A makers dozen: The Gallery ABQ hosts a dozen local artists with its annual holiday market

Handmade ornaments, stained glass designs and oil paintings will line the booths of The Gallery ABQ for its annual holiday market on Friday, Dec. 6, through Dec. 31.

Twelve artists will bring their best works to show at the holiday market — an opportunity for visitors to purchase local, handmade artworks for the holidays.

A makers dozen: The Gallery ABQ hosts a dozen local artists with its annual holiday market

"There will be people there for the whole month of December, just selling things for the holidays," said Linda Weiss, organizer and artist at the gallery. "People can come shopping and it can be a very cost-effective type thing."

Artists will bring a variety of works for sale from mosaic, oil paintings, ornaments, decorated pottery and more. This year, artists like Leah Mitchell will be returning to the holiday market to sell their crafts.

"This will be my third time returning to do their holiday market," said Mitchell. "I really like the idea that people can come in and look at the items in the holiday market, as well as the items that are shown by the artists in the regular gallery, and have a real variety of items to pick from. They try to keep the artists in the holiday market showing different kinds of art, different styles, and so there's not a lot of repetition in that group of about a dozen artists."

Mitchell will be bringing a variety of pieces. Some, like her handmade ornaments, will be holiday themed. Other pieces will feature glass, tile, ceramic and mosaic work.

"I'm going to have some wall art that is glass-on-glass that has LED lights, and smaller pieces, such as planters, that I've made to look kind of like china cups from broken china and pottery, and made those into the mosaic planters," she said. "I have quite a variety of pieces and I think that most of the artists there have art that can be picked up for a small gift, as well as something that you might want to have as an art piece in your own home."

Artists will have an opening reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, where shoppers and artists can enjoy a drink and a snack while looking through the selection of items.

Mitchell believes shoppers should walk through the holiday market so they can purchase creative works of art while supporting local artists from across New Mexico.

"When I give gifts, I like to make them a little more unique, so I always appreciate if someone has bought something that was made by an artist to give to me," Mitchell said. "I hope that people will enjoy giving the art that I make and also having it and enjoying it in their own home. I just think it gives a whole lot more of a unique style than just going to sort of department store-made items."