Glimpses from the final 20 minutes of this 2-day event…
I couldn’t get over how real Annie Burke’s petals looked. She said she used to sculpt flowers out of sugar in her previous line of work, so it was a natural progression into clay. I dug a little deeper and went to her website. Wow! What eye candy it is. And more amazing flower petals. Here’s a look…
Next to Annie was another beautiful display of natural artwork by Laura Yeats:
Again, I was quite impressed upon looking up her website to learn more. You’ve got to go read about what she does and how she does it.
I transform fallen, diseased and unwanted trees into sculptural objects and to works on paper. You’ll see piles of logs, root balls and gnarled limbs surrounding my studio. As I roll them around to study them, I wait patiently for my inspiration to be provoked – as if the tree itself may speak to me! I make exploratory cuts trusting that I will stumble upon what form will best express this tree’s inner beauty.
My foray into printmaking began just a couple of years ago and inevitably the trees became my primary subject matter. I found that the figure ground relationship of the paper to the growth rings resembled other familiar visual patterns, like thumbprints and city street maps.
The prints are visually pleasing as well as striking depiction of the tree’s history. I’m also finding that the process itself is reinforcing the narrative I have long held about co-creating with the trees. I see the growth rings as patterns that weave into metaphors for loss, existence and the web of connection.
After perusing Emmy’s Fabled Flora site, I learned she isn’t even here full-time anymore. She used to be a teacher at Salmonberry when our kids went there. Now she is married and, well, I’ll let her site tell the story…
In 2022, Emmy relocated to Port Townsend, WA on the Olympic Peninsula to be closer to family. Fabled Flora found a bigger home in an old net mending field on Hastings and Howard. She lives with her husband and their Maine Coon in a school bus home in a pasture with some sheep and a pony.
But so fun that you’re still visiting here, Emmy!
And while this was the end of the evening, and many of Tabitha’s creations had sold, it led me to her site about her yoga teaching…
And then to a review of Tabitha’s yoga instruction:
I’ve been practicing yoga for a few years now and have experimented with many styles and instructors and find Tabitha to be among the best. She has an ease and grace about her that sets the tone for a peaceful flow. I enjoy her ability to guide classes with a focus on the breath and a mindfulness of our bodies possibilities and limitations. She reminds me how important it is to honor ourselves in practice and in life. Her style is adaptable for any level of experience and she incorporates many different styles of practice, I especially love her vinyasa and restoratives – not to mention her monthly wellness retreats (yoga + hike + picnic + community). I remind myself often of the simple mantra that she shares at the end of every class “may you always be mindful of your words, thoughts and actions” this rings near and dear to my heart as it’s a beautiful gesture to our inner selves and reminder to be compassionate to all.
One of my favorite vendors at this annual event is Margaret Schafer with her Ibis Element jewelry. It’s not every day that you come across bronze in the shape of cicadas, beetles, and fireflies, to name a few. I didn’t take photos of Margaret’s creations because I was so busy looking at a phenomenal beetle ring she had for sale, so here are some shots from her Etsy store…
And surely you have seen Zack Leck’s work all over the island, from the ferry landing Kelp Kraken to the Village Green playground. Here is one of his creations that was outside the Orcas Winery…
Having grown up in a creative household – blacksmith father, textile artist mother – I have always been engaged with the making of things both practical and artistic. I started blacksmithing after watching my dad at work in the backyard. During high school, I began receiving commissions that I executed after hundreds of hours in his shop. This has been my avocation and my livelihood ever since. I love the directness of smithing. It’s truly a spontaneous, hands-on process that yields immediate and tangible results. The history is fascinating, and I’m very pleased that more people are rediscovering and appreciating this ancient craft.
The fun things you encounter at the Orcas Winery’s Solstice Mercantile.
