Two artists are taking their crafts to the next level this month as featured artists at the third annual Edgewater Arts Council’s Holiday Art Fair.
Hollie Graze and Bingul Sevimli, both of Guttenberg, have been invited to display and sell their work.
The fair will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Edgewater Ferry Terminal, River Road at Route 5 in Edgewater. It is free for attendees.
The two are among the seven award-winning artists returning from the 22nd Annual Edgewater Arts & Music Festival held on Sept. 8. They had been selected in a juried art competition at the festival.
Graze won for Best Mixed Media, for her colorful and diverse mosaics. She is being sponsored at the Holiday Art Fair by Michael’s Crafts of Edgewater.
“Making mosaics is a wonderfully creative process.” – Hollie Graze
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“Both women won for their compilation of work, not a single piece,” said Lynne Grasz-Hall, president of the Edgewater Arts Council. “The judges were impressed with the overall quality of their work. So it was for the entire collection.”
Hollie Graze
“I have always been a creative person and have tried painting, stone carving, and basket weaving,” Graze said. “I have a degree in fine arts, and a master’s in occupational therapy, another field which requires a lot of creative thinking.
“Making mosaics is a wonderfully creative process,” she said. “I enjoy working with a variety of materials and exploring substrates and adhesives. I work with ceramic and glass tile, stones, beads, brooches, mirror, stained glass, and various found objects.”
Bingul Sevimli
“My first exposure to the art of ebru marbling was in high school,” said Sevimli. “I decorated my art portfolio covers with marbling ebru designs and liked it very much.
“Ebru is a traditional Turkish art,” she said. “Even though you can find examples of it through the world, Turkish marbling can be distinguished through its flower technique. This art has 600 years of history, and every material I use is organic.”
September festival
Other Hudson County residents who entered in the September arts festival were: Juan Ramiso Torres, Guttenberg; Sheri Alimonda, Hoboken; Ninetta Nappi and Joyce Reid, North Bergen; Eugene Tava, Weehawken; and Stephanie Wong, West New York.
That free, day-long festival was attended by nearly 3,000 people from Hudson and Bergen counties and surrounding areas.
More information and photographs from the festival can be found at www.edgewaterartsnj.org
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.