For many experienced artists, their craft began as just a hobby.

On Dec. 5 and 6, the Grange was transformed into a holiday showcase of some of Dartmouth's most talented artists and artisans.

Lucy Tabit's hobby of painting pynasky eggs turned into a double-faceted business. One on end of her table was her locally harvested honey; on the other end, her hand-painted pyansky eggs; and in the middle, her handmade soaps.

The eggs are painted using the wax-resist technique where the designs are penciled on using beeswax. The hollowed-out eggshells are then dip-dyed or hand painted, and the areas covered in wax remain uncolored.

"It doesn't work well with any other kind of wax," Tabit said.

Tabit began beekeeping to better enable her egg-painting habit. Before taking on her own hive, she would purchase beeswax locally until someone encouraged her to take a beekeeping course 15 years ago. Since then, she's been progressively taking on more hives.

Joney Swift, an analogue photography teacher at the Portsmouth Abbey School, sold prints of her nature and landscape photography. Based out of Horseneck, her work is largely inspired by nature in Dartmouth and Westport.

"Everything is in my backyard," Joney said.

Though she uses a mix of digital and film photography, she still enjoys using film.

"It makes you enjoy every exposure," Joney said.

Amy Thurber works nature right into her leaf-shaped ceramic pottery. Her assortment of jade-colored plates, platters, bowls and buttons are built right upon leaves she finds in her garden.

"Every piece is unique," Thurber said. "I sort of start with a leaf and let it tell me what it wants to be."

Thurber became interested in ceramics when she was ten but didn't start actively pursuing it until she took a course on ceramic-making while attending RISD. After doing graphoc design for several years, she began taking ceramic lessons.

"I went... for about five or six years every week and learned everything from her," Thurber said. "I was so taken by it that I started phasing graphic design out."

Thurber has focused on ceramics for the last 16 years.

"See? Time flies," she said.

Other showcased crafts included hand weaving by Megan Thomas, textile creations by Ruth Bourns, tea towels by Pat Poineau, jewelry by Diana Taft, knit wear by Penny Straker, watercolors by Carol Way Wood and confections by Jim Kennedy.

Also featured was a table with young artists, including Lila Goodchild and Emery Thomas’ lavender sprigs, Violet Maher’s decorated wooden boxes, David Schudrich’s glass torch work, Ben Thurber’s metal smithing and Emily Edberg’s knitted hats and scarves.