Handcrafted Holiday Art  – on display through November 31.

Nick Metz is a 15 year old sophomore at Pascack Valley High School, and has been making traditional ornaments for years. He enjoys creating special gifts to celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Easter; to commemorate births, birthdays, or special occasions; to surprise fans of sports teams or devotees of special hobbies; or to just please those who want to accent a color, theme or style in their home.  He also has a wide range of ornaments ready-made for viewing.

His satin ornaments embrace a centuries-old style originating in Western Europe. He uses the highest-quality imported crystals, beads, ribbons and lace, and creates individual designs to complement specialty ornament shapes. Each takes up to three hours to complete.

The stars are made in the Polish tradition of the “jezyk”, or porcupine ball. Each point is separately cut and formed before assembly, from paper often handmade and imported from Nepal, Thailand, or South America. While even master starcrafters are satisfied with 80 individual points, he typically creates 96-point ornaments, often with multiple paper sizes and crystal or ribbon embellishments – and frequently incorporates them in a wire sculpture. Each takes nearly two hours to complete.