Page 12 - September 29, 2021

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FESTIVAL Continued from cover

fired it in a kiln multiple times. In one of
those rounds, Plasket threw rock salt into
the kiln. That salt mixed with the silica in “The artists make sure they
the clay to make the glaze. It is of the earth have accessible pricing and
and of the craftsman; and now it is a daily also higher dollars—they
reminder of the lovely afternoon my hus-
band and I spent at WheatonArts. will definitely be able to find
Plasket is one of 125 artists who will something for anyone’s
be selling their work at this weekend’s
Festival of Fine Craft at Wheaton Village. pocketbook.”
“Five of us work here,” Plasket says.
“We make primarily functional pottery. —Cathy Nolan,
You can eat out of it, drink out of it, and WheatonArts’ chief operating officer
put stuff in it. People use what we make.
We high fire it. It can go in the microwave,
dishwasher, oven.” He will be selling mugs,
vases, bowls, and pitchers. His work is in
greens and blues and browns.He started a
new technique before the pandemic with
hand-painted designs.
Plasket says the Festival, unlike some
other craft fairs, is all about the artists:
“The most important part is that the artists
make money. It’s got a good reputation.
People travel from Florida to come.”
Visitors can expect to see top artisans
as they were selected by jury and come
from multiple states, says Cathy Nolan,
WheatonArts’ chief operating officer. “The
artists make sure they have accessible
pricing and also higher dollars—they will

Dr. Sam Moyer, also known as “The
Jersey Jerry Broomsquire” loves to
demonstrate how he handcrafts brooms.

definitely be able to find something for any-
one’s pocketbook.”
She would understand my connection to
my coffee mug: “You’re walking away with
the appreciation of the handmade,” Nolan
says. “It feels good for the soul. It is work
that has humanity.”
There is a wide variety of artists—food
(wine), clay, fiber, fine arts (painting), glass,
jewelry, metal, mixed media, photography,
and wood. In many categories there will be
functional as well as sculptural or decora-
tive items.
“An example in metal is Sandra
Webberking’s work. She creates whimsical
sculptural objects for the garden. She uses
found objects as well as recycled materi-
als,” says Nolan.
There are new artists as well as return-