Amy Lancaster
Most of my creations are inspired by the ocean and sea life. Many pieces were made after an awesome and inspiring trip to “The Big Island” Hawaii. www.amylancasterpottery.com
Most of my creations are inspired by the ocean and sea life. Many pieces were made after an awesome and inspiring trip to “The Big Island” Hawaii. www.amylancasterpottery.com
Photos of off the beaten path sculpture and architecture in Texas and beyond. www.danwestfall.com
The Silver Acorn
We all have the desire to belong and to connect. From the first cave drawings to today’s company logos or school mascots, we have used shared symbols to communicate with each other, form social and religious communities, remember together, comfort or inspire each other, and share our life stories. Symbols reflect what we are often unable to put into words. I collect symbolic antique and vintage wax stamps, wax seals from antique documents, and intaglios from the Grand Tour, from which I handcraft beautiful symbolic fine silver and bronze wax seal jewelry that has unique meaning or enduring symbolism. www.thesilveracorn.com 281-794-1180
After spending twelve years in the software industry, with the last two years of it working remotely with my work desk right next to my jeweler’s bench, I feel extremely blessed to be able to pursue my true passion of jewelry making full-time. I love the nature of the handmade process with every piece differing slightly with its own variations and beauty. The Japanese refer to this as wabi sabi – a beauty of things imperfect. It’s the appreciation of the quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object.
Currently residing in Katy, just outside of Houston, Texas, I design and handcraft each piece in my home studio, with the support of my loving husband, my inquisitive stepdaughter, and two loyal, but lazy dogs by my side.
Monique Weston Jewelry
I create remarkable jewelry from antique and vintage architectural elements, including hinges, keyholes, chandelier parts and doorbells. I also repurpose musical instruments, clock-parts, vintage tools and postage stamps. I search high and low for castoff pieces of the past, then reinvent them. I frame them in classical jewelry settings, to highlight their hidden and often unintended beauty. The result is a striking and adventurous synthesis of industrial strength, history and glamour.
moniqueweston.com @moniquewestonart facebook.com/MoniqueWestonArtJewelry
I am a landscape and nature photographer living in Houston, Texas. My goal is to seek out inspiring rural locations and subjects, either natural or man-made, and capture them with the medium of photography to create fine art of the highest quality. http://www.herschbachphotography.com 713-454-9468
I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma and spent my childhood playing outdoors in the woods, fields, streams, and lakes. I have never much cared for the hustle and bustle of city life. My inspiration comes from my time spent walking, running, biking, riding, and driving the back roads where relatively few travel. Open pasture instead of parking lots. Silos instead of skyscrapers. Barns instead of strip malls. Hills and mountains instead of overpasses and super domes. The rural areas speak to me.
I became interested in art at a young age. My Aunt bought me Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad for my birthday when I was twelve and it taught me the fundamentals of creating a three dimensional world on a two dimensional piece of paper. In Junior High, I took a year of private instruction from a local acrylic painter who worked with wildlife and landscapes. During this time I also was taking piano lessons and even taught myself to play the harmonica and the guitar. I grew to enjoy and become skilled in various arts.
Throughout this time I had experimented in photography, from my first 110 film camera given to me by my first grade teacher, to the Minolta SLR I chose as a high school graduation present. However, it wasn’t until December of 2009 that I began to take photography more seriously when I decided that I would like to create some artwork to hang on the walls in our home. In order to do this, I knew that I had to develop a strong foundation for the technical aspect of photography and to continue developing my artistic eye and mind, which I had already begun years before.
I began scouring the internet and reading every book I could get my hands on and watching countless hours of videos on image processing. I submitted select photos for critique by professional photographers. I took on voluntary photography projects at work and at my church to learn how to use light effectively and picked up some small family portrait jobs here and there for family and friends. With every photograph I created, I grew closer to being able to use photography as not just a way to capture a beautiful scene or subject, but as a viable method of communicating emotion, a fundamental principle of fine art. While I understand that mastery of any genre of art is subjective and, at best, difficult to attain, I wish to share with you the artwork that I create along the way as I work toward this goal.
by Steve Sellers
Unique design in women’s jewelry using, the finest stone and pearls available, and .925 sterling silver. 713-385-0459
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I’m an old hippie whose jewelry making began 20 years ago when on a dare my wife signed me up for a beginner beading class at a local bead shop. I was hooked pretty quickly and began making women’s jewelry using silver, stone and crystal beads and constantly learning techniques to make better pieces. While beading is still a passion, most of my work now is with chain and wire wrap.
Five years ago on yet another dare, I began making rings from old silver coins. I don’t cut or solder the coins. One coin makes one ring and the detail from both sides of the coin is preserved and visible. I fell in love with working metal, and am constantly learning new techniques and exploring the boundaries of turning old coins into cool jewelry. Taking something like a 100-year-old coin and turning it into something it was never intended to be has been an unbelievably rewarding journey, and I love that the possibilities are endless.
Natalie P Robinson
Peculiar Sentiments boasts of completely unique, handcrafted leather cuffs, bib necklaces, and a variety of jewelry and accessories made from repurposed and found items. Though some of our jewelry features unique new pieces, our love is for vintage jewelry, antique buttons, repurposed hardware, pocket watch parts, clock pieces or any other re-loved and re-discovered treasures, clustered together for a vintage look. Each piece carries its own delightful story. Every cuff is unique, featuring focal pieces carefully selected and clustered into an exquisite work of wearable art. www.PeculiarSentiments.com instagram.com/peculiarsentiments 936-870-6993
An artisan, photographer and entrepreneur, Natalie has been creating unique designs since she was 13 years old. Repurposing anything and everything from jewelry, furniture, clothing, and even recipes, Natalie’s driving passion is to turn something old and loved into something new and beautiful, while preserving the heart and soul of the original piece.
In October 2012, Natalie launched her business, Peculiar Sentiments. Creatively combining her only available resources: her courage and creativity, a stock of remnant leather, and vintage jewelry from her late grandmother she began creating unique handcrafted cuff bracelets. Encouraged by her family, friends, and customers, Natalie began expanding her repertoire beyond cuff bracelets, to include bib necklaces, earrings, hats, and much more.
Nancy and Tuz Adams at TheTinArmadillo.com
We take the ordinary tin can and elevate it into an unusual and beautiful piece of art with the help of a torch and hand molding. Every item is hand-cut with no patterns creating a patina and shape unique to that particular can. Just like the armadillo….he’s an enjoyable mystery! Lanterns create elegant illuminations…Planter/windchimes sound from lids…Creatures that make you chuckle….and sculpture you simply enjoy either inside or out in the garden. All cans are donated…creating a circle of useful life for Mr.Tin. TheTinArmadillo.com 713-303-5279
Back in the early Seventies, during Earth Day’s inception, I was a young teen experimenting with torches and metal…copper, tin, brass etc. I came upon the idea of working with the cans, and it evolved into creating saleable pieces, for which I traveled to juried shows that eventually paid my way through The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Flash forward nearly forty years. Yikes! We still have far too many cans going into the trash… My husband bought me a torch for Valentine’s day so we could resurrect my tin art and create new and more mature refined pieces for the twenty-first century.
The Fish Sculpture on our website is an original, now literally a timeless antique!