Bryony Studio

It's nearing the end of fair season in Western NY, and I'm down to my last four or five fairs (one is still up in the air). This weekend, I'll be at Canalside in Buffalo NY for the Saturday Artisan Market . Here's a photo from a previous Saturday Artisan Market. It begins at 10 AM on Saturday, 20 September. There is parking available, but if you live in the Buffalo area, taking public transport might be easier. I sell under Bridgette ni Brian, my writing/art name.

I grew up in Lancaster Dutch Country, and moved to Western NY when I was twelve. After returning home for college, I began using both my weaving and writing skills to try and earn an income. Niagara River Above the Falls No such luck for several years, but yesterday I was up at the Castellani Art Museum  to learn about the Art Services Initiative and the arts community in the Western five counties of Western NY. For a brief review of Western NY (and New York state in general) you first need to realize that New York City makes up a very  small portion of the entire state. It's something like less than ten percent in all honesty. That particular area is referred to as Downstate and includes anything below the northern NY/PA border. Western NY can be a looser term, but it typically is everything west of the Genesee River, or the eight Western counties of NY State (Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Erie, Wyoming, Allegheny, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua. This area is rich in natu...

I found out some cool news yesterday: I was accepted to the Saturday Artisan Market (SAM) at Central Wharf in Buffalo NY. Opening day is May 17.  Newest Weaving Project Can I just say how excited I am by this opportunity? It's going to be a great time of meeting new people and establishing myself in Buffalo. I will be there under my pen/artist name of Bridgette ni Brian, not under the Bryony Studio name since I'm still working on establishing Bryony. As the days progress, I'll keep everyone updated through here and my Bridgette ni Brian Facebook page ( here ) and my Twitter account @bridgettenbrian ( here ) Trying to remain encouraged and hopeful with all that's happening has been interesting to say the least. It isn't easy establishing oneself in the artist community, especially when people wonder just what fiber arts is. Trying to explain to people the benefits of supporting local artisans is even harder when most people are concerned about more importan...