Kurt Brian Anderson was born in Dearborn, Michigan in 1957. The youngest of 4 boys, he was immersed in Motown music which greatly influenced his love of the arts. He discovered his love of nature during many backpacking trips in the US and Canada. 

He was accepted into the Physician Assistant Program at Western Michigan University in 1983 and has been working as a PA ever since then.

   He was married in 1984 in Grand Rapids, MI and raised 2 children with his wife, all the while fostering a keen interest in the Arts. 

In 1996, he set sail on a self guided journey to rediscover his creative talents in painting. Ingesting as much as he could through reading, he began enrolling in workshops in the Petoskey, MI area to further his studies. Major influences of his include contemporary master Richard Schmid, as well as Elizabeth Pollie and Marc Hanson.

   He enjoys direct painting from life which he feels not only reveals accurate values and colors, but truly captures the emotional response of the artist. The focused observation involved for the study forms a rich memory palace allowing a vivid recall of the experience including date, time of day, weather, scene details, and even passersby (including conversations with them!) 

Kurt has received training from Timothy Horn, Shelby Keefe, Elizabeth Pollie, Caesar Citraro, Alan Maciag, Bob Fagan, Catherine Carey, Margaret Tvedten, and Larry Blovits.

Over the past almost twenty years, Kevin Barton of Petoskey has become one of Northern Michigan’s most well-collected artists with paintings hanging in collections across the nation.  In addition to winning numerous awards and accolades, including the Manoogian Museum’s Gold Medal Award, Signature Member status with the American Impressionist Society, and Best of Show at the Crooked Tree Arts Center annual paint-out in 2014, Mr. Barton’s work has also been featured or chosen for many covers and posters for known events Mackinac Island’s Lilac Festival poster contest two consecutive years.

Barton is glad to reside in northern Michigan with its wealth of subject matter befitting his tastes and talents with painting.  From the Great Lakes with its boats to its diverse architecture, gardens, townscapes and sunsets, it provides endless opportunities for new compositions.  Driving a little inland, there is an array of fields and farms to make the many varied pastoral scenes he has so enjoyed painting.  His painting has also taken him to places like Sedona, California, Chicago, New York City (with a group show at the prestigious Amsterdam Whitney Gallery) and most recently to Key West and other Florida locales.

In Michigan he frequently travels and paints on Mackinac Island as well as to the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas.  These new and different locations have increased the range in his body of work and his intuitive sense for capturing the subtle qualities of differing light.  

In 2016, as part of recognizing the 20th anniversary of his career as a full-time artist, the Crooked Tree Arts Center hosted a retrospective in the Ermy B. and Gordon B. Bonfield Gallery  entitled “Lost to the Wind.”  The show encompassed paintings spanning all twenty years and highlighed different areas and aspects of the artist’s progress with short stories accompanying many of the paintings relating either to the creation of the paintings or insights into the creative process at the time.

Ayala bar was born and presently resides in Israel. Since graduating from art school she has worked in many artistic areas including theater and interior design. In the late 1980's she surfaced as a prominent Israeli jeweler. Her designs blend glass with assorted metals , Swarovski crystals and fabric to create a rich mosaic, resulting in a most intricate piece.

"For me, working in fused glass represents a magical canvas of color, light, and composition."

Nina Cambron approaches each fused glass design as if it were a painting. She combines her deep understanding of color with beautifully simple abstract designs to create a wide range of fused glass wall sculptures, clocks, and mixed-media figures. 

Cambron imbues her work with the subtlety and movement of a watercolor and has mastered the art of overlapping glass to achieve a multitude of rich hues, shapes, and design elements. She often designs her wall sculptures to cast colorful rainbow-like shadows and patterns on the wall, adding a three-dimensional effect.

Cambron's legacy includes parents who were both highly accomplished makers. Her talent and love for art became apparent at a very young age. Cambron first experienced glass as a medium while attending The Cleveland Institute of Art in the mid 1970s. She received her bachelor's degree in fine art from The University of Michigan in 1978. After graduation, she experimented with every medium possible before committing herself to becoming a full-time glass artist. Her post-graduate education includes training with Bullseye Glass Factory, Oatka Glass, The College for Creative Studies, and Pilchuck Glass School.

As my wife and I awaited the birth of our first child, I noticed that there was a lack of one of a kind, responsibly made, and beautifully designed products for children. I decided to create a unique collection of products that would be intricately crafted and environmentally responsible.

No two Cate & Levi products will ever be the same. Each one is made from reclaimed wool whose colors and textures are individually selected. Not only is this process environmentally responsible, but it ensures that each animal is truly a one of a kind creation never to be duplicated. Each item is as unique as the child who adopts it.

It is important for me to set a good example for my child, to work in a highly creative and responsible fashion, and to produce long lasting items that can be today's plaything and tomorrow's keepsake. A percentage of our profits will be donated to funds that help children in need.

Linda's first job was making and selling potholders at the age of ten. A former high school English teacher, she took up weaving after the death of her husband at 30. Linda returned to college to obtain additional degrees in textiles and design. Weaving lead to doll making which lead to sculpture followed by assemblage work then finally painting. Her pieces evoke conceptual references to nature, botanical themes, the figurative form and early childhood memories and are full of icons discovered in childhood: moons, trees, hills, boats and endless blue skies.

I create handcrafted artisan jewelry fabricated from metal sheet and wire, using traditional metalsmithing techniques. All of the metal I use is recycled. My new collection uses colorful enamel for a fresh modern look.

Lynn Dinning was born in Michigan, U.S.A.  Educated at Michigan State University and Wayne State University, she earned a B.F.A., and later studied at Penland School of Crafts, the American School for Neon, Pittsburgh Glass Center, New York Experimental Glass Workshop (now called Urbanglass), and the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass.  She opened her studio, Good Hart Glassworks, at its present location in the early 1990’s. 

The seeds of working with glass were planted when, as a child, Lynn was able to spend time at the glassblowing studio at Henry Ford Museum’s Greenfield Village, and earned a “Glass” badge in Girl Scouts (you can see it in her studio).  Because of this early exposure, the educational mission at Lynn’s Good Hart Glassworks studio is to demonstrate the links shared by Art, Science, and History.  Lessons, tours, and demonstrations are given by appointment at her studio.  Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs awarded a grant to film Lynn’s educational demonstration.  The film “Sand + Heat = Glass” can be viewed on Youtube.

The interactions of color and light have always fascinated Lynn.  By layering clear glass between layers of color, the light penetrates the glass, creating shadows and great depth in the patterns.  Many of her designs are influenced by the wonderful light and natural surroundings of the north. She enjoys making a wide range of blown and fused glass items.  Each piece presents it’s own challenge, whether she is blowing an intricately patterned vase, making a one-of-a-kind marble, or a festive glass pumpkin.

Her work has appeared in juried shows, selected group and solo exhibitions and in collections, including the White House, throughout the United States and abroad. 

Lynn not only blows glass and teaches glass techniques at her studio. Several years ago she had the opportunity to design and teach several glass courses focusing on fusing, blowing, and kiln casting at North Central Michigan College, as well as a course called “The Business of Art”.  When not working or teaching in her studio or at the college, Lynn is a full-certified ski instructor and was named one of the “100 Top Instructors” by SKI MAGAZINE.

Randi Ford grew up in Sturgis, Michigan surrounded by nature, and now lives in Grand Rapids after studying illustration at Grand Valley State University.  It wasn't until she starting creating paintings on location, in nature, along the shoreline that she could be fully passionate about her work. The natural beauty of Lake Michigan and the life within it's dunes evoked inspiration within her, and is now her main subject.

Through Randi's work, she captures the divine spirit, life and energy within all forms. She pleased that she is able to connect with others and spread the beauty within nature through her work.

I have been an artist all my life, never deviating from the path I choose in 6th grade when my art teacher felt I had a special talent and encouraged me. Almost 15 years ago I began to focus on soft pastel and have pursued a continuing love of the medium. We currently live on beautiful Leelanau Peninsula where I paint daily, both plein air and in my studio. I have been active in the art community wherever we have made or home and will continue to support the arts and nurture students.

www.maryfuscaldo.com

On the eleventh day of July, nineteen­hundred and seventy­nine the sun darkened behind an ominous cloud bank as Justin David Gustafson burst forth from his mother’s womb, nearly killing her in the process. The fourth of five boys born to an impoverished, workaholoic father, and a strict catholic mother, who desperately wanted a daughter; Justin has never known a life free of crushing guilt. The adult that resulted from this works nearly constantly in a futile attempt to absolve himself of sins never committed. At best he absolves himself of his bills. In 2002 he graduated, with academic honors, from Kendall College of Art and Design where he studied under Jay Constantine, Margaret Vega, Diane Zeeuw, Boyd Quinn and Perin Mahler. There he learned to get over his fear of people and suspicion of compliments. Heavily influenced by Van Gogh, Justin feels fortunate to have gotten over his own depression around the time in his life when Vincent‘s life was falling apart. He hopes to survive long enough to see his own work gain favor among the peoples of Earth. James Whistler (his nocturnes), Edward Hopper (his buildings), Mary Cassat (her portraits), and Camille Pisarro (his landscapes) also played large roles in his early development as a painter, setting him on the course to where he is today. Now by day he’s a mild­mannered wood worker at Homestead Furniture, deep in the bowels of Kalamazoo’s venerated Park Trades Center. When quitting time rolls around however, he tears off his dusty shirt to reveal an even dirtier shirt and becomes the artist currently known as Justin David Gustafson. Fighting the forces of boredom and mental stagnation, armed only with brushes, palette knives and his wits (so mostly just brushes and palette knives). His only weakness in this endeavor is that he is plagued with a condition which renders him unconscious for around six to eight hours every night! He relates the heavy layering of his painting technique to the myriad layers of human cognition. Thoughts and feelings, overlapping and colliding, in a seemingly spontaneous fashion, which cohere into a distinct personality. Memories interacting with ambitions, prejudices and penchants hiding in the shadows or leaping to the fore. All of this occurs in the subconscious mind, from which the thoughts that we take credit for emerge, much like the indistinct smears of paint which harmonize to form recognizable imagery in Justin‘s paintings. Though generally a sober and rational intellect (except when he’s been drinking) his artwork is an attempt to reach or connect with his audience on a deeply emotional level. This may seem contradictory, however emotion is central to the human condition and it is thus only reasonable to embrace it. It is in fact madness to attempt to suppress or deny it. His madness is of an altogether different kind, a meticulous frenzy of thought and activity which weave in and out of coherence, yet coalesce into beautiful, sometimes haunting images.

My degree is in music education. The only art classes I’ve had have been a handful of workshops. My high school art teacher told me I couldn’t be in both band and art. But it isn’t only through training that one becomes and artist. It seems that artists have the ability to see “the extraordinary in the ordinary”: the way the sunlight hits a leaf, the way colors change. I’m always searching for what looks amazing, whether it’s in a landscape or a still life arrangement. If something doesn’t excite me, the painting will never excite either. I enjoy painting both plein air (in the open air) landscapes and still lives. In a class I took, Clyde Aspevig once said, “Always paint from life. The answers are right in front of you”. Bouncing around from still life to landscape keeps me on my toes.

THE STORY BEHIND MY ART, MY INSPIRATION: It seems that artists have the ability to see “the extraordinary in the ordinary”: the way the sunlight hits a leaf, the way colors change, etc. I’m always searching for what looks amazing, whether it’s in a landscape or a still life arrangement. If something doesn’t strike me as exciting, the painting will never turn out exciting, either. I enjoy painting both plein air (in the open air) landscapes and still lifes. Clyde Aspevig told our class, “Always paint from life. The answers are right in front of you”. Bouncing around from still lifes to landscapes keeps me on my toes.

WORK I’M MOST PROUD OF: I’ve always felt that my still lifes were my best work, but this is a very tough area to find buyers – or even a gallery to willing to show them. People prefer local scenes. Good thing I enjoy painting landscapes – even in winter.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE: My degree is in music education. The only art classes I’ve had have been a handful of workshops. I worked 30 years on the line at Ford Wixom Assembly Plant. I’ve been to Peru 3 times, hiking the Inca Trail, sleeping on sandbars, bathing in the Amazon and studying the shamans. These days I play my saxophone with the Charlevoix Sax Quartet, Northern Michigan College concert band and Pine River Jazz Band. Oh, and I’m an avid gardener.

My high school art teacher said I couldn’t be in both band and art. My junior high band director said, “It’s people like you who make this band sound BAD!” I guess they’d both be turning over in their graves if they could see me now. 

I grew up in a large family on a dairy farm in upstate New York. I learned about different kinds of wood and their qualities from my father while collecting & cutting firewood each year.

My education brought me to Michigan in the 60s to complete a doctorate at Michigan State University, and then to an administrative position at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. As retirement approached, I started to collect some cherry burls in anticipation of trying my hand at turning. Upon retiring in 1999, I started my turning career, buying my first lathe and going to some woodturning workshops.

 On summer days I enjoy looking for cherry logs, hardwood burls or spalted maple to turn into bowls. Spalting is a naturally occurring phenomenon created when a log begins to rot while lying on the ground. It is created when a fungus invades the wet wood and is recognizable by beautiful black patterns contained within the background of the woods natural color.

 I take the wood I find and cut it into a blank that is fastened to a lathe. I rough in these green blanks into one inch shells giving me a basic idea of what I can do with the piece. I then cover the piece in wax to reduce cracking as it dries. Six to twelve months later, I put the dry (but now warped) shells back on the lathe and turn them into finished pieces.

After completing my BFA at Adrian College in 1976, and then working as a studio potter for fifteen years, I am finally able to create the mixed-media baskets I have always dreamed about. Unhampered by the limitations found with clay-only forms, texture, color, shape and size have become a satisfying reality. My baskets are made with a combination of three materials: clay, fiber (reed), and wood.

The clay is a high fired stoneware with dipped and brushed glazes. The challenge here is to have a clear vision of the completed basket before starting the piece. Using traditional wheel-throwing and hand building techniques, I finish the clay parts first. Once I have completed thatI position and glue reed, dowel, or ash spokes in place. This stabilizes the form for weaving.

and weave plaited and twilled patterns. I will often choose palm, vine rattan, red osier, willow, or birch bark as accents to add a more natural feel and texture to my baskets. 

The next step is weaving. I select natural and dyed reedand weave plaited and twilled patterns. I will often choose palm, vine rattan, red osier, willow, or birch bark as accents to add a more natural feel and texture to my baskets. 

Fascinated by exploring new and exciting shapes, I have been continually inspired to work with the vessel as form. Breaking from the clay-only vessel and exploring the endless possibilities afforded by basketry as an art form has allowed me to explore shapes and textures that were unattainable to me in the past.

What’s up with painting anyway?
Why do people do it? They have after all been doing it for thousands of years.
Why do people like to look at them?
Clearly it is somehow very important to the human psyche.
Hell, sometimes they even trade money for them!
I have been painting for around 40 years and I still wonder about these things.
I can really only speak for myself. I paint because it is cathartic. When it goes well I feel better about being alive. It is always challenging and always somehow new each time. There is no “formula”. I am never sure how any painting will turn out.
It is funny that doing a painting could have this affect, but it does.
I am a self taught painter. I have been very fortunate to have known many fine artists who have influenced me in one way or another. You never know what or who may trigger a new way of seeing which may lead to a new way of painting.
Probably the most important thing I have done to learn how to paint is to do it over and over and over. I don’t think that there is anything that can replace the act of simply doing it.
I have never decided to paint in a particular way nor was I taught a “style”. Occasionally people ask me what I call my “style” and I do not know what to tell them.
My wife and I live in Ann Arbor. I have lived in Michigan most of my adult life, and I am deeply attached to this place. I have lived in several other places but always came back.I can’t imagine living somewhere without Big Water.
In recent years I have been doing a lot of paintings of the Great Lakes, mostly Northwest Michigan.
I have never grown tired of them as subject matter.

Michigan artist, Alan Maciag is a 1974 graduate of Central Michigan University with a Masters Degree in Art Education.  He has retired after teaching art for the last thirty-two years in the Frankenmuth School District.

An avid drawer, Alan has captured visual memories of past vacations and camping trips throughout Michigan filling numerous sketch books.  These sketches have served as valuable subject matter to so many of his oil paintings.  His inspired works are numerous and are in private collections in California, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Germany and France.

In the awaking light of the early morning you might find Alan, a plein-air painter, capturing the essence of the visual moments presented before him in the vast rural farmland around his home.

When not painting on site Alan can be found painting in the garden paradise of his home.  Alan’s back yard is a sanctuary for his creative thought.

Alan’s avid interest in architecture and gardening are reoccurring themes in his current body of work.

It is the pure beauty of nature at its finest hour that inspires Alan’s oil paintings.  Alan is especially moved by sunlight and the magic a ray of light can cast upon a particular subject revealing the depth and fundamental form waiting to be captured on canvas…from a field of poppies to an Ida Red apple.

Alan’s rural landscapes are a balance between form, distance, colour, and content.  This balance creates a sense of calm and bucolic reverence for the rural heritage of Michigan, for the wonderland of her vacation lakes or for the sanctuary within a garden or public space.   It is as though you have been given a gift; to simply ‘step in’ for a moment and be surrounded by the spirit captured on that canvas.

Jim Mullan is a self-taught artist who grew up in Southern California with an enthusiasm for nature and history.  As a teenager he became intrigued with old watches, vintage toys, and scientific instruments.  In the process of taking things apart and putting them back together, he began pairing some of the old pieces with his favorite things found in nature, such as, bird, dragonfly and animal components to create one of a kind mixed media jewelry and assemblages. In  1980, Jim exhibited at his first art show in Florida and enjoyed it so much that he decided to set up shop in Pompano Beach.  Shortly thereafter he began exhibiting full time in juried art shows across the country.

Tori’s passion for antiques and jewelry began as a child.  Her inspiration was her father, a jeweler and antique watch collector.  While working in his jewelry store in Port Charlotte, Florida, she became interested in the vintage stones and spare parts that her father used for repairing jewelry and watches.  She set her sights on designing jewelry and started creating unique one of a kind earrings and bracelets. She met Jim in 1985 at a show and they soon discovered that they shared many of the same interests in old watches, jewelry and antiques.

The couple combined their individual talents and formed a partnership in work and in life.

WHAT I paint:    Timeless structures. They are my focus and fascination. Whether an urban scene of stately buildings claiming their place in the cityscape, or the rural counterpoints of humble, weathered barns — some in use, and some now neglected — these manmade structures appeal to my visual senses, and pique my interest regarding the lives which are intertwined with their existence, both past and present. By the time I have pondered and painted their elements, I begin to feel the thread of connection to their history. And strange as it may be, by the mere actuality of recording their existence on canvas, in a small way I humbly become part of their history, as “the artist who painted (fill in the blank).”

HOW I paint and WHY:   Pure instinct reigns as I pick up the brush. Avoiding photo-realism in favor of embracing the impression of the scene, I teeter between adding hints which portray dimension, and pulling back in order to leave room for the viewer’s imagination. It’s a tightrope walk; an intense three-way conversation between the scene, the canvas, and me. The mystery and intrigue of this addicting process is, in itself, as deeply satisfying to me as a resulting successful piece of art.

Most of my paintings are characterized by a textural application of paint with palette knives, bristle brushes, forks, brayers … whatever it takes. The bold strokes express my preference for strong, masculine lines, no matter the subject.

A rusted washer, a newly fallen leaf, tangles of colored string, bits of broken glass. Ancient cliff dwellings baking in the desert sun. A sewer grate filled with colorful stones. Decaying industrial detritus. Incandescent berries festooning a bush. Petroglyphs on a sandstone wall. Scraps of colorful packaging lying next to sodden corrugated cardboard. Brightly colored pebbles and shells submerged in shallow water. Peeling plywood weathering under the relentless burning sky. Corroded mining equipment and vehicles left abandoned to the harsh elements.

Texture, pattern, repetition, form, juxtapositions and color, the patina of age delights and wonders. Everything has a story waiting to be told. Everything is waiting for someone to be inspired by its very existence. Things that were useful in one context are reborn as inspiration into another. My artwork, whether it is jewelry that adorns one's body, or a sculpture to grace a wall, is inspired by the teeming riot of possibilities I see going about in my daily life. Everything is fodder for creativity, regardless of its inherent importance. That is just how I see things.

Inspired by my paternal grandmother who became a silversmith in the 1960's through courses taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, I have been creating my entire life, and stated in the fourth grade that the only thing I wanted to be in life was an artist. I have explored many different mediums along the way ~ drawing, sculpture, photography, mixed media and have finally settled back into metalworking and jewelry design after a twenty year hiatus from the metal studio.

I have been around clay my whole life. Born to parents who both work in clay, I found it natural to return home to work in their studio after studying art at Hope College in Holland Michigan. I began by learning basic techniques and working as an apprentice. Over time, I took over the majority of production work and in the past several years I have developed my own style through large scale forms. I currently enjoy experimenting with 3-6 foot tall decorative vessels that take a great degree of physicality and strength to create. I enjoy the challenges that come with working with large forms and feel that the vases become canvases for unique carving and glazing styles. My work is influenced from both my parents, who use natural, earth tones as well as Asian-inspired design. My pots are fired in wood, electric, and gas kilns, all which offer a variety of atmospheres resulting in unique and unusual surfaces. 

For the past 10 years I've been working as an artist and dabbling in too many mediums to have focus. Then my husband and I decided to have children.  I always envisioned myself as a stay-at-home mom type, giving up my artist dreams, and loving every minute of my children. Although, life with 2 children is lovely, I am shockingly more ambitious than I ever thought I'd be.  

I paint for the process.  To stay grounded in life.  To keep a clear head when organizing my family's daily routines. And to accept all qualities of myself, whether good or bad.

Encaustic medium allows me to work in many layers while I process my experiences in life.  I hang photos all around me in my studio for reference, though I like to draw from my memories to create a landscape perspective. This method helps me exaggerate what might actually be there, like a story will do and tap into the feelings the scene leaves me with.

Through my transition to becoming a mother I have found a deep devotion to raising my children while staying at home, and I'm also an artist because I can't stop painting.

Joelle Medici and Emily Doyle are the creative minds behind Mr. Sogs Creatures, which was established in 2007. Working together as a dynamic team, the sisters dedicate their time to create unique, one of a kind products for kids and adults alike. Joelle holds a Fine Arts degree from the University of Memphis, and Emily holds a degree in English from the University of Memphis as well. Both enjoy spending time collaborating with one another to come up with new product ideas to bring the best, most finely crafted products to life. As time has progressed, Joelle has taken the reigns of the business, focusing more on the wholesale aspect of the business, while Emily has dedicated her time to sales, marketing, and productivity of merchandise.

Joelle and Emily both have a deep love for animals, which can be seen throughout the collection from the unique spin on an aardvark to the realistic portrayal of the penguin. It is their hope to see the company expand throughout the country with various types of galleries and independent boutiques carrying their designs. The goal of Joelle and Emily is to bring to life creations based on crazy imaginations and modern design by producing affordable, unique designs parents will want to buy their children as well as capturing the whimsy of adults being a child at heart.

Hannah Stoppel learned sewing and the basics of crochet from her grandmother Sarah, an avid knitter and quilter. Since childhood, she has been fascinated by the versatility of fabric arts, and has tried to learn about as many as she could. She currently works as the lead wig builder at Custom Wig Company in Louisville, KY, and spends her spare time volunteering as a Costumed Interpreter at Historic Locust Grove. Between jobs and hobbies, she manages to spend about 80% of her time doing what she loves most--creating beautiful things. The other 20% is for eating and sleeping.

The feeling of a day spent in a special place, a moment or an afternoon, this is what want from my work. My process starts with a place. The place is most often where I have spent some time, not just “oh, this is a nice place, I think I will paint it”. It may be a place I go by everyday and to which I feel emotionally attached or it may be a place where I camped or sailed or hiked. Often it is a place on our 160 acres. I am especially fond of paths or places where you peek through or gaze out and beyond. Somehow these places feel secret or hidden away and there is something to discover. Most of my work is done on site but I also work from photos. Much of my work is done on black paper or sanded paper and chalkboards. I also work on sidewalks and bike paths. I often start with a limited palette of primary colors to set up my lights and shadows then start introducing other colors. 

At tonlé, we see fashion differently – from the way it’s made to the way it’s worn. We see it as encouraging the unique in everyone who touches our clothing, from maker to wearer. Our process starts with scrap waste sourced from mass clothing manufacturers. Using every last thread, we create handmade clothing and accessories signed by their Cambodian makers. Our family of employees is made up of individuals with spirit, drive and dreams. Together, we’ve built a supportive environment where everyone expresses themselves freely, learns new skills, and gains confidence in what they do.

We believe style is more than what you wear – it’s what you choose to be a part of. When you buy tonlé, you're buying one-of-a-kind clothes that carry meaning across cultures and continents.

tonlé. Every thread matters.

Detroit raised artist, Leslie Cavell Trimble has been making art since age two. There was no hope for her to be anything but an artist. When she discovered ceramics at age 35 she was hooked and she has been doing it for 37 years! Like her name sake Uncle who worked at Ford and then started working at a tile company at age 70 where he continued until he was 91 , she is planning on continuing with her work for a long while! 

Her pottery is dishwasher, oven and microwave safe.

I set out to produce work that enriches the life of the person using it.  The handmade qualities of my stoneware pottery beg to be touched and used, and to be used each day.  With that use, an appreciation for its form, texture and glaze develops, one that ties the user to the artist.

 I discovered my passion for creating pottery in high school.  I continued my exploration of clay in college, first at Riverland College in Austin, Minnesota with James Wegner, and then at the University of Minnesota with Curtis Hoard and Warren MacKenzie.  Pots are created in sequence, each pot teaching me something I can use in the next as I strive to perfect the details that make a pot function in its task and be artistically expressive at the same time.

My pots are created on the potter's wheel and sometimes altered.  My inspiration is to create functional pottery that works well and is beautiful at the same time.  Each piece is signed by me, the artist, and is accompanied by a gift tag printed with artist statement and use and care instructions.  Glazes are chosen and applied to accentuate the pot's form and texture and are lead free.  Your pottery is safe to use in the oven, microwave and dishwasher; so use it every day, and enjoy!

stevetubbspottery.com

In our sunny studio, located in a historic New England mill building, our small group of highly-trained artisans collectively hand-make each piece individually with lots of discussion and a good, old-fashioned work ethic.
Inspired by natural forms and honest materials, a timeless palette and genuine passion for truly handmade lighting, Janna Ugone & Justin Thomas synchronize vintage, contemporary and industrial elements that explore life interests and tell a story. “From our handmade wall clocks to functional reading lamps, we continually strive to present fresh ideas”, says designers Janna & Justin. The results are distinctive, multi-dimensional table and floor lamps, pendants, clocks, mirrors and accent tables that transform space and stir the imagination

I came to clay as a second vocation.  For 10 years I taught high school biology and I cultivated a love for helping others explore the world while also encouraging scientific inquiry.  When I left teaching I returned to the classroom as a student at Haywood Community College  completing an Associates Degree in Professional Crafts.   From there I moved to Floyd, Virginia and worked as an apprentice to Silvie Granatelli, studio potter.  I am now in the process of setting up a studio and building a life as a studio potter in Floyd, Virginia.    I also teach pottery at a local community arts center in Roanoke, VA.

My pottery is made of porcelain clay and is fired in a gas kiln to cone 10.  All pots are safe for microwave, oven and dishwasher.

I became interested in making pots while attending a small college in my hometown in Kansas.  The only art professor the school had was a potter.  He taught me how to make functional, utilitarian pots.  After graduating with an art degree from Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana in 1976, my goal became to acquire my own studio and be a full-time potter.  That goal became a reality in 1983 when I built my present studio just outside of Lederach, Pennsylvania.  A house followed in 1988.  My wife is a teacher, our three children are married and living elsewhere.

My pots are sold in shops and galleries around the country.  I’ve also exhibited at The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, The Smithsonian Craft Show, The American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, the Long’s Park Art and Craft Show in Lancaster, as well as other local and regional art and craft shows.  My goal has always been to make work that functions both practically and visually.  I hope you enjoy what you see. 

Born in the lush, gently rolling farmlands of Western Michigan, Karen   VanDam Michmerhuizen was early on aware of the constant inter-play   of light and shadow caused by the clouds which continually form and   drift ashore along the vast expanse of Lake Michigan.  The vivid richness of Michigan’s four distinct seasons formed a lavish palette that  delighted her senses and called her to brush and canvas.  But it was only after raising four children and leaving a career as an academic secretary that she began devoting full time to her artistic endeavors.  Today, she and her husband plan their travels to specific painting locations, and in-between she spends much time outdoors either in her spectacular garden or various close-to-home scenic locales, capturing the lights and colors she so admired as a child.

Growing up in a large Italian and Irish family where emotions and energy were high, I learned early on to create quickly, to work collaboratively, and to not become too attached to my work. This childhood dynamic created a need in me to be aggressive in my work, often cutting through the paint surfaces and restating my lines. I want my materials to be bold and work fast with me. I find myself most comfortable when away from the tradition of easel. I am often on my hands and knees actively engaged with the painting, my bare feet exposed to the cool concrete floor of my studio. Exposing an energetic style through a variety of mark making, broad brush strokes, and bold color allows for a more natural, spontaneous, and spirited drawing in my art work. I am eager to search for shapes of color and light that fall on the planes of the ridge and valleys of the land. These organic movements are revealed in large and small scale landscape paintings, through juxtaposing patterns and colors of the farmlands and vineyards of rural United States and international regions.