Okay, so it may not be the merriest of holiday seasons. With Wall Street in a deep freeze and the economy sputtering faster than a Christmas candle in a Nor’easter, who wants to leave the house, let alone face the crowds at the mall?

Fortunately, there’s an affordable, low-stress alternative to usual holiday shopping frenzy. Over the next few weeks, hundreds of local artists and artisans will be selling their wares at holiday sales and exhibits around Rhode Island. Prices are generally reasonable (usually no more than a few hundred dollars for the most expensive items, with many going for far less) and the choices are literally endless: handmade scarves and knitwear, blown-glass bowls and ornaments, artist-made furniture and ceramics, one-of-kind prints and paintings. The list goes on and on.

To prove our point, we talked to nine artists whose work will be featured in one of the “Big Three” holiday art sales: the RISD Alumni Holiday Art Sale at the Rhode Island Convention Center, the Foundry Artists Holiday Sale at the Pawtucket Armory and the Craftland sale at 235 Westminster St. in Downcity. (See page 17 for sale dates and times.)

bvansicl@projo.com