Elisa Shere Jewelry

My name is Elisa and I've lived in Baltimore for 8 months now, with my husband Jeff (the architect) and my little Jack Russel Mix, Louie.

About my creative history:

I was an artist long before I ever realized I would become one. All of my childhood memories, especially the early ones are visual. My memories consist of staring at flowers, at rotting tree trunks, lichen on the forest floor, laying in fields and staring at the sky. Once I became a little older, I gained the desire to make things. I made pottery and enjoyed cooking. I would make salads with every possible color of vegetable.

When I was in high school I met my friends Jill (also a BEST member) and Liz. They became very close friends and we caused no end of trouble. They were also both very talented artists and were in an accelerated art program. I liked to sneak into the class and hang out with them and all other creative people in that class. Right around that time I decided that I wanted to study art in college. I also discovered that I had a real talent for ceramics/pottery, which is what I ended up concentrating in when I got my BFA from Colorado State University.

After college I moved to Seattle and lived there for almost 11 years. I had all sorts of different jobs, and was a member of a really amazing pottery co-op - Pottery Northwest. A couple of years ago I was ready for a creative change and decided to take metalsmithing classes at Pratt Fine Arts, a fantastic facitily with some very inspiring teachers. I am now officially addicted to metalsmithing, and although I do miss pottery, I love the preciousness that jewelry and metal have. I also love the relationship that women have with their jewelry and I strive to make things that women love so much they will wear it every day. Etsy means so much to me because it allows me to be a profitable artist and to be part of an incredible community. I also love shipping my work all over the world. I even had a show in a gallery in Scotland over the holidays.

I look forward to lots of great ventures with BEST, I have been craving this type of local connection.

http://www,elisasherejewelry.etsy.com

The Broken Plate

Hi All! I am Juliet from The Broken Plate. I am a 28 year old Baltimore native living in sin with my future hubby (I hate the word fiance) 10 year old step-daughter, 5 month old son and boxer, Mable. I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. It started with building blocks, PlayDoh and Lego's, it would have been a dream to break plates all day as a child!

When I was in high school, I discovered photography. This medium really helped me to explore my creative side. The mix of technical know-how and creativity was really appealing to me. Getting my hands dirty in the darkroom was just as much fun as going out to shoot. I began to craft using old slides in college. I carved, melted, and generally abused slides and then printed from them to see what I got. Little did I know that I was just beginning to discover my destructive side.

When I transferred to Towson University, I did not realize that my photo credits would not transfer. I was already accepted, so I had to change gears. Photography was fast becoming all digital anyway, so I was happy to learn something new. I soon discovered the Inter-Disciplinary Craft major and thought it would be a great fit. After taking a crazy mix of metal smithing, stained glass, paper making and so much more, I was released into the "real world" to find my niche. It was pretty difficult, after college, to figure out how to make work without the parameters of a teachers syllabus to guide me.

I took a good 6 month crafting break and got a job with the Howard County Arts Council. I was surrounded by so many creative people that I soon needed a project and decided on creating a mosaiced mailbox. I had never made a mosaic, but was inspired by artist Ginger Peloquin, as I watched her create the HCAC 25th Anniversary Benchmark.

When my mailbox was complete I had a pile of left over plate pieces that needed a new purpose. I decided to wrap one in silver solder and make a pendant out of it. I began to get lots of compliments and asked were they could buy one. I opened my Etsy shop in September 2006. With encouragement from my friend Annie, I did my first craft show, Handmade Arcade, in November and was hooked on craft ever since. I soon became known as "The Broken Plate lady" and decided that this could be a full time job.

On my last day of work at The Art Council, I learned there was going to be a kink in my full time crafting plan. I was pregnant! With the OK from my doctor, I was able to continue soldering after my first trimester and do a lighter craft show schedule. Even with this kink in my plan, the crafting community kept me busy, sane and entertained as I awaited the arrival of Nolan in September. I even opened a new shop in this time called MuthaCrafter, to sell some of my new baby and maternity ideas. I am in the process of finding a good screen printer to really make my ideas for this a reality.

I am getting used to this motherhood thing and slowly getting back to crafting. It is pretty hard to break plates and solder with a baby, but I am figuring it out. I just started writing for a new blog called Crafting in a Green World which explores the world of recycled crafting. Please check it out!

I think that covers me. I can't wait to get more involved with BEST and see how far our teamwork can take us!

Asa Osborne at Gormley Gallery

Corporeal Corridor



Asa's slat paintings and delicate cut outs will be on display at Gormley Gallery at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland through March 7th, 2008. The artist's reception will be held this Saturday, February 2nd from 4 to 6 p.m. where local musicians Daniel Higgs, Chiara Giovando, and Andy Hayleck will be performing.

Photograph + Origami = Ready-to-Hang Canvas

This project is just right for all of us who have a ton of photos and not nearly enough frames. Turn flat sheets into miniature wall-ready art that’s perfect either hung alone or grouped in masses to create one giant work.

Materials
-Photographs or other art on paper cropped to square
-Pencil
-Straight edge
-Bone folder


Step 1: Begin with a square image (a 6” square sheet will make a 1 3/4” canvas). Lay your paper image side down and lightly pencil in four equal quadrants.







Step 2: Fold each of the square’s four corners to the center point. Use a bone folder to crease the edges.









Step 3: Fold the top and bottom edges of the square to meet at the center. Crease folds, and then unfold. Repeat with the left and right edges. Unfold again.
Step 4: Open two opposite corners of the square.





Step 5: Fold each corner inward to form the sides of your canvas.







Step 6: Fold the two flaps inward and crease against the frame.
Now, turn it over to reveal your ready to hang canvas!






Some hints to make things a little easier…
-Practice with scrap paper before transforming your original artwork
-Using a bone folder is extremely helpful, especially when working with heavier weight papers. It’s not absolutely necessary, but in the end, it will make for a neater piece.
-Check out this video to see the trickier folds being made, but keep in mind that unless you want an X creased into your image, you should follow the steps listed above

Artwork courtesy of Geoffrey Delanoy

greenstarstudio in Etsy Finds!

Way to go, Danamarie!



























What a super-cool coloring book for some super-cool kids!
Find it here at greenstarstudio.etsy.com

greenstarstudio: danamarie hosler

it would be safe to bet that when it's all said and done, this post will take me a good 2 hours to generate. no, not intentionally, but in keeping with the way i do just about everything. yes, i am meticulous. i'm picky; it takes me 30 minutes to buy apples. i'm detail oriented, so don't try to tell me you didn't say that thing you said, because i heard you and i remember it! i get bored easily, so i like to keep busy with worth while things (i'm typing this in between coats of matte medium on that box i just painted). i'm completely controlled by aesthetics (is it blue? is it soft? are there birds on it?). i'm drawn to things of quality. i guess that's why i have distinct memories of shunning children's books i was given as a child, if the artwork in them bored me. the books i loved the most had intricate illustrations; illustrations with depth and history, places to visit again and again, pictures that rewarded me for paying close attention to them. i was still in elementary school when i first started writing and illustrating stories & asking my art teacher why it was that the artwork in kids' books was so much worse than the artwork in museums.

why do grown-ups always get the COOL stuff?!

so, it's probably not too surprising to anyone who knew me then, that i grew up vowing to NEVER make bad art & pass it off to children as acceptable. I knew i wanted to be a children's illustrator, and i wouldn't put it past me to have chosen that career in retaliation for what i considered an assault on my aesthetics! (in case you are wondering... yes, i was THAT kind of child---noticing everything, forgiving nothing, always making & doing). drawing kept me busy in fancy restaurants and allowed my parents the luxuary of a quiet baby or the ability to sleep in on weekends. for me, "making" gave me a sense of self--- i could create things that were all mine. i started going to a magnet school in 4th grade and i got to spend half of every school day for the next 8 years "making". i was 9 years old, but i knew how important art was... plus, art kept me out of P.E. and that was awesome. i grew up in miami, florida and spent a lot of time looking for ways to feel more connected to a city i wasn't connected to at all. so, i initiated a
mural painting mission as part of a community service project in 6th grade. the project started at one elementary school and spread to others; for years, i got up early every single saturday and painted murals on previously graffitied and under appreciated walls. by the time i'd graduated high school & over 3 dozen murals later, i like to think miami and the kids who walked passed those murals everyday had learned a little more about art appreciation.

when i came to baltimore (to go to MICA), i was immediately impressed by a buzzing sense of connectivity. baltimore struck me as a unique city and one with pride in itself; a city that appreciated art, but one that needed love and a little help. i started volunteering for various outreach education programs and once again, i found myself recharged and motivated to make the kind of art i thought people needed. as an illustration major, my main focus was preparing a portfolio to impress publishing compainies, making artwork that would attract a client; as a teacher & mentor, i was more interested in making artwork that would make a difference. i taught mural painting at an "underserved" elementary school over the summer, and watched otherwise "bad" kids make amazing leaps... the kids OWNED this art they'd made; they owned the experience of making it and they beamed knowing all of it--- the experience, the praise & the final product was all of their own making. i illustrated my first children's book in my junior year of college (it was published shortly after i graduated). Two Lives Publishing is committed to publishing and distributing quality (there's that word again!) books for LGBT families; books that depict families like their own (with GOOD artwork and strong narratives). I loved the idea of working with the "underdog", the little guy, the people with vision--- that my first book would be the first book coming from a company that shared my beliefs and goals; a company i knew would never compromise the art of ART.

over the four years i spent at MICA, i was given access to so many different kinds of opportunities, but probably the MOST exciting (and accidental) of all came half way into my sophomore year. i remember sitting in my art history survey class and watching this one girl aimlessly knitting argyle socks... every week she'd be working on a different pair. i don't know her name (or if she passed the class), but i know that she taught me quite a bit. being from miami, i'm not sure i'd ever even TOUCHED real wool before, but when i went home for the winter break that year, i ordered yarn from new england and taught myself to knit. i started with socks and had made ONE before i found myself noodling and experimenting with something else. it wasn't long after that the Knitimals™were born. in early 2000, i found myself absolutely, totally, miserably sick--- stuck in bed and staring at the wall in front of me, at a painting i'd done in haste, while cleaning off a palette. the main character was a stripey, colorful cat with lop-sided eyes and a sweet smile and i remember a shockingly lucid thought (i was heavily medicated) "i wonder if i could knit him?" and i set to work. days later, BeeCat, the first OFFICIAL Knitimal, was born. without missing a beat, i snuggled myself to sleep, and believe it or not, BeeCat and i woke up the next day feeling 100%.

cut to today... i have been fortunate enough to participate in major juried art festivals, exhibitions and shows all over the country, to win accolades & international awards for my work and to have the support of local (and not so local) retailers who share my vision. as a published illustrator, i am happily sharing my carefully considered paintings & drawings with as many people as i can. i'm thrilled to have been selected to paint a number of murals around baltimore and beyond. i work in the education department at the walters art museum and babysit during the day. so, i still get to see, on a daily basis, how critical art really is to the world--- particularly children. greenstarstudio is based around the idea that art should be accessible and available to all people, in all forms, decorative, framed or cuddly. i don't see a distinction between art made & hung in museums and art made and slept with when you have the flu.

I like to think that my work is imbued with my humor & heart. every single thing i make is one of a kind... i won't repeat a design; i don't use patterns and don't believe in copying. because the Knitimals are based on my original characters & illustrations, each one of them is completely unique. each one is hand knit, hand sewn (no machines here!). from start to finish, the average knitimal takes about 8 hours to make, and every single minute of that time is my own.i am very picky about my yarn... i even drive all the way up to maine to pick it out. ok, if we're being totally honest, i would drive all the way up to maine to go to a gas station... but still, the yarn is really important to me. to keep costs down, i try to buy yarn in bulk and i do make knitimals in a range of sizes and using different kinds of yarn, so you can pick out the one that best fits your lifestyle and budget. i aslo make some knitimals using very expensive hand dyed baby alpaca... so, you know, there's a good mix. each doll comes with a hand drawn name tag and care instructions (including a little card about the "story of the knitimals"). it's very important to me that if i am going to put my name on something, i can promise that i know everything about that piece. mass production is scary. i don't like mass-production and i try to stay away from it as much as possible. i think we have enough "things" that anyone can get at anytime from any store. i like unique. the knitimals aren't ugly, they aren't "monsters", they aren't beasts, they're friends. they are snuggly and warm and comforting like sweaters and baby blankets, and i think each one really does belong to one specific person the minute i sew the final seam closed... i've seen that connection made too many times to not believe it. i love the idea that a child could (and they do) come into my booth at a show, walk right up to a knitimal, form a connection with it, and walk away that day not only owning a very cool new doll, but an investment in an art object and knowing that they now have something-- ONE thing, that not one other person on the planet can have. now, that's cool.

Sweet Pepita!

So, hi! I’m Shannon from Sweet Pepita. I sew kids’ t-shirts and hats from organic cotton and recycled fabrics. Pepita is one of my baby girl’s many names. For real. My husband and I couldn’t choose just one. And if it weren’t for the birth of my daughter, I’d probably still have a jewelry studio in my house instead of a sewing machine parked in the dining room. So it was only fitting, I think, to name my business after her.

















I think my Sir Isaac Newton realization of the importance of art came in the kitchen as a child. Unable (or unwilling) to control my impulses, I grabbed my mama’s carved wooden bunny from off the windowsill. It was 6 or 7” tall, maybe 3” thick, and deceivingly light. Its color was a nearly perfect match to our cupboards, a kind of sickly yellow-brown. With a healthy pink eraser, I removed bunny’s penciled-in eyes, and held bunny, now a smooth, monochromatic woodland creature in my hands.

My mom was crazy mad.
“No, No, No. No. You do not do that. Why did you do that?” She grabbed the pencil and scribbled bunny’s eyes right on back. “That’s how the artist wanted it.”

Except now it is so obviously Mom’s scribble.

Nearly twenty years later, I graduated college with a degree in Spanish. While working towards that degree, I studied jewelry fabrication and design at MICA and began working for Barbie Levy, a jeweler based in Owings Mills, MD. From Barbie I learned so much about jewelry production and the craft world.

A friend taught me how to knit. I baked vegan cakes. A lot of vegan cakes. I did a little bit of everything. And then came Pepita. After the colic subsided I drew design after design for a line of infant clothing I just couldn’t get out of my brain. I knew I wanted to create a green product. And it had to be super-cool and unique. Finally, in late August of last year, my ideas were realized in fabric.

I sew because my mom taught me how to when I was still small. And I think it’s in my blood. Working with my hands has always been the most satisfying way to make a living. I can feel that I’m doing something and I can see my style and my touch in what I do. I know that with love and skill and care, our craft and our art is our history. And that’s how I want it.

Jill Popowich Designs

It is kind of funny that all of our stories start out “when I was a little girl...”. I’m no exception. So here goes.

When I was a little girl, I was always into drawing and painting––just creating in general. I lived for art class. l loved learning about different media, how they worked and what you could do to push their limits. Math and science REALLY were not my thing. I even liked shop class (that’s right, electric, wood and metal shop) because it gave me the opportunity to work in media that wasn’t considered “art”. I think this is were I get my interest in the technical aspects of what I do.

Being the good Jersey girl that I am, I also had a HUGE interest in jewelry. When I was twelve I had a paper route and I would save my money so that I could buy myself something sparkley from Fortunoff’s. God I loved that store. At twelve I already knew my stones , cuts and which carat weights of gold meant what. I remind you this was BEFORE internet. I learned it all from a Service Merchandise catalog.

When I was fifteen we moved to Maryland. I left my beloved Fortunoff’s behind. Living in Montgomery County, I had the opportunity to be a part of a magnet art program where I spent half of my day in a focused art program. At this point I knew I was destined for a career in an art field. Math and science... still not my thing.

In that magnet program, I prepared a portfolio that would get me into the Maryland Institute College of Art. Being practical and knowing I would someday need to support myself and pay back that HUGE student loan, I entered the Visual Communications Department where I received my BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration graduating in 1994.

While in school I interned for James Yang, an amazing illustrator, who gave me his AIGA directory when I graduated. I sent out about 100 resumes to all the art directors in the Baltimore area in that book as well as Illustration samples to various publication across the States. Not too may nibbles as I was up against all of my classmates doing the same. I did get one call back. Ann Dudrow from RTKL called and ask me to send samples. This was my break. She too was trained as an illustrator. RTKL didn’t do traditional print so it was never on the radar screen of my peers. They do however do something even more intriguing. Environmental Graphic Design. I had no idea what it was, but I needed a job so I took it.

Thirteen plus years later, I’m still at RTKL doing environmental graphics, which as it turns out is a mix of signage design, sculpture and interior design as it pertains to architecture. Who knew. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to travel the world and see places I would never have seen before if it wasn’t them.

It is this large scale 3-D work with RTKL that re-sparked my interest in jewelry design and the opportunity to build something that can be interacted with on a personal scale. Elisa Shere (also a member of B.E.S.T. and the first person to befriend me for life when I moved to Maryland), introduced me to the idea of jewelry/metal smithing. I started taking classes and really enjoyed being able to fabricate my own designs and work with the materials myself rather than turning it over to a sign fabricator... plus, I get to play with a torch which is really cool.

It’s kind of funny but I truly believe that all we experience in life influences what we do. I feel like I am coming full circle to where I started. My love of art has translated into an exciting career where I get to travel to exotic places and design things that get built (by the way, this is were those shop classes came in handy). Now I get to make jewelry, my long time childhood obsession. Luckily, my husband (Steve) has been very supportive of my new hobby, he even tolerates me being in "the man cave".

All that I have seen and experienced on my travels has effected the way I see the world and incorporate those experiences into my designs. I look forward to the challenges of making that next piece which is a step beyond the last. Always moving forward learning new techniques and ways to manipulate the materials pushing them a little further each time... in some cases making some really horrible mistakes that you’ll never see but I’ll learn from.

I’m really excited about being a part of B.E.S.T. and all the amazing crafts women that are coming together to make it happen. More experiences to add to the creativity pot.

www.JillPopowichDesigns.ETSY.com

Jennifer Wilfong-The Other Jen!

Hi! I am one of the "many Jens" that are a part of B.E.S.T! Having always loved art, I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged & supported me in my artistic journey. I decided in the third grade that I wanted to be an artist. The freedom I felt when creating something was addictive & led to endless art projects, classes & art shows.

I am originally from Delaware, and went to college in "West by God Virgina". There, I got a BFA in painting. After college, I spent a few years in North Carolina teaching art (K-5) & had a blast. Next, I moved to Orlando where I really began what I would call my professional art career. In Florida, I was in too many art exhibits to mention, was a gallery director for a huge art collective, and eventually, a gallery owner. Love and family brought me back up north & I landed here in Charm City, where I live and work in Hampden, with my sweet fiance, Paul, and our two dogs Ellie and Guisseppe.

I'd describe my work as being a visual diary...it varies from day to day and seems to flow from my subconscience! The nature of my work tends to run the gamut...rarely do I have an intended result in mind when I get started on a piece, some take a few moments, others can take years to finish. I work on numerous pieces simultaneously, so my studio is constantly full of works in progress. The media I use consists of anything I can get my hands on...paint, paper, thread...you name it! I am currently working on designing a custom stationery line that can be seen on my etsy site!

To check out more of what I do, stop by and visit my blog!