In Ruth's own words: "I am happy to introduce you to my art and my passions. My love of creating jewelry has been a journey of many years.  The bulk of my work is now in the realm of traditional Silversmithing  skills.  I also have many years of experience using and teaching Precious Metal Clay and Classical Wire Wrapping.

In my Silversmith work, I love to use unusual, beautiful natural stones which I get from some of the best lapidary artists in the U.S., for the creation of one of a kind settings in silver and/or copper.

I also have a passion for teaching the amazing versatility that Precious Metal Clay (PMC) offers, and the precise finessing of wire, to build beautiful classic settings in the art of Wire Wrapping."

Ruth is a very adventurous soul, whose life experiences have included:

1) swimming as a mermaid in underwater shows at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida

2) working with the Flipper dolphins at Miami Seaquarium

3) living in Hawaii, setting National age-class records in P...

Laurel's art has always consumed her life and living space.  Over the years she has discovered that the better organized she is, the easier it is to produce art.  In her adolescent years her studio consisted of her bedroom in her parents' home.  To her mothers horror, the room was covered in speckles of airbrush paint, giant stacks of papers, canvases and all manner of unorganized art supplies that had no place to be stored.   Since those days, every new space she moves into is evaluated, not for the size of kitchen, or value of neighborhood, but for its use as a functional art studio.   

Straight out of college she found the cheapest apartment that had the biggest living/dining room square footage so she could get the largest workbench possible.  That workbench was a full sheet of plywood, 8ft by 4 ft, which was held up by paper drawers.  It consumed the room, and  in the corner she had the tiniest loveseat that none of her friends ever wanted to cras...

“My super power is making people smile and/or laugh through visual storytelling.”

Judy’s whimsical silk paintings combine layers of color, texture and magical creatures from Octopus, to Polar bears, to Cat royalty and even a snorkeling Boston Terrier. One of her favorite works tells the story of a young girl, her dog and pet chicken riding a turtle on a voyage to the bottom of the sea.

 “I love the joy of children’s imaginations. Of course it is possible to ride a turtle to the bottom of the ocean.”

Judy spent most of her early artistic life, drawing and painting watercolors. She became attracted to the vibrant colors of silk painting by silk scarves her mother-in-law was painting.

“When paint touches the silk it flows in its own rhythm.”

 One day browsing online she found an amazing silk painter in Port Angeles, Karen Sistek.

“I asked her to teach me everything she knew. It was wonderful. I was so excited by her studio, that it took me until noon before I looked out the window and saw the v...

Buffie is our fabulous textile artist. She creates colorful art quilts that are full of light, and capture the depth of her subject. Her art quilts range from landscapes, to people, to poetry. In each quilt, Buffie finds a way to express the quality of light using a non-translucent material. Her technique of collaging layers of fabrics give a unique style to her quilts.

Buffie’s current favorite work, Moroccan Rugs, gives the viewer the illusion of walking up a flight of blue stairs through brilliantly colorful orange and red detailed hanging rugs:

Buffie spent most of her early life painting. She took art classes in college, then one day, she happened to watch Sewing with Nancy on PBS, featuring landscape quilting. “I thought 'I can do that,' and I have never looked back. My Mom sewed a lot. Being raised around a sewing machine gave me the confidence to explore
my exciting new passion.”

“I thought '

I can do that,'

& I have never

looked back."

Buffie’s muses are her mom and her sister w...

“It started with a hummingbird…”

Rebecca spent her days as a small child, drawing and doodling, covering every surface with her art. During her high school years, she drifted away from doing art - until a hummingbird brought her back.

“When I began painting again at 66 I tried painting realistically.  A close friend was losing her battle with breast cancer, and I came to stay with her to help.  She was very weak and could do nothing but sit and watch tv and her beloved hummingbirds feeding outside her window.  I was having a hard time coping with the thought of losing her, needing something to occupy my mind and wanted to do something , anything to bring her even the tiniest bit of joy.  I decided to paint a hummingbird for her.  I went on YouTube and watched a tutorial and painted that hummingbird.  She died not long after.  I began painting obsessively as a catharsis.  4 years later I am still painting obsessively.  There isn’t a day that goes by that she isn’t on my mind.  Painting is...

As the holidays approach, now is the time to think about the "DIY" part of gifting.  Carving one linoleum block can produce hundreds of gifts.  Greeting cards, gift tags, bunting flags, and even your own wrapping paper - all can be created with lino blocks!  Here is a quick guide to make a basic linoleum ("lino") block carving.

You will need:

• Lino block - for this article, I used "speedy cut." It's great for beginners, & cuts very easily. (Found at art/craft stores)

• Lino cutter handle & nibs - I find having small, medium and large nibs suits my needs best. (Found at art/craft stores)

• Ink - you can use a stamp pad if your image is small enough, or you can use a block printing ink.

• Brayer - If you're using an ink (rather than a stamp pad), you will need a brayer to roll out the ink. A brayer is a very smooth, solid roller, that will apply even pressure across your carving, so that you get a nice crisp finish! (Found at art/craft stores)

I begin by creating a...

In this installment of "Meet the Artist," we're taking a look at founding member, Janet Scrader!

 Janet’s imagination lights up the gallery with her amazing art glass collections of colorful jellyfish, frogs, jewelry, glass dishes, rocks and coral reefs.

“With fused glass I can make anything."

Janet’s creative journey of almost 40 years has taken her from stained glass to fused glass, from the U.S. to Italy and to Australia.

“I started working with stained glass in 1979. In 1988 I discovered fused glass  and fell in love with dichroic glass. Dichroic glass is made by a process that allows the glass to transmit and reflect light at the same time. Giving the artwork a vibrant light that makes the glass look like it is glowing from the inside. “

Janet has studied glass making in the United States, and twice in Italy with an Art Glass Master.  She has won many international Art Glass awards . Janet is the author of 14 books on her Art Glass techniques. She has taught her method in the United S...