The Sunday Chronicle found out just how invigorating an experience this could be when it dropped in on last Saturday’s do at the Cara Lodge, which event made for some very satisfied customers, and some equally satisfied ladies, as old pals Paula Betuzzi and Lisa Thompson teamed up this year with Carolyn Tappin, Liz Deane-Hughes, Alison Gaskin, and Susan Allsopp to present what they called a ‘Holiday Decorative Arts Fair’.

Known for her scrumptious cheesecakes topped with local fruits like jamoon, guava, passion fruit and mango, Susan, who runs ‘Cheesecake Etcetera’ out of her home and lists among her clients ‘The Dutch Bottle’, ‘Cara Inn’ and ‘Ariantze Hotel’, said she came out with quite a few of the goodies and by 11:10 hrs they were all gone.

Mind you, this was just a little over an hour into the fair, which was slated to run from 10:00hrs to 16:00hrs. She also had with her some of her famous pound-cakes, of which there were only three left. Make that two, since one had already been ‘spoken for’.

Paula, whose specialty is greeting cards made of decorative hand-made paper and photographic prints marketed under the label, ‘Lavender Moments’, said the day had gone rather well for her, too.

The ‘chief-cook-and-bottle-washer’ behind the day’s activity, she said: “It’s been pretty good; there’s been a steady stream of people all morning. Sales have been steady as well. People seem to be very interested in the cards I’ve made that have photos of Georgetown scenes on them, and of Guyana, like on the Essequibo River and what not. As well….there’s all of my Christmas cards…and they’re mostly sold out…so I’m very pleased with how the day has gone.”

It was pointless asking Lisa how she was faring; she was over at the neighbour’s stall. But ask we did anyway, and, just as we suspected, the day had not gone too badly for her either.

A former Chronicle reporter and counsellor with the local help-line, ‘Help & Shelter’, her area of expertise is hand-made ‘Mosaic Mirrors’: Slivers of glass mounted on coloured plywood and arranged in such a way to form a pattern; a little girl at play, perhaps; a little boy; just about anything that takes the fancy of the artist in her. It’s a trend that is relatively new to Guyana but all the rage back in Canada, where she has lived and studied for many years and to which she commutes from time to time.

Most of these had been gone by the time we arrived at around 13:20hrs. She had brought out 20 pieces, and all she had left were five. Prices, she said, were reasonable, ranging between $4,000 and $18,000.

She had also brought with her some of her batik table linen from the label, ‘Edge Designs’, and these too, we were told, sold like hot cakes. While most people went for the tan-coloured variety with Amerindian motifs, those of a more vibrant hue as your reds, yellows, and orange were just as popular, if not more, she said. Sets of six, place mats and napkins that is, sold at $4,000, while sets of four went for $3,500. Table runners were $2,500 each and table cloths ranged between $4,000 and $6,000 each depending on size.

It was she who told us that most of the customers who had come through the door that day were people from the diplomatic community. There was also the odd tourist, she said, and quite a few locals as well.

And, while Liz’ sterling silver jewellery seemed to be the item of choice for most of her customers that day, there was equal interest as well in her recycled, beaded-glass pieces, another trend that is new to us here, but slowly gaining in popularity.

Truth to tell, it was difficult choosing between the two, as they are both exquisitely turned out. We watched a potential customer spend ages making his selection and our hearts went out to him. In the end, however, he did find a piece to his liking. And what do you know? It was neither silver nor beaded glass but one of her other pieces made of bits of bamboo and red brick.

A trained lawyer with a passion for the Arts, she said the day had gone “surprisingly well…..in the sense that I have my focus on opening the shop,” she said, in reference to the ‘Calabash Gift Shoppe’, which was officially opened on Friday at the Hadfield Foundation. “So this was just like a little side thing that was happening.”

For items of clothing, we turned our attention to Alison, who runs a little place called ‘Sala Craft’ outside the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC). But alas! They were almost all gone! And besides, she was too busy attending to customers to spare us a minute or two.

Carolyn next door made for a better prospect, but like Alison, she, too, was busy with customers. Her forte is handmade bags and jewellery made of such indigenous materials as bamboo, wood, glass, bone, sea shells, coconut shells, and bits of stone tossed up by the sea.
She has what you may call `a feel for the earth’, hence the title, ‘Earth Touch’, under which she markets her products.

According to a little hand-out provided by the group, they call this type of contemporary yet functional way of looking at the Creative Arts ‘Decorative Art’.

For instance, it says, “a piece of recycled, glass-beaded jewellery is beautiful to look at and you can also wear it.” As can a one-of-a-kind mosaic mirror be colourful and hang on the wall as a work of art yet still function as a mirror. Besides, “batik table linen can add a dash of colour and ambience to any dining setting….[and] a cheesecake does make for a delicious finishing touch to any meal or party.”

And, just in case you happen to develop a taste for this kind of creative functionality, do give Paula a call on 220 – 9786 or e-mail her at PBetuzzi@networksgy.com