for my clients such as fingerprint jewelry or incorporating their heirloom pieces into a new creation.
    In 2019 I was judged by nationally renowned artisans and received the honor of Finalist/Honorable mention From the International 2019 Jewelry Making Contest of Fire Mountain Gems and Beads for my “Copper Serene Moonlight” Creation. This winning creation is featured in their 2020-2021 catalog.
**All metal clays are composed of micron-sized particles of pure silver, a cellulose-based binder and water. When the clay is dried and placed in kiln at 1600° for at least an hour the piece is .999% pure Silver.             
E-Mail: Catcher713@gmail. FB: Avalon Arts: designs by Helen Crisman-Jassen,
Festivalnet.com/AvalonArts

Long Leaf Pine Needle Basket Maker: Sandi Blood - Dizzy Weaver

I have been a photographer for several years.  While most of my free time is now spent in basketry, I still enjoy my camera and have incorporated some of my photographs in basket bases.  I am fortunate to live on a golf course, where the hole behind my house includes several long leaf pine trees, offering an opportunity for collecting the needles close by. I also found another location only a few miles away, where there is a long stretch of long leaf pine trees along the road.  That's where you can find me when my supply is running low!

aka The Dizzy Weaver

In May of 2017, a lovely woman who goes by the name "Zada Mae", came to our neighborhood clubhouse and taught a 3 hour class in Pine Needle Basketry.  It is an understatement to say I was "hooked"!  I enjoyed the class and the process so much, that I signed up for several more classes that she taught at Hobby Lobby, learning how to start a basket base from the beginning, and mastering different stitches and techniques.  After less than two years, my friend Nancy nicknamed me THE DIZZY WEAVER, because by then, I had already completed over 350 baskets! (Note: as of October, 2019 I am over 500!!)

Hannah Millner - Sea to Seed
I’m Hannah, owner and designer behind Sea to Seed. I love making things with my hands, spending time in the ocean, growing food, and dancing my heart out to latin music.
After years of jewelry design as a hobby, Sea to Seed came to life in the summer of 2016.
Sea to Seed is inspired by my love for nature and the beauty of a simple life. The happiest years of my life have been spent covered in soil and rinsing off with sunset surf. My intention with each piece is to channel some of the joy and inspiration I've found while planting the tiniest of seeds or paddling into the foggy abyss in the chilly North Pacific. All of my jewelry is made by hand in my sunny studio in Blue Lake, California.