Show is ON!!!!

We had a great turnout yesterday at our opening day of SFM 11. In just over an hour we will open our doors for our 2nd and last day of what is probably turning out to be our best show ever! Please drop in to experience a well curated and considered collection of art, craft and design. End your or someone else's decade in style while supporting your local arts and culture!

Laura McKibbon | cul de sac design

One of the founding members of the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy collective, Laura has been working in ceramics since 2003. Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., Laura McKibbon is largely a self-taught artist, with a background in science, printmaking and photography.  Her distinctive line of hand-built ceramics reflects a love of modern design, a dedication to craftsmanship and ultimately function. Idyll summers spent at the lake instilled a lifelong interest and reverence for nature, a theme that is largely present in her work. Her inspiration comes from the world around us - highlighting the unique personal experiences we have - in the hopes that this moment will resonate with others, and they will bring their own story into the work.

In addition to her production line Laura creates one of a kind work as well as limited series.  She continues to exhibit regularly and her work has been featured in several publications and international exhibitions, most recently in Gestalten's Fragiles: Porcelain, Ceramics and Glass presented at Al-Sabah Art & Design, Shaab, Kuwait.  She has also participated in several international artist residencies, and has just returned from Denmark, where she was an invited resident during the European Ceramic Context.

Laura's variety of creative activity continues to inspire her SFM peers and colleagues. We are always impressed with how successfully she is able to combine international travel with her art experiences. Maybe SFM will go on the road with her one day!

Laura in her studio flooding a screen in preparation to print on her ceramics.

Applying the 'foot' on a ceramic platter.

Applying the print to a ceramic dish.

Kari Woo

Solid Sterling Silver Reversible Pendants

First drawn to jewellery through her mother's treasure box of jewels and all the stories that came with each piece, Woo actually came to her craft literally by accident. During a recovery from a snowboarding mishap in 1993 which left her with an injured knee for months, she took a night class in jewellery making as a matter of interest and a way of passing time...seventeen years later she is still passing her time designing and making jewellery!

Kari's focus in recent years has been the development of her 'Draw the Line' Collection of sterling silver wire earrings and corresponding pendants and her 'Solid Ground' Collection of reversible pendants and versatile, bold rings. Having met with success and now distributing across Canada, Woo is finding time to experiment with and implement new ideas and design one-of-a-kind pieces again.

Sterling silver wire Cuff + Bangle

She is a full-time studio jeweller who also doubles as a mixed media assemblage artist living and working in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Kari is co-founder/owner of INFLUX Jewellery Gallery in Calgary, Alberta, an instructor with the ACAD Extended Studies Program and a founding member of crafter collectives in Calgary and Vancouver (Shiny Fuzzy Muddy!!!)  that advocate for the handmade and buying local. In her spare time she likes to think about the role of Craft in contemporary culture.

Her mixed media work has been exhibited in the United States, Europe, across Canada in South Korea. Woo graduated with her BFA Honors from the Alberta College of Art & Design in Calgary, 2003 specializing in Jewellery + Metals.

Double Trouble Design

Double Trouble Design is a studio created by two sisters inspired to create a collection of unique and stylish handcrafted products for the home.

The collaboration began with handcrafted gifts. With these homemade products garnering attention in the homes of family and friends, Kelly was encouraged and inspired to take things a step further. Through a mutual appreciation of each others talents and an interest in creating new products, a partnership naturally formed between Kelly and her sister, Karen. Double Trouble Design was born.

Kelly has been drawing since her early days on a Magnadoodle. At six years old, she wrote an advanced copy of her autobiography which included a career as a fashion designer. It’s no surprise that she has gone on to pursue a Diploma in both Graphic and Visual Design and Fashion Design. Loving music, art, photography and culture, she thrives on learning and exploring new ideas across many mediums, and applying this to a variety of projects. She has traded in her Magnadoodle for Photoshop and continues her explorations in product design.

Karen is a makeup artist with a Diploma in Makeup Artistry and is equally infatuated with fashion, design, and beautiful things for the home.

Double Trouble Design carries paper craft calendars, clocks, stationery and more. The studio based in Vancouver, Canada aims to make everyday items fun, beautiful, and functional.

For the first time this sister-duo is showing at the SFM show and we are anticipating a keen a positive response to their collaborative work and uniquely combined sensibilities! Come and check them out for yourself!

Frances Felt

Pemberton textile designer Frances Dickinson’s true love is textile design. After years of traveling the globe and becoming enthralled with the cultural heritage of textiles, she studied at three different Canadian art schools over five years before getting her BFA in textile design from the Alberta College of Art and Design. In 2002, she returned home and opened her business designing fabrics to incorporate into her clothing and accessories. Her clothes are fun and whimsical, inspired by colour, nature, process and material. Each garment is unique with collage-like detailing hand-picked by the designer. Most of her clothes are adjustable to make fitting all body types easy.

This season she has teamed up with friend and colleague, Ulla Clark of LU Prints to create a woman’s line called LU in Love. Inspired by Ulla’s great sense of graphic design, a collection was created. Skirts, Tops and Pants all covered in Owls, Deer, leaves and Wheat!

Frances Dickinson’s work has been featured in Toronto Life and Ion Magazine, as well as the Georgia Straight and the Vancouver Province.  Frances Felt participates in The Circle Craft Christmas Show (Vancouver), The One of a Kind Shows (Toronto and Chicago) and The Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Shows (Vancouver).

Frances Felt (right) with creative collaborator Ulla Clark of LU Prints.

SFM fans and members have long been awaiting Frances Felt's comeback after a sabbatical she took to start her beautiful family! Welcome back Frances!!! If you are not familiar with her work you will be impressed by her ingenuity in design and fun-loving attitude that wearing her garments creates. Always colorful and bold, they are also versatile for many occassions ... contemporary with the perfect mix of classic.

These Grey Days

Ceramic Stump Stool by These Gray Days

Ceramic Tiles by These Gray Days

 These Gray Days is a small collective of active and exploratory minds based in Canada. The name of their collective, These Gray Days, represents the source of their inspiration—a constant reminder of the ongoing battle against monotony and complacency. They strive to be an unexpected brightness in these tedious gray days, wherever it may be needed. Whether it is objects for everyday use or large-scale outdoor installations, they approach each new project with a tender defiance to the expected and a goal of inspiring sudden joy in those who are trapped in the doldrums.

Anxiously anticipated at SFM is the debut of work by These Gray Days Collective. A powerhouse of creativity and clever ideas between Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O'Connell, their collaborative works are sure to make your mind move!

Not only are they working in ceramic, but have branched out into design-based initiatives such as their 'Reflector Tie' that garnered international attention in the 'seoul cycle design competition 2010' organized in collaboration with the seoul design foundation. To read more about their design click here.

Reflector Tie by These Gray Days

Caroline Miller

Caroline gravitated toward jewellery at an early age, when as a young girl growing up in Victoria, BC she would sneak plastic earrings onto her ears and into family portraits. Since those days she has apprenticed as a silversmith in Uruguay, earned a diploma in Jewellery and Small Object Design from the Kootenay School of the Arts and studied in the coppersmithing town of Santa Clara del Cobre in Mexico.  She currently works from her studio in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada.

Her work and inspiration are derived from the many oddities of personality and its ongoing progression.  Balanced with these flights of fancy are the permanence of geometries, physics and the techniques of a practised silversmith.  Her choice of materials incorporate the precious with the semi-precious; gold and silver and gemstones are often combined with found objects or plastics.  Caroline’s work is distinct in design, sometimes bold, sometimes subtle.  Classic style is often married with contemporary flair.

Caroline has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants and is committed to strive towards new and fresh approaches to her craft. She has show with the SFM group a number of times so far. We appreciate her quirkiness of design and are inspired by her work ethic and dedication to her studio practice and ever evolving ideas!

Jen Pleadwell | Thousand Flower Textiles

Thousand Flowers Textiles are handmade in Vancouver, BC by designer Jenefer Pleadwell. Combining a variety of techniques including weaving, dyeing, and surface embellishment, Jen creates individual and one-of-a-kind garments in silk and wool. From her studio on the Eastside, she continually works to bring old techniques into a relevant, modern context in the form of unique wear-ables.

Also showing with us for a second year in a row we are anxious to see Jen's new designs and how her works have evolved over the last year!

Clarie Madill | heyday design

Claire Madill graduated from Emily Carr University in 2007 and has been working full-time in her east van studio ever since. Her label, heyday design, mines the past to create for the future. She takes commonplace, utilitarian vintage kitchen wares and transforms them into contemporary porcelain objects and accessories, endorsing a new perspective on their purpose and aesthetic.

Currently she is working on a custom lighting installation of her 'beaver jars' for Canoe (a high end restaurant on the 54th floor of Toronto's TD Tower in the heart of the financial district). The installation includes 92 jars all lined up and glowing!!!  As a result, she is hoping to get a day or two off between now and when they ship in mid-january...  yikes! Her ceramic accessories can be found at the San Francisco MOMA Mueseum Store, which has her pretty excited these days! Go Claire!

SFM happily welcomes Claire back to the show for a second year with her clever and quirky translations of objects we all know and love!

Western Front Society : Craft Cross Promotion!!!

Hey Fans!

If you love craft and independent culture and are looking for some this coming weekend check this show out! 

TOQUE: PRINT & PAPER

2010 Holiday Sale

Friday, December 3  from 6 pm – 9 pm

Saturday, December 4 from 11 am – 5 pm

at the Western Front Luxe Hall, 303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver

Toque, the Western Front’s annual craft sale, gets a new look this year with a focus on books, text and printed material. Please join us on December 3rd and 4rth at this unique holiday sale featuring local designers, crafters,

artists and artist collectives.

Nineteen vendors contribute to Toque this year, with wares ranging from books, zines, cards, handcrafted décor, jewellery, and other special gifts. Long-time Toque favourites return, such as local publisher Simply Read’s

children’s books, Perro Verlag’s wide selection of indie art publications from around the world,  and Contexture Design’s map based mobiles. These Toque regulars appear alongside exciting newcomers  such as the West Coast classic Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver’s independent music collective Safe Amplification Society as well as legendary New York Based contemporary art publisher Printed Matter, and many others. Look for exclusive Western Front publications, as well as  a limited edition commissioned tea towel and colouring poster by Jeff Hamada, Vancouver based artist and creator of the popular blog www.booooooom.com.

Toque opens Friday from 6 – 9 pm, where you can browse and enjoy a drink. On Saturday come by between 11am and 4pm for shopping as well as a special collaboration with Collage Collage, a local children’s arts and crafts shop

and teaching space. Bring your children for fun crafting and colouring! Fine baked goods will be available from Hatty Cakes.

Proceeds from Toque support the Western Front Society, an artist run centre and non-profit registered charity. Held in the warm heritage setting of the Western Front in Vancouver, this sale is a great way to support your artistic community.

Vendors include:

A Farmer's Daughter

Arsenal Pulp Press

Artspeak

Banquet

Collage Collage

Contexture Design

Divesin

Fillip

Hatty Cakes

Penelope Brown

Perro Verlag

Printed Matter, Inc

Safe Amplification Site Society

Simply Read Books

The Beautiful Project

Thistle Town Studio

Tin Can Studio

Wendy Oakman

Audra Neill

Audra is a graduate from the Alberta College of Art and she currently works as a buyer for the set decorating department in film and makes stuffes as well as indulging in her other artistic endeavors when she has time.  The movies she has worked on can be found on the IMDB website. Check it out as it is an impressive list!

Audra has been making a host of stuffed animals for many years.  Her stuffies are always evolving and no two are exactly the same.  All are handmade by Audra and can be found locally at Barefoot Contessa on Main Street and Commercial Street in Vancouver.  After working on the feature film Red Riding Hood, she gained a deeper appreciation for the handmade and has come up with some new art dolls as well as knitted scarves made from hand dyed wool.

Another good friend of the SFM show we are thrilled to see Audra back at Heritage Hall again this year. It's amazing to think that she has time to be creative with a film industry job but her new art dolls sound totally intriguing and we can't wait to see them!

Mary Anne Tateishi

Squid Propulsion by Mary Anne Tateishi

Mary Anne Tateishi is a Vancouver-based painter who paints on wood panel, using acrylic paints, tissue, art papers, and resin.  Her painting process uses layering, transparency and vivid colour to explore ideas of time and memory.  Her work is in private and public collections across Canada, as well as in the U.S.A., Europe, and Japan. She has been interviewed on the CBC radio, City-TV and Fairchild Television, and her work has appeared in local newspapers and arts magazines.

"Usually my paintings are pretty big, like three feet by four feet, but just for SFM, I'm doing some very small work as well, which I think looks adorable.  Once I bought a tiny painting in P.E.I, and the fellow told me it was artwork I could take everywhere.  I love that crazy idea of portable artwork. Imagine taking art with you in your car or on your bike or to work, the possibilities are endless!" 

"My paintings are process-driven, I enjoy painting layer upon layer, working with transparent materials and revealing the whole history of the painting. I also experiment with colour, since bright colour energizes the art work and pulls the viewer into the painting. If I had my way, our whole world would be a lot more colourful, but I'll start with the artwork."

Mary Anne's work should be a colorful addition to our thoughtfully curated show. As she stated earlier she is doing some work particularly for the SFM show this year, which everyone should be excited about! Its a gre
at thing that the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy show not only exhibits outstanding work, but it also inspires all of us to make new and often better work! You can read more about Mary Anne's work, thoughts and process on her blog.

Erin Dolman

Returning to the SFM show is crowd favorite, jeweller Erin Dolman. She was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Canada, but eventually she heard the call of the wild, pulled up her city roots and now resides in a beautiful cabin in the woods of Roberts Creek, B.C. on the Sunshine Coast. Erin’s work is designed and created in her home based studio under the watchful eye of her Pug, Burl. When not working in the studio Erin is an avid gardener and amateur naturalist, and she also has a weak spot for hotrods and vintage tattoo designs. These diverse interests show as strong influences in her jewellery designs. Skulls and feathers, birds and hotrod flames all come to be incorporated into her work. Over the past 15 years Erin has exhibited in numerous exhibitions both in Canada and internationally. She has also been the recipient of a number of grants and awards including a Niche Award in 2002, an inaugural BC Creative Achievement Award in 2005 and first place in the Brooches Category in Lapidary Journal's Jewellery Arts Awards in 2006.

We always look forward to Erin's unique works and marvel at the way she is able to translate her keen sense of observation of details into her jewellery designs. They all have a story to tell!

jill allan | studio-oodio

Jill Allan lives on Vancouver Island, Canada.  In 1999 she graduated with distinction from the Alberta College of Art and Design earning a BFA with a major in Glass.   Her work is included in the collections of the Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning N.Y., and the Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary.  Jill has received several awards including the British Columbia Creative Achievement Award (2007).  In June 2010 she accepted a scholarship to attend a course in Neon making at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood Washington.  Her work is quiet, based in the craft tradition of vessel making, but not exclusively functional.  She is influenced by Scandinavian designs, particularly those of Finland’s iittala and is interested in designing with light both for public sculpture and also for the domestic sphere.

At first understated and modest, Jill's subtle brilliance with form and color becomes apparent if you can be still long enough to contemplate it. She offers a variety of works at the SFM shows - functional art glass, sculpture and jewellery. A long time friend and colleague of the SFM collective - we are happy to have her back for another year!
                   

Astrosatchel aka Janna Hurtzig

An original member of the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Collective, Janna is an inspiring and prolific designer and maker. Her collection is a local cultural phenomenon - you can spot and Astrosatchel bag on almost every inner city block if you are looking for them! Go ahead - try it next time you are walking about and taking in the fantastic visual culture of Vancouver!

Born in Ontario, Janna Hurtzig moved to the West Coast in 1994. Completely self taught, she has been handcrafting her creations since 1998. In 2005, production moved from home to a large, cozy studio in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, where it remains today.

Inspired by nature, the Astrosatchel label combines Scandinavian design, Asian pop culture influences and a Canadian cottage feel, to give even the smallest of items a distinct look. Products include purses and tote bags, wallets, diaper bags made from vegan friendly Naugahyde vinyl as well as one of a kind pieces made from recycled textiles. A winter collection including toques and scarves made using recycled cashmere is an annual favorite.

The Astrosatchel aesthetic is clean lined, yet detailed, allowing complex themes to be expressed in simplified manner. Bold and bright colour combinations add a striking layer to the story. Recent additions to the line include a new colour based series of back-to-basic, retro shaped purses and small housewares line featuring kitchen textiles.

Sold in independent boutiques across Canada and the United States, Astrosatchel products have appeared on Much Music, and MTV Canada, and in numerous magazines including Vancouver Fashion and Flare.

Carylann Loeppky

Carylann Loeppky is a self-taught painter & visual artist. She comes from a graphic design background. Studied at Emily Carr University of Art & Design, British Columbia Institute of Technology and Vancouver Vocational Institute. For twelve years she worked in

the Art Department of a major record label where she added video and motion graphics to her inventory of art practices.

Currently her study is painting: oil on canvas and board, creating portraits, abstracts + figurative works. Exploring and combining these techniques with subject matter. Inspired by the old masters; using layering methods as she has developed in her graphic

design work, Carylann incorporates glazing, layering, sanding, and scratching to the painting to blend and soften the appearance: bringing out small details and energy to each piece. Her portraits tend to be quite small, which gives them a unique intimacy and take can take up to one year to complete each piece.

Locomotive Clothing

Locomotive's husband and wife team are Jay and Aaron Matte and they live, create and garden in a sweet little Vancouver area house. They are makers of sweet and unique streetwear, adorners of objects, riders of bicycles, do it yourselfers, visual learners, and lovers of the good life. They also throw great parties and make unique and wearable streetwear with images of things that drive and inspire them. Current obsessions are vintage Canadiana, old school farm equipment, hearts, vampires, music and circus imagery. And they always love trains. They also love a touch of whimsy and adorn their items with everything from classic Penny Farthing bicycles to trains floating on clouds to kids playing jump rope. All graphics are created by them, either digitally or by hand and are hand screen printed, spray painted and appliquéd onto quality cotton tshirts, long sleeves, hoodies, tank tops and onesies for guys, gals and tots.

SFM Artists in Eastside Culture Crawl

This coming weekend, Nov 26 | 27 | 28 will mark the 14th Annual Eastside Culture Crawl in Vancouver. SFM11 artists that are showing this coming weekend in the Culture Crawl include:

Arleigh Wood
Janna Hurtzig | Astrosatchel
Laura McKibbon | cul de sac design
Claire Madill | heyday design
Carylann Leoppky
Mary Anne Tateishi
Jen Pleadwell | Thousand Flowers Textiles
Jessie Turner Jewellery Design

It's annual and it's a FREE 3-day visual arts phenomenon. This event involves more than 10,000 people visiting artists in their studios in the area bounded by Main Street to Victoria Drive and from First Avenue north to the waterfront of Vancouver, Canada. The Eastside Culture Crawl Society provides opportunities for the public to engage with member artists through the ongoing creation of events and programming that support the growth of east side artists.

Kudos to Media Sposor - Vancouver is Awesome!

Vancouver is Awesome has just offered to be a media sponsor for our upcoming SFM 11 show! Many greatly appreciated thank yous to Bob Kronbauer, Managing Editor + Executive Director and the crew at V.I.A.! Vancouver Is Awesome Inc is a community-based, incorporated not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading a positive message about the city of Vancouver and the arts and culture within it. Founded, edited and maintained by folks who live in the city and who truly love Vancouver and the many communities it fosters, V.I.A. delivers lighthearted yet thoughtful news through their blog, Facebook, Twitter, and in their print annual as well as a weekly piece on 100.5 The Peak. They also work beyond the media, producing events and partnering with other organizations and companies and generally making Vancouver a better city for its citizens to enjoy. 

On Monday, Nov 22 they kicked off a donor drive supporting their organization. They've got over $7000 in raffle prizes to give away to their donors, and 60 support letters from different organizations and businesses they've worked with over the last year. Click here to read more about why it would be a good idea to support V.I.A. and to follow their fundraiser-ometer!

Hammypie

Meet Harmony and Eunice - these two make Hammypie! Harmony works as a local print media and graphic designer in Vancouver and Eunice has recently gone back to school for nursing. Ever since the ripe age of five, it was clear that Harmony was made for the arts. From making intricate jewelry pieces to handmade cards to mobiles, it feels like Harmony has done it all! Eunice, on the other hand, only recently discovered that she too has an artsy side. It all started when Harmony taught Eunice to knit 4 years ago. Since then, Eunice has fallen in love with knitting, exploring different yarns, and finding the most unique buttons ever.

Unsatisfied in her search for well designed calendars which can be welcomed in any home, Harmony went on to create the 2010 calendar collection. These calendars are whimsical, eco-friendly, created and printed in Vancouver. Harmony's work has been highly influenced by her daily life, travels and whimsical imagination.

Eunice's knitwear consists of cowls and circle, infinity scarves. She loves mixing materials with different textures, using wool as her staple. From choosing the yarn to sewing on that very last button, there isn't a part of knitting that Eunice doesn't thoroughly enjoy.

New to the SFM show this year, we are looking forward to seeing Hammypie's collection as we are eternal fans of good design and well-conceived ideas.

Gailan Ngan

Gailan Ngan's ceramics present a contemporary, conceptual twist to the age-old art of pottery. Combining a keen interest in visual art and experimentation with a steadfast respect for everyday practicality, these beautiful, minimal pots are the product of an artist's enquiring mind into the mysteries of form and space.

Originally from Hornby Island, BC, Gailan began her ongoing fascination with the possibilities of ceramics at an early age, first as a studio assistant- and eventual apprentice- to her father, Wayne Ngan. She founded her own studio, Cornershop, in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver in 1997, and graduated from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2002.  In 2010 Gailan moved her studio to Hornby Island.

Welcoming her back to Vancouver, our crew is happy to have Gailan showing with us this year. Though we always have a few artists each year practicing in the same medium (ie - clay) we strive to have a diverse representation of the material and form. Gailan's work definitely resides in it's own niche amongst the other clay works you will find at Heritage Hall this year!

Phaulet

Born and raised in Colombia and living in Vancouver since 2003 with her husband and two kids, Paula González brings together the colors and beauty of antiques and vintage illustrations  refineing them with a subtle touch of sophistication and grace.

The passion for beauty in all aspects has taken Paula González to create Phaulet: a Double sided resin jewellery line made by hand where resin and old illustrations combine to create very unique and unconventional art-pieces to wear. Every piece has been created inspired by stories!
 

We were struck by how unique Paula's blend of materials were in her Phaulet line of jewellery - each piece is a vintage mixed media collage - and a reversible one at that!

Jasna Sokolovic

Jasna is a good friend of the SFM show and has shown with us a number of times over the years. She is an artist with a broad background which provides her with an ever-expanding palette of creative tools to work with. Her ceramic works, whether they are functional or non-functional, tell a story like a letter to a friend does. They are intimate and personal and when you are observing them you may feel like you are the only person in the room with them.

'Speak Love to Me' by Jasna Sokolovic

Detail of 'Speak Love to Me' by Jasna Sokolovic

Jasna working on ceramic tile in her studio.

With a foundation in architecture, Jasna moved to Canada from Yugoslavia in 1994, where she earned her BFA Degree from Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in 2000.

Jasna has participated in gallery shows throughout Canada and United States. Her work was recently selected for the 5th World Ceramic Biennale in Korea. Also in 2009, she received the Winfred Shantz award for ceramics. She has participated in artist residencies in Denmark, the Banff Centre, and most recently in Mexico.

Jasna’s work is featured in the Lark Books Transfer Imagery on Clay, 500 Tiles, Surface Design for Ceramics, and 500 Vases.

She works in a variety of artistic fields, using clay as a basis to explore gallery installations, fashion and interior design.

Arleigh Wood

At first glance Arleigh's mixed media paintings are beautiful collaged photographs embellished with texture and sometimes found objects. If you are lucky enough to be able to spend time in the presence of her work or live with her artwork in your personal space they become so much more than that. They are layered portraits of memory or early morning dreaming -part whimsy, part nostalgia and all poetry - full of personal iconography leaving the viewer feeling like they've been to the places she depicts. Her unique approach and use of digital photography has gained her attention at home and abroad. Wood is an original member of the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Collective contributing much of her personal time and energy in the last years to the success of SFM shows. Thanks, Arleigh!

Arleigh in her studio during Eastside Culture Crawl 2009

Arleigh Wood studied at Concordia University in Montreal and the University of Hertfordshire in St Albans UK, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours. Wood has participated extensively in national and international exhibitions. Her work is in private and corporate collection and has been featured hotels and in various interior design magazines including Canadian House and Home. Wood’s paintings have also been used in films and television shows like the “Designer Guys”. When she is not working in her Vancouver studio, Wood enjoys fast-paced urban explorations and peaceful natural escapes.

Hand & Shadow

We are happy to welcome Georgie and her creative expressions of found under the name of Hand & Shadow to the show this year. Her inspirations are intriguing and poignant and we look forward to seeing it all at SFM 11.

If you linger on the smallest details, have found and carried around a feather or bone, or saved your molars long after they were removed, you’re likely to fall for Georgie Russell’s Hand & Shadow.

Lace Tee by Hand & Shadow

The natural world in both it’s blossom and decay exist in tandem – drawing you closer than ever before to the neck of a howling beast or the cracks of a human skull.  There is a beauty revealed here. Teeth are mistaken for lace or pearls and hair flows and curls like fine ribbons.

The designs of Hand & Shadow pay attention to all the small things, not missing a stray hair or cracked tooth. All garments are printed by hand in East Vancouver.  This allows the uniqueness of each print to show in the variance of colour, texture and placement.  They are made in small volumes using sustainable, sweatshop free products where possible. The inks used are bleach based leaving each garment soft to the touch and will not crack or fade.

Georgie is a little bit scientist and a little bit seamstress in all that she makes.  Her work appreciates a beauty that is real and a little rough, even frightening at times, but all the while accessible in the beauty one can’t help but want to linger, just a little longer on.

Holly Cruise

We are really excited to have Holly joining us again this year! She is a woman of many interests and talents as you will discover by reading on. Oh, and if you were wondering who designs our great graphics you've found her right here!

Glass Pendant by Holly Cruise

Holly Cruise started working with glass in 1995 as an apprentice at UrbanGlass: The New York Experimental Glass Workshop. While there, she worked with many reputable artists as an artist's assistant and teaching assistant, and took part in the work study program.

In 1997 Holly moved on to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she worked in a production glassblowing studio. Holly settled down in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1999. From 2000-2004, she worked for New-Small & Sterling Studio Glass on Granville Island. At the same time, she began to pursue flameworking, making beautiful glass jewelry out of her studio at the Glass Onion.

Holly has had a successful career as a graphic designer, and is currently working on a new product line of prints, cards, jewelry & clothing incorporating her finely drawn illustrations. Holly works from her home in Vancouver when she is not chasing after her most amazing creations, her two little boys, Dexter & Spike.

LU Prints

LUprints designer and screen printer, Ulla Clark, creates prints and patterns for LUprints textile collections, as well as hand prints many of the items in the line. The companies' screenprinting workshop is based out of Pemberton BC, where it is surrounded by forests and mountains, both a constant inspiration for the nature oriented aesthetic of the line. Her Scandinavian heritage reflects LUprints' design philosophy to create beautiful, yet functional pieces meant for everyday living.

Ulla Clark of Lu Prints in her printing studio. Check out that press!

Lu Prints Studio

LUprints will also be taking part in Circle Craft in Vancouver Nov.17-21 at the new Convention Centre where it will be showcasing its' textile and tableware line, as well as a new collection of women's wear, LU in Love, designed and created by Frances Dickinson (aka Frances Felt).

Some of the excellent print designs by Lu Prints!

LU in Love - collaboration between Lu Prints + FrancesFelt

Table Tray and Napkin by Lu Prints

Dahlia Drive

 From the North Shore OUTLOOK, Vancouver, B.C., May 2010 -

One North Vancouver designer says she’s noticing a growing environmental interest among consumers. Wendy Van Riesen's line, Dahlia Drive, recycles previously worn slips and men’s shirts. She paints designs onto paper and then presses them onto the clothing. The process not only uses a small amount of water — she can complete 10 slips in one washer load — but the printing paper can be reused.

“I do see part of my job as educating,” she says.

Van Riesen recently completed a line of T-shirts for the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, one of which was bought by the president of Finland.

"It’s always the design that first attracts the customer, but the environmentally friendly aspect is a winning bonus," Van Riesen says. Although she was originally drawn to used slips because of the stories and character which accompanies the clothing, "working with what you’re given also keeps the environment in mind." Van Riesen says.

"Dahlia Drive’s slogan is ‘Resurrecting the fashion wasteland’." she notes.

Dahlia Drive gathers discarded women's slips, fabrics, men's shirts and reworks them with colour, images and textures to create one of a kind fashion for the unique individual. Each found piece is considered on its own merit: type of fabric,pre-existing stains or tears, how it responds to dye.  Depending on thesequalities, the piece may be buried in the garden with rusty things to over-stain previous stains or patched with pieces of fabric to strengthen a tear.  Then each piece is dyed and screen printed with an image of bones, plants, animals, grid textures and/or lace patterns to add another layer of history to the garment. New to its repertoire, some slips are hand painted first onto paper and then transferred onto the garment through heat.

Most fashion pieces are created from pre-patterned 2 dimensional yardages cut and sewn to the finished sculptured form.  I start with the sculpture. The garment becomes a continuous landscape for its own story, the wearer'sstory and mine. The canvas of a recycled slip, for example, has its own
history; broken threads, stains from luncheon dates, torn lace from years of leg crossing.  They provide an intimate landscape of the female form. These landscapes inspire me to layer, infuse and embellish a new story onto their map; not to eradicate the previous history, but to stand on its shoulders as
part of its evolution. Ultimately, someone wears it and fills it physically, adding another layer to the story.

Example of printing on fabric with natural rusting process by Dahlia Drive.

Sample of fabric with rust print by Dahlia Drive.

Jessie Turner

With our line up of artists now confirmed we want to start sharing information about the people that you will be able to meet at the show this year! Jessie Turner is a Vancouver based jewellery designer who literally puts her heart into her work. The Georgia Straight recently published an article featuring her work and notably designated her as one of the city's top two jewellery designers. Right on, Jessie!

Having shown with us in the past, but not last year, we are happy to have Jessie back at SFM this year!

Jessie Turner has been a jewellery designer since 1998, specializing in natural and contemporary forms in silver and gold.  Jessie's collections are inspired by the natural beauty around us, and by the ways we manifest and express our interpretations of that beauty. Her travels in Asia, Europe, Central America, and Canada, and exploration of these places through their art, culture and architecture profoundly influence her designs. Originally from British Columbia's west coast Jessie now resides in Vancouver.

"All things worn by people can have purpose and meaning that fulfills lives in some way, creating balance, both within and between, the individual, the community and the natural world.  In my work I hope to bring this alive by playfully exploring traditional and contemporary ideas of design. I create jewellery and art, encouraging people's individuality and connection to truth, nature and beauty."

Check out this year's Line Up!!!

We've confirmed our line up for the year! Please see all of the greatness we are expecting at the SFM 11 Show under the SFM 11 heading in the column to your right! To satisfy your curiosities you can click on most names and find more info on each artist at their personal websites. Don't forget about our Facebook Page either to see regular updates!