Welcome to the 4th Annual Small Craft Advisory, brought to you by many of the same folks who started the Stanwood – Camano Island Mother’s Day Studio Tour.
We wanted to highlight artistic craft of the region, from woodworking to Native American craft, pottery to sculpture and much much more. Our goal is to convince you that the divide between art and craft is illusory. Fine craft IS fine art.
We’ve assembled 17 artists and their craft for a two-day exhibition, Saturday, September 30th, and Sunday, October 1st, 11am-4pm both days, with no admission fee, and no hard sell. In fact, some of the work isn’t for sale, only for show.
Who is in the show:
Jack Archibald – Website
Jack is a stained glass artist specializing in large scale public artworks. Over the past three decades he has been involved in a wide range of public installations ranging from fire station headquarters, courthouses, colleges and universities, public schools, hospitals, transportation centers, airports, libraries, universities, regional justice centers, historic district renovations, visitor centers, city halls, state patrol headquarters, community centers and many other public agencies from Alaska to Florida.
Charlie Bigger
Ceramics, sculpture
Marc Boutte
Blown-glass
Monika DeNasha
Native American clothing + crafts
Mark Eikeland
Ceramics
Persis Gayle
Ceramics, porcelain, stoneware
Jack Gunter
Collected works of the author, Jack Gunter: Including eight novels, Why I Act The Way I Do, an illustrated storytelling machine, Secrets Of The Mount Vernon Culture, an illustrated museum catalog, and A Pictorial History Of The Pacific Northwest Including The Future.
Peter Hall
Boat building, furniture
Chuck Hamilton
I got into woodworking about 30 years ago, mainly making furniture. Signature pieces include an elliptical cherry table with an inlayed chess board, a rocking horse for my kids, and a small child’s rocker for my younger son. The rocker involved a lot of lathe work. Turning always intrigued me. It’s amazing that you can take a plain piece of wood and turn it into something beautiful by making it shaped and round. As time went on, I gravitated more and more to the lathe and to the scroll saw. I find these to be two of the more enjoyable pieces of equipment to use, and creativity can really unfold. Now, I turn almost exclusively, introducing other tools mainly for the embellishments.
What inspires are styles from different parts of the world, from nature, and the work of other artistic woodturners. I have been to Japan numerous times and have found their style in things like their lanterns, their bowls, and their gardens to be remarkable. Many of my vessels derive from such Asian style, and the work of other artists. Things catch my eye and make me think about what I can create and call my own. I often use the lids as a palette for embellishment. Different structures, winged creatures, things from the plant kingdom are all part of the makeup. It’s fun. I can add scroll work, pyrography, painting, even to make something as simple as a bottle stopper. It’s continual learning, growing to use shape and color to make things visually pleasing. I am thankful for good mentors.
My work is environmentally friendly. I do not use any woods that are from endangered species, always checking before I get materials. Last, and most importantly, I want my work to be pleasing to you. Any proceeds that I make, less expenses, I will pass on to charity.
Shannon Kirby
Ceramics, woodworking, sculpture
Erin Marie :: The Irie Nomad – Facebook
The Irie Nomad creates unique wearable and functional art by utilizing a variety of mediums. We focus on up-cycled and natural materials, promoting the importance of environmental awareness and emphasizing sustainability through artistic expression.
Don Metke
Assemblage artist
Donald Miller – Instagram
Generator of Extraordinary Headgear
Elizabeth Moncrief – Website
As a weaver of 25 years, I produce wearables (scarves, shawls, jackets and tops), and also love creating rugs, home goods and wall hangings. My small studio is home to several weaving looms ranging from eight to a full twenty-four shafts – with capability to produce extremely complex designs in cloth.I specialize in fine fibers like silk, tencel and bamboo, and even yarns made from milk proteins. Recycled fibers are a current favorite.
I have entered national shows and galleries for the past 15 years, receiving several judges awards and the coveted Complex Weavers Award twice in the past seven years. I also offer weaving workshops to regional and national conferences and instruct individual students in my studio. And, in my partnership with the Silk Weaving Studio in Vancouver BC, I design weaving products and kits.
Visitors are encouraged to come play with me in my studio for an afternoon.
A.J. Nichols
Woodworking
Russ Riddle – Website
Fine furniture inspired by nature plus small woodworks
Erich Schweiger
Erich Schweiger is an international award-winning maker of violins, violas, and cellos. Each stringed instrument hand-crafted by luthier Erich Schweiger embodies a legacy of master methods and formulas centuries old. Erich attended the Professional Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City upon high school graduation. He then worked as a restorer at Michael Becker Fine Violins in Chicago. In 1986, he established Schweiger Violins in Seattle before moving to Camano Island in 1996. He now continues the art of luthiery in Stanwood Washington.
David Taber
Sculpture, woodworking