Tag: meet the maker

Meet the Maker: Casey Lynch of Squirrel Tacos

Hello! I am Casey Lynch and my company is Squirrel Tacos.

I grew up in Philadelphia near a small woods and a pond with parents that encouraged nature and art to be part of our lives. As a kid I was in love with all things paper, and burned through a couple blender motors trying to make my own paper pulp. After a few years of traveling and living in Idaho I finished my degree in ceramics at Penn State.

The first time I saw a papercut I was at The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and I was transfixed. I had found my craft. Paper cutting was not popular at the time and I spent endless hours searching the internet for more information. I learned that it is also known as Kirigama or Scherenschnitte, first came to the U.S as a Pennsylvania Dutch folk tradition and is typically circular and symmetrical. Somehow I wanted to be a paper cutter but not in the traditional style, I wanted to carve free form without using classic iconography. Eventually, I taught myself using a craft knife and dozens of different blades until finally settling on a trusty #11 blade and a Martha Stewart handle.

Coming from a sculptural background, working in 2D has presented challenges. My process is to draw out the design and cut away the negative space from a single sheet of archival paper. Once the cut is complete I play with different ways the design can add dimension using shadows. I’ve worked with glass lockets, deep set frames, intricate layered portraits which build dimension, and I’ve had typographical collections; however, the wildlife and nature series are my signature lines. Those pieces are layered in shadowbox frames with National Park Service photographs placed deep enough in the frame to encourage closer inspection.

Today I live in New Jersey, once again surrounded by woods and water. Many hundreds of blades, experiments, disasters, and triumphs have contributed to the personality of my work. I aim to marry my love of all things paper, with my reverence for the outdoors, the tiny and great creatures around me, and the world beyond.

My company, Squirrel Tacos, is named for a tiny squirrel who has a fondness for eating taco shells at our kitchen window, he is one of many backyard characters that finds their way into my papercuts. I also have pygmy goats, a couple of ginger cats, and a litany of wild creatures keeping me guessing with paw prints and tracks.

I am beyond thrilled to be a first time vendor at Art Star Craft Bazaar, come and visit me in booth #90!

April 18, 2017
Meet The Maker: Mariko Iwata of Miks Letterpress

Hello and welcome to our Meet the Maker blog series! Twice a week we will be profiling one of our talented vendors who will be participating in our Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar on November 19th and 20th at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. This is a great way to get to know each of our artists better. Learn more about their process, get a glimpse into their studio, and meet the person behind the beautiful products they create! We will be posting these every Tuesday and Thursday until the show. Join our Facebook Event so you are notified as soon as a new post is up. Enjoy!
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Hi I’m Mariko and I design and print modern and funny letterpress greeting cards as well as minimal wedding invitations.

photo by Jon Moses Photography

I am all about the hand written note. Nothing says “you’re worth it” than someone who gets out a pen, thinks of something to write, licks the envelope and rifles through their drawer for stamps. Oh, yeah and then remembers to send the letter.

The sentiments printed on my cards are modern and funny as well as gushingly sentimental. I try to think of something unique that people today want to say like “i wait to watch tv shows with you” to express love. Most cards also have a blind impression that you can only see if you’re up close, like a secret message.

photo by Jon Moses Photography

photo by Jon Moses Photography

I love printing. I have a heidelberg windmill letterpress machine in my studio in Mt. Rainier, MD. It’s heavy and large and quite awesome when it comes to letterpress printing. I got it two years ago when I decided I’d pour my heart into designing and printing stationery and wedding invitations.

photo by Jon Moses Photography

There are a number of steps involved in printing, starting from the design and concept, getting plates made, inking up your machine, setting up a design on the machine to then finally print. Here is a video that I did with Below the Park that shows the multiple steps.

Miks Letterpress – Clones from Below The Park on Vimeo.

photo by Rachel Lynn Photography

This year I’ve been focusing more on my modern wedding invitation line. The wedding line is minimal, simple and great for the couple who wants their wedding invitation suite to be unique and different. I use gold foil, letterpress and watercolor in my work.

photo by Rachel Lynn Photography

I’m so excited to be at the Art Star Craft Bazaar this year. I’ll have a number of new items that I don’t have yet online and will be debuting at the show. I’m super excited to be in Philly this year with other super talented makers.

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Mariko Iwata is the creative force behind Miks Letterpress +. When she is not printing and being a boss lady she is hanging out with her husband (the inspiration for many of her cards) and 8 month old son (who frequents craft fairs with her and will be at Art Star). Follow Miks Letterpress + on instagram (@mikspress) and check out her site mikspress.com

Photos by Jon Moses Photography & Rachel Lynn Photography
Video by Below the Park

October 18, 2016
Meet The Maker “Emilie Didyoung of Stick & Stone Designs”

I’m Emilie Didyoung, maker of Stick & Stone Designs. My mission is to create custom textiles that use natural dyes in an attempt to remain conscientious of my effect on the environment. I am always interested in using processes and techniques that have been around for centuries while giving them a contemporary voice.

I create all my work in my apartment in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia. I tend to do my work all over the place. I have a space set up in my room where I have my desk, computer, fabric, etc. but I also have to work in the kitchen when working with dyes/mordants that require heat. When the weather is nice, I try to use my little city backyard as much as possible! Bring out my vats to dye in and hang all the fabrics to dry. My apartment is small and unique, just like any old brownstone but it works just perfect for all my maker’s needs!

I primarily use natural indigo in my work. There is just something about those indigo blues that always keep drawing me in! I also have a very deep connection to the process of indigo dyeing. I’ve tried many different forms of dyeing with indigo such as fresh leaf dyeing, a fruit vat, iron vat, fermentation vat, and the vat I use the most—a fructose vat. I also had the special opportunity to experience harvesting and winnowing Japanese indigo and dyeing with the Japanese Sukumo vat.

The Art Star Craft Bazaar will be the first time I will feature my new designs in new colors! I recently shifted my focus from just indigo to other forms of natural dyes. I have experimented with other natural colors in small amounts over the years but this will be the first time I will be selling products in new colors. Of course I will not be abandoning those indigo blues! My new color ways will be over-dyed with indigo to create a vast array of shades in each product. My new natural color experiments include madder and fustic wood over-dyed with indigo. This will give a striking range of yellows, greens, and teals and a lovely selection of pinks, blush tones, and purples. I’ve also worked with marigolds, onion skins, cochineal, turmeric, hibiscus flowers, black beans, red cabbage, and much more to come!
As a surface designer, the design is just as important as the color. I mainly focus on using shibori and dip-dyeing techniques in all my work. I have also worked with resists, screen and block printing. But shibori and dip-dyeing have always allowed me to create that clean minimal look that I always strive for. There is something truly beautiful about creating a pattern just by the folding and binding of fabric. Simple techniques for my simplistic designs.

I’ll have a variety of products for the home and some wearable items available. Plenty of indigo and my new colors will be featured at Art Star Craft Bazaar! See you in Asbury Park!

July 19, 2016
Meet The Maker “Julia Passafiume”

Well, hello everyone! I’m Julia, and I design and sew a line of quirky and sustainably sourced kids and baby clothes.

Five years ago I was knee deep in mannequins and silk crepe de chine at a very fancy fashion school in NYC, and I loved it. I savored every moment I could arguing about the intention behind a style line or the consideration in debating to use one button over another. Most makers know this feeling of getting blissfully lost in the details, right? I graduated after being nominated for designer of the year in my class and I leapt into the arms of my first job offer as an Associate Designer for a kids clothing company.

But when I left the safe sewing rooms of Parsons is when I began to realize the overall motive of the fashion industry: to make money. The entire industry had devolved from creating products that had value and quality to just making as much money for the cheapest cost possible. This shift is at great cost to the lives of millions of people- just Google the Rana Plaza Factory Collapse or “what color are the rivers in China” for just a taste of the toll our fast fashion choices are having on the world around us. Obviously, my naïve little heart couldn’t handle it anymore, so I left my job in New York City and came home to Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

For me, sewing is about creating something from scratch and being mindful of the time and energy it takes to do so. I’ve been sewing for years, but not until I left my job in New York City did I realize this was where I find my happiness. I’m now also a full time seamstress for a local shop, so creating kids clothes is something that happens in the time before and after my 9-5 hustle. And whenever there’s interest, I love giving sewing lessons to people of all ages!

All of the products I make are from sustainably sourced materials such as organic cotton, fast-growing hemp, recycled vintage fabrics or traditional weaving methods. I also make a push to buy American made materials whenever possible. A company called Spoonflower that uses eco-conscious dyes and digital printing methods, which have a much lighter footprint than other printing methods, does most of my printed knits right in North Carolina. Just like other makers of handmade clothing, I know that small-scale fashion is part of the solution to a very large and complicated problem.
I’m so looking forward to the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park because the maker community here at the beach is so inviting and we’re sure to have a good time! Come by and say hello to my sister Leah (who is a printmaker and bookbinder) and me while we’re smushed in a booth together and chat with us about happy handmade things!

In the meantime, feel free to check out my Instagram and my Etsy Shop!

July 14, 2016
Meet The Maker: Leah Rosenwasser of ID/SW

Hello! My name is Leah, and I have a little business in formation called Independence Day. I have been toying around with making jewelry and messing with wood tools for the last decade—when I wasn’t too busy being a storytime lady/studying criminology/teaching nature/working on a paddleboat on the mighty Mississippi. This latest collaboration is with my very talented father, Bruce Rosenwasser of Shenandoah Wildwood Design. That’s where I got ID/SW.

To be honest, the stark beauty of the wooden creations that become our jewelry is the true art of the work. I simply do my best to honor the organic and strikingly modern patterns that are present in the laminatons using sterling silver and brass, and at times incorporating gemstones.

What makes my father’s work particularly unique is his use of reclaimed materials, literally pulled from the dumpsters of cabinet shops and furniture makers (with permission). He turns these odd scraps from the trash into precise and intricate designs, evolving into sculpture and, through this collaboration, ornament. Check out his incredible creations here.

For my part, I simply design the jewelry pieces and solder, hammer, shape the sterling silver as necessary. I use the itty-bittiest drill bit to maintain the integrity of the woodwork as I construct earrings and necklaces. Most of the time I do this work from the porch of my little cabin in the Shenandoah Valley or in the vintage garage turned studio at Spitzer Art Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Recently I had the privilege of studying silversmithing and lapidary work at Ghost Ranch, in beautiful New Mexico, and I am thrilled to take this collaboration to the next level! Stay tuned for the next generation of ID/SW that will incorporate these developing skills in silverwork and lapidary.

This is my first time showing at the Art Star Craft Bazaar –and my first major craft show EVER. I could not be more excited! Please come and visit ID/SW in booth #18.

May 5, 2016
Meet the Maker: Esther Yaloz of Planetarium

Hi I’m Esther – My business is called PLANETARIUM and I make hand crafted textiles. I screen print my botanical inspired patterns and craft them into different items, reflecting the natural beauty of wildflowers. Everything is made by hand with detail that aspire to capture the essence of the various plants I illustrate.

I’m enchanted by the vitality of wildflowers. They often struggle to survive in inclement weather and neglected spaces, yet return year after year. This resilience, and the fact that they are often ignored, drew me to use them as a central motif in my prints. My flower patterns are sometimes jumbled as in nature, sometimes arranged, and sometimes fashioned into shapes of birds or hearts.

While growing up in a farming village in northern Israel, I loved to walk in the surrounding fields among the wildflowers, collecting samples along the way. Later, as a young design student, majoring in textile design, these wildflowers became the inspiration for many of my textile prints. After graduating I went on to work for a large textile company which sourced out all of its production. Longing to print my own pieces, I took a leap of faith, and with my husband, Ofir, an industrial designer and Sam our dog, we moved to my mother’s childhood home in Elmira, NY. Here, we started Planetarium Design, Ofir building the studio and display furniture and me printing away.

The business is ecologically oriented. The dyes are water based I hand print all of my designs on 100% natural fabrics, either cotton or silk. I really enjoy making functional art. Among my designs you can find dish towels, tank tops, bags of all sorts – from makeup to elegant evening clutches, cotton and silk scarves, pillows, and wall hangings. A great deal of importance is placed on the uniqueness of each and every item (having a different pattern for each piece). I print, dye, and sew everything by hand. Transforming raw materials into a unique final product is a magical process.

We’re excited to be participating at the upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar – it will be our first time in the show and visiting Philadelphia! Booth # 106 see ya soon 🙂

April 26, 2016
Meet the Maker: Kelly Killagain

Hello! My name is Kelly Colligan, but I’m known as Kelly Killagain. I am a tattoo artist at 777 Tattoos in Manahawkin, NJ, but I identify as a maker of all sorts. Born and raised in South Jersey, I was always chomping at the bit to make art and spread it like wild fire. I studied Fine Arts at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia where I produced a breadth of work that revolved around a common theme of anthrozoology, or the study of the interactions and relationships between humans and animals. My choice of medium is constantly changing depending on what I want to accomplish or what materials I have at my disposal.

After a week of commissioned drawings that I tattoo onto trusting clients, it’s nice taking a break from gloves and getting my hands dirty. I’ve always found clay to be intuitive. I usually dive into sculptures with only a loose plan because the clay likes to inform my decisions. Sculpting is no different from sketching with pencil and paper; every mark helps explore new possibilities.

I’ve had to become resourceful in my kiln-less suburbia after college, so I currently sculpt small with Polymer Clay and then make a silicone mold for resin casting (which I ironically have to put my gloves back on for). These multiples are best described as designer/art toys. I typically do limited runs of colors/variants, so they are very much like three dimensional prints.

I work out of my home studio alongside my partner in crime, Michael Lamezec. He’s been incredibly supportive of me and my work, especially when he agrees to help pour resin at all hours of the night, or when he works on digital files because I’m still trying to remember how to copy and paste. (Exaggeration of course, Mike is just really talented).

Although I am known for my small sculptures, I also oil paint and make pen and ink drawings. Animal skulls have always been my favorite muse. The challenge of articulating each piece is exciting, but I really enjoy the areas where I can exaggerate different hues or textures. After spending hours on a painting the bones no longer are dead animals, but they become mysterious landscapes with twists and turns. Mike and I recently turned an old bedroom into an office where we are lucky enough make our own prints using a wide format printer.

Over the years I’ve been able absorb the advice of all my mentors and realize that anything is possible as long as you have the drive to do it. I am extremly excited to be a part of this year’s Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar for the very first time. Be sure to visit me at booth #102!

April 21, 2016
Meet the Maker: Nicole and Luke of vestige HOME

vestige HOME a creative brother and sister duo
words and photos by vestige HOME

We moved around quite a bit growing up and learned to rely on our own ingenuity and creativity for entertainment. Tinkering, exploring, and creating with our hands was a daily activity. We both joined the service after high school, Luke enlisted in the Coast Guard and Nicole joined the Navy through ROTC. Many different jobs and years later, we find ourselves tapping into the strengths of one another and building a small business. It’s a bit of a unique setup and thanks to the Internet, FaceTime, and modern shipping services, we make it work. Luke works out of his studio in Oakland, California and Nicole works out of her studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with each of us visiting every few months to share time in the studio together and participate in shows.

Photo by Lauren Gibson Photography

We create functional pieces that we hope will encourage people to cook, gather, and make their homes a more beautiful sanctuary. We believe that handmade goods offer a deeper connection than those that are mass-produced. The special care taken in creating unique pieces and supporting a local, creative community adds a richness to our lives.

Photo by Lauren Gibson Photography

We work in a wide variety of mediums and we both enjoy exploring and continually learning new things. Every day is different as we juggle the administrative activities of running a business as well as designing, prototyping, testing and producing our pieces. Wood, metal, and a bit of textiles are the mediums that we are currently working in.

We strive to give our customers the best experience possible. Thoughtful touches like gift wrapping our shipments and including a handwritten note are a standard part of how we do business. We are always grateful when a customer decides to purchase a piece from us that they will either give as a special gift to someone or cherish in their own homes.

For more sneak-peeks and behind the scenes content follow vestige HOME on Instagram @vestigehome, and for more info, check out www.vestige-home.com We look forward to seeing you at the vestige HOME booth #79 this Mother’s Day weekend!

April 14, 2016
Meet the Maker: Heidi Shenk/Row House 14

Words and Photos by Heidi Shenk

I’m Heidi, the owner and designer of Row House 14, an indie stationery and paper goods company. I’m a small town Indiana girl that made her way to Baltimore somehow and became a teacher. On the days I felt burned out in the classroom, I turned to art as a creative outlet. The final products– cards and stationery.

Six years later, I moved on from the classroom to design and make cards full time from my home studio in my historic Baltimore row house. I never thought that something I did to keep a creative energy going would turn into my job, but I am always excited for a new adventure in life and haven’t looked back since.

My inspiration comes from daily life, so many of my cards embrace the humor in every day life. I enjoy writing the cards just as much as I like to design them. I pair bold and bright colors with recognizable images to create designs that are relatable. If I can make someone laugh or smile or just make someone’s day a little better, then I think my ultimate goal has been accomplished.

I love experimenting with the final product as well. Some of my cards are bolder and brighter in design and finished digitally. Others, I print myself using a letterpress printing press. Each medium offers its own creative challenges and pushes me to hone my craft and think outside the box.

Aside from greeting cards, I offer other stationery goods such as note cards, notepads, and pencils. The pencils are all individually hand imprinted with a vintage Kingsley press– a piece of history in itself. The process is one that I enjoy immensely and is truly a labor of love.

Working with my hands is incredibly fulfilling for me. I also find importance in using recycled and sustainable paper and products for the end results in my shop. I want my business to not only bring happiness to others, but to be an extension of my own lifestyle from the day to day, so that includes being environmentally conscious while still providing an incredibly high quality product, as well as finding joy in what I do in the day to day.

Through Row House 14, I hope to offer witty, stylish, and ridiculously hilarious stationery goods.
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Thanks for sharing Heidi! Visit Row House 14 at our May 7th + 8th Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza, Booth #86 (along the Walnut Plaza).
http://www.rowhouse14.com/

April 12, 2016
Meet The Maker: Jedediah Morfit

Words and Images by Jedediah Morfit
http://jedediahmorfit.com/

The problem with sculpture (at least the kind of sculpture I make) is that is extremely time consuming, labor intensive, and expensive to produce, which obviously makes it expensive to buy.

I started working with laser cuts last year, as a way to a) make work my friends and family could actually afford, and b) hopefully fund my ever-expanding studio expenses. This new work challenged me to keep thinking like a sculptor, while using my background as a commercial illustrator and designer to create an accessible series that (crucially) retained its conceptual and visual integrity.

The first laser cuts I made directly re-imagined some of the imagery found in my sculpture. The woman on the left (seen here in “The Price Of Doing Business, Second State”, 2011) was among the first bas relief sculptures I made in this series. She was also the subject of the first laser cut I ever made, “Daughter Of The Revolution”, 2015.

The woman on the right in this image is taken from Brueghel’s Painting,”The Dulle Griet”. She is seen here in my 2011 sculpture “Paved With Good Intentions”, and in the 2015 laser cut “Mad Meg”.

This one is a little harder to see, but the image on the right is a detail of my life-sized sculpture “Mama’s In The Arbor”. The image on the left is an adaptation of that same figure, is also called “Mama’s In The Arbor (Second State)”. I have found that working with laser cuts provides a fascinating opportunity to re-imagine the subject through a new lens, where the rules of 3D generally do not apply, and the graphic relationship between color and shape are everything.

As I gained a better understanding of the process, and the possibilities of the medium, the pieces naturally began to take their own shape, while still very much reflecting my usual aesthetic and conceptual concerns (jumbled imagery, the flotsam and jetsam of consumer culture, the casual violence of daily life, etc.). In this case, the image on the left is from a suite of sculptural furniture that was commissioned to by Atlantic City, called “Flood Suite”, 2013. The image on the right is from one of the later, larger laser cuts, entitled “Privateer”, 2015.

At this point, Illustrator has established itself as my preferred drawing method. Some of the work I will be bringing to the Art Star Craft Bazaar began as sketches for a new body of dimensional sculpture, which is still in the early stages. For me, it’s interesting to see the process starting to work in reverse; starting to imagine three dimensional work through a series of works on paper. As I think about it, working that way is probably the norm, but it’s new to me, and incredibly exciting.

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Find Jedediah Morfit’s work at our May 7th + 8th Art Star Craft Bazaar at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing

April 7, 2016