Welcome to the 6th 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 the regional artistic craft, 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 curated and gathered a selection of local artists and their craft for a two-day exhibition, Saturday, October 10th, and Sunday, October 11th, 10 am-4 pm 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 Archibald works in glass. He also builds boats, furniture, banjos and guitars.

Marc Boutte
Blown glass

Monika Denasha
Traditional and contemporary beadwork based on Ojibwe traditions and techniques.

Mark Eikland
Ceramics

Persis Gayle
If you like texture, I’m your person!  Clay is for digging in, sticking on, and making patterns — texture is what makes clay art interesting to me. Hopefully, the functional pieces all work successfully, but the textures are what I find compelling!

Christine Giffin
Assemblage artist

Chuck Hamilton
My work focuses primarily on smaller items for home décor and some for your dining pleasure. My main tool is the lathe. Most of what I make is turned, usually vessels, platters, and vases. The woods I use are generally hardwoods as they are more pleasing to the eye in terms of grain structure and color. I have certain styles that I like, many similar to Asian cultures. I also like nature, and thus try to fold that into my work. I will often make a vessel of a platter as the foundation for further artistry. Much of the art will go into the lid, or inlays, or inserts. I like to add embellishments to my work. Tools vary for this. Common tools that I use are the scrollsaw, carvers, pyrography pens and an airbrush. All lead to various forms of expression. I can take something like a beautiful Monarch butterfly and transform it into a wooden winged creature. I like the elegance of a flame. It symbolizes peace. I will try something different like turning and polishing a piece of brass on my lathe to generate a flame, which then goes into a vessel.

Jeffrey Harris
Clothe Mache Sculpture

Adam Hughes
Woodworking

Shannon Kirby
Ceramics, woodworking, sculpture

Erin Marie :: The Irie Nomad – Facebook
Natural + upcycled functionally crafted art

Don Metke
Assemblage artist

Donald Miller
The creation of extraordinary headgear began with my love for William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it grew rapidly from there, clearly out of control. I keep creating to not only stoke the creative fires running through me, but also so that I can participate in the show with a group of artists whose work I admire … plus there is the free pizza!

Elizabeth Moncrief – Website
Weaving

Shannon KirbyDolors Ruscha

Dolors Ruscha
The waters surrounding Camano Island have become an endless source of inspiration for my work. Living and creating here, I am also stimulated by the memories of Spain’s magnificent Mediterranean coastlines. My glass fusing is driven by an ongoing exploration of transformative, nontraditional kiln-forming techniques. By embracing a process with less control over the final outcome, I invite discovery and experimentation into my work. Each firing expands my understanding of the medium, enriches my creative practice, and inspires new ideas.

Erich Schweiger – Website
Erich Schweiger is an International Award-winning Luthier living in Stanwood, Washington. His violins, violas, and cellos are played by professional musicians throughout the United States and Canada. Recently, he has crafted Tenor Ukuleles, and reimagined discarded wood into artistic “live-edge” river tables.

David Taber – Website
Sculpture, woodworking