10 Questions with Sabrina Butterfly O'Donnell

Let's meet Sabrina Butterfly O'Donnell, Owner + Designer of Sabrina Butterfly Designs.

 When did you start your art practice?

 Summer of 1998, a year after I received a dipolma in Fashion Design from UCFV (now the University of the Fraser Valley) in Abbotsford , BC.That summer I sold my wares at two festivals: the North Country Fair in Joussard, Ab and at the Jasper Folk Festival.The Fall of that year, I made my first clothing collection and sold it at Uncommon Thredz, located in Historic Clayburn Village in Abbotsford, BC. I worked there and sold my collection for 3 years at this boutique. In 2001 I headed back to Edmonton and became a traveling store. Selling at markets, festivals, craft shows, stores, pop up hall sales and even from my home. In 2007, I opened my own boutique which became the home for my clothing line and many other designers, locally and beyond!

What is your creative process like? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

My inspiration is drawn from past and present clothing silhouttes and details.
Fabric is also my main inspiration. Finding fantastic fabric ignites my creative energy.My collection also has some key/staple pieces that I repeat patterns with each season.I make all my own patterns and usually use my body as my main template for the initial fit. 

How has your art practice evolved over the years?

Comfort and Fit have always been a key focus. Working with natural, breathable fabrics that move with your body through out your day.My first collection included a lot of dresses, skirts and blouses, they were loose fitting and catered to plus size customer. My collection today has a huge focus on pants, which are my best selling items, and my size ranges from 4-16. 

Describe what you will be bringing to SFM this year.

Naturally Comfortable Women's clothing. Made from cotton, linen, rayon, wool, hemp, bamboo and silk blends.Pants, tops, skirts, dresses, sweaters and cardigans. Ranging in size xs-xl (4-16). 

How many years have you participated in SFM?

It's my first year!!
I have know about it since it began in 2003 but this is the first year I was invited and able to attend! 

What's new this year for SFM?

Everything will be new for SFM. But I am hoping to showcase some of my most popular designs. My staple pieces that I use in my collection, that you can wear year round. 

What's your favourite thing about the SFM show?

The unique blend of creative talent, with a strong focus on a solid curation of quality goods.

Who are your favourite artists?

I LOVE so many of the artists work that attend the SFM shows. Amazing!

Also I LOVE all the artists I carry at my boutique, they have become my favorites too! Too many to list! 

What are you listening to in your studio?

Lisa Hannigan + John Smith 

What other creative outlets do you enjoy?

Aromatherapy, making my own body products +  gardening.

Stay in touch with Sabrina:


https://twitter.com/sabrinabutterfl
http://instagram.com/sabrinabutterfl
https://www.facebook.com/sabrinabutterflydesigns
http://www.sabrinabutterflydesigns.ca/
http://www.sabrinabutterflydesigns.blogspot.ca/
contact email: sbdesigns@shaw.ca

10 Questions with Cathy Terepocki

Cathy Terepocki, Yarrow, BC. Artist and co-owner of Very Hush Hush, a converted 1964 Airstream trailer with Tracy Fillion (Dear Pony).

When did you start your art practice?

Graduated from Alberta College of Art in 2004. Started working as a full-time studio artist shortly thereafter.

What is your creative process like? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Found objects, colours, patterns, anything that possesses incidental beauty; that allows anyone to conceive of a narrative or evokes unintended meaning. For example: a piece of clothing or an old chair that has been repeatedly mended. In my creative process, I am adding different colour, print, or texture at different stages in the process to try an capture this similar aesthetic. That is why I fire each piece four separate times.

How has your art practice evolved over the years?

My practice evolves with life circumstances. Since graduation I have lived in three provinces, have had six different studios, and have had three children. Each change affects my process, mostly for the positive. Although I work primarily in production, and therefore try maintain a modicum of continuity, these variants are often subtly detectable in my work. 

Describe what you will be bringing to SFM this year.

I will be bringing printed dishes and jewelry. What I am most excited about this year is the development of some new work, using found objects combined with printed clay.

How man years have you participated in SFM?

This is my first year.

What's new for this year at SFM? 

Printed dishes and jewelry.

What's your favourite thing about the SFM show?

It is a good group of people that I have worked with in the past. Also a good opportunity to connect with the local craft community, as we have only recently moved to the Lower Mainland.

Who are your favourite artists?

Hella Jongerius. I also think my kids are pretty great artists (but I might be biased)

What are you listening to in your studio?

CBC Radio One in the morning; Songza in the afternoon.

What other creative outlets do you enjoy?

Baking with my kids, knitting (on road trips only), and if I had a bit of extra time I'd sew more.

Cathyterepocki.com

facebook.com/pages/CathyTerepocki

Instagram: cterepocki

email: info@cathyterepocki.com

Screw Black Friday, Shop with us for Free!!

We're just about two weeks away from our 10th Anniversary SFM Show. We don't change much from year to year, we find something that works and stick to it. Free admission? Check. No holiday tunes? Got it. Another Georgia Straight $200 shopping spree? Yes, yes, yes!!

For your chance to win, check out the Straight's online contest section and good luck to everyone!
As always, thanks for shopping local and handmade! XO SFM

10 Questions with Mariana Frochtengarten of Nana Fro

My name is Mariana Frochtengarten, I was born in Brazil and have been leaving in Canada since 2006. I am a textile artist and teacher. I graduated in Fine Arts and Education from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (São Paulo, Brazil) and I have a master's degree in Fine Arts (Textile Department) from NSCAD University (Halifax, Canada).

I have been living in Vancouver  since 2009, when I started my company Nana Fro Textile Art. My work was a continuation of what I was making in Brazil, which   

includes until today mostly objects for the body and the home. 

I have a passion for textiles and I have always been particular captivated by the different kinds of resist dyeing methods in which patterns are constructed by preventing dyes or discharge agents from reaching certain areas of the cloth.

For a few years I have been working mainly with shibori on natural and stretchy fabrics, bringing a contemporary approach to traditional time-honored techniques.

When did you start your art practice?

 My first closer contact with textiles happened in 1992, when I was finishing high school. I took  a course in the ancient art of batik and immediately fell in love with the technique. What primarily started as a hobby became my professional activity,  which evolved throughout many different routes in the textile field.

What is your creative process like? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

When I started working with batik I referenced Modern painters and existing patterns quite often, as well as graphisms from different cultures. My process was oriented by the use of simple lines and shapes, and very vibrant colours.

Throughout the years, especially after I started working with shibori, I have learned how to work in partnership with my materials, allowing fiber and liquid media to respond to my acts according to their own qualities. I combine my initial plans with elements of chance and the unpredictable responses. My inspiration nowaydays is mainly based on the idea of layering colours and shapes to bring visual depth to my fabrics. I play with an infinite number of possibilities and I constantly plan each step of resist dyeing based on the outcome of the prior one.

How has your art practice evolved over the years?

I started learning batik in 1992, when I was still in high school. When the course finished I bought all the necessary materials and tools to start working on my own. After some “trainning”  I started to receive orders from colleagues and friends and soon I was selling my work in fairs and shops. Since then, I never stopped working with textiles. Three years later I started to get involved with teaching as well.

I have always been mainly interested in resist dyeing techniques. I worked with batik on paper and fabric for 17 years, producing functional objects for stationary, home furnishing, and fashion. For a few years I have been working mainly with shibori and I continue to produce objects for the body and the home. 

Describe what you will be bringing to SFM this year.

Scarfs made of a beautiful raw cotton Indian fabric, 100% cotton onesies for kids between 6 and 24 months, stretchy tulle armbands and tops, leggings and tights.

How man years have you participated in SFM?

This is the second time I am participating in the show.

What's new for this year at SFM? 

The scarfs, onesies, and the stretchy tulle armbands and tops.

What's your favourite thing about the SFM show?

I like the fact that it is a small show with artists that you can see were carefully chosen. I find the overall quality of the show is excellent and I like the personal atmosphere that fills the space during the show. 

Who are your favourite artists?

Two names that come to my mind now are Ernesto Neto from Brazil and Toshiko Horiuche from Japan. They both work with fiber in very large scales, exploring the material in very unusual and sensual ways.  

What are you listening to in your studio?

I listen CBC quite often and lately I have been listening to my collection of Brazilian music cds, which I hadn't  listened to in a long time.

What other creative outlets do you enjoy?

Travelling, meeting new people and experiencing other cultures.

Keep in touch with Mariana:

www.nanafro.com

www.facebook.com/nanafro

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/nanafro 

Ten Questions with Diane Zwickel

Let's meet Diane Zwickel of zed handmade, living and working in South Surrey.

 When did you start your art practice?

My love of textiles began when I took my first sewing lesson at the age of 12 and started making all my clothes.  By 23 I had taught myself to knit.  I have spent my entire adult life outfitting my children, my homes and myself in handmade creations. I worked in fashion retail for years, and it inspired me to pull bits and pieces from what I saw in ready to wear to make my creations my own.

What is your creative process like? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I LOVE fashion.  I pore over the New York Times reports from the fashion weeks in Paris and NY, always check out Bill Cunningham’s weekly report of fashion on the street, and follow all the blogs I can fit in.  Then I walk along the beach or work in my garden, and all the ideas are culled into a West Coast style with tons of texture, subdued color and natural fibers.  

How has your art practice evolved over the years?

With age comes freedom, for me, and I have learned that breaking the rules inspires growth.  I love experimenting with innovative materials; frustrated when I can’t find the big fat soft rope I yearn to knit with, but happy when a stitch combination works itself into a great new design.  I am less interested in what is in style for the moment  and more interested in what I like.  It all comes around again at some point!

4- Describe what you will be bringing to SFM this year. (Medium, Materials)

All the zed scarves and cowls are made with 100% pure wool or alpaca. I design and hand knit all my products, and I like to think they stand out as unique in the marketplace.  Colors are for the most part muted, organic and versatile. 

 How many years have you participated in SFM?

This is my first year as a vendor, and I am so excited!  I have loved visiting SFM as a consumer for years, because everything is such high quality and the artists are great people to meet and talk with.

 What's new for this year at SFM?

This year I have introduced a burst of strong color in the AUDAZ line, knit with fair trade 100% merino wool from a woman’s cooperative in Uruguay.  It is a stretch for me as I seldom wear these kinds of colours, but I love the finished product – perhaps it will take me in a new direction! 

I am also heavily into making felted bowls, which I may bring this year.

 What's your favourite thing about the SFM show?

There are so many “craft” events in Vancouver, and yet SFM stands out as a gem – every artist producing high quality, unique goods, displayed in such an amazing old building.  Wonderful. 

Who are your favourite artists?

Martha Sturdy was the first Vancouver artist I fell in love with, back in the late 80’s.  Now the city is a beehive of talented artists and artisans too numerous to mention.  I try to hit Culture Crawl every year to find at least two artists I haven’t seen before.  Other people’s talents and creations always inspire me.

What are you listening to in your studio?

My ADD is full swing with my music and all 18,000 songs in my iTunes!  I love CBC and NPR, and have a dozen or so podcasts I follow regularly; everything from Tiny Desk Concerts and KEXP Song of the Day to This American Life and Wiretap. 

What other creative outlets do you enjoy?

I love discovering new and upcoming bands and musicians, and when I am not knitting, my husband and I do concerts.  Sometimes two per week, driving in from South Surrey!  We need a pied a terre for those nights…. I also

 love to cook, and I am a ferocious gardener. 

            www.zedhandmade.com

www.facebook.com/zedhandmade

www.pinterest.com/zedhandmade

www.instagram.com/zedhandmade

diane@zedhandmade.com

Keep in touch!!

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Ten Questions with Caroline Miller

Hey, let's get to know Caroline Miller of Caroline Miller Design. 

When did you start your art practice?

I have always been interested in art, body adornment and accessories.

As a small child I hardly went anywhere without a purse and  some plastic jewellery draped around my neck. 

Throughout grade school art was always my favourite subject, this developed into a more tactile appretiation after highschool when I travelled overseas touring famous art galleries and selling  hand woven  jewellery on the streets and beaches of Europe.

What is your creative process like? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The creative process in my head is like having a lot of excited people in a small space (I'm not saying my head is a small space), each trying to yell above one another and be heard. When this happens, I quickly chicken scratch sketches and notes into my book as fast as possible, it can happen at any given moment. 

These days I draw my inspiration from cities; the people, languages, fashion, culture, poverty, riches, colors, food, music, night life, architecture, art, etc. This spring I visited New York and Toronto, I filled lots of pages in my sketch book on those visits.

How has your art practice evolved over the years?

My art practice has evolved into all things metal. I have studied other mediums like ceramics and photography I seem to have settled on metal for now. I have always worked on a small scale, recently I have started to learn how to weld and make larger sculptures out of steel.

Describe what you make. 

I make jewellery and small wearable objects made of metal, plastics, found objects and gemstones. Most of my designs are limited edition,  I have a short attention span and don't enjoy making the same thing over and over again.

How many years have you participated in SFM?

I have been a part of SFM for 5 years.

What's new for this year's SFM? 

Crumpled metal.

What's your favourite part about the SFM show? 

My favourite part of the SFM show is trading and buying the other vendors amazing work!

Who are your favourite artists? 

Alexander Calder, Damien Hirst and the Futurists.

What are you listening to in the studio? 

I listen to alot of podcasts, This American Life is my favourite right now.

What other creative outlets do you enjoy? 

Snowboarding, and tickling my daughters.

Ten Questions with Heather Dahl

Let's meet Heather Dahl, from dahlhaus studios where she has been making ceramics as a full-time maker since 2007. 

When did you start your art practice?

I took my first painting and ceramics class my first year in college while I was practicing for a violin exam.  I thought taking a couple of art classes would give me a bit of a break from my intense music studies, along with some of the general arts classes I was taking in University.  Sure enough, it wasn't long until I wanted to be in the Visual Arts program full-time.  I ended up graduating from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2001 with a major in painting and ceramics.  

A year after I graduated my first son was born, with my second 2 years later.  As a new mom I was checking out my local community centre and found a pottery studio that offered part-time memberships for people experienced in clay.  It was the perfect scenario for me to get back into making a few pots I needed for my family and slowly as my hands got more involved in making, my head started wondering if I could actually pursue the art career I had thought about in Art school.  In 2007 I applied for a self-employment program that gave me a bit of a financial cushion while also giving me some of the business skills I would really need to take my practice to a level that would sustain me and my family.  

What is your creative process like? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The concept for dahlhaus came about from an interest in mid-century design, vintage textile and wallpaper patterns, modern abstract art, and some of the paintings I had worked on in art school.  I love using hits of colour in my work in the form of simple, graphic shapes.  Inspiration often comes with just a pair of scissors and some tape or paper- cutting shapes out that will become glaze designs really inform how I make my work.

How has your art practice evolved over the years?

When I started dahlhaus I had a super small painting studio and a little ceramic studio- both shared spaces so they were affordable.  I spent time in both studios making paintings and functional ceramics, but over time it was clear I had to make a choice about what medium I was going to commit more time to.  At the time a larger studio in my ceramic studio opened up and I had my first solo show as a ceramic artist at the Gallery of BC Ceramics, so I made the choice to focus just on clay. Since then I've had the opportunity to work with small shops and galleries, but also some really big retailers too.  

Describe what you make.

I use porcelain and white stoneware clays and then just glaze to decorate my work.  My glazing method, style, and colour palette have really become my signature look, so I take a lot of time to glaze each piece. 

How many years have you participated in SFM?

This will be my 3rd year participating in SFM!

What's new for this year's SFM?

I'm really excited about premiering these new porcelain platters with my glaze patterns as relief that I've been making over the past couple of months.  Along with the platters, I recently made some new tall vases that create a great grouping when added to my bottle vases.  I can never have enough new glaze colours in the studio!  There's always a new pattern that evolves in the mix so there will be plenty of new work to see!

What's your favourite part about the SFM show?

My favourite part about the SFM show is that I actually want something from every vendor that's part of the show! The show is really well curated, the quality and level of each maker is really high and it's really inspiring to be part of a show that represents such great work.

Who are your favourite artists?

Just a couple of artists that have recently made me excited about painting again:
Julian Meagher is an Australian painter who's work caught my eye on instagram- his paintings are so intensely beautiful!
Jessica Bell is a Vancouver- moved to Ottawa for grad school artist who makes work that is based in the idea of collage, but presented in kind of a fresh way.  I have a few pieces of hers at home, including a knitted painting that is so fresh and kind of crafty at the same time. 

What are you listening to in the studio?

I'm a CBC radio junkie. Mostly I like to listen to The Signal, with Laurie Brown.

What other creative outlets do you enjoy?

I really enjoy making food, having people over, baking, gardening, and sewing things for my home or for myself.