2014 Winter Arts & Crafts EXPO at Evanston Art Center

Miniature Rustic Twig Chairs by George C. Clark

Pictured are two chairs from the new batch of my miniature rustic twig furniture I delivered this morning to Evanston Art Center.  They will be featured in the 2014

Winter Arts & Crafts EXPO Nov. 22 to Dec. 22 at

Evanston Art Center

2603 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60201

Open Free Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 4pm, 

Sundays Noon to 4pm, Closed on Thanksgiving Day.

There will be a PREVIEW PARTY on Friday, November 21 from 6 to 9pm.  Tickets to the Preview Party are $30 in advance and $35 at the door.  Buy tickets online at www.evanstonartcenter.org.

Update December 29
Picked up the unsold pieces today.  I've been doing this show for years, and this has been the best one yet.  Over half my inventory sold, including both the chairs pictured above!  My thanks to all my collectors and to Paula and the staff and volunteers at Evanston Art Center.

Miniature Rustic Garden Bench at Rend Lake

Miniature rustic twig garden bench by George C. Clark (back height approximately 6 inches)

One of the new pieces of my miniature rustic twig furniture currently on display at the Southern Illinois Artisans Shop just off Interstate 57 at Rend Lake.  Sharp-eyed readers may recognize it as the demonstration piece I made at my Woodlanders Gathering workshop at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in July.  It appears at the upper right in the photo I posted July 14th.

New Batch of Miniature Rustic Twig Furniture on Display At Southern Illinois Artisans Shop at Rend Lake

The New Batch of Miniature Rustic Twig Furniture by George C. Clark on Display at the Southern Illinois Artisans Shop

New miniature furniture logged in, labeled, and carted up for delivery to the sales gallery at S.I.A.S.

Since the previous batches of my miniature rustic twig furniture had mostly sold out, I was very pleased to deliver some new pieces to the Southern Illinois Artisans Shop at Rend Lake last week.  They have been showing and selling my work for over two years now, but this was my first visit there.  The S.I.A.S. features two large galleries of art and crafts for sale by hundreds of Illinois artists.  A third gallery is a branch of the Illinois State Museums (an institution that I'm proud to say owns two of my paintings) and features changing curated exhibitions.  The Southern Illinois Artisans Shop is located just off of Interstate 57 in the popular Rend Lake recreation district. 

Miniature Furniture Workshop at Woodlanders Gathering

Miniature driftwood twig furniture created in George C. Clark's workshop at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin on July 11, 2014

WOODLANDERS GATHERING is a four day festival of mostly rustic arts and crafts held each year at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.  Artists and craftspeople from all over the Midwest gather to exchange skills and ideas.  It's like a summer camp for creative adults (although our youngest participants this year are 13 and 14).  I have been attending  these events since 2006 and since 2010 I have been teaching workshops in making miniature rustic twig furniture there.  This year the emphasis was on making a miniature settee, loveseat, chair, garden bench, or, as one participant styled it, "divan."  A photo of the three-hour workshop's output is posted above.  I'm always blown away by my students' imagination and creativity. 

Garden Bird by George and Pat Clark (approximate height 30 inches)

This is an example of what we do at the Woodlanders Gathering besides my miniature furniture workshop.  Pat and I constructed  this garden bird out of scrap lumber, white glass insulators and piano parts.  The positioning of the bird's wing "feathers" is adjustable with wing nuts.  

Independence Park Fine Craft Fair Sunday, May 4 from Noon to 4pm

Some of the miniature rustic twig furniture that will be on sale Sunday at the Abbey Pub in Chicago

Come to the Pre-Mother's Day Fine Craft Fair Sunday, May 4, 2014 at the Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace Street (at Elston Avenue) in Chicago from noon to 4pm.  This event sponsored by the Greater Independence Park Neighborhood Association will feature fine handcrafted items in many mediums including jewelry, glass, ceramics, textiles and my favorite: Lake Michigan driftwood twigs.  For the first time this annual event will feature the availability of specially-priced drinks and bar snacks.  What could be better than culture and cold ones on a Sunday afternoon?

2-Day Exhibition at ARTS ON ELSTON in Chicago April 25 & 26

Miniature rustic driftwood Throne of the Bat King by George C. Clark

Throne of the Bat King is just one of many miniature rustic twig furniture pieces I will be showing this weekend in a 2-day exhibition at Arts On Elston Gallery, 3446 N. Albany at the corner of Elston Avenue in Chicago.  Gallery hours are Friday, April 25 from 6 to 10pm and Saturday, April26 from 4 to 8pm.  I will be present both days, and I will also be showing some of my landscape and figure paintings and graphics.

UPDATE MAY 4, 2014:
Throne of the Bat King is one of my favorite creations, as readers of this blog may surmise from the number of times I have posted pictures of it.  Well, this will be the last time, because while it didn't sell at Arts On Elston last week, it did sell today at the Independence Park Fine Craft Fair to collectors I didn't know I had because they have been buying my work at the Evanston Art Center's Winter Crafts Expo where I am rarely in attendance.  A hearty thanks to them and the other purchasers of my rustic crafts today!

Rustic Birchbark Cup For Sale at Chicago Cultural Center Artists' Reception May 8, 2014

Rustic Birchbark Cup by George C. Clark
(cup rim height 4 inches)

CAFFEINE VIII, the latest exhibition by the Artists Breakfast Group, will be on exhibit April 21 through June 22, 2014, in the Chicago Cultural Center Renaissance Court Gallery at 78 E. Washington Street in Chicago.  The Chicago Cultural Center has entrances on both Washington Street and Randolph Street-- the Renaissance Court Gallery is located on the main floor just inside the Randolph entrance.  It has become a tradition for each exhibiting artist in Artists Breakfast Group shows to contribute a unique artist-made or -decorated cup to be sold at the show's Artists' Reception as a fundraiser.  My cup pictured above and many other interesting artists' cups will be for sale at the CAFFEINE VIII reception on Thursday, May 8 from 3:30 to 6:00pm.  See you there.

UPDATE MAY 9:
Thanks to James Mesple for purchasing my cup at the reception yesterday.   

Thanks!

Driftwood twig Mutant Bunny by George C. Clark

Thanks to all the folks who came out in a snowstorm last night to the ARTS GALA (see previous post), including the collector who bought my Mutant Bunny for her daughter.

One Night Exhibition at Arts Gala in Chicago March 1st

Miniature rustic twig chairs by George C. Clark displayed on a bookshelf

Miniature Rustic Twig Furniture by George C. Clark will be on exhibit and for sale at the ARTS GALA to be held Saturday evening March 1, 2014 from 6 to 10pm at the Irving Park United Methodist Church at the intersection of Grace Street and Keeler Avenue on the Northwest Side of Chicago.  Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for children (with a $30 maximum for family groups).  In addition to an arts and crafts fair, there will be snacks and refreshments and continuous musical and theatrical entertainment in several different parts of the 3-story venue, which is located just a few blocks south and west of the Pulaski and Irving Park Road Metra and Blue Line El stops.  

This Arts Gala is hosted by the Irving Park United Methodist Church in conjunction with the Northwest Arts Connection.