Artisans of the Valley’s Blog Site

Artisans Quarterly Review Volume 3 Issue 1 by Artisans of the Valley is available as of March 6, 2010 and may be accessed with any PDF viewer by clicking on the following links or pasting them into our browser. Yes, we’re a little late with this quarter … we’ve been busy so cut us a break!

Newsletter Link: http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_Quarterly_Review_Vol3_Issue1_2010.pdf

The table of contents for this Isssue is as follows for the 1^st Qtr of 2010: (If you’re going to the Philadelphia Fine Furniture Show this year – a link is in our newsletter for half price tickets!)

• Babbling Editorial
• Hopewell Express Features …
• Philly Show 2010
• Custom Chippendale Curio Unit
• Magnified Handles
• This is NOT Yoda
• Civil War Staffs
• The Books of Lora S. Irish
• Artist & Guide Wayne Barton
• Baker Table Restorations
• Special Guest David Healy
• For a Blow Out? Blow In!
• Cannons & Coal Mines
• Secretary Restoration
• Sheridan Server Restoration
• TODL 50,000+ Designers
• Kyle’s 2010 Pinewood Derby

Also now available is a special feature edition of Artisans’ Quarterly Review featuring more details about us and the projects featured in our international television debut! Artisans of the Valley joins EBRU TV’s new show entitled “Blank Canvas.”

Special Edition Link: http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_Quarterly_Review_EBRU_TV_Special_Eddition_Sep_2009.pdf

Artisans of the Valley offers museum quality period reproductions, original designs by commission, and antique restoration/conservation services, hand carving, modern furniture refinishing, handmade walking sticks, and educational programs. Starting in 2009 Artisans is now offering a full line of architectural elements and furniture maintenance products. Our website includes galleries, feature articles, educational sections, a company background, and our new adventure album. We extend an open invitation to explore our site, and contact us directly with any inquiries or questions you may have.

Click Here to Download Artisans Booklet “Mini-Portfolio” a Printable PDF Cross Section of our Entire Portfolio:

http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_of_the_Valley_Mini-Portfolio.pdf

Artisans Quarterly Review Previous Issues: Vol 2 Issue 5 – 2009 * Vol 2 Issue 4 – 2009 * Vol 2 Issue 3 – 2009 * Vol 2 Issue 2 – 2009 * Vol 2 Issue 1 – 2009 *  Vol 1 Issue 4 – 2008 * Vol 1 Issue 3 – 2008 * Vol 1 Issue 2 – 2008 * Vol 1 Issue 1 – 2008

Please contact us to request our full digital portfolio available on CD-ROM

Please be sure to add newsletter@artisansofthevalley.com to your email “White list” to ensure your spam filter doesn’t trap our email and newsletters!

We are open to and welcome submissions and requests; please send photos or details, background stories, and other anecdotes. We would love to feature client profiles, photographs with your pieces, and other just for fun, educational, or of-interest articles. We are also planning more features of our partners and affiliates; demonstrating the combined efforts of multiple artists to complete all the steps required in commissions and restorations.

Thank you for your time, your business, and your support!

Eric M. Saperstein

Master Craftsman

Artisans of the Valley

eric@artisansofthevalley.com

www.artisansofthevalley.com

Cell 609-658-2955

Artisans will be on site for the duration of the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show (PIFS) (Click Here for details) to display our carvings, gothic furniture line, and a variety of images and details from our portfolio.

LINK TO PHILADELPHIA FURNITURE SHOW 2010—HALF PRICE TICKET FORM!

http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/pifs_2010_artisants_ticketform.pdf

Today TODL (The Trade Only Design Library) helped us promote our pending presence at the 2010 Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show this coming March 26th – 28th with an announcement to their near 50,000 members. We’d like to add some details to this promotion including information about the preview event scheduled on Friday, March 26th. Entitled “Tomorrow’s Collectibles”, the preview party, will be held at the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show (PIFS).

Special guests David Rago and Suzanne Perrault of Antiques Road Show, Rago Arts and Auction Center, and ragoarts.com, will be there for a meet and greet, walking the hall with comments on the work of over 60 furniture and furnishings artisans.

Also check out a special exhibition of some of the area’s best contemporary art using recycled materials by up and coming artists from Inliquid.

This Preview Party will include a bento box dinner option or dessert only option. There will be a cash bar.

Proceeds from the event benefit Inliquid and Inliquid.com, a non-profit promoting the visual arts and visual artists in the Philadelphia area.

Tickets:

$70 for dinner option (choice of regular or vegetarian)
$120 for couples dinner option
$35 for dessert only
Preview ticket gives access to the show for the entire weekend

Purchase tickets by calling PIFS at (215) 387 8590 with your credit card

Time:

Friday, March 26th, 2010
Cash bar cocktails, 6pm-7pm
Dinner, 7pm
Dessert, 7:30pm

Show Dates and Hours:

Saturday, March 27, 11am-7pm
Sunday, March 28, 11am-5pm
Admission: $12.00
$2 discounts for tickets purchased in advance

Location:

The Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1
Philadelphia Naval Business Center (PNBC)
5100 South Broad Street
PH 215 387 8590 | FAX 215 387 8591
info@pffshow.com

http://www.pffshow.com/

http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Hopewell_Express_Article_02-2010.pdf

Artisans of the Valley was featured this month in Hopewell Express – click the link above to view the full article by Diccon Hyatt. This local paper circulates throughout Pennington, Hopewell, Hopewell Township, & the Titusville areas. The article discusses Master Craftsman Eric & Stanley Saperstein, touches on the history of Artisans of the Valley and describes of a few current projects.

For more information about the Hopewell Express visit: http://www.hopewellspace.com/

Opening January 23rd, 2010 through

February 26, 2010

Opening reception January 23, 4 – 6 pm

Gallery talk January 23, 5pm

Mid-show reception February 5, 5 – 9 pm

Eric & Stanley Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley will be joining Ernestine Ruben this Saturday (January 23rd) to celebrate the opening of her exhibition at Dalet Gallery of Philadelphia, PA

“Ernestine Ruben is internationally known through extensive exhibitions, books, and workshops. Her work is included in many major museums and private collections. Most of her life has been focused on art: growing up with it, studying history of art and working in sculpture. She has photographed the human body for years and now applies her love of life and human spirit to landscapes and architecture. Petra (Jordan) and Rodin are strong interests as they deal with issues of life and death. Ruben continues to experiment with diverse concepts and techniques as they relate to photography.”

For more information about Ernestine’s work visit: http://www.ernestineruben.com/

Also featured in this exhibit are artists Mi-Kyoung Lee and Tim Fitts

141 n. 2nd street * Philadelphia, PA 19106

215 – 923 – 2424 (tel) www.daletart.com

Gallery Event Press Release Below:

Philadelphia, PA – December 15, 2009: Dalet Gallery will present “In Between,” an exhibition of recent work of photographer Ernestine Ruben, fiber artist Mi-Kyoung Lee, and photographer Tim Fitts. This exhibition will occur during PHILAGRAfiKA 2010 (www.philagrafika2010.org).

Crossing boundaries of age, culture, gender, and media, these three artists find a core connection through the creative process and its expression.

“My new work touches the winds… which flow with life and wander around our bodies like curious spirits with a mission.They are cool, they are fresh, they pause to hear our word and feel our feelings.” – Ernestine Ruben.

Ernestine Ruben, of Princeton, New Jersey, has had an active career through national and international exhibits, workshops, and publications.She investigates the principals of photographic applications to other media such as dance, glass, sculpture, and architecture.

“The consistent process of art making is ritual ceremony. My entire body and soul purely united. The inspiration behind my images unfolds with the mysterious human life.” – Mi-Kyoung Lee.

Mi-Kyoung Lee is currently the head of The Fibers Program at The University of Arts, in Philadelphia.Lee has been creating material drawings and sculpture with found objects such as hair, paper towels, and pipe cleaners. Lee addresses ritual and the human body through examining textile processes.

“My approach to photographic work is inspired by my years studying studio engineering and experimental composers… I have viewed film in the same light as magnetic tape, giving equal concentration to the aural spectrum and the idea of drawing with light.”  – Tim Fitts.

Tim Fitts is a writer and photographer.He constructs layered images using abandoned construction materials, junkyards, and fish markets, investigating sites of urban decay.

Ruben, Lee, and Fitts emphasize the evolution from experimentation to discovery in their work, individually as well as in their collaboration.They are involved with the dialogue between two and three-dimensional imagery and share an interest in extending media and transforming their materials.

The exhibition will be on view at the Dalet Gallery, 141 North 2nd Street, Olde City, Philadelphia, PA 19106

For further information on Dalet Gallery, or to set up media interview with the gallery artists, contact Irena Gobernik at 215-923-2424 or irena@daletart.com or visit www.daletart.com

Happy New Year from all of us at Artisans of the Valley – we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their business and support. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy our crafts and engage in our artistic pursuits without our loyal clients, suppliers, affiliates, friends, and family behind us and we appreciate what you all have contributed.

We look forward to a new year that will hopefully bring new opportunities for us all, and we wish all of you a healthy, happy, and safe New Year!

- Artisans of the Valley

Here’s a blog to blog post recommendation for everyone who follows the path of craftsman and artists. A recent article featured on the Wall Street Journal digital network By Katherine Rosman | Photographs by Christopher Griffith entitled “A Handmade Tale” discusses the essence of the craftsman.

Artisan stands for quality. “The craftsman is a haughty figure,” says Matthew B. Crawford, the author of “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work.” “He does what he knows how to do well. If he finds an audience, that’s great. But for him it’s about pride.” Richard Sennett, the renowned sociologist and professor at New York University and the London School of Economics, argues in his 2008 book, “The Craftsman,” that working with one’s hands impacts intellectual thought and philosophical reasoning. “Craftsmanship is about doing something well for its own sake,” he says. As Americans moved away from creating tangible goods—as they shifted from manufacturing to a service economy—they let go of the commitment and patience required to perfect a skill. “The work ethic has been weakened in America and Britain,” Sennett says. “It’s an issue of quality of work.”

http://magazine.wsj.com/features/gift-guide/a-handmade-tale

Take a moment to read the full text – post a comment on your thoughts!

All things are subject to the impact of time, including chess sets. From their creation, pieces experience use and abuse all the while weathering environmental changes and natural deterioration of materials and finishes. The popularity of the ancient game of chess is known to have thrived for at least fifteen hundred years, inspiring the design and production of countless sets in as many forms as the imagination has to offer. Chess set designs have varied with the personalities of players and designers throughout the game’s history, including the set featured in this article. Sets included turned pieces, sculptured fantasy, medieval, architectural bases, and carvings in wood, ivory, porcelain, and various metals cast, bent, or otherwise fabricated.

The random correlation of these uniquely designed pieces with their rank on the board created frustration though players of all levels, with particular ferocity amongst tournament champions. The creativity and master skills of the artists, designers, and craftsmen became counterproductive to carrying out the original intention of the set. Mistakes raised controversy when the misidentification of a piece inadvertently altered the direction of the game, confusing even the most competent of players.

In 1849, Jaques of London introduced the first tournament standard set, designed by Nathaniel Cooke. Cooke’s revolutionary simplistic design quickly gained attention in the circles of masters, impressing famous English School of Chess exponent Howard Staunton enough to authenticate every set with his signature. Going back to 2003 Artisans of the Valley took on their first chess set restoration; which just happened to be diving right into the deep end as they often do. Artisans of the Valley had the privilege of completing the restoration of the ninth and second earliest known existing, of the first 300 of Jaques of London Howard Staunton tournament series chess sets. This blog entry discusses chess set restoration in general, featuring of few of our recent projects as well as some images from the inaugural restoration; we’ll also provide a link to a feature article entitled “Restoration of the Game,” which tells the full story behind the original conservation project.

Artisans of the Valley is proud to be a small part of the amazing history behind Jaques of London – a company founded in 1795 and remaining without disruption within the same family linage. We are one of the very few restoration shops in the world that will handle chess set restoration. The fact that we provide this servers offers collectors an opportunity to obtain damaged sets and regain their value though a carefully planned repair of chips, cracks, and dents as well as replacement of missing crosses, pips, and in some cases entire pieces.

Today Jaques offers a wide range of chess sets to fulfill the requirements of the most discerning collectors and chess masters. Jacques has recently announced the release of a limited edition series of 100 reproduction 1850 tournament style 4.4″ sets available in a custom leather casket that individually fits each piece within its own space to ensure safe storage and transport of this most prized heirloom. Collector’s editions from companies like Jaques are the future antiques – these are extremely high quality meticulously crafted works of art that have a 200+ year history of gaining value. This is another fine example of the investment potential of tangible and functional artwork – following the same philosophy we covered in our two part “Investment Grade Blades” articles.

Be sure to visit our Gaming Restoration Gallery for more information about our chess set restorations!

If you’re a chess set aficionado you may also want to check out the collection of Master Level Chess Player & Collector Jon Crumiller on his website: http://www.crumiller.com/chess/chess_pages/jonchess.htm see if you can pick out the sets we restored … good luck! Jon is an avid collector and maintains a unique and diverse, ever updating, collection of chess sets from around the world. Artisans has been privileged to have conserved many of his prized possessions, in some cases providing the opportunity for future generations to enjoy sets that were neglected for decades now restored to their original glory.

Another great resource is Chess Collectors International: http://www.chesscollectors.com/ this organization is founded to focus on the interests of collectors around the world.

For more great information about Jaques of London Click the Image Above

Artisans Quarterly Review is released only four times a year, plus a few special announcements. Artisans Quarterly Review Volume 2 Issue 5 by Artisans of the Valley is available as of December 6, 2009 and may be accessed with any PDF viewer by clicking on the following links or pasting them into our browser.

Current Newsletter Link:

http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_Quarterly_Review_Vol2_Issue5_2009.pdf

The table of contents for this Isssue is as follows for the 4^th Qtr of 2009:

• Editor’s Monolog
• Artisans on EBRU TV
• Philadelphia Furniture Show 2010
• Bob is in Chip Chats!
• Posts, Grapes, & Vines
• Walking Sticks & Weddings
• Wedding Bridges
• Green-Up Tip
• Veneer Repair Turned Full Frame
• Amazing Transitions Corner Unit
• Amazing Transitions Bedroom Set
• Our Friends @ Horton Brasses
• Family Life Highlights
• 12 Tribes Walking Stick

Also now available is a special feature edition of Artisans’ Quarterly Review featuring more details about us and the projects featured in our international television debut! Artisans of the Valley joins EBRU TV’s new show entitled “Blank Canvas.” Special Eddition Link

Artisans of the Valley offers museum quality period reproductions, original designs by commission, and antique restoration/conservation services, hand carving, modern furniture refinishing, onsite furniture repair, handmade walking sticks, and educational programs. Starting in 2009 Artisans is now offering a full line of architectural elements and furniture maintenance products. Our website includes galleries, feature articles, educational sections, a company background, and our new adventure album. We extend an open invitation to explore our site, and contact us directly with any inquiries or questions you may have.

Click Here to Download Artisans Booklet “Mini-Portfolio” a Printable PDF Cross Section of our Entire Portfolio:

http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_of_the_Valley_Mini-Portfolio.pdf

Artisans Quarterly Review Previous Issues:

Vol 2 Issue 3 – 2009 * Vol 2 Issue 2 – 2009 * Vol 2 Issue 1 – 2009 *  Vol 1 Issue 4 – 2008 * Vol 1 Issue 3 – 2008 * Vol 1 Issue 2 – 2008 * Vol 1 Issue 1 – 2008

Please contact us to request our full digital portfolio available on CD-ROM

Please be sure to add newsletter@artisansofthevalley.com to your email “White list” to ensure your spam filter doesn’t trap our email and newsletters!

We are open to and welcome submissions and requests; please send photos or details, background stories, and other anecdotes. We would love to feature client profiles, photographs with your pieces, and other just for fun, educational, or of-interest articles. We are also planning more features of our partners and affiliates; demonstrating the combined efforts of multiple artists to complete all the steps required in commissions and restorations.

Thank you for your time, your business, and your support!

Eric M. Saperstein
Master Craftsman
Artisans of the Valley
eric@artisansofthevalley.com
www.artisansofthevalley.com
Office: 609-637-0450
Cell: 609-658-2955

Artisans’ Master Craftsman Eric M. Saperstein recently got the opportunity to interview with www.airtoolreview.com Air Tool Review is a leading educational resource, review and industry news site for everything that´s of interests to professionals and hobbyists that work with air tools. From novice to professional, this site has something for everyone.

We’re just slightly behind on announcing the release of Part II – but late is better than never! Take some time and review this website. There are some great articles on tools and feature artists!

http://airtoolreview.com/259/interview-with-artisans-ofthe-valley-part-1

http://airtoolreview.com/277/interview-with-artisans-ofthe-valley-part-2

“If there’s one thing I love, it’s watching a skilled expert demonstrate an ability that’s been refined over years of practice. It really goes to show that there’s no substitute for hands-on experience, earned through sweat and dedication.

That’s why, when I saw the work of Eric M Saperstein’s from artisansofthevalley.com, I had to ask him for an interview. He has some very unique woodworking philosophies that should great example to all of the aspiring craftspeople who read this blog.” www.airtoolreview.com Kevin S. – Editor and Co-Owner

Take a moment to visit this great blog to read the full interview, as well as dozens of other articles featuring tool reviews, artist profiles, and detailed information of value to artists around the world!

Artisans of the Valley joined the Trade Only Design Library, launching our presence into this world wide specification database on Election Day of 2008. We’ll be re-upping our membership and continuing our relationship with TODL having reached the a milestone of over 3,200 inquiries for our products and services. 2009 has opened the door to many new relationships – these firms are now fully aware of our capabilities.

2009 has been a tough year for everyone in our industry – we’ve lost some affiliates, suppliers, and of course some competition given the economy. That’s always a given unfortunately in the climate we’ve been experiencing, but it’s also a clensing that provides opportunity. Artisans is still standing – keeping our costs minimized and the quality of our restoration and custom commission services high. We’re here for our clients whenever they are ready!

2010 is approaching quickly an we’ll be reaching out to all the contacts we have made to discuss their pending projects. Our marketing phone campaign will begin in November and hopefully complete by year end. We’ll be contacting all the firms who directly requested phone/email contact throughout the year.

Our designer porfolio has been updated to reflect the latest newsletters and new pieces in our portfolio througout the year. We’re waiting for the EBRU-TV video to be able to add that as a special feature as well. Given we’ve gotten great feedback on the format of our CD porfolio we’re not planning any major facelifts we’ll just continue to update the content.

We have been looking to include some designer features and profiles within our blog site and newsletter as well. We’re hoping 2010 brings on new relationships and great new ideas for such content. Please contact us if you have any exciting products, press releases, or unique articles that you would like to promote. We’re pleased to be able to support our affiliates!

For more information about the Trade Only Design Library (www.todl.com) contact Bernadette Bumpers at bernadette@todl.com or (727) 441-2060.

This image is owned by Trade Only Design Library (www.todl.com) all rights are reserved; representation on this website is to provide an example of the marketing services provided by TODL and of the ongoing marketing efforts of Artisans of the Valley. Please contact TODL for information about opportunities for manufacturers and designers. For information about Artisans – you can contact us directly!