Tupelo Studios 5^th Annual Holiday Show and Sale

By Jon Alden

Community Events of Westport

November 18, 2007

A treat to the inventive mind!

Local artisans held their Fifth Annual Holiday Show and Sale at Tupelo Studios, 790 Drift Road, Westport. Tupelo Studio, the studio of Ruth Bourns, hosted the event on Nov. 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

Nine participating artisans displayed work created by hand in their studios in Westport, Fall River, Providence, and Portsmouth. Participating artisans were Ruth Bourns, Suze Craig, Susan Freda, Bonnie Seeley Guptill, James Kennedy, Ruth Ann Petree, Elaine Stevens, Lucy Tabit, and Barri Throop.

Ruth Bourns displayed a variety of fiber creations with embellishments. She makes crib quilts, wall hangings, placemats, and many accessories such as shoulder bags, eyeglass cases, belts, and scarves. A feature this year was pillows and bags using vintage and new molas from Panama.

Suze Craig presented hand woven traditional and contemporary baskets made from reed and willow grown on her Drift Road farm. In addition, she showed other farm products such as wool yarn and lamb pelts.

Susan Freda’s work incorporated hand woven wire pieces with accents of stones and glass. These pieces are one of a kind, labor-intensive, and include jewelry, vessels, and sculpted wire dresses.

Bonnie Seeley Guptill designs and creates unique silver jewelry, spoons, and boxes of silver or gold, often emblazoned with colorful stones.

James Kennedy operates Confections, a shop in Fall River. He brought his handcrafted cookies, jams, and seasoned nuts to the Sale.

Ruth Ann Petree, a Portsmouth, R.I. resident presented handmade boxes, journals, and cards with embellishments and a touch of whimsy.

Elaine Stevens’s high-fired functional pottery was again featured at the Show. She uses glazes that reflect the environment of the local seacoast.

In addition to the local honey from the bees she keeps in Westport, Lucy Tabit showed her hand painted Ukranian eggs. How does she do it!

Barri Throop’s hand crafted wreaths and other arrangements were again presented at the Show. Many of the materials she uses are natural pieces collected in and around Westport.

All of the artisans were at the Show to present and sell their handcrafted work. Personal checks and cash were accepted. There were light refreshments, and convenient parking was located next to the show. Call (508) 636-6624 for more information about next year’s Show, or email: ruthbourns@hotmail.com

View photo album from 2006’s show and sale

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