holiday house tour artisans

Denise Witz
Pennsylvania Redware
Denise uses traditional techniques and tools, such as red and white earthenware clay, of early Pennsylvania German potters. Two techniques may be used to create designs; Sgraffito - white slip (liquid clay) is applied to the red earthenware clay, then the slip is scratched away to reveal the red clay beneath, and Slip trailing - slip is drawn on the red earthenware clay using a slip cup. 

Claire Lamberth
Jeweler
Claire designs jewelry using semiprecious gemstones, pearls and sterling silver. She fuses dichroic glass, which is coated with metallic particles. This process shifts the color and creates unique textures, making each piece appear three-dimensional.

Linda Lurcott
Silversmith
A member of the Pennsylvania Society of Goldsmiths, Linda inherited a passion for metalsmithing from her great grandparents, along with some of their tools of the trade. She sculpts organic shapes and creates interesting textures in copper, silver, gold, and iron. Linda also uses pieces of antique stained glass and nails salvaged from a 19th century Downington, PA, church that was destroyed in a fire.

Nancy Carol Willis
Artist, Author, Publisher
Native Delawarean Nancy Carol Willis is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's picture books and a 2009 Individual Artist Fellow in Visual Arts. In 1998, Nancy founded Birdsong Books, a publisher of natural science children's picture books. Willis teaches at Wilmington University and the Delaware Nature Society. Nancy’s nature books and puppets, Giclée fine art wildlife prints, wildlife cards, and Delaware scene prints will be available for purchase.               

John A. Styer
Wood Turner
John’s turned-wood heirlooms are created from local wood species, as well as exotics from all over the world. From Brazilian Rosewood to English Walnut, and from Cherry Burls to Poison Ivy vines, John brings the most visually appealing aspects of wood to the surface in an eclectic assortment of work, ranging from aesthetically utilitarian to purely artistic.

Wendy Edsall-Kerwin
Jewelry - Metalsmith
Metal can be flexible and both industrial and organic. Through processes such as fold forming, forging, and riveting, Wendy works to connect with her materials and explore texture and pattern in new ways.

Dolores Pye Josey
Ceramic
Until the 1980s, Dolores was primarily interested in painting and dance. She taught dance at the University of Delaware and holds a master’s degrees in painting and dance. She now uses ceramics as her medium. Although Dolores has a studio in her Arden home, she depends on the facilities and camaraderie of the Absalom Jones Art Studio in New Castle County to produce her stunningly unique ceramic pieces.

Matthew Olian
Glass
Matt uses a technique known as flameworking to express his artistic vision. Using nearly 3000° of heat, he manipulates glass rods and tubes over an open flame, molding the glass into different forms. His inspiration is drawn from nature, which represents art in its purest form.

Lauren Zorica
Handcrafted Jewelry
Lady Zora creates original, handmade jewelry pieces. Her one-of-a-kind works of wearable art are made with natural gemstones and Swarovski crystals to provide affordable quality. With a variety of styles to choose from, these pieces will make you feel beautiful at any age or occasion! Earrings are available for individuals with metal allergies.

Beth Trepper
Photographer
Beth’s eclectic portfolio of photographs comprises fine art, portraiture, figurative, landscape, entertainment, and epicurean images. Her unique photographs range from traditional black and white prints to hand-painted and digital prints. Beth presents her own highly creative and personal style in the form photographs, greeting cards, book-marks and calendars.

Mitch Lyons
Ceramics & Clay Monoprints
For the past 43 years, Mitch has printed with colored clays to make what he calls “Clay Monoprints.” After earning a B.F.A. in Graphics from the University of the Arts and an M.F.A. in Ceramics from the Tyler School of Art, Mitch began making work focused on “mark making” in clay. The material is the message. Colors, shapes, line, form, values, are all derived from the response he receives from the clay. 

Patricia Brown Tolton
Ceramic Art Tiles
 Continuing a century-long family tradition in ceramics, Patricia became a tile and mosaic artist. Her ancestors worked in the Ohio pottery regions and Stoke-on-Trent England. In the early 1990s she began studying at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, PA. Ten years later, she opened her own studio and started making tile. Patricia combines her family history and 20 years as a landscape designer to create her modern version of Arts and Crafts tiles.