Wild Wind Artists
Our artists are carefully chosen based on originality, craftsmanship, and design. Below is a selected sampling of the quality and diversity of their work.
Tiffany Kimmet
My photographs offer a new perspective on every day items. I believe even the simple things have beauty of their own. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to be a photographer. I started exhibiting in art shows about 9 years ago. I had recently went on a trip to Tucson, AZ and fell in love with the doors and all the vibrant colors. When I got home, I wanted to get my pictures printed. The person that ended up printing my pictures invited me to do my first art show in Tiffin, OH. I was so excited! After the first show, I knew I found something that I loved! I love talking with my customers, sharing stories about my photographs (they all have stories), hearing their stories, etc.
I decided to add verses to my photographs about a year after starting the art shows. For a few years before that, I had been having some health issues, mainly heart issues. It was during that time period that I discovered my God given talent. One day after a rough patch, I woke up and decided to start adding verses to my pictures. I was so excited about it! I feel the verses complete my pictures and I have learned that the verse is what I was feeling when I took the picture.
About 7 years ago, my husband, Jason, decided to join me. We now exhibit in shows all over the Midwest. He creates and designs all of our products and also does all of the printing. I continue to take photographs and add verses to my pictures. Together, we put our heart and soul into all of our products.
Joy Ingram, Brown Bear Pottery
My Name is Joy Ingram and I am a maker, a maker of useful things. I started making pots at 9 years old when my mom enrolled me in a wheel throwing class to help channel my energy into something productive (and save her washing machine from the dirt and rocks I always seemed to have in my pockets!) Fascinated with clay and the functionality of the pieces I was making, this first class began a long love affair with this medium that continued through college. I graduated from Ohio University in 1998 with a degree in Organizational Communication and set out to enter the professional world with the pursuit of clay always in the back of my mind. In 2003 an opportunity arose to continue in clay full time and I began an apprenticeship with a master potter and started to slowly transform my hobby into the work I had been dreaming of making since I was 9.
The idea of functional pots stuck with me and almost 20 years after that first class, I opened Brown Bear Pottery with the intention of selling functional pots. I now work full time out of my home studio in Newbury, OH. In 2006 my husband, Zach, joined me in the business. He does anything and everything to help keep me on the wheel longer making pots!
I strive to make pots that are functional first, that feel comfortable in your hands. Pots that invite you to touch and use them. I am blessed to be a maker. To make the coffee cup you use every morning, to make the casserole you make your family macaroni and cheese in every Thursday, to make the baker you make your famous appetizers in for your friends! I am honored to be a small part of each of my customers lives every day.
Ellen Paquette
Ellen Paquette is a native of Warren, Pa and a Professional Level Juried Artist of the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania. Along with earning a BA in Art, she spent time studying anthropology and archaeology. Her skill as a painter has been especially showcased in unique animal portraiture, interior decorative painting and trompe l'oeil projects, spot illustration, and theatrical scenic and costume design. She is also a professional Celtic harpist, volunteer therapeutic harpist for Hospice, nature lover, avid enjoyer of the outdoors, and fabric artist who designs and creates whimsical soft sculpture creatures and art dolls inspired by wildlife, mythology and cryptozoology.
I am most drawn to art that tells a story in its imagery, so in my own work I aim to paint pictures that tell a tale. By combining animal portraiture with the detail and symbolic inclusions found in renaissance art, as well as the whimsy of folklore, I hope to create images that enhance the unique personalities and intelligence of the animals portrayed. I love working my favorite topics into my paintings--animals of many species, folklore, the medieval and renaissance periods of art and history, the natural world, textiles, historic costume, trompe l'oeil techniques, and subtle visual humor.
Janet Mandel,
The work of nationally recognized artist Janet Mandel reflects her love of all animals and her passion to explore them through her art. She has received regional and national recognition over the past 45 years for her fashion illustration, weavings, portraiture and wildlife paintings. Her exclusive focus since 1995 has been her detailed animal paintings. She is a member of numerous wildlife organizations and supports many animal rescue groups as well. Her work has been sold and featured by various wildlife organizations, including the National Audubon Society, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Geographic Society and the Humane Society of the US. Her work depicts her love and respect of wild animals, and her sense of humor regarding the more domestic variety. It is her attention to detail as well as her individual touch inextending her work onto the mat that makes Janet’s work unique. Janet’s work includes original paintings, limited edition giclee’ reproductions and embellished reproductions. Each embellished reproduction is individually hand painted and represents up to 1-1/2 hours of additional work. This method is used by the artist quite extensively, since it affords an additional avenue to achieve depth and dimension, as well as movement, by extending the borders of the original piece.
Janet lives very close to nature on country property which has been certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. She resides with her husband and numerous pets.
Toni Kelly
Artist Toni Kelly has always lived in North Western Pennsylvania along the shores of Lake Erie. As a child, Toni was inclined to draw and paint, but her love of drawing and painting nature subjects didn’t come until later in life. After moving into her current home and studio, Toni became an avid gardener and backyard birder, often sketching her flowers and yard birds in journals. This was the beginning of her interest in nature art.
Toni’s art education has been self-directed with independent study, classes and workshops. She learned to paint with watercolor by prominent local instructors with additional study in botanical painting at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA.
Toni is well known, both regionally and internationally, in the field of Calligraphy and Book Arts having studied under prominent international instructors. In this field she has been published in Bound and Lettered, and contributed to ‘Nice Rendition’ a book of calligraphic works of art accompanying the lyrics of Cheryl Wheeler. As an art blogger Toni was awarded a feature in Artful Blogging magazine in 2009.
Toni began combining calligraphy with her painted images after studying under Randall Hasson while attending an international calligraphy conference. She joined the Audubon Society and started to photograph the birds of Presque Isle State Park as reference for her watercolor paintings and mixed media works of art. Toni now portrays nature related images on canvas painting with oils or acrylics. Birds are her main subjects and at times she places the birds in a still life setting along with books and pottery. She has also experimented with transfer designs created on the computer which are added to her paintings. “Since I work from several photos I use photoshop as a tool to work out composition details when placing birds in a still life environment. Then I make a sketch to work out any other details that need to be done prior to transferring to the canvas. Some shading and feather details are done on the canvas in graphite before I begin to paint.”
Her artwork has taken awards in juried shows and invitational exhibitions. Paintings can be found in local galleries and private collections.
Memberships include the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association and the Pittsburgh Guild of Calligraphers.
Kim Kloecker
I thank God for the gift He has given me to paint His world.
As a young child and teenager I would spend hours, doodling in my notebooks, coloring, cutting, pasting, and creating in hopes of someday being a famous artist. I always looked forward to Christmas when my parents would replenish my art supplies!
I attended Edinboro State College and majored in Art Education K-12. It was during this time my passion for watercolors began to develop. My work encompasses rural country sides, waterfronts, everything else in between, and can be seen in local galleries.
After college and in between raising a family, used my gift as a teacher for special needs children, and as a Christian Youth Director. Art is an excellent tool and a fun way to work, play, and teach others all at the same time!
I have been painting professionally for over 30 years, and have won several “Best of Show”, and top honors in the region. I am a member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania & National Watercolor Society, and Northwest Pennsylvania Artist Association.
When people ask me, “How do you make it look so easy?”
I respond: “I am more successful than others, because I have failed more often.”
Mary Richie
Amanda O'Neil, Manda's Menagerie
I’ve always loved to repurpose things, and started making glass flowers a couple of years ago. My flowers are drilled through and bolted to the stem, and the “leaves” are a variety of kitchen utensils which are welded onto the stem by my husband. The flowers can be left outside year round or can be easily taken off of the stem and displayed inside on a plate stand. They do excellent in sun or shade and never need watered! The bird feeders are also drilled through and, like the flowers, are very sparkly. I thoroughly enjoy making each one of these and I really love the thought of other people getting enjoyment out of them. Even my two boys, Cooper and Gage, like to mix and match different plates and bowls together to come up with new flowers. For years we have loved shopping at the Wild Wind show and now we are very excited to be a first time vendor at it! See you there!
Jessica Porter, Weaving From the Heart
Creating pieces that are symbolic of beauty and meaning. This is my passion to share with others what I see and feel in this world around us. There is always a red thread in the center of each piece I create. This symbolizes love, love is the center of all things, and I create each piece with love!
I also create, from one of the keyforms, Goddess Dolls. These dolls hold space of love, beauty, and Goddess energy for women and girls, as a reminder of what is with themselves.
A few years ago at a Reiki Retreat, I was introduced to Weaving a Life and fell in love with that. Felt this calling to both work with these 7 keyforms and teach this to others, to explore the inner self. These seven keyforms ring a sense of healing, truth, love, and self-discovery into one’s life. This has also allowed my intuitive creativity to flow and create beauty with fiber art. I received my training as a Weaving a Life Circle Leader and Story Loom Leader. From there my personal creativity flowed to create these pieces that told a story of what I saw in nature, what came to me as I read a story, intuitively came to me, or what I was experiencing.
Arlene Sofranko
She is an inspired artist who creates unusual pottery pieces. Not making more than two of any item for the year. Plus using different textures, appliques and vibrant color glazes on each piece.
Pottery became a passion for her 13 years ago. When she joined a studio and learned the trade as an apprentice under a Master Ceramist. This studio had a gallery open to the pubic for sales.
She then opened her own studio in Tidioute, Pa. where she has been making creative design pieces for over eight years. Occasionally accepting students for private lessons to learn the art of pottery.
Arlene has been recognized by numerous organizations for her pottery creativity. Her creative pottery designs have been given as 1st place awards at numerous events.
All of her creations are food safe, microwavable , dishwasher safe and oven safe.
All items are either created on the wheel which are altered or hand built for more unique and original design creations.
Examples of her creations are FAIRY HOUSES WITH ELECTRIC, LOTUS BOWLS, ILLUMINATED OWLS ON LEAF, FLOWER VASES, LARGE LEAVES WITH GRAPE VINES, A SPECIAL VERY UNIQUE BOWL MADE WITH 100 PCS OF UNIQUE FLOWERS, HANGING BASKETS LIGHTED ANGLES, BUTTER DISHES, HAND BUILT CHRISTMAS TREE DISPLAY PLATE WHICH IS ALWAYS IN DEMAND WITH ONLY ONE OR TWO MADE A YEAR just to mention a few of her creative items.
She is a true pottery artist. Her created pottery pieces are made from a slab of clay. She transforms the clay into functional pieces of pottery. In addition to the above mentioned items she also designs. Stingrays, Seahorses, Various Fish Forms with scales and fins, an Alligator with three or six sections, pitchers, tray servers, spaghetti servers and more. She uses a combination of vibrant glazes to create one of a kind pottery pieces.
Creations take about 10 days or more to dry. Then they are bisque fired in a kiln of 1941 degrees for 18 hours. After they cool the item is glazed three times. Then glaze fired at 2170 degrees for eight hours.
In addition to creating pottery. Arlene also designs and creates hand crafted crocheted silver, gold or copper jewelry necklaces, bracelets and ankle bracelets. Using in her designs with Imperial Jasper, Turquoise, Tiger Skin Jasper, Tiger eye , Lapis and Swarovski crystal to mention only a few of her materials used to create thejewelry pieces.
The greatest joy Arlene receives is when a customer tells her they love her creative piece when they purchase it at the Wild Winds Folk Art & Craft Festival at Warren County Fair Grounds. Which is the only show Arlene exhibits her pottery for sale during the year, or you can email her at asofranko@earthlink.net
Michael Pappa, MP Pinecone Desgins
MP Pinecone Designs returns to the Wild Wind Folk Arts & Crafts Festival this year with unique pinecone wreaths & swags, nature-inspired handmade soap & candles, as well as birdhouses with pinecone themed roofs. Everything is handmade, here in the USA. Feel free to stop by for free smells and something natural to decorate for the upcoming holiday season.
Larry Downey, Rock of Ages Creations
Rock of Ages Creations creates one-of-a-kind works of art on hand-cut flagstone. Each piece of stone is individually cut to size and then sculptured to enhance the subject matter of the lithographic print or photographic image. Using ink binding and emulsive extraction and adhesive agents, the print images are meticulously separated from the paper substrate of the lithograph and worked onto the surface of the stone. The paperless medium placed on the stones surface, flows into all the surface features of the stone to produce a dimensional and textured perspective that is not apparent with the lithographic image. When the extraction and adhesion agent cures, each piece is then sanded around the edges and then hand painted to create a smooth transition around the perimeter of the stone. Each piece is then sealed with non-petroleum based polyurethane to protect and preserve the stones image. The entire process takes five (5) days. Rock of Ages Creations uses only high quality lithographs from associated artists or those produced by reputable publishing companies. But, our most popular stone images are made from our own original art productions and are available only through Rock of Ages Creations