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Salisbury group showcases locally made crafts and goods

A handmade tale

Salisbury group showcases locally made crafts and goods

Laura Hammond of Millbrook shows off greeting cards featuring her encaustic paintings of natural settings.

Patrick L. Sullivan

SALISBURY — The Salisbury Handmade group of artists and craftspeople planned to host their spring sale on the lawn of the White Hart Saturday, May 9. Mother Nature had other plans, delivering a chilly and rainy day.

Karin Gerstel of Undermountain Weavers – and one of the event organizers – thanked the White Hart for accommodating the group inside, even though the inn was extra busy hosting a wedding.

One vendor, Leslie O’Neill of Lakeville, showcased her unique jewelry using seed beads, crystals, semiprecious stones and pearls. Some of the pieces on display had clean, geometric lines while others, O’Neill, said, were intentionally more “free form.” She has been making and selling her jewelry since the 2010 Salisbury Fall Festival.

“I believe the urge to adorn is so ancient,” she said. “It’s a primal instinct.”

Gina Amoroso showcased organic, plant-dyed, block-plated accessories for sale from her shop, Hettle. Scarves, wraps, napkins, socks and even scrunchies were made from leftover material. Amoroso, who lives in Becket, Massachusetts, said she has been in business since 2008 and is part of the Railroad Street Collective in Great Barrington.

Laura Hammond of Millbrook presented greeting cards using her encaustic paintings in beeswax of natural settings, such as vernal pools or landscapes in different seasons.

Hammond said she doesn’t have to travel far for inspiration. “And I am very grateful for that,” she said.

The Salisbury Handmade website is www.artisansale.org. The next sale is Saturday, Oct. 10, at the White Hart.

Patrick L. Sullivan
Senior Reporter
Patrick Sullivan has been a reporter for The Lakeville Journal since 2004, covering everything from town meetings to local characters and the outdoors. He grew up in Northern Virginia but spent summers on Mount Riga in Salisbury, giving him a lifelong connection to the Northwest Corner. A graduate of Denison University, Patrick is also the author of Tangled Lines, the newspapers’ popular fly-fishing column—making The Lakeville Journal, as far as anyone knows, the only newspaper in Connecticut with a regular fly-fishing columnist. He once received a fan letter from England, which he considers sufficient evidence that his work has achieved international acclaim.
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