RAHWAY, NJ — Mayor Raymond A. Giacobbe and Rahway City Council recently presented the annual Rahway Craft and Art Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8. The market for quality handmade crafts and original artworks by crafters, artisans and fine artists was at the Rahway Recreation Center. There were no mass-produced items; they were all handmade. Artworks included paintings, prints, photography, mixed media, drawings, jewelry, pottery, stained glass, quilts, unique/original clothing, toys and other crafts.
Marcello Accardio, of Blackwick Creations, is a Rahway resident who makes sculptural candles and recycles high-density polyethylene plastic. He loves horror movies and draws inspiration from Tim Burton movies and mythology.
Craig Stein, of CraigSteinDesign, created fused glass art and jewelry. “Color inspires me,” he said. Stein is from Bridgewater and sells his work at shows and online.
Derek Dent, of Elizabeth, creates from his home studios. His creations are inspired by a lot of music, specifically jazz, and rock and roll. He uses acrylic paint, texture sources, colored ink, mirrors and objects he finds. Dent said he couldn’t do any of this art without his wife, Betty Dent. He said, “She believes in my work.”
Mike Junnier, of MJ Woodworking, creates all handmade custom signs. They are all made from solid wood. Junnier lives in South Plainfield.
Lauren Kesinski, of Dragon Duck Creations, creates mixed media collage work inspired by dark themes and gothic art, the natural world, life and death, and the beauty of anatomy. Kesinkski lives in Bayonne.
Jessica Farrell, of Rahway, works from home making crochet items such as hats, scarves, gloves and head bands. She also makes sweaters, but one at a time because they take so long to make. She’s been crocheting for five years. She began during the pandemic. “There was nothing else to do,” she said. “I was terrible when I started. I made hats for friends that were too small and they didn’t tell me.”
Kristen Tanthak aka “Scooby” works in mixed media using recycled scraps. “Things you’d throw out,” she said. “Random objects.” Tanthak lives in Ocean Grove.
Debbie Painter, of Rahway, makes crochet items – toys and wearables. “I see what’s trending,” she said. “Or make stuff up.”
Her biggest seller is crocheted Chicken McNuggets and crocheted pickles. She said, “Kids love them and they’re affordable. People are big on keychains. Kids wear them on their backpacks.”
Chelsea Moreno, of Bergenfield, has been painting in watercolor since she was a child. In the past five years, she has been painting a lot. With her Instagram account, she recently began selling her work. She’s inspired by nature, beautiful sunsets, sunrises, cloud formations, seascapes and mostly landscapes.
Jocelyn Hawkes, of Union, has her charity-based design shop, Peach Tree. She creates stickers, handmade magnets, fun accessories, 3-D décor and seasonal gift baskets.
Food was provided by La Fogata.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
