WHERE Women Create - Fall 2024

INSPIRING WORK SPACES OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN

A stained glass studio

retreat

Fall 2024 Display Until November 1, 2024

PLUS:

San Francisco artist’s Burning Man archives

BRITTANY SWIDER, P38

INSPIRING WORK SPACES OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN®

From a woman’s soul, through a woman’s eyes, by a woman’s hands.® Design & Editorial EDITOR IN CHIEF Jennifer Blot

COPY EDITOR Kelly Walters

MANAGING EDITOR Susan Harold

MARKETING MANAGER Sammi Thomas

GRAPHIC DESIGN Wendy Dunning

CURATORS Lori Siebert, Isabelle Fish

CIRCULATION/PRODUCTION Weekly Retail Service Thomas Smith smith@weeklyretailservice.com

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ISSUE 28

CONTENTS

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FEATURES

20 8 Laurie Anne Gonzalez 38 Brittany Swider, aka Lady Forge

50 Carmen Nash 62 Sara Larson Buscaglia 74 Kristi Baker 86 Janet Carija Brandt 102 Kathleen Gaffey 114 Christina Flowers

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126 Neile Cooper

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38 50 114

DEPARTMENTS 6 WHERE It Begins 20 An Artist Lives Here: Inspiration Everywhere with Lori Siebert Christine Kristen, aka LadyBee

100 Through the Lens 138 Artisanal Journeys: Curated by Isabelle Fish Julie Rosvall

150 Pet Tales

Birdie and Katie Willoughby

156 Marketplace

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Neile Cooper/Photography by Nicole Bedard

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ON THE COVER

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WHEREIt Begins

NEILE COOPER, P126

KRISTI BAKER, P74

HAVEN. SANCTUARY. REFUGE.

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These words come up often when artists describe their workspaces in the pages of WHERE Women Create. It’s not that they don’t like the term “studio,” it’s just that these creative spaces can be so incredibly personal, and hold such significance, that sometimes words once reserved for hallowed places seem more fitting.

Does a workspace influence an artist’s work or vice versa? Our stories illustrate that it can be both. And, on occasion, the studio itself is part of the work. In this issue, we are invited to step into Neile Cooper’s The Glass Cabin in the Woods, a magical studio space created from panels of her stained glass artwork. It’s a true work of art, and also functions as a place where the artist can retreat to dream up new projects while taking in the floor-to-ceiling views of the natural surroundings that continually inspire her work.

Our studio workspaces provide a timeline of our creative journey, safeguarding our mementos, notebooks and completed projects — whether tucked away in boxes or on display as daily reminders of the path we’ve traveled. For Christine Kristen, known to many as LadyBee, her entire house sheds light on her artistic journey — and the

CHRISTINE KRISTEN, P20 journeys of many others. We feature LadyBee’s San Francisco home in “An Artist Lives Here: Inspiration Everywhere with Lori Siebert,” and it’s no ordinary dwelling. It holds the archives of LadyBee’s life as a creator, world traveler and custodian of the work of others. In her years as Burning Man’s archivist and art collection curator, she’s amassed a staggering array of handmade one-of-a-kind creations in her treasure-filled home.

KATHLEEN GAFFEY, P102

BRITTANY SWIDER, P38 The story of bookbinder Kristi Baker of The Nib and Quill is an eloquent love letter to all of the ways her studio inspires her. Everything has a designated place, arranged deliberately and with care. She uses the same care when describing her tools, the scent and feel of her supplies, and the curated collection of furnishings. Everything in the space holds meaning to Kristi and everything is intentional. She notes, “Crafting a personal sanctuary goes beyond merely designating a corner or room; it’s about creating an environment that resonates with your spirit, encourages growth and pays homage to your artistic passions.”

Hatmaker Kathleen Gaffey calls her studio her “happy place” and goes on to say, “I often refer to it as a larger version of a box of 64 crayons. I have every color, texture and trim to create anything I dream of.” Jewelry artist Brittany Swider (“Lady Forge”) acknowledges that her workspace is the “truest snapshot” of who she is. And Janet Carija Brandt refers to her fairytale-like wonderland as her “nest.”

I hope you are as inspired by the artists in the pages of this issue as I am. Their spaces are imaginative, cozy, comforting and eclectic and will hopefully prompt you to spend some time thinking about your own workspace and what it means to you.

No matter what you call your studio, I hope it represents your own unique creative journey.

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Jennifer Blot, Editor in Chief

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JANET CARIJA BRANDT, P86

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Photography by Taylor Gonzalez

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laurie anne gonzalez

Laurie Anne Gonzalez is a fine artist and art educator living in Phoenix, Arizona, where you can find her exploring the desert with her photographer husband, Taylor, and pup, Oscar. Her paintings are influenced by the textures and shapes that live in nature, and she loves to unplug while traveling in her camper van, finding inspiration wherever she goes.

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aised in Alabama, I have always loved to create things with my hands, be out in nature, and make a good sale. When I was just a kid, a neighbor called my mom and asked her, “Do you know Laurie Anne is outside selling rocks to my kids?!” Who knew that a couple of decades later, I’d have my very own art business (and an excellent rock collection)?

My creativity was always inspired by being outside, playing in the woods and imagining all the places in the world I would one day visit. I continue to be drawn to the textures and hues found in nature, from the prickly cactuses I’ve grown to love here in Arizona, to the lush, rolling hillsides in France.

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“You have not because you ask not.”

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— Words spoken by my mom throughout my life

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studied art at Auburn University and spent a semester abroad in Italy at Florence University of the Arts, where I fell in love with the vibrant culture. I’ve had the traveling bug ever since.

It wasn’t until 2016 that I decided to take the plunge and become a full-time artist, which was a leap of faith — but I’ve always loved a good challenge! I get invigorated by trying new things and find that listening to my gut has never steered me in the wrong direction.

I began selling my artwork, as well as teaching students online how to paint, and created my very own process for how to make art prints from my acrylic paintings. It was a labor of love to figure out the process and it was scary investing in the equipment without knowing if it was going to pay off.

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“Every day I discover more and more beautiful things.

It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.”

— Claude Monet

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began printing my art prints in our guest room, making do with a small space, and painting my landscapes in my kitchen studio. As my prints started to fly off the shelves, my husband, Taylor, was able to quit his job and work with me full time; and then we moved the printing setup into the garage, and eventually into its own studio in town. But I’ve continued painting at home — in our current house I have my own studio in the heart of our house and I love it. I have a huge gallery wall where I can hang up my latest prints, and large windows to let in the afternoon light (and so I can bird-watch).

Taylor and I built the gallery wall so that I could always have my prints on display. Whenever I want to swap out prints, I create a mock-up in Photoshop so that I can lay out the prints in different sizes and formats before printing and framing them. It’s one of my favorite things to do after I’ve painted a bunch of new paintings — I look forward to it every time! It always feels like a brand-new space when I update the wall. Creating a studio that is cozy, inspiring, and feels like me has always been something I’ve desired, and it feels so good to have finally made a space that is exactly what I want.

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side from traveling, I’m really a homebody and that’s where I create my art.

My studio is filled with the things that inspire me, like my rock and shell collection. I collect treasures from everywhere I go and have a “treasure cabinet” in my studio that is filled with colors and memories. I also have bowls of rocks and shells all around my home that bring me so much joy to see every day. I’ve recently begun pressing flowers that I find, either from my backyard or on our travels, and I have been creating a large book of my pressed flowers that lives in my studio. I make sure to label them so I know where I picked them up. I now have flowers from England and all over the U.S., and it feels so magical to have these little tokens from different places near me when I paint.

While I know many artists prefer quiet to work in, I prefer background noise, especially for long painting days. We installed a TV in my studio so I can play Love Island (guilty pleasure, haha!) or watch reruns of The Office (my favorite show of all time — well, that and Lost).

The most important addition to my studio is our dog, Oscar. Oscar is a wire fox terrier and we adopted him after our first dog, Hazel (also a wire fox terrier), passed away unexpectedly last year.

Hazel loved to travel with us in our camper van and was there for almost all of the adventures I have painted. It was heartbreaking to lose her, but it’s been so sweet to have Oscar’s crazy and fun puppy energy around, and really special to look over and see him sleeping in her bed while I paint.

When we both need some fresh air, our backyard has become another favorite spot. It’s big enough that Oscar can run around and get out all his puppy energy and I can wander around checking on all our plants. We have beautiful

bougainvillea that line our block fence and bring the brightest pop of color. On the scorching days, we sit under a mist fan on our patio, which keeps us just cool enough in the shade. Recently, we got an electric bike and have been practicing driving it around in the yard until we get enough courage to take it on the streets! Even Oscar, tucked into a backpack that I wear while we zip around, loves it. The outdoors is my favorite play place when I need a paint break.

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hile I love to travel all over the States, and abroad, sometimes the best trip is spontaneously hopping in our camper van and camping out in the desert for a night or two. My artistic process is to take photos of landscapes that stand out to me so that I can really soak in the view, and then take them back into the studio to paint from. Sunrise in the desert is one of my favorite times to sit still and just take in my surroundings. Whenever someone says that the desert is boring, or all one color, I know they haven’t really been out in it because it’s filled with shapes and colors and so much beauty!

I know that no matter where I visit in the world, I’ll always find something that stops me in my tracks and makes me want to paint.

One of my biggest fears is to have life pass me by without really living and experiencing all that I can. Even though I love to be at home with my family and my treasures, one of the greatest gifts of being a fulltime artist is the ability to explore the world and capture little bits of it on my canvas.

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More on Laurie Anne www.laurieanneart.com Instagram: laurieanneart Facebook: laurieanneart

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ARTIST LIVES HERE

INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE with Lori Siebert

Photography by Eric Slomanson

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Christine Kristen aka LadyBee

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s a child, I loved to paint and draw, and by the time I finished high school I had decided to devote myself to the making of art.

I had lovely parents who encouraged me to pursue all of my interests, although being an artist wasn’t at the top of their list.

Like many parents in the 1960s, they wanted me to learn a skill for which I’d earn a good living. And, like all parents during that turbulent decade, they were appalled when I headed down the hippie path — although I was a bit young, observing it all from my suburban Chicago high school. I devoted myself to the art studio, where I remained each day after school, and enjoyed the photography classes as well.

In the space of a few years, everything seemed to change: Suddenly, there was feminism, gay liberation, civil rights, free love, cannabis, psychedelics and, of course, the music. I’m grateful to have come of age during that time and I feel a special bond with my age mates; many of us were freed from conventional expectations and pursued lives outside the mainstream.

CHRISTINE KRISTEN, aka LadyBee,

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is Burning Man’s archivist and art collection curator. She was the art curator for Burning Man from 1999 to 2008, and ran the art grant program for its first 10 years. Based in San Francisco, she is a maker of jewelry, created from vintage findings, and headpieces and co-author of the book ”Jewelry of Burning Man.“ She is a former Peace Corps volunteer — stationed in Lesotho and Jamaica — and a world traveler and collector of art and handmade objects.

PHOTO BY BETO GONSALVES

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When I went to the University of Illinois, my world expanded considerably. In my suburban high school in the late 60s, there were very few Black students; but suddenly, I was surrounded by people of all ethnicities and persuasions, and I embraced the diversity. After getting a BFA, I moved to Chicago and completed an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, fully intending to pursue a gallery career.

Another great love of mine is travel and after I graduated from the University of Illinois in 1973, I set out on the “hippie trail” to India, hitchhiking from Paris to Afghanistan, where it became so hot that I turned around and went down to the Greek Islands and Morocco. In Marrakech, I visited an American friend who had joined the Peace Corps and was enamored of her life and work there. I knew that at some point I’d be signing up.

After grad school, instead of focusing on my art career, I joined the Peace Corps, specifically to go to West Africa. I’d been learning African dance during college and grad school and was fascinated by the Ghanaian instructors.

From LORI SIEBERT:

I have a cousin who attended Burning Man for several years and it always fascinated me. Learning about the incredible life journey of LadyBee (Christine) was equally enthralling.

Wow, what an incredibly adventurous life she has lived!

And, it has made its way into her artistically curated home.

I love the way she displays the treasures gathered from her interesting travels. There is a story behind every object.

I love a home that is also a work of art.

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I was sent to Lesotho, a tiny mountain kingdom in South Africa, where I taught art in a rural secondary school. There, I had to adapt to rural life, after living in Chicago my whole life. I learned to pitch a tent, start a fire, and ride horses. Lesotho is not tropical, and the seasons are distinct, with extremely cold winters. Local crafts were not abundant, as survival was difficult. Soil erosion didn’t support healthy crops; and 60 percent of the men were working in the mines of South Africa.

As I was deeply interested in African culture and crafts, I asked to be transferred to West Africa, but no suitable programs were found. So I bought a ticket to Lagos, Nigeria, and began a year of hitchhiking across West Africa — from Nigeria to Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Senegal.

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really valuable lesson I learned in West African villages is the importance of acknowledging other people; one didn’t ever pass another person without greeting them. To this day, I say hello to every person I pass on the street. Most folks are pleased and respond, but some simply look at me as if I’m crazy. I also speak with every cashier I meet in stores and anyone I encounter in public service jobs; it’s so important to recognize the humanity of these folks who have to do the same repetitive actions all day long. Please make contact with them!

When I returned to the U.S., I was not thrilled to be back in the Western world and signed up for the Peace Corps again.

Meanwhile, I had met a group called Art Safari in Nigeria, and they asked me to lead a group of craftspeople to Ghana and Nigeria, so I was able to return there for a summer.

Then I was sent to Peace Corps Jamaica in 1979 to work at the Kingston School of Art. Having spent years in art school, I wanted a more authentic, rural experience, so I was sent to Runaway Bay, on the north coast, to help a group of woodcarvers develop a craft market at a fishing beach.

I loved working with them, and I go back often to visit. My life there was so healthy and active. I rode a bike, ran and swam in the ocean daily, and had a very healthy diet of fresh produce and seafood.

For a tiny island, Jamaica is so rich in culture — the music, literature, theater, intuitive art and dance are prolific.

In 1982 I moved back to Chicago, where I focused on mixed media drawings. Eventually, I felt the urge to move to New York City, the great proving ground for artists. In Chicago, I was surrounded by an intimate community of peers, but when I moved to New York I became one of thousands of painters and sculptors all struggling to get their work seen in an intensely competitive environment.

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spent a lot of time, like everyone else, going to openings, dropping off slides at galleries and trying to meet critics, dealers and curators. All of this was like a second job, on top of making the art. It seemed as if the artists were making art for the other players in the art world, who had inside information on the nature of that work. For the general public, who didn’t have this special information, the work was confusing and out of reach.

I began to question the value system around me, which was ultimately exclusionary, marketdriven and isolating. As I became more alienated from the world I had chosen to live in, I was no longer quite sure why I was making art anymore, and I stopped altogether. I still had the need to make things, however, and turned to jewelry.

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My dear friend Robert had been going to Providence, Rhode Island, to Wolf E. Myrow, the motherlode of vintage jewelry findings and materials, and he convinced me to join him on one of his visits. I began making jewelry from vintage findings — notably Bakelite and brass stampings — and I loved making big, elaborate pins and necklaces.

In 1987, I spent a summer in Kenya as a leader for Crossroads Africa, a two-month program for university students who do community development work. Nearly all of the leaders are former Peace Corps volunteers. We lived in a Maasai village, Kajiado, where we built a school building.

During this time, I collected traditional Maasai beadwork jewelry that had been used in traditional ceremonies and embedded with red laterite soil, unlike the jewelry made for tourists.

After completing the schoolhouse, the students returned home and I traveled up to Lake Turkana in northern Kenya.

Later, as I approached 40, I found myself growing tired of the concrete jungle and wanting to be closer to nature. What American city had equal doses of culture and nature? San Francisco came to mind and, in 1991, I left New York and moved there. I started a small jewelry business, but was disappointed to see that my bigger, wilder pieces were not as marketable as smaller, more conventional ones. I had to tone down my work, and I didn’t find making multiples very fulfilling — I much preferred making one-of-a-kind pieces.

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Most amazing was the sense that these artists were so far removed from notions of preciosity and market value that they were actually burning their work at the end of the event. They weren’t trying to attract a dealer or a collector; they weren’t trying to get into a gallery, nor were they looking for the attention of a critic. And they weren’t doing it solely for themselves — they were doing it for the experience and for the community.

In 1998, I was asked to help produce the first art exhibit about Burning Man at the San Francisco Art Commission Galleries. The purpose of the exhibit was not to sell art, but to show those who weren’t able to get out to the playa what was happening out there.

After working with these artists, I realized that I was much better suited to curating than making art. After the isolation of working alone in the studio and the struggle to survive in New York, I was very happy to be involved with a group of artists who were working together in this unique community.

For the first time, I felt connected to something much bigger than myself, having found a nascent art world I could believe in and to which I could apply my skills in a way that felt positive and oriented toward a new vision of art-making that wasn’t driven by commerce and marketing but by the collective joy of creating together.

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n August of 1995, on a whim, I drove to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada with a girlfriend, with only a vague idea of what I was journeying toward, having seen Burning Man in a list of summer festivals in the Bay Guardian. I was dazzled by the setting and the event, thrilled to be part of the creativity, energy and goodwill of the community, and delighted that I had stumbled upon something I knew would change my life.

I found a group of people who were alienated, not only from the art world but from mainstream culture in general, and were doing something about it. Out on the playa, they were creating their own culture, which seemed to be based on humor, play, imagination, sharing, cooperation and personal responsibility. I felt I’d somehow come home, and I proceeded to become deeply involved in the community back in San Francisco as well as on the playa.

There wasn’t much art on the playa in 1995, but as more artists created bigger and more complex installations each year, it occurred to me that a new kind of art-making was evolving, completely outside of the mainstream art world. On the playa, artists weren’t attached to sole ownership of the work, which was community-based and communally built. Groups of artists and friends worked together on projects, sharing resources and collaborating instead of competing.

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n 1999, I was hired to be the Burning Man art curator, specifically to run the brand-new art grant program. Larry Harvey, its founder, and I reviewed proposals and selected the most interactive and interesting ones to receive funding. We did not require slides, exhibit histories, art degrees or references — all we asked for was a great idea and the ability to carry it out.

I had to unlearn years of art world snobbishness as I witnessed people who had never made art come up with really interesting projects.

Much of our grant program was based on trust — shocking! And it worked: In my 10 years running the honorariums, only one project failed to get made.

Something I became convinced of during my 10 years of running the art grant program was that collaboration is a much more natural and rewarding path than competition. The Burning Man artists didn’t compete with or try to best each other, they helped each other! They loaned tools and materials, worked on each other’s

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to give away, and have amassed a large collection of these.

Years ago, Karen Christians, a fellow jeweler who ran jewelry-making workshops at Burning Man, suggested that we do a book on this jewelry.

Jewelry of Burning Man, which we produced with photographer George Post, was published in 2015, and featured my 20-year collection. This led to me curating a show of playa jewelry for the Fuller Craft Museum near Boston, which then traveled to the Bellevue Museum in Seattle.

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installations, and generally supported one another.

Everyone benefited and thrived. The institutional art world could learn a lot from Burning Man. In my current role as the archivist and art collection curator for Burning Man, I manage eight archives and I select and hang art and photographs at our San Francisco office. One of the archives I manage is Material Culture — objects made to be gifted on the playa. As a maker of jewelry, I have a special interest in the pendants, pins and earrings people made (most with Burning Man references)

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also do some independent curating. The most recent show I worked on was Reimagine: The Art of Sustainable Thinking at the Randall Museum in San Francisco. The show was a collaboration between SCRAP and the Randall Museum, two long-standing Bay Area community nonprofits that champion art, the environment and education as core values of their missions. The show focused on 2D and 3D work made from recycled items, and included several Burning Man artists.

I continue to make jewelry and also headpieces.

Years of costuming at Burning Man inspired the creation of extravagant and sometimes amusing hats, crowns and elaborate headdresses, some influenced by my travels.

As a maker of objects, I’ve always been fascinated by what others make, and have been collecting such items all my life. Every object I have has a story and represents a friendship, a trip, a gift or a specific life experience. Many of my objects were collected during my travels, and others from visits to flea markets, estate sales and thrift shops. I’m also lucky to be gifted various items from friends, some of whom are artists, who know of my love of handmade objects. I surround myself with these treasures and am always adding more — it still thrills me to come across an unusual object.

My collections include Maasai beadwork, many types of jewelry, American outsider art, Jamaican intuitive art, prison art made from cigarette packs, contemporary American art, African recycled tin craft, plus art, jewelry and photographs from Burning Man, vintage and ethnic clothing, hats and headpieces, African printed cotton and weavings, carved wooden animals, and Jamaican cootuhs (turtle decoys).

I also collect natural items, having great respect and love for nature. As clever as we humans are, we cannot make a seashell, a bone, a skull or an insect. I adore these beautiful objects and do not buy them; to me, it’s all about the experience of finding a treasure in nature and remembering the place and the situation. Sometimes restoration is required, especially with skulls, and sometimes I’m gifted these things by friends.

”Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden.“ — VO LTAI RE

— J E AN COCTE AU

”I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.“

Scan here to order The Jewelry of Burning Man:

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Facebook: christine.kristen

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y home is a much-loved refuge from the crazy world we’re currently living in; when my faith in humanity sinks, I find comfort and solace here, as well as in my garden. My collections remind me of the interesting people I’ve met all over the world, and of my experiences with them. And of course, my beloved cats are a constant source of amusement and joy. My clowder consists of two females, PoPo and Prunie, and Mister Pickles, the newest addition. I love having three cats — they’re like their own little ethnic group within our household.

As they say: Dogs have owners; cats have staff. I always joke that, technically, I’m not a crazy cat lady — because I’m married! But I wonder…

Visitors to my home in Potrero Hill, San Francisco, often refer to my flat as a museum, which used to annoy me, as everything is here to be picked up, touched and examined, not protected behind glass. I’ve gradually come to realize that there may well be an eccentric little museum in my future. My husband, Beto, and I have been looking for property in western Petaluma, where we hope to find something with an outbuilding and a little acreage. We’ve spent our lives in urban settings, and now look forward to rural splendor, close to the ocean.

America is awash in small, unusual museums, and I hope to create one where all of my collections can be preserved and available to the public.

THE

ONE THING that will inspire you every day For more info, scan to visit WomenCreate.com/Membership and start your FREE trial

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Empowering Women Creators Women have long been at the forefront of creativity in art; however, they often face significant barriers in accessing funding and opportunities to nurture their visions. The Women Create Foundation is a catalyst for small but significant strides to empower women creators through grants that help bring projects to life and foster innovation.

Find out how you can play a part.

Go to womencreate.com/foundation or scan the QR code to get more information.

BRITTANY SWIDER aka LADY FORGE

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Photography by Sabreena Konsdorf

BRITTANY SWIDER is

a Michigan-based storyteller with an affinity for spoons. Hunting down hundred-year-old sterling silverware pieces and taking a deep dive into their history, Brittany breathes new life into them by telling their stories in videos as she transforms them into wearable treasures. Her studio has become a trove of stories — thousands of spoons collected in a myriad of jars among antique curios, atop old books and surrounded by objects telling her own story.

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here’s something special about the way old things call out to us.

And over the past 12 years, I’ve discovered that old spoons can call out like sirens, invoking a deep, nostalgic fondness in us. It’s been a delight to watch this play out again and again with each antique sterling spoon I’ve transformed into a ring or necklace. I watch these pieces become instant heirlooms, whether it’s for a person who finds a treasure at a show, or the messages I receive after someone sees a particular spoon that resonates so deeply with them. It gives me a sweet satisfaction

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in my work that I could not have foreseen years ago when I picked up my first antique spoon.

My journey with spoons began in 2012.

I was in the midst of the struggle every creative encounters, reconciling my passionate drive to create with some sort of purpose worthy of the sacrifice and effort required of the creative journey. I had dabbled in a few mediums: ceramics, photography, painting, silversmithing and graphic design, enjoying each to some degree but was still left with a feeling of: “OK, but why?

What else?”

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orking with silver scratched the creative itch more than the other mediums, even though I struggled to decide what to create. Thus, I found myself working for a small jewelry company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while also selling antiques at a local antiques shop. While commiserating with a coworker about my lack of creative direction, she suggested I merge my interest in silver with my love for antiques and try my hand at making spoon rings.

I was hesitant because spoon rings were nothing new, as they have been around for more than 150 years.

But then again, there is nothing new under the sun, so I decided I could pour a little of myself into the idea and see if it could grow into something meaningful.

I jumped in with both feet, opening an online shop and deciding on the name Lady Forge. While the process of bending spoons doesn’t involve forging, the name was a nod to working with metal, while also remarking on my creative journey. My work will inevitably evolve and, as I create, I will also evolve. I am the lady being forged.

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The spoons had stories to tell.

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n addition to making spoon rings, my work began with vintage and antique silver-plated silverware, dated railroad nails, foreign coins, tiny bulbs, and antique hardware, which I combined with stones and pearls to make necklaces, earrings and bracelets. I liked the idea of pairing old, man-made objects with older, natural ones. Hunting for these beautiful old objects was exhilarating, and hunting for treasures became a fond pastime for me, my family, and my close friends.

I began showing my work at art markets and festivals. As I watched people engage with my work, I noticed how captivated they were with the spoons specifically, often sharing stories about why a particular pattern spoke to them. For example, the flowers in a pattern were the same flowers their mother used to grow; the weatheredfaced prospector in a pattern reminded them of their grandfather; the stork holding the little baby in another pattern resonated with their own adoption story. Hearing these stories and seeing the spark of connection in their eyes when they tried on one of my spoons was deeply moving for me.

I began gravitating toward the stories as I worked — the stories the spoons evoked in people and the stories of the spoons themselves. Research became a more prominent part of my work as I learned about the old silverware companies and discovered their designers and artists. I learned the names of many of the patterns and the significance some of those names held. All of this offered a small window into the world at the time they were made.

The emphasis placed on certain design elements and historic figures spoke volumes.

The spoons had stories to tell.

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or 10 years, I showed my work at art markets and festivals. The jewelry I created evolved as my personal life did. I moved from Oklahoma to my home state of Montana, where I met my other half, Matt, and we married in 2019. Strangely enough, it was in the midst of the pandemic that I decided to turn Lady Forge into a full-time venture.

Montana’s lax attitude toward the pandemic provided more opportunities to continue my work in ways other states wouldn’t allow. But in the end, even we were not exempt from the toll the pandemic took on the economy, and we found ourselves moving across the country to Michigan to pursue a new job for my husband. Right after our big move, I had a video go viral for the first time and everything drastically changed for Lady Forge.

I had been dabbling with posting videos on TikTok and Instagram for a few months. Videos of making spoon rings with fun music, videos of spoons before and after, even a few funny ones of me making things or talking about hunting for spoons. In May of 2022, I got a comment on one of those videos: a follower sharing that they just made their first purchase of a ring made from the 1902 Lily pattern by the Whiting Manufacturing Company. I decided to use that comment to make a video telling the story of the spoon they chose while I made their spoon ring. The video exploded.

My website was flooded, and orders poured in. I was shocked and not at all prepared for the volume of orders and messages I received. I spent the next month working overtime to fill the orders, while giving some serious thought to the opportunity I had been given and the corner Lady Forge had just turned.

It might have been easier if this opportunity had come at a quieter time in my life, but you can’t choose when the stars align and a life-changing opportunity presents itself. You just have to dive off the cliff and build wings on the way down. I found that I thrive on those cliffs.

It’s been two years since that first video went viral, and my business has grown more than I thought possible. Both my work and my personal life have undergone many changes. We welcomed our beautiful daughter and then our sweet son into the world — my proudest creations. Balancing work and family has been a learning process, and I have had to relax into the currents of change.

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y work has continued to evolve.

I stripped away all but the most meaningful aspects of my work: the spoons and the stories. I no longer work with the other antique treasures and stones I once incorporated into my pieces, but focus solely on sterling silverware, letting the original designs speak for themselves and enriching them with stories I’ve discovered from their past. I kept a small reminder of those old days in the Lady Forge logo I still use today: an Edison bulb surrounding a cluster of quartz crystals.

I also gave up showing my work at markets and festivals. My website and social media accounts keep me quite busy, and I no longer have the time to put together a show. It was a bittersweet parting, as I loved engaging with people face-to-face and feeling the exciting buzz in the air at art festivals.

I hope to be able to do shows again in the future.

My days are quite full now. Lots of baby giggles, question-filled conversations with my toddler, and the sweet busyness that comes with having a family.

Time in my studio is precious and very productive. My studio feels like home on a deeply personal level. It’s filled with things I’ve collected over the past 12 years; things I have created, things that remind me of sweet times and things that “spark joy,” as Marie Kondo would say. This space is the truest snapshot of Brittany, and I’m grateful I can keep such a strong piece of me alive when I know the demands of motherhood can leave one feeling like they’ve lost themselves a little (or a lot).

Time in the studio is spent immersing myself in spoons and discovering their secrets, feeling not wholly unlike a dragon with its hoard. I film myself transforming them into rings and necklaces, and then create the narration to tell their story. I communicate with followers and customers, responding to questions and requests for specific patterns

or designs. Then I hunt for more spoons. And every so often, I just sit back in awe at all of this, my heart so full of gratitude.

I know this season of my creative journey won’t last forever. I sometimes wonder if social media isn’t conducive to sustainability when it comes to my business. It seems that a business is either actively growing or actively dying on social media. Either the hype dies down and the business dies with it, or you get to a point where you have to choose between growth or keeping the personal touches and direct communication with customers, which is the heart and soul of small business. And I would retire my hammers before I make that compromise.

Regardless of what the future holds, I’ll ride this wave until it brings me to the next shore, embracing the change, adapting, and allowing myself to be the lady that is forged in this creative journey.

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More on Brittany www.ladyforge.com Instagram: ladyforge Tiktok: ladyforge Facebook: ladyforge

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CARMEN NASH Photography by Jeanne Canto and Kayla Mendez

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I’ve

always felt a peculiar awareness of the world around me. Growing up in the rural South as the daughter of a minister, I explored the world through the lens of an artist. I grew up on a small 5-acre farm with access to endless exploration and use of my imagination. These frequent explorations sharpened my eye to color, texture and the beauty found in nature. I learned to love animals, old trees, and the way light flickers through grassy fields.

Another fond and impactful memory of growing up was forged one summer when my mother turned off the cable and announced that my siblings and I would have to find our entertainment at the library, which was walking distance from our home. Learning about the outside world — beyond our little town — from books would shape my identity even in adulthood.

As I reflect on those early years, it was most certainly the combination of my faith, nature, and those long hours spent at the library that created the artist that I am today.

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CARMEN NASH is a folk artist, furniture designer and curator residing in Crystal River, Florida. Carmen developed her curating and design practice by way of storytelling and creating visual narratives that evoke emotion. Carmen’s evocative style and unique aesthetic come from her own life experiences and her desire to express the beauty that she sees in the world around her.

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In

high school, I found my safe haven in the art room. My art teacher, Mrs. Bramlett, kindly let me join the older students in their advanced art studies. I spent time doing pottery, painting, and sketching portraits — whatever my hands could grasp, I was eager to learn its language. As my studies and love for art increased, I got the news that my beloved teacher Mrs. Bramlett was retiring. I did not find the same connection

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with our new art teacher and, upon graduation, decided to part ways with my love for art to pursue something more practical. I was also ready to leave my small hometown and explore a larger area that would fit with my chosen college major, which was resort and hospitality management. South Florida became the most appealing prospect, and I left the peace and calm of farm life to discover my new adult self in this new adventure.

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“…and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” — Psalms 90:17

My

journey back to art would include several triumphs and failures, and a lot of uncertainty. While the hospitality world was exciting and new, my heart often called me back to using my hands. I think the breaking point came after having my first child and deciding to become a stay-at-home mom. I remember being overjoyed, but also lonely in the day-to-day acts of being home.

While I loved my beautiful children, there was something that began to grow in me that I felt I needed to express. I began to paint and draw and do pottery again, which felt fulfilling, but I also knew that there was something more.

I recall the first table that I decided to purchase for resale. It was especially unique with its curves and texture. I convinced my husband to drive the two hours to get it and I promised him that I would sell it. At the time, my husband was the only one working, so every move had to be thoughtfully agreed upon. To my delight, the table sold and spurred on my new determination to become a furniture seller. One buyer in particular, a vintage dealer from Atlanta, opened my eyes to the world of vintage resale in a way that completely changed me.

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“Here was peace. She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder.”

— Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

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decided to start an Instagram account to display my beautiful finds. I wanted to tell the story of these items that were often handmade and bespoke, but usually stored and forgotten.

They spoke to me in a way that would often bring me to the point of being emotional; a sculptural chair with an incredible finish or a wonky-shaped lamp that looked like a trumpet. I began reaching into my database of imagination and words to infuse life into these pieces as well as harnessing the things I learned in those early days on the farm about light and form.

As my Instagram account following grew, so did my bravery in storytelling. I wanted to add elements of my culture and my faith into the dynamic and I did just that. I also wanted to experiment with a certain styling direction, which included a specific color palette, lighting, and storyline.

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I wanted to talk about the “folk” of the rural South. The richness of heritage in people like my grandparents and other artists of the African diaspora, such as Toni Morrison, the Gee’s Bend quilters, and Bill Traylor. I now spoke on my Instagram not only as a seller but as an artist because I saw parallels in these stories in the beautiful furniture I was curating. I wanted my furniture and curating practice to be an experience for the viewer and buyer. It was very important for me to connect with my audience in a way that triggered an emotional response because, after all, I believe this is the purpose of art.

Most recently, I was excited to collaborate with Hudson Valley Lighting Group to tell my folk stories in the form of lighting. This experience brought everything I knew about art up until this point to the forefront, from sketching the products to choosing the final finishes. My collection Folk and Flora embodies the stories, history and artistry that tell my authentic story, and is to date my fondest project.

It is now my goal and aspiration to further my reach through design in the furniture world. I would love to collaborate with more brands in the interior space, doing things such as rugs, textile design and other furniture products. If I could offer any advice to artists, I would say that it’s important to have an authentic voice that makes you stand out from the crowd.

PHOTO BY KAYLA MENDEZ

In

the past, I often felt embarrassed about growing up on a farm and I thought that I would be perceived as simple or not sophisticated in my perspective. I now proudly claim this rich heritage because the soulfulness of my aesthetic perspective bloomed from the simplistic beauty that came from the raw earth.

My journey as an artist has only just begun. I am elated that I can connect with so many who are eager to hear about my story and design perspective.

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Instagram: loftandthought

More on Jeanne Instagram: jeannnes

More on Kayla

Instagram: kaylammendez

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHANDLER STRANGE

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Sara Larson Buscaglia Farm & Folk

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SARA LARSON BUSCAGLIA is an

organic farmer, natural dyer, and textile artist residing in the high desert of Southwest Colorado.

She is also the creator of Farm & Folk. A lifelong student and steward of the land, Sara takes inspiration from the paradigm-shifting, slow processes of tending soil, seeds and plants. Her experience and direct connection to food, natural color and fiber have deepened her understanding and appreciation of their value, a connection her naturally dyed quilts embody.

arm & Folk is a fusion of my work as an organic farmer and textile artist.

Before I merged the two lifeways, I was a full-time farmer and homeschooling mom with all kinds of creative dreams.

I loved my work as a farmer, but felt like I might burst if I wasn’t able to make time for creative explorations. So I began to change things around and prioritize time for it.

One of the first things I did was designate a creative space. I cleaned out an old outbuilding on the farm and turned it into a natural dye studio. It was crude but functional enough to get started with thrifted pots and pans, our old camp stove and other items I scavenged from around the farm.

I started my farm work early in the morning so I could escape to my dye shed in the hottest part of the afternoon, where I’d experiment with the magic of transferring natural dye colors to fabric. I did a lot of reading and research alongside the experimenting, and I stuck with this practice over the years. In time I became adept at the alchemy and learned how to create an inspiring palette with natural dyes.

Establishing a balance between farming and creative exploration felt very nurturing and fulfilling. By the end of each summer, I’d have a stash of beautiful naturally dyed fabric and, when winter settled in, I’d begin the work of making quilts from it. I took over our sunroom as my sewing studio and stayed up late making quilts when my kids were sleeping. As the kids became older and more independent, I was able to squeeze in more creative time here and there. I spent a few years slowly making hand-stitched quilts from my naturally dyed fabrics until I had a stack of them.

Over those years I was also slowly and rather secretly creating a website to perhaps, someday, sell the quilts. It took a lot of courage and vulnerability to finally launch the website and offer my quilts to the world, but in the fall of 2017, I mustered the courage to do it. Now several years into this journey, and many quilt sales later, it still feels like a dream each time I pack up a quilt and send it off to someone.

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couple of years ago, our youngest child decided to go to high school rather than homeschool, which suddenly left me with time to focus on personal goals. I felt inspired to begin farming natural dyes and went with it. I had been farming food for decades, but flowers and perennial dye plants were new to me. I learned as I went and enjoyed the process immensely.

With my kids off doing their own things, I found myself in this bittersweet place of finally being able to accept opportunities that came my way. I spent a year writing a book, Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy, about natural dyes and quilt making; and after the book launched, I began traveling afar to teach workshops. I did well growing the natural dyes; came up with creative ways to market them; and packaged and shipped them off to folks all over the country. It’s been really fulfilling to bring my farmer-artist vision to fruition.

After my book was published, I found myself riding a big wave of success. In the excitement of it all I told myself I needed to make more quilts, grow and sell more dyes, grow my brand, and hire a team to help. But then the slowness of winter settled in and brought me back to my senses.

I remembered how important it is to me to stay true to my vision of a healthy balance between farm work in the farm season and creative work in the slow season. I had to tune out the noise and pressure I was putting on myself to become more and take on more, and trust that staying small and stress-free was a more fitting version of success for me.

I’m still in the early stages of being a natural dye farmer so it will take time to figure out exactly which direction I want to go with it. For now, I enjoy growing the dye plants on a relatively small scale and shipping them off to the wonderful folks who appreciate them. I’m having a lot of fun designing and putting together seasonal natural dye kits and designing patchwork-related projects that coordinate with the dyes I offer on my website.

I’m scaling back on traveling to teach, but am pondering hosting an annual workshop on the farm and hope to offer some online courses in the future.

I love sharing about my connection to soil, seeds and plants and ultimately hope to inspire people to plant seeds of their own so they can experience this connection firsthand. I acknowledge that not all people are able to grow their own dyes and food and it’s a real honor to be able to share what I grow with them. I always hope that when people experience working with the natural dyes I grow, they experience some kind of paradigmshifting inoculation that fosters a connection to the natural world.

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Many years ago, when my kids were very small, I was visiting with a friend and we were talking about home design. She brought up the concept of filling a home with handmade goods rather than mass-manufactured items; and when she said this, I realized that was the thing that made her home special. A short time later, I was in conversation with someone who pointed out that modern homes very rarely include workspaces because the modern world is focused on consuming not producing.

Both concepts struck a chord with me, so I began to set up workspaces in our home where the kids and I could get to work making all kinds of handmade things. These spaces were ever-evolving, so we were always set up to delve into whatever creative endeavor we were into at the time. We created fiber arts made from wool we sheared from our sheep. We did lots of papier-mâché and gourd crafts, wove baskets from reeds, and made

dolls stuffed with cattails. At one point, the kids got into making leather pouches and shoes — and they were always sketching in their art books.

If they needed something, I wanted them to think about how they could make it before they even thought about buying it. Making things became our way of life and our home life was centered around these workspaces, which I kept organized.

I had no shame in making any available space in our home a place to create, although I did dream of someday having my own proper studio. Our home and farm are both works in progress and in this current state of evolution I have two studios onsite — what a dream!

One studio is for my messier farm and dye works, and the other for making quilts and writing. Despite having the two studios, our living room remains a creative workspace as well and I often spend evenings there.

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My quilt-making studio was formerly our chicken coop and my natural dye studio used to be our sheep barn. Both spaces have been fully renovated but hold a lot of sweet memories of farm adventures and my kids’ childhood. I designed the old chicken-coop sewing studio to be a warm passive solar space with big south-facing windows, since I work there primarily in the winter.

Inside is a huge chest of drawers full of my naturally dyed fabrics that are ready to cut into and become quilts. All my quilts are born there, and this secluded warm place is also where I prefer to do most of my writing.

“All work is empty save when there is love … work is love made visible.”

— KAHLIL GIBRAN

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I no longer have small children working by my side, but my two dogs Pepita and Frito follow along on every adventure — whether I’m in the studio or working in the field. It is special to have them always by my side.

I am grateful for this homegrown handmade life.

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www.farmandfolk.com Instagram: farmandfolk

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oth my studios are heated only by wood stoves, so in the colder months, each morning begins by making a fire. My big barn studio is where I do all my natural dye work, including block printing fabrics. It’s also where I bring in the natural dye harvests to dry and cure.

Once cured, the dyestuffs are packed up and stored as inventory on big wooden shelves. I built a packaging and shipping station in that studio as well to make shipping go more efficiently. It’s taken 20 years to get these spaces dialed in and I’m grateful to be in this place now where I’m set up for everything to run smoothly.

Everything I offer still passes through my hands — from the seeds I plant in spring, the plants I tend and the dye flowers I harvest in summer, to the kits I assemble, the packages I ship, the hand dyeing and the stitching of the quilts — and I genuinely find fulfillment in every step of every process.

KRISTI BAKER Photography by Sarah Garman, Purple Fern Photography

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I AM KRISTI BAKER, the artisan behind The Nib and Quill. Step into my world, where vintage charm meets creative inspiration in every corner of my cozy art room. Here, I’ve cultivated a space that reflects my love for all things vintage, filled with treasures from bygone eras and tools that double as functional artwork.

Over the years, my husband and I have relocated several times for his career, but no matter where we’ve lived, we’ve always prioritized a space for me — a place where I can create.

Despite the challenges posed by having to make do with available space, I’ve learned that vintage crates are my trusted allies, not only maximizing storage but also infusing my space with a rustic and practical elegance that defines my brand.

They are also the primary frames for displaying my tools and mementos — designed to perform work but also inspire.

My adventures to quaint towns in New England, bustling flea markets in Virginia, and secluded antiques shops throughout the Carolinas and Georgia allow me to unearth treasures that become central to my creative process. Vintage bookbinding tools, intricate lockets, old maps, skeleton keys and weathered books are just some of the items that find new life among my collections. These finds are not merely kept for their aesthetic value but are also filled with the inspiration and history that influence my artistry.

A self-taught bookbinder and the owner of The Nib and Quill, artist KRISTI BAKER lives in Kennesaw, Georgia. Her unique bookbinding style keeps her busy visiting antiques shops throughout her travels with her family, looking for treasures to help create the perfect vintage-inspired books and the studio haven she calls her art room. She loves all things handmade and vintage. Her hobbies outside of bookbinding include cross-stitch, knitting, pen and inks, and watercolor. She loves to learn as much as she can about all forms of art.

Each piece is thoughtfully placed in my studio to create a dynamic environment that constantly evolves. For instance, antique cabinets — rescued and restored from forgotten corners of old shops — serve as the perfect backdrop for my displays.

Their worn textures and faded colors complement the rich history of the tools and trinkets they house.

The process of setting up these displays is both meditative and invigorating, often leading me to redesign entire wall layouts. This continuous renewal of my surroundings is crucial; it mirrors the ever-changing landscape of creativity that I work to curate. By rearranging these artifacts, I not only refresh the physical space around me but also clear a path for new ideas to emerge within my bookbinding process.

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of my studio acts as a catalyst in my creative process, ensuring that inspiration is never more than a glance away. Each new arrangement tells a different story, reflecting the past that shaped it and the future it will inspire. Through these living displays, I connect with my craft on a deeper level, making every corner of my workspace a testament to where women create, dream and imagine.

As you step into my studio, you are immediately greeted by an inviting display dedicated to the art of bookbinding, my primary creative endeavor. The centerpiece is an elegantly arranged assortment of bookbinding essentials: spools of Irish waxed linen thread, blocks of fragrant beeswax, an array of sharp needles and other necessary tools, all resting upon a vintage

cobbler’s table that carries with it a rich history from a quaint New England town. This table, robust and weathered, not only adds a touch of rustic charm but also serves a practical purpose, offering a sturdy surface on which the delicate and precise work of bookbinding takes place.

The tools displayed are not merely functional; they are relics of a time-honored tradition, each item carefully selected for its role in crafting hand-bound books. The Irish waxed linen thread ensures durability and aesthetic grace in the binding process, while the beeswax is used to strengthen and smooth the thread, reducing friction as it passes through the pages. The layout of the display is designed to keep these essentials within easy reach, facilitating a seamless workflow that respects the meticulous nature of bookbinding.

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SURROUNDING this central table, the stu-

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dio is deliberately arranged to support all stages of book creation. Shelving units, filled with neatly organized stacks of paper — ranging from richly textured handmade sheets to crisp, archival-quality stock — line the walls. A nearby drafting table hosts a variety of cutting tools, additional bone folders and other devices essential for pressing and trimming paper, allowing each step of the process to flow into the next with practiced ease.

This space is more than just a studio; it is a carefully curated environment where every tool and piece of furniture is chosen not only for its functionality but for its ability to inspire and facilitate the creative process. Here, in this sanctuary of creativity, the timeless art of bookbinding continues, supported by surroundings that echo the dedication and attention to detail that this craft demands.

Artistry runs in my family, with each member leaving their mark on my creative journey. My grandmother’s bird paintings, my father’s woodworking skills and my mother’s pen-and-ink watercolors all find a cherished place in my studio, serving as constant sources of inspiration and connection to my roots.

Skeleton keys and feathers hold a special place in my heart, often finding their way into my work as symbols of mystery and intrigue. Rummaging through antiques stores in search of these treasures is a cherished pastime, sparking stories and imaginings that breathe life into my creations.

In addition to bookbinding, my studio is a haven for other creative pursuits, from cross-stitching to playing the piano.

One of my favorite pieces in the studio is a green shelving unit acquired from Etsy, which proudly displays my journals and showcases the intricate Coptic binding of my creations.

During the pandemic, I transformed an upright piano into a piano stand, adding a whimsical touch to my space and expanding my creative horizons.

Recently, I introduced a handmade-paper wall, a fun and practical addition that showcases my ever-changing inventory of artisanal paper. Tucked behind a door for easy access, it serves as both a storage solution and a feast for the eyes — an embodiment of my commitment to creativity and innovation.

IN THE MIDST of my creative endeav-

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ors, I’m accompanied by my faithful pet assistant, Mr. Toby, who claims the studio as his own.

Whether perched on the drafting table or curled up nearby, he provides a constant source of comfort and companionship, infusing the studio with warmth and joy.

At the heart of my creative process lies an antique library bureau, a handsome piece of furniture that serves as both a workspace and storage solution. With its 18 oak drawers and brass pulls, it holds a wealth of tools and supplies, keeping everything neatly organized and within arm’s reach.

A firm believer in the power of self-expression and determination, I embrace the mantra from The Avett Brothers’ song Head Full of Doubt/ Road Full of Promise: “Decide what to be and go be it.” As a self-taught artist, I embody this spirit, forging my own path and creating beauty in the world around me.

Alongside my husband, Hayes, to whom I’ve been happily married for 30 years, I share my life with three children, our rescue cat, Mr. Toby, and our newest addition, Ava Grey, a chocolate Lab. Together, we navigate the joys and challenges of life, finding fulfillment in creativity, connection and the pursuit of our passions.

In the creative world, nothing is quite as essential as having a dedicated space that nurtures and supports your artistic journey — particularly for women, who tend to manage many and often competing responsibilities. Crafting a personal sanctuary goes beyond merely designating a corner or room; it’s about creating an environment that resonates with your spirit, encourages growth and pays homage to your artistic passions.

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AS WOMEN, we are frequently the caregivers, prioritizing the needs of others.

Establishing a space solely for our creative pursuits is a profound declaration of our own importance. Such a space serves as a refuge, a private place where the demands of daily life recede, allowing us space to work, as much as we can, without distraction.

In these sanctuaries, you can curate every detail that will inspire your creativity and maintain the flow of ideas — from the soothing color on the walls and the flood of natural light that brightens the room, to the strategic arrangement of tools and materials for optimal accessibility.

This dedication to creating a personal workspace also cultivates a sense of community and belonging, especially when shared with fellow creatives. Whether it’s through hosting friends to come dabble, engaging in collaborative projects, or simply gathering to share ideas, our studios ignite collective creativity and offer support and encouragement from people who understand the artistic journey.

By prioritizing and investing in a space that supports our creative processes, women not only enhance their artistic output but also affirm their right to voice and vision. In a landscape where women’s spaces are often marginalized, creating and claiming a room of one’s own is both a personal and an artistic act — a celebration of creativity, autonomy and the transformative power of art, combined with the grace and strength inherent in the artistic spirit.

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Instagram: thenibandquill Etsy: thenibandquill.etsy.com

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Janet Carija Brandt

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Photography by Casey Rucinski

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In a leafy corner of Indianapolis, JANET CARIJA BRANDT makes lots of things and has too many ideas. She might sit and embroider for a few hours and then decide with a swivel of her chair to make dolls next. Or she might crawl into her cozy cupboard bed with a notebook and plan her next project. That project might be stitched, embroidered, stuffed, hooked, built, painted or quilted. When she finishes one piece, she puts it on a pile, in a cabinet or on a shelf. Then it is on to the next piece. Her studio is the colorful storeroom of all this making.

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rest is pure Janet: dolls, dollhouses, stumpwork caskets, miniature stages, and embroidered pictures. I still own so many pieces I have created through the years. Early work was created for publications or manufacturers and, once the piece was photographed or shown at a trade show, it was returned to me. Now these works hang on the wall or are stacked in my closet.

Each piece tells a story. In the process, my studio has become a story, too.

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’ve been feathering my nest for a very long time. My studio nest, that is. Finding a place to work has always been important for me. As a kid, it was just my half of a bed growing up in a two-room house. A bigger house meant a real worktable and a space I didn’t have to share with four sisters and a brother. The size and use of my studio space has changed through the years in the same way my work has evolved.

My first studio in our home of 40 years was in the basement. It was a walkout basement with windows and sunlight. I enjoyed it for many years.

One day sitting on a back patio, I began musing over the bleak rear facade of the house. We had remodeled every other part of the house, maybe it was time to take a closer look here, too.

I did a sketch of how I thought we might improve it. I added a screened-in porch on part of the main floor. Above that, I added an extension to an unused bedroom and then an upper deck to tie everything together. I left the drawing casually sitting on the dining room table. We walk by that table many times a day.

A few weeks later, my husband, an architect, said, “That’s a really good idea.”

My treetop studio was born. The unused bedroom became the cozy side of my studio. The new addition with lots of windows and light is the bright, working side.

The cozy side is inspired by an old-world kind of charm that I love. A hand-painted Hungarian table sits in the middle of the room and a built-in bed is partially hidden behind red drapes. The

The Village and Otis’ Castle

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When visitors first walk in, it can be a bit overwhelming. Once your eyes focus, it is the dollhouse wall that most people are drawn to.

It’s hard to miss. The overall 12-foot scene is made up of three main buildings: the Red House, Irene’s House, and the Castle. The Red House is at the far right-hand side of the scene. Built from a kit, it originally belonged to our daughter Jane. She played with it often, rearranging and redecorating all the time.

Eventually she outgrew it, moved away from home, and left the dollhouse behind. It sat untouched for many years. I knew she didn’t have room or really want it in her own home.

I decided to redecorate it. You should have seen the look on her face when she found out!

We had a good laugh over it, but to this day she loves rearranging the people and furniture in all the dollhouses whenever she visits now.

When I remodeled her dollhouse, I invented a story to go with its new tenants.

Claire is a grown-up Little Red Riding Hood, now married to William the Woodcutter.

Grandmother has her very own special room upstairs, complete with a built-in bed and painted ceiling. Claire was a village busker, entertaining her neighbors with fable puppet shows. When she and William married, they enlarged her puppet productions into Fables In Gables. Together they created stage settings and new characters and presented shows under the attic gables. The villagers loved it.

Some of the villagers live nearby. Below the Red House is a takeout shop owned by Jack Spratt and his wife. Next to that is the lumberyard run by the Three Pigs. Straw, wood and bricks are always in stock. If you need a new ball gown, be sure to visit Fairy Godmother’s Dress Shop. Here you can enjoy a cup of tea while you decide what magical creation you want to wear.

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“I’ve spent my life butting my

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head against other people’s lack of imagination.” — Nick Cave

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added a basement level with a secret stairway running from there to a hidden panel next to the fireplace upstairs. The basement is connected to old gold-mining tunnels throughout the kingdoms, and that way Irene keeps in touch with not only her daughter but also anyone else needing help as she plots the downfall of the Dragon Prince.

(It is her daughter who eventually achieves his downfall.)

That brings us to the happy space of Otis the Dragon. Otis arrived in his castle as an unhatched egg. He has transformed that rundown castle into a comfortable home for the many displaced orphans from the kingdom of the evil Prince.

Castle walls loom in the background and surround a huge arrangement of rooms. One of the attic rooms shows the end of my epic story as the defeated prince is confined to an empty room with a skeleton in his closet.

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he space between the Red House and Irene’s House has many little scenes of animals, tree spirits, the Village Life Press office, and even an outhouse. You never know who might show up.

Irene’s House is the next large structure and it, too, began as a kit. I needed a diversion while awaiting the outcome of our 2020 presidential election and Irene needed a home. Irene was the wife of the Dragon Prince. When she had the nerve to produce a baby daughter instead of a son, and then demand equal rights to rule over the kingdom she inherited, she was booted from her own kingdom. Her daughter was kept by the Dragon Prince. It was not a good situation.

Irene turned to Otis, the Princely Dragon, who gladly provided her with a home built within and next to his castle wall. That castle wall is what you look through in order to see inside Irene’s House. I

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Grandmother’s Bed

As you turn from the dollhouse wall, you come to the life-size Grandmother’s Bed. Most visitors can’t wait to kick off their shoes and climb in. It is the best napping and reading space in the house.

The wall is covered with purses and parrots. Not sure why. It just turned out that way. Adults love it as much as kids, with its own reading light and lots of pillows and blankets. It is an extravagant use of space that gives me so much pleasure. Even if I don’t climb in for weeks, just seeing it there always makes me smile. And isn’t that what our spaces are all about, anyway?

The materials, the light, the potential and the possibilities; for work, for rest, for inspiration or simple indulgence.

Stages and Caskets

Sitting outside Grandmother’s Bed is the Theater of the Enchanted Forest. What’s onstage changes all the time. Different backdrops and characters allow me to do more storytelling. For this photoshoot, a cottage kitchen is center stage. An Instagram comment inspired me to create a setting for the telling of the traditional tales of Stone Soup and The Mitten. One setting is ready, but the stories will have to wait while I complete other projects. Do you ever have so many ideas in your head and not enough time to realize them all?

Keep turning to your left and you come to my Cabinet of Curiosities. It is filled with embroidered caskets, which is just a 17th-century word for boxes. The characters here are the same ones you find in the dollhouse. Here is the Enchanted Forest casket and another that is a portable theater for producing Aesop’s Fables.

The top of this cabinet holds a selection of dolls I created years ago to show the potential of digital embroidery and embroidery machines. I loved that creative challenge. As my thumb and hands become more and more of a problem for creating hand embroidery, I might have to revisit that technology.

The Working Side of the Studio

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The Closet

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Hiding behind a curtain is my supply closet. This space was created from a small closet in the original bedroom, a leaky shower behind it, and an even tinier closet in the laundry room. Combining these areas gave me a much-needed storage space. I only moved some of the supplies from my old basement studio up to the new one. To this day, 12 years later, when I need something I first “shop” in the basement. I can usually find what I need there.

I keep a selection of wool and cotton fabrics and boxes of trims and tools stuffed on shelves. I also have some of my favorite toys and piles of old work here.

Right outside the closet door is my sink. All marble and shaped in a triangle, it was a lucky find at an antiques store. The plumbing already existed in that corner.

When you step into the working side of my studio you are entering the room addition. It has a very different kind of mood and creative energy.

I still have the worktable from my childhood and use it every day! It has become a study in little tools. Pencils, pens, scissors, clippers, tweezers, crochet hooks, needles, paintbrushes, glues, tapes, clips, turning tubes, knives, colored pencils, markers, pincushions, notebooks. Then there is the sewing machine and a few threads.

And nearby, another tray of silk threads sitting by the window. They make such a pretty picture but spend most of their life covered up to protect them from the sunny window.

My windowsill features more miniature scenes, vintage toys, and stuffed animals I have made.

Bookcases fill the space below the windows. These are filled with how-to books or, my favorite, books of folk art from many cultures around the world.

What doesn’t fit in here spills over into bookcases in other rooms of the house. Over all of this hangs a wool applique quilt of Newspaper Rock, a group of petroglyphs in Utah.

Another table offers room to actually put things together. All of my storytelling does require a cast of characters. That means dolls and costumes and backdrops. This is where the working side of the studio gets busy and, of course, very messy. No matter how simple the item I might be working on, it seems I need 20 different tools, a dozen fabrics and who knows what else.

I love getting ready for a photoshoot.

Everything looks so neat and orderly. The next day it is real again. Dollhouse-building is the messiest of all. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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he last wall on our tour has more books, more stages, more dolls and a door to the upper deck I imagined all those years ago. And feathers — because that job just never grows old.

An artist never retires. The work is mental as well as physical. As long as the gears in the head are spinning along, the imagination begs to be acknowledged. My imagination was my refuge during chemo treatments a couple years back. I didn’t have the energy to actually create anything, but I perused Pinterest as a diversion and surfed through Etsy for future dollhouse furnishings.

As I felt better, I started to work again. The more I worked, the better I felt. It is the best cycle to get into.

“You have to be odd to be number one.”

— Dr. Seuss

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www.janetbrandt.com Instagram: janet.brandt

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Through the LENS

Our Contributing Photographers

Sabreena Konsdorf Casey Rucinski Janet Carija Brandt

Casey is a lifestyle, family and branding photographer serving Indianapolis, Indiana, and the surrounding areas.

Driven by her passion for storytelling through the lens, she specializes in capturing authentic moments and relationships between individuals in the frame.

Casey’s work is a celebration of authenticity and human connection, capturing subjects in their natural environments with an unposed, documentary-style approach.

Brittany Swider For the past 18 years, Sabreena has been the creative force behind Photography by Sabreena, where she merges her passion for photography with her innate love for observing human connections. Sabreena’s signature style blends posed portraits with candid, unguarded moments, resulting in a gallery of images that reflects the authenticity and artistry of life’s most precious moments, presented with meticulous editing in vibrant color and timeless black and white.

WEBSITE: www.photographybysabreena.com

WEBSITE: www.caseyandhercamera.com INSTAGRAM: caseyandhercamera

Nicole Bedard Neile Cooper

Chandler Strange 100

Sara Larson Buscaglia

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Chandler Strange studied fine art and photography at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. She lived in New York City, where she worked in art and fashion, for 20 years. She now has two children and lives on a trout and flower farm in Durango, Colorado, where she continues her art career. Her work focuses on flowers, nature, portraits and animal life, mostly in watercolor, pencil and photography.

She is also a children’s book illustrator.

WEBSITE: www.chandlerstrange.com INSTAGRAM: cstrange27

Nicole Bedard is a Connecticut-based brand photographer, video storyteller and marketing strategist with over a decade of experience. She specializes in capturing imagery and videos that help creative entrepreneurs step out from behind their work to showcase their unique processes, enhance their visibility, and make their branding irresistible to their ideal clients.

She believes all creatives deserve to feel more confident, connect with more people, and create more of an impact in their industry.

WEBSITE: www.nbphotog.com INSTAGRAM: nbedardphotog

YOUTUBE: nicolebedardphotography

Eric Slomanson Christine Kristen, An Artist Lives Here

Eric is a San Francisco Bay Area photographer specializing in marketing and lifestyle photography, corporate events, trade show photography, portraiture and weddings. He is also a contract photographer for ZUMA Press. His work has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.

WEBSITE: www.slomophotos.com INSTAGRAM: slomophotos

Mel Hattie Julie Rosvall

Mel is a multidisciplinary artist and tea writer born in the Maritimes. She makes her living making photographs.

WEBSITE:

www.melhattie.com INSTAGRAM: melhadtea

Kristi Baker

Sarah Garman is a self-taught natural light photographer based in Northern Virginia. Sarah’s dedication extends beyond the click of the camera; she’s the photographer who becomes a friend, seamlessly blending into your moments, ensuring every image reflects the beauty of your unique narrative.

WEBSITE: www.purplefernphotography.com FACEBOOK: purplefernphotography

Laurie Anne Gonzalez While studying art in Birmingham, Alabama, Taylor lived in a loft building full of professional photographers. This had a lasting impact on him that led to a serious pursuit of photography in 2019. While his initial focus gravitated toward capturing the beauty of nature while camping, Taylor’s ultimate passion lies in capturing the energy and movement of people in his photographs.

WEBSITE: www.tbgonz.com INSTAGRAM: tbgonz

Andrea Michaud Birdie and Katie Willoughby, Pet Tales

Andrea Michaud is a multidisciplinary artist.

Hours spent in her father’s darkroom led to a Bachelor of Arts in studio art at St. Olaf College, as well as world travel and the innovative printing of her photographic images on paper, metal and marble. Andrea has worked in the corporate world of advertising, television and software development and produced a 35mm feature film (all while her bathroom was still serving as a darkroom).

Andrea has stepped out of the corporate world to return her focus to the often overlooked drama and humor in nature.

INSTAGRAM: michaudphoto

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Sarah Garman, Purple Fern Photography

Taylor Gonzalez

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Kathleen Gaffey Photography by Jean Lachat

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KATHLEEN GAFFEY, of Brim and Dash Millinery, is a maker and designer who transforms her love and passion into the making of beautiful and timeless hats. Born and raised in the Chicago area, she currently has her studio in the Chicago suburbs.

THROUGH MY

UNPLANNED CAREER JOURNEY

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as a professional women’s eveningwear designer, patterner, and seamstress, I spent years creating beautiful attire using fabrics and textures. Even as a child, I was drawn to sewing, spending hours designing clothing for my pet turtles.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in fashion/textile design, and winning awards for dress design, I took a class to learn the nanotechnique of incorporating wool into silk to create a new fabric. The class assignment was to mold the fabric over a wooden hat block and create a hat. This was my first introduction to millinery, and I quickly became addicted to learning old-world techniques and the art of hat making.

Despite the lack of online resources at the time, a few teachers across the country were gracious enough to share their knowledge.

It was challenging to find information, but with an abundance of milliners sharing their skills, there is a whole new generation of hatmakers.

I enjoy doing in-person trunk shows, especially when seeing someone who has never worn a hat find the perfect one — and a new hat lover walks away with a smile. While many of my hats are chic and sophisticated, I also take pleasure in creating westernstyle hats, being a cowgirl at heart. I believe that wearing a hat elevates one’s everyday look.

MY EXTENSIVE

KNOWLEDGE

AND EXPERIENCE IN HAT MAKING

has led me to share my passion and expertise with others. I’ve connected with hatmakers across the country and together we share secrets of sourcing and old-world techniques. I enjoy teaching others millinery and hat-making skills.

By definition, a “hatter” typically creates men’s hats, and a “milliner” creates women’s hats — both using different techniques and materials, many times overlapping.

A haberdasher is a trade that outfits the man, head to toe, although over the years it has taken on many similar definitions.

In addition to my love for making and selling hats, I’m determined to help others. I created the Emmy Gaffey Foundation to donate a percentage of my sales to support the Glenbard Parent Series, a program that helps young adults navigate this crazy world. Every dollar helps, and it goes directly to the speakers. This foundation honors my daughter, who passed away in 2013. This program is unique and helps so many young adults. I feel my daughter Emmy is an angel in heaven while helping young adults on earth.

From an accidental introduction to hat making to running a successful business and supporting a cause I believe in, it’s been a gratifying journey. I know the passion for what I do will live as long as I do. I feel it’s something in my blood, which I can never give up, and provides me so much fulfillment and happiness.

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“

”

The personality of the wearer and the hat makes the hat.

— PHILIP TREACY

MY STUDIO

IS MY HAPPY PLACE.

I often refer to it as a larger version of a box of 64 crayons. I have every color, texture and trim to create anything I dream of. My assistant is a 12-pound black fluff ball named George — although he’s pretty convinced the studio should close around his dinner time at 5 p.m.

I’m constantly learning and evolving into the best hatmaker I can be. I have gone to weeklong hat workshops to learn new techniques. In between meeting new people, new sources and new techniques, I’m figuring out this social media thing.

My design process usually starts with the color of the felt and the feel of the felt and trim. From there I design and create the best hat that complements the materials used. I rarely sketch a hat, and I usually don’t know what the hat will look like until it is finished.

109 when I couldn’t find the perfect hat. Teaching this design has been a fun and rewarding experience over the years.

My experience at a hat-making workshop in Pennsylvania recently, during a weeklong apprenticeship, was eye-opening. I learned how to make hats using traditional, hand-sewn techniques. Despite my existing millinery skills, there was still so much to learn about the craft. Working with beaver felt requires immense strength and patience, as it takes much more time to get the felt to cooperate.

Hand-sewing a beaver felt hat is a true labor of love, stitch by stitch.

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I love using natural fibers — felts from sustainable sources — and silks to create a gorgeous hat that my client will love forever.

I take pride in my vast collection of antique and new hat blocks that allow me to craft any hat design that I can imagine. Each hat is labor intensive and requires intricate hand-sewing to complete. As I continue to grow and evolve in this craft, I am always looking for new tools to collect and more efficient ways to construct hats. Felt is my preferred material, as I love the soft, steamed texture it provides.

One of my most popular summer designs is a raffia golf hat that I created many years ago

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I HAVE A FEW TIPS

FOR ASPIRING

MILLINERS:

and sequins. Working with these materials is truly a joy. To me, everyone looks better in a hat — but the right hat is essential.

Each hat can possess a unique tale. Some hats are passed down from long ago, such as those of a father or uncle. A well-made hat will pass the test of time through the generations.

I’ve been fortunate enough to hear many fascinating stories from people about their hats. The most recent anecdote was from someone who made friends with a Western movie star, only to receive his autographed hat in the mail weeks later, which was the topic of many conversations while they were together. Stories and events were documented inside this hat reflecting parts of their lives.

This got me thinking that every hat should have a story, and perhaps it should be documented inside the hat. Special hats become part of your persona and reflect your personality to others. It’s fun to imagine wearing a storybook on your head.

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Stay focused and true to yourself. Starting out as a milliner can be challenging, and it’s common to experience disappointment in the early stages.

Many of us work from home studios and begin by selling our creations at local shows under a tent.

Sometimes the only validity we receive for all the hard work is a sale. Some shows yield no sales, while others can be quite successful.

It’s important not to take slow days personally and avoid lowering prices in response. Instead, my advice is to stay true to your art and maintain your passion. With a little creativity, an older felt can be transformed into a brand-new style using a little steam and a different hat block, so don’t end up selling it off for peanuts.

I’m often asked why I don’t copy my best-selling hats. As an artist, I believe that replicating a design diminishes the depths of our creativity, given the countless ideas we have to offer.

Women frequently tell me that they lack the confidence to wear hats. I firmly believe that donning a hat can give you that extra self-assurance.

Not only that, a hat can elicit a smile from everyone who lays eyes on you. When I see someone who has taken the time and effort to look good, I believe it is a gift to everyone who sees her/him.

A gift to others, not just ourselves. A hat always elicits happiness, wherever you go. Hats are pure fun and it will show in your smile, which will be contagious!

As a bit of a history buff, I appreciate the role that hats have played in society since ancient times. From fashion to protection to social status, hats have served a variety of purposes and have been worn by people from all walks of life.

With my passion for felt and history, I make sure that my materials come from the best felt makers in the world, and my studio is brimming with colorful felt sample boards, feathers, ribbons

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Chri stina Flow ers

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CHRISTINA FLOWERS is a hard-edge abstract painter whose work explores liminal

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spaces such as the division between night and day, earth and sky, today and tomorrow. After studying architecture in Virginia and industrial design in California, she worked as a creative director in Aspen, Colorado, before finding her way back east to the Blue Ridge Mountains

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where she lives with her husband, two children, and their dog, Luna. Best known for her use of bold color, Christina has exhibited with galleries and exhibitions across the U.S., and her paintings are collected internationally.

S A CHILD, I was always drawn

to color. Looking back at photos, you will find a smiling 9-year-old wearing a hot pink beret, large sunshine-yellow clip-on earrings, and bright patterned leggings. At the time, I had little care about what anyone else thought about it; the color made me feel more alive.

I remember being drawn to pop art at a very young age — Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol … There must have been a field trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., because I still remember how seeing the work of these artists in person felt for me.

As I grew older, other artists were added to my list — Alexander Calder, Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso, Ellsworth Kelly, Helen Frankenthaler … and today, the list grows still to include many more female voices outside of the mainstream museums.

When it was time to think of my future beyond high school, and what I might major in, my family and I toured various colleges. My father tried to convince me to pursue medicine, and we looked at two options: pre-med and architecture. But now, he shrugs and says that as soon as he saw the way my eyes lit up when we walked into the architecture studios, he knew there was only one choice for me.

My memory of those studios is seeing student projects everywhere. It was controlled chaos in the way only creatives enjoy. I think someone may have even been sleeping under their desk.

The studio was alive with color, conversation and buzzing energy.

Attending architecture school gave me a wonderful appreciation for the physicality of making.

I learned screen printing, welding, woodworking, sculpture, photography — and to always, always have a sketchbook with me.

In 1996, I spent the summer working at an artist book press in Atlanta where I learned the art of bookbinding. Atlanta was the host city for the Olympics that year and we created gorgeous projects for the cultural Olympiad. I was very fortunate to be there during that exciting time.

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FTER ARCHITECTURE,

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I pursued a graduate degree — with a focus on industrial design — in Los Angeles and spent a few years living along the Pacific Coast. This was when I started my first business.

After a fashion designer was a guest professor in our studio, I was inspired to sew, and started designing handbags that sold in boutiques in Los Angeles. I learned a lot from that experience — but the mountains were calling, and once my master’s degree was complete, I moved with a friend to Aspen, Colorado.

I have always been drawn to mountain towns that combine culture and outdoor adventures, and living there in my 20s was endlessly inspiring. This is where I found my first full-time design job, and I was fortunate to work with many of the cultural and outdoor companies that called Aspen home. It is also where I met my husband, who loved adventure as much as I did and just so happened to be from a town only 30 miles away from where I grew up.

After a few years, we packed up our Colorado life and drove back across the country to Charlottesville, Virginia, where we live now, and where my career as an independent artist really began.

When I first moved to Charlottesville, I was introduced to a group of creatives through a mutual friend from architecture. We’d meet monthly at each other’s homes and share stories, challenges, and wins from our creative practices. At this time, my business was focused more on illustration, stationery and graphic design. We put on two shows a year at various spaces in town, and it was a fantastic way to get involved with the artistic community. Over time, with the pandemic and with many of us having children, the group morphed, but we managed to stay in touch.

Once pandemic restrictions relaxed a bit, I went out for coffee with one of those friends, and she told me about an opening at Malleable Studios, a local artist space run by a mutual friend. I had been craving a studio outside of my home, and I jumped at the chance. I knew it would fill quickly, and I was more than ready

for a new chapter. A week later, I signed on, and I’ve been here three years now!

The studio faces east, and natural light fills the space in the early morning. My painting space is an open two stories, and the top half of the east wall is entirely windows. There is a large garage door on the south wall directly beside my space. After having a home studio for so many years, the scale of this studio was intoxicating. I still get excited by the prospect of how large I can create here. Paintings that felt impossible before feel almost small on these walls.

My studio mates are all metalsmiths. I feel lucky to be painting among this thriving artistic community. It is refreshing and inspiring to be surrounded by creatives who approach art through an entirely different medium and at such a different scale.

When I moved in, my husband and I built extra studio walls and made sure to leave as much open wall space as possible for paintings.

We brought in tables and installed a hanging system.

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N UNEXPECTED SURPRISE is that we

get birds in the studio sometimes. They eventually find their way back out through an open window or door, but it feels special to have them flying by as I paint. I view them as a reminder of the influence behind all my work: the wonders of the natural world.

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Our studio is a few blocks from downtown Charlottesville. There is a farmers’ market across the street in the summer, and there are a variety of other businesses that share the large warehouse building with us.

Directly next to our studio is a coffee roaster. So, every morning as I paint, I get to smell the intoxicating smell of roasting coffee. It can be a bit of a tease as they don’t sell their coffee from this location, but I often take a midafternoon break with a studio mate or two and visit one of the many local coffee shops in town.

Being part of a collaborative studio has been amazing. We host open studios a couple of times a year. We’ve had creative meetings on the solstice and hosted art nights. There is always conversation on how to create more community and how to support each other in art and in life.

Right now, there are eight of us in this space, but rarely are we all ever here together. Art can be a lonely pursuit, and I find the vitality of the space increasingly important to the sustainability of my practice.

I try to keep my studio purely as a creative space where I paint, draw and experiment. I keep my computer work — editing photos, emails, website updates, etc. — for my home office.

This allows my head to stay clear and for me to be fully present in the moment while making. It is amazing what I can get done without distraction! I always find myself smiling when I walk out of the studio at the end of a good painting day, and my family loves that just as much as I do.

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VER THE YEARS, my work

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has evolved to incorporate story more and more. Although always inspired by nature and architecture, I started out with a graphic, hard-edge style that focused on clean lines and flat color. It was extremely satisfying for me to translate a concept from my brain to canvas.

I have never used tape in my process but instead enjoy breathing into the straight lines; it feels a bit like a slow-moving yoga pose.

As my work has progressed, I find myself embracing the human touches. I am still drawn to clean lines and strong forms, but I have learned to celebrate the unexpected — to see texture show through from the canvas or the imperfections of handmade paper … the way one color might bleed just a little into another and a stray paint splatter or brush stroke might be visible.

My current body of work, titled The Language of Form, originates from an exploration of architectural shapes symbolizing the evolving interaction between natural forces and external influences.

Having been drawn to color my whole life, I feel a natural confidence when it comes to using color boldly. I believe it is so important as an artist to trust yourself and be confident as you follow that inner guide. I am often told that my color choices are unexpected. I never knew what to make of that, as, for me, they are the exact color that is called for. But after a few arguments with my children, I have decided that I might just see color differently than most people, and that is an exciting discovery. It makes me consider color in an entirely new way, and that feels like a gift.

A benefit to having a studio outside my home is that I can welcome collectors into my space to see the paintings in person. I also work with multiple galleries and art consultants to sell my original paintings, create commissions for corporate projects and license prints. Nothing makes me happier than finding another of like mind to brainstorm and partner with for big projects.

Through art, I have met so many amazing artists and collectors. I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the U.S. and Europe with some of them. One of my future goals is to continue to travel through art residencies and other artistic pursuits.

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— Anita Desai

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“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

AS AN ARTIST AND INDEPENDENT BUSINESS OWNER, I have found that there are always highs and lows, and ebbs and flows, in my practice. Over the years I have found a few things that help me stay consistent and positive:

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I SURROUND MYSELF WITH SUPPORTIVE, INSPIRING PEOPLE.

Both physically and virtually. My family is endlessly encouraging. My studio mates are amazing, and I have multiple longdistance artist friends I meet with monthly via Zoom. We share wins, struggles, big goals and fresh perspectives.

3

I HAVE LEARNED THE POWER OF MANIFESTING. Every new year I list out

my dreams — big, small, and absolutely wild. It gives me clarity and a hopeful anticipation of things to come. I love to look back at my lists over the years and am always overwhelmed by how many of the dreams have come true.

I can honestly remember the first time I saw this magazine back in 2010. I was still dreaming of one day being a full-time artist with my own studio. Seeing other creative women and their spaces was truly such a gift.

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I PURSUE MULTIPLE OUTLETS TO SHARE MY WORK. It can be exhausting

being a solo artist/business owner.

You are the one who creates art (the amazing part), shares it with the world in person and online, corresponds with collectors, gives artist talks, teaches workshops, documents and shares the process, researches and pursues new opportunities, etc. (all the things).

Having support is essential. I love working with my galleries and art consultants who promote and share my work. I love when projects overlap, and one leads to another. It is refreshing to have people to bounce ideas off and who will take my art that is still fresh and fragile and celebrate it with the world in a way I can’t always do.

These relationships are essential for me.

I REMEMBER TO PLAY AND FIND TIME FOR EXPERIMENTATION. I’ve learned

to be OK with making art that never gets shared with anyone.

I TRY AND CELEBRATE MY WINS, EVEN THE TINY ONES. They’ve all been a result

of years of dreaming and building, failures and triumphs.

I GIVE BACK. It feeds my soul to know

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that my art has allowed me to support organizations I’m passionate about.

From local art nonprofits to nature organizations to women’s initiatives, and many others.

Being an artist has afforded me so many amazing opportunities, and I feel overwhelmed sometimes when I stop to think about it. I am very much looking forward to what is ahead and would love for you to join me!

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More on Christina

www.hellochristinaflowers.com Instagram: hellochristinaflowers Facebook: hellochristinaflowers

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Photography by Nicole Bedard

Artist NEILE COOPER has been creating illustrations of nature in stained glass since 1999. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the U.S., notably a large installation at the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Kentucky. She is perhaps best known for The Glass Cabin in the Woods, a small structure on the artist’s Sparta, New Jersey, property that is entirely clad with her artwork.

She is the author of Kicking Glass: A Creative Guide to Stained Glass (2022).

How do you HEAT it?

Do ANIMALS get in?

What do you do when it SNOWS? When you decide to build a freestanding cabin made entirely of stained glass, you’re going to field some questions about practicality.

What about HAIL???

Well, the problem’s actually not the hail, it’s the pinecones. My little glass cabin nestles under the boughs of an 80-foot Norway spruce, which drops droves of pinecones the size of squirrels. I must admit: When the wind gets blowing, I, too, have questions about the practicality of building a cabin studio entirely out of stained glass.

Truly, my little creative haven is IMPRACTICAL in many wonderful ways. It puts me out there in the middle of what inspires me. The fallen pinecones surround the cabin like a blanket, poked through with ferns and wildflowers. The rough-hewn wood staircase up to the door invites the growth of moss and mushrooms. Inside, the spiders are relentless, constantly spinning webs upon the cedar-branch rafters and birch-limb pillars. I’ve honored them with their own stained glass window — a magnified lattice of gossamer adorned with lenses of dew that throw rainbows when the light hits just right.

to be responding to emails; falling asleep to fireflies and waking to the early morning sun that sends me down to the lake for a swim. None of this is exactly practical.

Yet the cabin has become so important to me in practical ways, too. Most of my work both originates and concludes in there. Inside, you’ll find stacks of books that I pore over — tomes of poems, artwork, nature photography, and any other inspirations that I’m currently obsessed with. On the floor, you’ll find crumbs of erasers that result from my initial brainstorming, and designing and redesigning.

Every window begins with a sketch, then turns into a drawing and finally turns into a “cartoon” (the final pattern).

After the glass has been cut according to this cartoon, the cabin’s beautiful solitude is perfect for foiling and burnishing the glass pieces while cuddled up under a blanket. The cabin also serves as a wonderful backdrop in my photographs of finished projects when the sun is in just the right spot.

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The cabin is delightfully not hermetically sealed off from outside, from nature. When mice set up home in the drawers of my writing desk, I simply relocate them into the woods with a silent apology.

As I loll inside and sketch, or just drift, I might hear the peepers begin to peep in spring — or be startled by the bears ambling by in autumn. I love the boisterous company of the busy wrens who nest each year atop the cabin’s peak.

The creation of a space where I can make art is not a matter of practicality. An important part of my work as a stained glass artist is doing NOTHING. It’s time spent sitting, gazing out a window, doodling in a sketchbook, thinking things through, or not thinking at all.

It’s walking, seeking and stumbling on and off paths; almost tripping over a trove of morel mushrooms when the dogwood blooms, or being startled by a new fawn camouflaged by the sunlight dappling through the leaves above. It’s drifting off in a cozy stained glass cabin when I had intended

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“When you enter your studio YOU DON A NEW SET OF CLOTHES, metaphorically. You take off your everyday clothes and put on ROYAL GARMENTS AND ROBES suitable for stepping into an ancient court that allows you to commune with ANGELS, ANCESTORS, OTHER ARTISTS, AND YOURSELF.”

— JERRY SALTZ

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reating stained glass artwork is a series of steps and constraints, and my larger studio setup reflects this. Each project moves between several locations, including not only the cabin, but also my year-round basement workspace and my warm-weather garage space, as well as some comfy couches where I can complete some “mindless” steps while bingeing TV series. Between each of these steps, I find myself carrying various stages of projects across the yard to my other spaces.

Inside the house, my basement studio has what I need for the messier stages of construction. A large worktable for laying out, selecting, experimenting with and cutting the multitudes of colorful textured glass that comprise my projects. A well-lit corner where my glass grinder lives, and a nearby hook for the headphones that keep me entertained by podcasts and audiobooks during my endless hours at that machine. And sturdy racks and racks and racks of glass sheets — stunning works of art in themselves, sourced from wonderful family-owned factories in Pennsylvania, Seattle, and Germany.

Though it is a basement space (remaining a relatively comfy temperature throughout the year), it has not only a cozy fireplace, but also a large window looking down on the backyard slope toward the glass cabin. My workbench faces the steel-paned window, so it’s not uncommon for me to be gluing pattern templates to glass while a white-tailed deer lounges in the pachysandra just a foot or two away.

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hanges and additions to my studio space reflect my evolution as an artist. Most of 2021 was devoted to my largest project to date, a 197-square-feet installation for the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. A project this size required me — for the first time in my career — to hire several assistant artists, and to find work space where they could solder and polish. But as I explored nearby spaces for lease, I realized how important my intimate home studio is to my workflow, so I decided to repurpose our garage for the project.

Once a dust-filled storage spot, cluttered up the walls and into the rafters, this space could be upgraded to an airy, light-filled studio annex. It would allow me to continue working the artist’s

“any hour of the day” schedule that my home studio fosters, while providing non-encroaching space for my assistants. So, I rented a storage unit, emptied everything out of the garage, painted the interior a warm white, and created a roomy studio with adjustable workbenches. Best of all, I tore out the old garage door and replaced it with a custom-built steel French door constructed to the same specifications (20-inch square glass panels) as the large commission.

Not only would this provide lots of natural light whether open or closed, but it would also allow me to place 12 stained glass panels at a time (out of a total of 65) to check for continuity. I now have such fond memories of sharing time with those awesome artists, with the doors swung wide open during beautiful weather. These days, I still look forward to working in this space.

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he very acts of creating the stained glass cabin and the garage studio space have changed the nature of the artwork that I create.

Once the Maker’s Mark project was completed, I filled the empty garage door with a project created JUST FOR ME — the Alpine Posy. It’s a bouquet of oversized stained glass feathers, to which I’ve soldered little vases and beakers that can be filled with specimens — flowers, feathers, pebbles and other artifacts — that I find on my adventures. More publicly, the social media attention of the cabin has brought clients who commission me based on the themes found in its panels.

Additionally, I’ve been graced by a group of benefactors who initially helped me financially to construct the cabin, and now help me to maintain it (as nature inevitably gnaws away) through my Patreon account. I’ve had fun trying to show gratitude to these patrons, creating prints, stickers, sketches and patterns of my artwork exclusively for them.

My studio and my artwork continue to evolve.

I’ve packed away the E-Z UP tent that protected me during summers of craft shows. I’ve shuttered the successful Etsy jewelry store that provided much of my income back when the site was a new outlet for handcrafters. I’ve made room for the lights, cameras and tripods that I use to maintain a rich

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More on Neile

www.glasscabinstudio.com Instagram: neilecooper

Scan here to follow Neile on Instagram.

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Instagram presence. I’ve added a few computer screens that I use in writing such projects as my instructional book, Kicking Glass. I’ve invested in oversized printers and scanners for the reproducing of the patterns that I sell to other crafters on Etsy.

I’ve indulged in commissions that challenge me, and I’ve turned away from projects that don’t align with my vision and pace. This evolution has allowed me to endure as an artist.

Ultimately, though, it’s my little cabin that both inspires and manifests my voice. The rhythms of this singular plot of land — cycles of ebb and flow, hustle and idleness — that I see through the cabin’s windows. The comfort of creating something just for me. The realization of “my place,” where I can work — or not work.

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ARTISANAL JOURNEYS CURATED BY ISABELLE FISH

PHOTO BY ERNEST CADEGAN

Julie Rosvall PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEL HATTIE

Atlantic Canadian textile artist and printmaker JULIE ROSVALL learned to weave in Saint John, New Brunswick, and moved on to spinning, dyeing, knitting and printmaking in her current home of Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

She uses the medium of printmaking to preserve texture and pattern. Julie knits swatches of found patterns or complete lace shawls, starching them to begin the process of capturing their textures and details on paper through collagraphs and soft ground copper etchings.

I HAVE ALWAYS HAD AN INTEREST

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in mark making on paper, and for many years envisioned using textiles to emboss paper. After seeing the work of printmaker Betty Goodwin in 2010, I was inspired to explore soft ground etchings with my knitted swatches.

In my process of creating soft ground copper etchings, and printing from the copper plate, I begin with knitting and starching the lace. I then prepare a copper plate, deburring the edges, filing them smooth so they don’t cut the paper, wet sanding through multiple grits, polishing the plate and degreasing it. That clean surface is then coated with a soft ground, an asphaltum and beeswax coating.

The knitting is then placed on the coated plate and put through the press. The knitting leaves an impression in the wax. After further protecting the areas that I don’t want to etch with a vinyl backing and Sharpie, I etch the plate in ferric chloride. This etches the plate anywhere the knitting made that impression in the wax, creating the image that will be inked, and then printed on paper.

Constraints of space and materials have further stretched my techniques to include direct textile relief prints, so that I can work with larger textile pieces that would otherwise be too cumbersome or expensive to accommodate.

Having the opportunity to combine the two mediums that I love most is a great privilege. Elissa Barnard of NS reviews captured why I choose to print knits in a 2022 review of my work: “The prints are a story of pattern and imagery holding and memorializing the original.”

From ISABELLE FISH: In preparation for our trip to Nova Scotia, I put an open call on Instagram for local studios interested in welcoming us in their space and sharing their savoir faire with us. Julie Rosvall was the first to answer. Every interaction with her has been an opportunity to reflect on the values of craft and the intricacies of creating a piece. Julie’s work is often a narrative of her personal story. So it is with respect and gentleness that we should approach her work.

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T H E C R E AT I O N O F W O R K I S inherently risky. As we explore and push the boundaries of our skills and equipment, there are bound to be unexpected outcomes. In the creation of my recent Arts Nova Scotia-supported body of work Contexture, a series of prints that is a culmination of my interest in textiles and mark making to preserve the textures and patterns of knit and fabric, I experienced challenges due to the size of the work I was creating.

As large pieces of paper went through the press, there was shifting, causing creases on the last onethird of the print. I spent time with my longtime mentor, established printmaker Bonnie Baker, fine-tuning the printmaking process to eventually have successful outcomes, but in the process created several large-scale proofs of the works that had creases in a small part of the print.

These proofs are the catalyst for a new body of work, I am Torn and I am Mended. This series will explore ways to salvage those creased prints of textiles by mending them, similar to the way you would repair a torn or lovingly worn textile. I will expand on this concept by seeking out handmade garments and textiles — at secondhand stores, flea markets or from members of my community — that have been discarded due to damage or wear that make them, like the creased prints, appear to be worthless.

For me, these areas of wear are a metaphor for my own relationship with my body, and my ability to create work as a textile artist and printmaker. As someone who lives with a genetic condition that impacts my mobility, day-to-day health and risk of injury, I see myself in those threadbare pieces.

With each injury mended, scars and staples added to my physical body, holding things together and extending my usefulness, perhaps not as I was originally created.

MY INTENTION WITH THIS body of work is to ask the viewer to interpret those layers of repair and mending as second chances, or things that make you stronger. A reframing of what might once have been considered unsalvageable, but which now is given the care required to extend its life.

The inclusion of found textiles will provide the viewer the opportunity to imagine the history of the textile piece. Whose hands worked the needle, thread or loom to create the original piece? Was it passed down through generations? Was the wear incurred through years of use, or one damaging event?

In most cases it will be impossible to know the answers, but the viewer can imagine the possibilities, and appreciate the care that has been taken with each textile.

Through this process of printing, found or gifted textiles preserve their story — even if we are not privy to narrative. The textiles are handmade, a marker of time and the place where they’re from.

The body of work I am Torn and I am Mended will have two components. I will begin with a found textile garment that I will starch to make stiff so that it is easier to be mounted for the viewer to see the details. The focus will be on the wear or damage, a hole or an edge unraveled.

The starched textile will be printed using either a direct textile relief process, or a more technical soft ground copper etching, depending on the size of the piece.

The damaged area of the textile in the print will be embellished with either duplicate stitch or basic visible mending directly onto the paper. The mended section will be duplicated or impressed on a prepped copper plate and etched. That small etching will then be printed on a blank piece of paper that will be stitched into the damaged area of the textile object.

The result will be a diptych with one piece being the printed textile with embellishment, and the other being the textile itself with its printed repair on paper.

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THE MAJORIT Y OF THE WORK a three-tub stainless sink with cold water only, a

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takes place in my studio in the Gaspereau Valley.

Thanks to the community of printmakers, studios and colleges who have invited me into their printmaking shops to learn and explore, I’ve had the opportunity to see the different ways artists work.

There is Bob Morouney of Hidden House Press, where everything is in its place, and Bob Hainstock the printmaker, whose workspace is much more organic. The precision and orderliness of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and the printshop at Sunbury Shores are something to strive for. The sense of community at Liz Shepherd’s studio in Boston, Massachusetts, and Th’YARC Printshop in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, will keep me coming back. When visiting Rabbittown Press in Fredericton, New Brunswick, I am reminded that bigger isn’t always better.

Over the past decade, I have added several large work surfaces, an etching press with 29” wide bed,

floor and rigid heddle loom, spinning wheel, textile and printmaking books galore — and incredible scenery. The space is light-filled both from the windows at each end, and abundant overhead and task lighting.

Each piece of equipment, every detail of the space, has a story behind it. My press was built by a friend who is an engineer, machinist and expert scrounger; the wheel on the press is a boat wheel from another good friend.

I can’t wait to share the space and the stories with visiting artists and collectors.

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More on Julie

www.rosvall.ca Instagram: julierosvall Facebook: julierosvall Twitter: julierosvall

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Curator ISABELLE FISH is a craft ambassador and founder of The Club,

by Rue Pigalle, a club for women patrons of craft. She shares: “I believe in the intrinsic value of manual intelligence, and in the important role that artisans play in their communities. Nurturing craftspeople helps create a kinder and more connected society.” www.ruepigalle.ca

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Birdie

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and Katie Willoughby

Photography by Andrea Michaud

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Hi! My name is Birdie.

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I am a black Lab and a studio dog. My mom, Katie Willoughby, is an artist. She paints and makes sculptures in Maitland, Florida. We live with my human sisters and Katie’s husband — he’s human, too.

Our family has had a lot of pets (too many, some might say) so my dad suggested we make some. This is how our art animal menagerie began. Katie sculpts them out of clay, then fires, paints and fuses beeswax on them and hangs them on the wall. She seems to want a real lot of pets around, even though I am the best one. She has me model on occasion. I enjoy the attention for a while, but then I go to sleep.

Most days my mom gets my human siblings off to school then we spend an hour walking around our neighborhood. We walk by a few creeks — one that has birds and occasionally river otters and alligators!

They’re cute but creepy … so we don’t go near the water.

It’s very hot where we live, so afterward I jump into the cement pond at home and do a few laps. I fell in when I was a puppy, so it took me two years to try again. Now I love to swim. I still don’t submerge my head — I just drop my ball in and make the people fetch it from the bottom so they can throw it again.

That’s why I call it fetch. This is my favorite game.

Sometimes they seem worn out, which is weird. It really never gets old for me.

While I swim, Katie kills some plants and waters others. She calls this gardening. Afterward, I bring my very wet self in for a treat and sleep while Katie works. Upon waking, I stand guard at the window to watch for squirrels … because you can’t be too careful. She lures them back with raw almonds, but I give them the stink eye to let them know who is really running the show around here — ME. And I say: NO SQUIRRELS! I am currently sharing the house with two parakeets and four chickens. We’ve tried having them ride around on my back, but they don’t appreciate it. After a few minutes they fly away to focus on hanging out on curtain rods or clucking around in the yard. So, if Katie wants a painting or a sculpture of us together, she lets us sit separately. The fact of the matter: Birds are annoying (although I do love scrambled eggs).

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In the afternoon,

we go on another walk to visit my cousin dogs four doors down. They like to swim and hunt lizards with me. When Katie makes sculptures of them, she works from pictures because they lick her too much to get any art made. Not everyone is as good a model as I am.

Sometimes I ride in the car with Katie to Winter Park, about 10 minutes away, where she sells her sculptures at a cool shop/gallery called Haven Uncommon Goods. It’s right next to a giant park, so I really enjoy these important work errands.

Back at home when Katie takes a break to look up pictures on her phone, I get fully in her lap. You really can’t get too close in my opinion.

Katie used to leave all day to teach art. Her school closed during the pandemic, so my people added a studio onto the house. Now she can make and teach here. I really prefer the togetherness of it all.

In the summer they load me into the car, and we all drive to Sewanee, Tennessee, to visit family and our friends on a sheep farm.

The sheep freak me out, but everyone says they are beautiful. Katie likes painting and photographing the sheep almost as much as she does me. When we are up there, I get to hike and chase deer and lightning bugs. The mountains are great but when summer ends I have to get back to my station in the art studio before the squirrels take over!

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More on Katie

www.katiewilloughby.com Instagram: katiewilloughbyart Pinterest: katiewilloughby

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Rehab Vintage Market

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Shop quality vintage home and studio furnishings, decor, heirlooms, antiques and unique finds at Rehab Vintage Market’s retail location in Melbourne, Florida, or their online shop.

Check out their in-store events, classes and book signings, too. Just scan the QR code for details.

ARTXTILES was founded with the vision that beautiful art should be a functional part of our everyday loves. Artist and designer Sarah Sczepanski transforms her one-of-akind monotype prints into beautiful, modern textiles for the home.

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Artists Rising Retreats Abstract Immersive Collections With Jodi Ohl Glastonbury, Connecticut September 22–26, 2024

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The Creatives Classroom Roxanne Evans Stout

Let Roxanne help you find your magic! Her online workshops are filled with an abundance of ideas and creativity and she shares some of her favorite techniques and processes — all from her very own studio. Each workshop is pre-recorded and downloadable. They are self-paced so that you can view them at your convenience. It will be as if you are sitting beside Roxanne as you create together!

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WHAT’S YOUR

Our studio companions come in all shapes and sizes.

We’d love to hear the story of your loyal assistant!

PET’S TALE?

Introduce us to your studio companion by sending us a Pet Tales submission today: https://womencreate.com/submissions/

KRISTI BAKER, P74

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