Red Elephant Gallery finds new Ceramics, Art Glass and Handmade Jewelry at BMAC

Philadelphia Buyer’s Market of American Craft (BMAC), next year we’re actually going to wear the running shoes, not just talk about it!

There is nothing quite like the Buyer’s Market we attended last weekend organized by the creators of Niche and American Style magazines. We walked for two days straight and still didn’t get to see every artist’s work. But we did see some amazing work and slowly but surely some of it will be coming “home” to the Red Elephant Gallery for you to see and, if you like, buy for you, your home, or as a gift.

We attack the market each year with a plan that nearly immediately is tossed aside as we wander wide-eyed down the aisles. We know what we need to fill in our inventory and the rest just cannot be programmed. This is a heartfelt personal industry. The pieces we saw each represents an artist’s passion and talent so picking them based on some pre-thought list of needs borders on the ridiculous. We buy what speaks to us and we hope will speak to you. We buy from artists we like both personally and through their work. We are relationship buyers at the Red Elephant Gallery and it’s these relationships we will be sharing with you.

One of the stronger themes of this year’s buyer’s market was environmental art of all types. This isn’t the traditional meaning of environment in art, as in of a certain environment, but honest to goodness, don’t harm the planet, let’s hug a tree environmentalism. From recycled glass formed into pieces to pieces made from bottles before they hit the recycling plant. From recycled stainless and aluminum pieces to once again, pieces of stainless and aluminum captured pre-recycling plant post consumer usage, formed into truly amazing art. It was phenomenal to see the variety of work in this fast growing genre and you’ll be seeing a good selection coming to the gallery soon to augment what we already have in Willyware and Sea Stones.

So it was a fantastic weekend of strengthening existing friendships, making new friends, and perusing what must be the most amazing buyer’s show in the country. There’s passion, talent, desire, and patience evident in all the artists’ work and we can’t wait to bring the best to you in the coming months.

“Flying Buttress” Rattles from J. Davis Studio - Sometimes you just have to laugh.

There are many different factors to consider when shopping for the Red Elephant Gallery. Is the work exciting and creative, is it by a new or established artist, does it fit into one of the categories we focus on – Glass, Ceramics or Handcrafted Jewelry. While all of those are important things to consider in operating a profitable business, sometimes the reason to add an artist is somewhat less tangible. For instance, I know that if we decide not to purchase something but I am still thinking about the artist weeks or months later there was something special about the work and we just take the risk and add that artist. This was the case with the handcrafted jewelry by Willy Scholten of WillyWare. I had seen her collection at the Buyers Market but we were already over budget (no surprise) so we ooohed and aaaaahed but walked away empty handed. But I kept thinking about how ingenious it was to create jewelry out of materials that Silicon Valley discards every day and how gorgeous the pieces looked as jewelry. The next show she was one of the first new artists to be added to the gallery.

Also, it is rare that I will walk away from something that makes me burst out laughing…hence the addition of the “Flying Buttress” ceramic rattles from J. Davis Studio. Those little cellulite filled butts just made me laugh. So I bought them on the spot, no thought what so ever about the budget or if someone else would actually buy them. I didn’t really care. The fact that my girlfriends and I got to share a bottle of wine and many laughs while naming the little ladies was just icing on the cake.

Hope they make you laugh too!