Meet some of the most affordable artists at Centre County’s People’s Choice Festival

With multiple art festivals ongoing, you won’t find a better weekend in Centre County to find a print or sculpture — but locating one that won’t break the bank is another story.

That’s why we decided to scope out the People’s Choice Festival in Centre Hall’s Grange Park to find unique artists who were selling their items for $25 or less. A number of booths met that criteria, but we attempted to choose a variety from our favorites.

This is far from an exhaustive list, but here are some highlights of what we found from the festival that runs through 5 p.m. Sunday:

Metal Illusions (Booth No. 120)

Type: Lawn ornaments/recycled art

From: Columbia, PA

Prices: $6 and up

This popular booth had nonstop foot traffic Friday morning, and co-owner Butcher Martofel smiled and shrugged when asked about his top-seller — because it always changes and tends to surprise at every festival.

After all, there’s a lot of variety at his booth, which features more than 20 different lawn ornament designs, from $6 ladybugs to $15 funny chickens to $22 tulips. Most are made from old silverware and, because Martofel owns a powder-coating business, he’s able to use the ends of batches that would otherwise go to a landfill.

As a result, Martofel offers value that’s hard to equal elsewhere. For example, his dragonfly ornaments were powder-coated with a copper finish that costs $100 a pound — but, because it was leftover from powder-coating a hot rod and radiator, he didn’t have to pass the cost on to his customers.

“I’m cheap,” Martofel said with a laugh. “Come on now.”

Now 75 years old, the gray-bearded Martofel — who gives off equal vibes of biker and grandfather — has been making the ornaments for more than a half-century. He remembers making his first flower at the age of 11 and having “hippie chicks” sell them in the 1960s.

He used to spray-paint the ornaments but, after opening his own powder-coating business and becoming sick of chips in the paint, he opted to change course. He now proudly states that his ornaments last an average of 3-5 years outside.

“It’s built to last,” he added. “It’s not made in Taiwan.”

Oh, and about those top-sellers. Martofel acknowledged he first sold out of snowflake lawn ornaments Thursday, something he did not anticipate. (“There’s no rhyme or reason for that,” he said.) The funny chickens have also been selling in bunches, which he thought was ironic since he began making them as a joke.

“We take the ordinary and make it extraordinary,” he said.

Teaberry Design Company (Booth No. 38)

Type: Jewelry

From: State College

Prices: $10 and up

This the first People’s Choice appearance for State College resident Amanda Jones and husband/co-owner Jesse Moore — but you might’ve already seen their jewelry elsewhere in Centre County. They’ve sold their wares at Bellefonte’s Rooted Farmstead, and their jewelry is also available inside the Gamble Mill.

The local company creates wine charms and wooden-based jewelry — earrings, pins, necklaces and rings — that are meticulously hand-painted. Some $25 earrings feature classic designs with natural colors, while many of the $10 varieties feature fun and colorful designs, like beach balls, ice cream cones and butterflies.

“I was a teacher for a very long time and, as you know, they don’t have a lot of money — but you always want to wear fun things for the kids,” Jones said. “And when kids fall in love with something, you don’t want it to cost an arm and a leg, so it’s really important for me to keep prices low.”

Jones said she’s always enjoyed working with wood. And once the pandemic hit, and she found herself with more spare time than usual, she decided to take a laser-cutting class at State College community workshop The Rivet at Discovery Space. She now has a membership to the workshop and continues to do all of her laser cutting for the jewelry there. As time has gone on, and she’s gained more experience, Jones has also tackled more sophisticated projects, such as necklaces with crushed inlays and wooden bezels.

Chazmania (Booth No. 11)

Type: Hidden image art

From: Pittsburgh

Prices: $10 and up

A number of booths at People’s Choice sell drawings and prints, but Chaz Letzkus’ style is unique. The University of Pittsburgh grad, who was sporting a Penn State hat Friday, specializes in drawing animals — and college/city scenes and landmarks — made up of dozens of hidden images.

In other words, a $20 lenticular print (i.e. with moving animations) of the Nittany Lion has Old Main making up the nose’s bridge and Penn State’s old-school logos serving as the eyes. Letzkus’ popular drawing of a wolf’s face also boasts dozens of hidden animals in the fur, such as a bird, bear, lion, weasel, porcupine, antelope, etc.

Thanks to his sale at People’s Choice — prices are higher on his website — visitors to his booth can purchase matted 11x14 prints for $25, or two for $40. Notecards are $10, and framed 11x14 prints are $50.

“Unique and affordable is a good combination,” said Letzkus, who’s been doing this art for about 40 years. “I’ve never been downtown to their festival because I’m here, but a woman was telling me earlier she found one she liked there and it was $3,000.

“I don’t bring originals; if you’re interested, I can deal with that. But you can get a print for $25, so why pay $1,000? ... You want people to go home from a show with something they like, something that’s not going to break the bank.”

Letzkus tries to infuse humor with many of his open-edition prints. A print of a tree with the faces of the three stooges hidden in the leaves is titled, “Tree Stooges,” while one of his dog prints is titled, “Shih Tzu Happens.”

Wood N’At (Booth No. 33)

Type: Bottle openers / bar-related decor

From: Gibsonia, PA

Prices: $20 and up

This husband-and-wife team are now in their second year at People’s Choice. Their primary item is a $23 wall-mounted bottle opener, but they also have $20 hand-painted wooden signs, to go along with wine caddies, wine racks and games (e.g. “Yardzee” with oversized wooden dice).

“I always say it’s man cave/she shed/bar decor and games,” co-owner Bonni Oliver said with a smile.

The bottle openers are all made from pine. They’re individually cut with a band saw, sanded, burned, lacquered — and then customized with vinyl labels featuring beer brands, band names and sports teams. The hand-painted signs include phrases such as, “It’s not drinking alone if the dog’s home,” “It’s not a hangover, it’s wine flu,” and “I’m on Cloud Wine.”

Remaining affordable is a priority, Oliver said.

“We’ve talked a million times about raising our prices, but the economy’s not good right now and people can’t afford extra things,” she said. “I don’t know how families do it.”