Featured on Great Day Houston!
Featured on Great Day Houston!
First Saturday Arts Market was featured on Great Day Houston! Hostess Deborah Duncan talked with artists Lauren Luna, Julie Mahler, Lilli Lehtonen and Mitch Cohen!
March 2, 2024
Monica Ortiz
I am an artist who is also a singer, songwriter, and award-winning writer and producer in the entertainment industry. I love the canvas because to me it represents a clean slate for inner expression.
I work with acrylics, oils, or gouache and create works pulled from emotions and thoughts from my love of the world we live on and the Universe we live within.
I believe the Universe is an ever-expanding colorful force of life and I try to allow the thoughts and feelings of mindful, passionate creativity to flow into my canvases. While visiting my gallery at First Saturday Arts Market or my online profile, I hope that you can sit, breathe, look at my paintings and see what emotions/moods it inspires in you.
Najia Omer
Najia Omer’s mixed media paintings draw profound inspiration from her cultural roots, having grown up in Pakistan. Infusing her canvases with gold-thread stitching, she intricately portrays women as origami birds in her artwork. These visual narratives become a reflection of aspirations and the pursuit of dreams, creating a unique tapestry that beautifully weaves together culture and personal journey.
Papermolas
Miriam Lim O’Brien, the owner and creator of Papermolas, draws inspiration from molas, a traditional textile art form of the Guna Indians in Panama and Colombia. Her designs reflect the vibrant patterns and colors of typical molas, combining traditional looks with modern geometric graphics. Initially creating physical paper art, Miriam transitioned to a sustainable digital medium due to time constraints and market demand. She now prints her designs, including greeting cards and coasters, in her home office using professional equipment. All products Miriam presents are her original designs, celebrating the fusion of tradition and modernity in her artwork.
Penny’s Treasures
Penny’s endless fascination with gemstones has inspired her to incorporate these artworks from Mother Nature into her own art. She loves experimenting and combining metal and stone in novel and unexpected ways to create one-of-a-kind, rustic pieces that have that special soulful feel that only handmade treasures can provide. Penny infuses a bit of her heart and soul into each piece in the hopes that her clients will sense the love that goes into each one and find a connection with the pieces that called to them.
“I strive to create jewelry that brings to its wearers confidence, joy, and the courage to embrace authenticity, and to share their uniqueness with the world.”
Aimee Kudla
Aimee’s Handcrafts
My name is Karina “Aimee” Kudla. Ceramics has been in my heart since I started taking hand building ceramic classes at a community learning center in 2016. I love designing, creating and making things with my own hands. Most of my pieces reflect my admiration for nature. Among my different collections, I design mountains, draw and carve birds, flowers and fruits. Adding details and using different techniques of finishing my design thrills me because I know it’s something unique! Ceramics is always with me and it represents not only how I see things, but who I am.
I have a ceramic studio located in Old Katy, TX, where I teach pottery classes and make handmade ceramic pieces for sale. I attend local art and craft markets and have presence on social media. My passion for ceramics is carried in everything that I do. I knew ceramics was the path that I would take to fulfill my needs in art and the relationship with future customers and students.
I work mostly with mid fire white, red and sometimes black clays. I like trying different types and colors of glazes, however, I strive to form a uniform and consistent finish. I plan colors that would work well together taking in consideration how they work on the specific clay undertone.
Julianne Mahler
1000 Cranes by Julianne Mahler
Julie Mahler is an artist whose medium is repurposed paper and books. Julie started to think of herself as an artist late in life; the themes of resilience, finding beauty in the everyday, and allowing a sense of whimsy run through her work.
Cora’s Glass
Fused Glass Art corasglass.com
Cora makes functional glass art in the form of plates, bowls, and purely decorative art objects. All of her glass is fused glass which means that it is formed under heat in a kiln.
NShipula – Creative
NShipula—Creative is owned by Natalie Shipula. I have a degree in fine art from Youngstown State University. My inspiration is drawn from where I grew up and in all of my travels. As a United States Air Force Veteran, it took me some time to finally get on this path of becoming an artist but I finally made it here.
Being a Graphic Designer full time was my lifelong goal, however, I find my passion lies in painting and photography. While I mainly paint watercolors and they are usually on paper, I have been experimenting with some new surfaces. Today, you will find that along with framed pieces, I also have watercolors on wood and metal.
Becoming an artist came with the knowledge that I create a lot of waste. While I am mindful of this, I try to use as much of my materials as possible. When the demand for framed art became apparent, I didn’t want my cost of supplies to raise the price of my art to levels that no one would be able to buy. For the framed pieces, I search for affordable vintage or recycled frames, I reuse mats if they are in good condition, and for my wooden or metal pieces, I search for items that could have another use. I do all my own framing, custom-cut all the mats, and fix/prep all other materials. I am as sustainable as I can be while creating pieces that range in size and price making it so everyone has the opportunity to purchase an original piece of art for their homes.
Chris Prazak
Large Vibrant Photography is the best way to describe my art. I am local to the Heights and have been an avid photographer for many years. My art is bright, colorful, saturated, and tac sharp as I control the entire process from taking the photo, developing, printing matting and framing. My pictures are often of local landmarks and I work to show them in new light and perspective through long exposures to encourage the viewer to continue getting closer and closer to discover more that they might see at first glance. I love travel, adventure, and artistic exploration and seek to share my journey with others.
