Pulaski crafters headed to Berea show this weekend
Oct. 6—What is more perfect for fall than to browse through a craft fair in the seat of arts and crafts?
Although the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen is hosting its craft fair in Berea this weekend, there will be plenty of Pulaski folks represented there.
That's because many of the vendors — possibly half, according to David Spillman — also belong to the Pulaski-based Sheltowee Artisans Guild.
While Sheltowee will have its art fair in November, this weekend's will take place Saturday at the Log House Craft Gallery lawn (200 Estill Street, Berea) from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.
Among the crafters planning to turn up are Spillman, chairman of the Sheltowee Guild, and local jewelry maker Jarod Cox, owner and creator of Fishing Creek Jewelry.
Cox's jewelry is as unique as it is filled with love for the Appalachian region. Cox currently lives in Nancy but grew up along Fishing Creek in Science Hill, hence the name of his business.
Cox works with both metals and local gemstones, combining them in his artistic creations.
"I polish up Kentucky agate," he said. "I go out and hunt the creeks for local Kentucky stones, and I'll bring them back (to his workshop)."
He mostly finds local agate and quartz, he said. He then uses a saw to cut those rocks open and cut them into the shapes he needs.
"I polish them up, and I use those stones in sterling silver," he said.
As for the metal, Cox works with a variety — mostly silver, but with some gold and copper as well.
"I love working with sterling silver and 14 karat gold. I use 14 karat gold as much as I can, but I don't really have the budget to use a whole lot of it, so I'll sprinkle in 14 karat moons and stars in my Appalachian mountain pieces.
With Halloween coming up, Cox said he's created some spooky-themed pieces to offer at this show. He will also have his regular selection of items.
He said the prices for his items usually runs from $25 to $125, but sometimes he might work on a piece that goes for more. "I made a really large haunted house a few weeks ago that was $250, but those are one-off pieces that I don't make a whole lot of."
His jewelry business is a full-time job, and he's used to traveling around the region selling at shows. Most weekends in the summer he sets up as a vendor in the Lexington Makers Markets. During fall, he can be seen at fairs like this weekend's and the upcoming Sheltowee show.
"Each area is a little bit different. I'll be doing the Sheltowee show here in Somerset in November. The atmosphere between here and Berea and Lexington is a little bit different in each place, but I really like each one."
Going to Berea is always special, he added, because it's considered the center of arts and crafts. "Everybody comes there to buy the art," he said.
And he will never pass up the opportunity to go to Berea. He graduated from the college there in 2015. For the first couple of years afterward, he made jewelry as a part-time job, but after a couple of years it became his primary work.
He said he loves getting out and meeting people at shows, talking with them and explaining how he creates his hand-made pieces. But, he noted, there were no shows at all in 2020 because of the pandemic.
During that, he focused his attention on online sales, showing off his work through both Facebook and Etsy.
And because of that, his sales held steady throughout the past couple of years, he said.
Spillman, who creates wooden pieces of art, said that he also enjoys traveling to Berea since it's so close.
"In both shows, we've had a lot of folks come from out-of-town. But Berea draws a pretty good crowd," Spillman said.
It's also a great way for the Sheltowee Guild to recruit new faces to come here, he added.
As for the Somerset show, Spillman said it's on track to be the biggest one they've ever had.
More information on the Sheltowee show is expected in the coming weeks.
Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com
