All's fair when hunting for crafts

When it comes to scouting artisan finds, the stalker in me takes over. On a recent outing to the Mayday Underground craft fair at Village Gate, I followed a woman wearing a multi-colored shawl that resembled a butterfly wing. It draped beautifully on her jacket, creating a cascading-waterfall effect.

I approached the shawl lady and asked her which vendor sold it, which led me to a trip around Village Gate to find Karen Duncan's table, filled with colorful crocheted accessories.

It's craft fair and arts festival season in Rochester, with an event just about every weekend during the summer months. This weekend is one of the biggest as Park Ave. Summer Art Fest takes over the popular thoroughfare on Saturday and Sunday.

Our region is blessed with so many talented artists, and the dedicated crafts shopper will find plenty of one-of-a-kind goods at these events.

I'm a craft fair junkie. And I look for all sorts of items. I have filled my home but also my wardrobe with artisan festival finds.

At Public Market's Artist Row, I discovered Adrian Tucker's brand of contemporary acrylic paintings, and they now fill one of my walls. At the Corn Hill Arts Festival, I'm that rare shopper who passes up the art on a stick in favor of wearable art such as Keuka Lake artist Lisa Saether's line of cool, comfortable cotton clothing. At Park Avenue Festival, I found the perfect wedding gift in the form of a large platter in turquoise blue by Pittsford potter Hodaka Hasebe.

With so many good artists to choose from, it's often tough to stick to your budget when browsing at these fairs. But I'm also a hobby crafter, so I know the value of materials as well as approximately how much time it takes to create a piece. To narrow down my purchases, I look for the level of artistry and quality of raw materials.

With the shawl, I sized things up. The level of crochet stitching was way beyond my skills. If I were to make it, I'd have to learn how to weave the yarn in a circular pattern and spend about a week tackling the project. Plus, the yarn was a high-quality cotton variegated style that would probably cost at least $20, and I'd have to spring another $6 or so on a pattern. So for $80, I was happy to outsource the labor — especially since my DIY result might not end up looking so pretty.

"That's a lot of work for $80," I said to the artist, who was glad I understood the amount of time she spends on her pieces. Duncan loves to crochet and has an Etsy shop to go along with her occasional stops at area craft fairs. But she knows she has to price her wearable art to what the market will bear.

"I could never make a living off it," says Duncan, who estimates she spent 13 hours crocheting the shawl, which she named "The Monarch."

I'd love to wear more of what I make. In addition to crocheting, I make jewelry. But my skills are limited to stringing and beading gemstones. So I look for artists who are a level above mine while keeping in mind the cost of the gemstones. Freshwater pearls are usually inexpensive, so I avoid pieces with them because the markup is usually higher than it should be.

I also seek out jewelry artists with skills I don't have. One find was Colleen Griffin-Underhill, who makes painted, polymer-clay jewelry pieces under the Hintery brand. Her jewelry has a clean look, which blends well with my art-to-wear wardrobe.

And here's how I got in on her jewelry even before she launched her line. One day, while shopping in the Memorial Art Gallery Store, I noticed a woman wearing a beautiful necklace. I asked her about it, and she was happy to talk about how she had created it herself out of polymer clay.

Of course it was Griffin-Underhill, who manages the store. I moved in for the kill, asking if she would consider selling her necklace. And that's how I landed yet another bit of beautiful prey, buying the necklace right off the artist's neck.

MCHAO@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/MaryChaoStyle