Gallery Shop Artisans
2023
Ashley Look
Coral Springs, FL
Ashley is a self-proclaimed addict to spoon carving and bread baking. Starting in culinary school Ashley worked for the Sea Education Association and sailed all around the world cooking meals for the crew aboard a double-masted brigantine ship. Her next position on land was as a retreat chef with the Center for Whole Communities at Knoll Farm in Waitsfield, VT. While there, at the urging of the center, she learned the art of spoon carving. One day, Ashley was asked if she would teach a bread class to the visiting participants. The active process of making dough engaged the participants for a matter of minutes but waiting for the dough to rise required several hours. During that downtime, she noticed the participants would gravitate towards carving their spoons. About a week or so later, she was again asked to teach a bread-baking class. It was during that second class that she recognized the relationship between bread baking and spoon making. Both were crafts of time, and both were working with the grain. It was very much an ah-ha moment. “I’m going to teach the tactile art of flour and wood through courses and workshops called Grain & Grain.”
About a year into this dream, both of her parents got sick, and Ashley had to abruptly transition to South Florida to assist with their care. They both suffered from Alzheimer’s and dementia and required constant supervision to ensure their safety. “Stripped of all that I was hoping to become, I recoiled into my craft as a form of therapy. Spoon carving, and bread baking both required time and it appeared that amid all that was lost in my new life as a caregiver, time would be my one true companion.”
Ashley is most known for carving wooden spoons. “As much as I enjoy creating them, I really enjoy teaching others how to make them. The spoons especially fill me with gratification. To know that I have created something beautiful as well as functional is very gratifying. And to also know that they came from the earth and return without harm actually blows my mind.”
Then Hurricane Irma hit. Fronds were everywhere but so were whole trees. The devastation to the landscape lined the streets and remained for weeks until the city could manage to haul it away.
“My mom had passed away by that point but I was still caring for my father, and although he couldn’t speak very well he was relatively mobile. We spent the days following the hurricane driving around collecting any available Florida Mahogany that I could fit in my car. It was a terrible time for the community struggling in the aftermath, but for us, it proved to be an opportunity. We helped clear debris and salvaged the wood for spoons.”
Ausrine Kerr
Evanston, IL/ Hana, HI
Born in Lithuania, Ausrine Kerr is a multidisciplinary artist working across multiple media: painting, fiber, and clay. Ausrine addresses her ceramics as if they were three-dimensional canvas. Her process allows the shape to inform the surface. Aesthetic decisions come to her by the way of her other practices. Her lines and images from printmaking, her color palette from her European classically-trained painter’s eye, while the vessel’s sensual surfaces echo the touch and feel of her masterly felting practice.
Ausrine graduated with a Master’s degree in art education from the Art Academy of Lithuania in 1985. Afterward, she began teaching gifted children at the Children’s Art School of Lithuania. She emigrated to the US in 1995 where she taught in the Chicago Public Schools “Young Rembrandts” after-school program. She opened her studio practice with the Fine Art of Leather in Evanston in 1999. Eventually expanding her private space into a combined teaching studio and an art gallery, Ausrine’s Art Room. She graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 and has since divided her time between Hana, Hawaii, and Evanston, Illinois.
“I am always ready for a change, three-dimensional constructions fascinate my imagination as well as wall hangings. Some of my pieces are functional but I also allow the material I fashion to become an abstract work in itself. Sets of sculptured boxes are often more like a play with geometric shapes than a simple irregular form. The excitement lies in predicting, what comes next. Lately, I started to play with various tools and styles of art, that way I can ascribe each piece its own personal and unique look.”
Bent & Bree
Boca Raton, FL
Bent & Bree is an eco-friendly and sustainable luxury brand of bags and accessories made of genuine cork. Peta approved and woman-owned by Helena Silva.
It all started with a diaper bag! “The first time I became a parent, I had a difficult time finding eco-friendly and stylish products, including a diaper bag. Everything out there had bunnies, teddy-bears, and was made from toxic materials. Years later, when I became pregnant with my second child, I still felt frustrated. The designs were nicer but still made from materials that were not only toxic but harsh on the environment such as leather and PVC. So, I decided to design my own “diaper bag” made from Cork, one of the most sustainable and natural materials in the world, that consists of 7 fantastic pockets to hold everything from baby bottles to wipes.” Today, it is still her favorite bag, a best seller, and is used as her business bag to hold iPad, notebooks, water bottles, sunglasses, and everything else!
Cork has certainly gained much popularity over the years, especially since Portugal has become a popular tourist destination. Portugal is not only the largest producer of cork but also has the best cork material due to its perfect Mediterranean climate. Cork is one of the most sustainable materials in the world because trees are not cut down and the bark regenerates every 9 years. “We embraced cork because it is all-natural, vegan, and one of the most versatile and sustainable materials in the world. We not only offer you the finest vegan products, but we also create pieces that reveal comfort, function, and style. Years later, we still feel the same way and are aware that many of you share the same feelings.”
Bent & Bree is a brand inspired by LOVE, nature, imagination, and a desire to provide unique and stylish planet-friendly products. The softness, natural texture, and versatility of cork allows for the creation of amazing fabrics that can be embossed, printed, laser cut, perforated, and embroidered. Most importantly, cork is one of the most sustainable materials in the world. Extracted from the Cork Oak, it is the only tree that regenerates itself after each harvest, doing no harm to the tree. Cork Oaks grow naturally with no pesticides, watering, or pruning. Our goal was to create amazing products that don’t harm our precious ones or the planet. Our products are made of cork fabric that is all-natural (vegan), recyclable, and reusable contributing to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable society. It simply is nature’s most futuristic achievement.
“Initially, we started by attending small local events and trade shows. I still remember the day that we got our first order and the joy felt! Today, we still participate in these events because we love the interaction with customers. This allows us to design and develop better styles. It’s quite satisfying to know that our brand can be found in several boutiques throughout the country.
We initially launched in 2016 with handbags and jewelry. Today, we have expanded into home accessories, focusing more on the hospitality industry. We are on a mission to substitute all that is plastic with cork! Many of our designs include ice buckets, serving trays, tissue box holders, and trash bins that can be found in hotels and restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.”
The company was created on the basis of love and wanting to provide a better universe for our children. The founder, Helena named the company after her children BENT (Bentley) and BREE.
Brianna Sopourn
Coral Springs, FL
Brianna is an instructor here at the Coral Springs Museum of Art.
She loves to share her passion for ceramics with people of all ages. And here at the CSMoA is where Brianna learned about her love for art as a young child while taking classes at the Museum. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in ceramics from Florida Atlantic University. She is currently continuing her studies there in the ceramic Post-Baccalaureate program.
Ceramics remains the driving force of her creative process. The unique nature of the medium is influenced by her movement and her touch affects the outcome of the work directly. The malleability of clay allows unrestricted expression and experimentation. Though versed in various media such as printmaking, painting, sculpture, photography, and collage, Sopourn employs clay as a building material due to the endless potentiality of the ceramic medium.
“My art practice is most often based on the use of ceramic materials. To touch and manipulate clay is a purposeful and emotional experience. The plasticity of a clay body allows me the freedom to manipulate the form with flexibility and create intentional forms that possess soft and flowing movements. The physical tendencies of clay permit an uninhibited conversation between the creator and material to cultivate fluid making. The aspect of creating that incites my work is the unique nature by which my movement influences the clay. It is the dialogue between my touch and the material that allows the creation of something entirely new to be brought into existence. My intention is to provoke the same sense of potential, uncertainty, and wonder in the viewer that I feel in the creation process.”
Brianna deliberately designs structures that will enhance her building skills as well as challenge the limits of the material’s stability. Conceptually, her work provides abstract ideological concepts and physical forms. Her newest series centers around her reflections on how to communicate Biblical and spiritual teachings through shape, color, and form. Sopourn’s artistic practice is founded on Biblical study, and she intends to invoke an emotional response and spiritual stirrings within onlookers.
Sopurn Art Studios is a ceramic studio based in Broward County, Florida that has a dual focus on abstract sculptures and functional wares.
Charming Perspectives
Plantation, FL
Charming Perspectives was founded in 2014 by Marcelle Dorvillier with a passion for high-quality leather goods and accessories. We celebrate the time-honored art and techniques of handcraftsmanship. Every piece is designed, cut, and stitched by hand in our South Florida studio. Each limited-edition batch is carefully handcrafted to highlight the character of the materials while exploring the contrasts of ease/polish and intricate/effortless.
Charming Perspectives began as an online Etsy shop. Still, since we love the personal connection and interaction with customers, for four years we mainly operated as a pop-up shop around South Florida. We regularly sold at the Indie Craft Bazaar and FAT Village Art Walk and as a part of other markets like Indie Flea Tampa and Market for Makers. In 2018 we were delighted to build our own online shop in response to customer requests.
Chelsea Stahl
Coral Springs, FL
“I love using my camera to capture the world around me and share what I see with others. I hope you enjoy my collection of mandalas. Each was created from an original photograph of nature. This collection is called “Meditation of Nature”. It is a symbolic blending of my love of nature, photography and yoga. These photographic mandalas are full of intricate shapes and vibrant colors. They are incredibly fun to create and beautiful to wear!”
Crystal Bacchus | XTAL Art Studios
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Crystal Bacchus has been mesmerized by color since childhood. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, she moved to Trinidad with her family when she was 10 and started studying design at the age of 11. By 13, she was producing artwork with a distinctive, sophisticated look even then. Her work provided clear evidence of the strong influence that fashion has had on her since early childhood when she looked on with fascination as her mother created an ever-blossoming array of stylish outfits. That visual experience awakened in crystal the love of richly colored, elegantly patterned fabric. Recognizing her talent, her parents encouraged her to enroll in art school. She went on to earn a degree in Graphic Design from the International Fine Arts College, now the Art Institute of Miami.
Crystal is passionate about exploring the relationship between color and texture, and she places great importance on achieving the perfect marriage of paper and paint. She strives to achieve the perfect marriage of paper and paint. “I love paper and its various textures. And, I love the unpredictability of watercolor. You never know what it’s going to do.” In addition to watercolor, she works in ink and pencil often incorporating into her designs beads and fabric, much of it from Canada, Trinidad, Japan, and Africa to name a few.
Her studio, Xtal Art, founded in 2010 is dedicated to providing iconic visual art and graphics influenced by Caribbean culture and the artist’s faith in God. The company, which produces original art pieces created in watercolor and ink on paper and silk, evolved from a strictly graphic design and fine art studio to a company that creates customizable items on which the artist’s watercolor designs may be applied. The artist combines her graphic design expertise and visual art to produce vibrant and relatable pieces that can also be applied to a variety of stationary and luxury home goods.
Daphne Essiet
Coral Springs, FL/ Harlem, NY
Artist Daphne Essiet describes herself as an Afropean multidisciplinary artist. Self-taught, Essiet, is of Nigerian heritage. She was born in Los Angeles, raised in the South of France, and settled down in Harlem.
“I enjoy expressing myself through music, visual art, and poetry/writing. Over the years, I have enjoyed experimenting with different styles and mediums (and I still do) as well as trying different art practices. So far, it has been an amazing journey.
Inspired by seeing herself reflected in the work of poets like Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni, Essiet celebrates the beauty of black womanhood and embraces the power of self-belonging in her visual and literary work. Her projects range from penning poetry and lyrics to painting, drawing, and graphic design. After graduating from Brooklyn College and earning a degree in Music Recording Technology, Daphne tried her hand in the corporate world before devoting her full-time energy to art. Daphne’s attention to detail and line, and frequent use of gold ink in her intricately rendered paintings and drawings bring to mind the opulence and lushness of works by Gustav Klimt. Her dream-like rendering of Egypt, portraits of powerful women, and abstract paintings of circles and dots explore spiritual and metaphysical themes that emphasize connectedness. “I employ vibrant colors, repetition, and energetic patterns to mimic the balance between life’s simplicity and complexity. By infusing my imagery with a sense of joy and love, my work invites viewers to heal by connecting with those qualities in themselves. My abstract work was born of my own desire for harmony and healing meditative practice to manage chronic stress and the weight of institutional sexism and racism. They are a limitless way to express my multicultural background. When it comes to my figurative pieces, I focus on celebrating black and brown women like myself and lend my gift to uplift and better my community. I love colors, and freedom and I am proud of sharing my passion with those that enjoy the same thing.”
Devora Perez
Hialeah, FL
A first-generation Miami-born American; Devora Perez is the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants. Perez earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from New World School of the Arts in 2016, and her Master of Fine Arts from Florida International University in 2020. Domestic environments, urban architecture, and the South Florida landscape inspire her work. Perez makes poetic statements about the human condition with everyday materials.
Grounded in real life, her abstract art is accessible to all of us. Perez’s works are fashioned from wood, concrete, vellum, and plexiglass, among other everyday elements. Perez’s work operates in the spaces between painting, sculpture, and installation. Although minimal and subtle in form, her three-dimensional and two-dimensional works disrupt the ideas of structure, utility, and definition. She creates works that serve as a form of resistance, pushing beyond any singular limitation, with interactions between space, material, and light, adding layers of meaning. Perez focuses on the porosity of forms/frames by playing with the mutable line between painting and sculpture as historical constructs. Her works reference painting or use it as a point of departure through systemic and overlapping investigations of support, auxiliary support, paint, and the wall. The works similarly raise questions about the relationship between object and viewer, the domestic sphere, and the built environment.
Perez participated in a one-year residency program with Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI) in 2018. In the same year, she traveled to Belize as an artist ambassador, as part of DVCAI’s International Cultural Exchange program funded by Miami Dade Department of Cultural Affairs. She was awarded the Betty Laird Perry Award from the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum in 2020.
Diane Lublinski
Pembroke Pines, FL
Diane was born in New York City and grew up in South Florida where she continues to make her home. Born of Cuban Spanish parents she had a rich multicultural upbringing, and that cultured history makes an appearance in each piece she creates. After 17 years of painting professionally, Diane took an introductory ceramics class just for fun. “I fell in love with clay the first time I touched it. I immediately knew I had found my medium. Within 2 years I had stopped painting and was making sculptures. Clay has been my passion ever since.”
Drawn to the figurative form, Lublinski is influenced by a childhood love of fantasy, expressing the absurdity of things while drawing influence from unexpected sources like the lyrics of music and nursery rhymes. Telling her story in clay, she uses symbols and shapes hidden in her work to honor my people, my family, and my friends. “I wanted to tell the story of me—who I am, who I came from, what I love, what I think about. As a teenager, I used to fantasize about standing on the roof of my house and shouting my story out to the world. And now, because I work in clay, I tell the story with my most important tool, my hands. Here is my rooftop—I stand on my clay.”
My father was a woodworker; I use his tools to make impressions. My mother’s jewelry, the drawings my brother sent me as a child, and years later the drawing made by my youngest grandson have all become molded applications. The stars are a reference to family. My fascination with the ocean produces seashells, fish, and coral. Diane is surrounded by the ocean in Florida, yet she doesn’t swim or go to the beach. Her muse lives in another world, the world under the sea. The beauty of coral reefs and sea life fascinates her. Her ocean-themed figures have the barnacles of her life attached. The creatures represent my fears. The tags with words and phrases are the thoughts I do not say out loud. The warriors’ armor is a reference to the way I shield myself from the insensitivity of others. All small parts of my life, all with some meaning to me, and so I tell my story in clay.
“My father was born in Cuba and came to New York at about 20 years of age. He met my widowed mother, married her, and I was born there. Our family moved to Miami when I was five. My father was very talented and he developed a booming woodworking business. We were not close, as he seemed cold and distant to me, but my mother and I had a warm and loving relationship. She often wore a heart-shaped pendant with a pretty design on a chain. After her death, I missed her so much and I wanted to honor her, so I used her heart pendant in a casting process so I could include it in my sculpture. From there it grew into the use of all kinds of hearts, they all came to represent her, as well. As an adult, I worked for my father for 10 years. He died 13 years ago and I inherited many of his tools. In spite of our poor relationship, I choose to honor him by using his tools to impress into clay, the results of which remind me of flowers. Fitting, I think, because flowers can represent a wide range of emotions. Friendship, jealousy, infidelity, love, betrayal joy, energy, passion.
My brother died of a heart attack about 25 years ago. While a young man in the Navy, he wrote letters to me, his 6-year-old little sister. He was merely 17 years old, so young, and probably lonely. Those letters contained his words and lots of silly drawings, and I’ve kept them through all the years. I used his drawings and made them 3D (from clay naturally) and then cast them into a mold. I utilize these quite often, embedded, oftentimes hidden in my sculptures. There is another small figure with a crown that’s from a picture my youngest grandson drew when he was 4. I sometimes have him holding hands with my brother’s figure, just for fun.
Lizards, Stars, and Keys: I have a fear of lizards, which is strange, mainly because I live in tropical Florida where lizards abound. I insert the creatures on my pieces to represent fear. I bought a souvenir Texas star while visiting the part of my family that lives there, and I cast it, as well, so I am able to think of my Texas family whenever I see it. My husband of more than 35 years, Steve Lublinski, was a motorcycle policeman for many years. After a day of work, I always knew he was home when I heard the familiar sound of his multiple keys jingling from his gun belt as he walked up the sidewalk. He used these keys to open boxes that controlled traffic lights. I cast a few of his keys and apply them in my pieces to honor him.
As a young girl, Diane absorbed herself in comic books, stories set in the past, and biographies of famous people. “I do a lot of research on symbolism before I use something, and I use so many different things (birds, ravens, rabbits, and crows) but in the end, it’s all about my own thoughts and what I find appealing, or what is going on in my life at the time.”
Diane dearly loves mythology. Rabbits represent mythology and they are one of her specialties in the figurative form of teapots, bells, and other small pieces. Her method of forming those endearing floppy ears and giving each creature’s face its own personality.
“Working in clay is so different than other mediums. Although I use tools, my main tool is my hands. I leave behind the marks and impressions made when I touch it. It’s still there after the firing. I love the feel of clay so much and I enjoy seeing the marks my hands left behind, permanently fired into a piece. I have a clear vision of a finished piece before I start. With this idea in mind, I immediately get started with a combination of wheel-thrown pieces, coils, and slabs. I alter by pinching, cutting, and adding clay until my idea emerges.” Her work often features gnarly hands and footless legs, bald, oddly-shaped heads; beefy torsos with appended shoulders, muscular thighs, and dimpled arms, primarily of the human body variety, floppy rabbit ears; wings and exquisitely carved feathers. Lifelike birds, fish, toes, fingers, and horns casually scatter on the kiln floor. This particular kiln in Pembroke Pines has seen its share of a curious assortment of body parts. When assembled, they become her memoir, the history and life story of the artist herself.
Dominika Zabczyk
Bradenton, FL
Based in Bradenton, Florida, Dominika creates artwork inspired by nature’s textures and patterns. Having an architectural background, Dominika explores the relationship between the natural environment and sustainable, intuitive design for better living. “I’ve seen many places, many exciting cities, but only one stole my heart so I stayed a little longer… Sarasota. Charmed by beautiful beaches and shores, I started painting. It quickly became my passion.”
Born in Krakow, Poland, Dominika grew up close to nature. “I spent a lot of time outside and I developed my senses being in the fresh air, picking up flowers, chasing the wind. Now, I like to spend my time outside, painting plein air and getting inspiration from nature for my next art pieces. I was a very creative child. Building things and painting was my passion. I always loved the moment of creation. When my hands were dirty, there was a mess all around me, I was in the middle of it. And then that moment when from that chaos something beautiful emerged. It was always a sacred process to me.”
Zabczyk employs many different mediums to recreate the natural environment. Whenever possible, she uses recycled materials to promote sustainability. “I found that used materials have a soul, they’re authentic! Ever wondered why antique or vintage items are so expensive? Well, they’re special and one-of-a-kind! That’s why I love to repurpose old surfboards into pieces of art. I wanted boards with soul, I knew for this project I needed real boards surfed and loved by their human owners—encompassing stories and energy that only used boards have.” Inspired by Florida’s most beautiful beaches, Dominika created a collection of surfboards that captures waves, as if the boards were dipped in the ocean.
Gioia to Play
Coral Springs, FL
Karina Rocco is an artist who is proudly representing a lineage of artisan women in her family. “I grew up watching the women around me make art in different mediums. They continue to be my main source of inspiration and admiration. Gioia To Play started during the pandemic as Karina sought a way to entertain her daughters. “My artisan grassroots inspired me to experiment with different ideas. I leaned back on my academic background in Fine Arts and Art History to find creative, meaningful play ideas. I witnessed how my hands-on activities helped my daughters learn while having fun. Witnessing hours of educational and meaningful playtime made me realize that my efforts are worth sharing with the outside world. I officially launched my brand, Gioia to Play on November 2021. I am proud to bring a line of creative and playful sensory toys to homes, schools, and therapy rooms.”
Gioia To Play toys is made from natural materials such as wood, wool, and other natural materials. The toys are safe for children to play with and are environmentally friendly. They are open-ended toys. Unlike many traditional toys, which have a specific purpose or use, these toys can be used in a variety of different ways. This allows children to use their imagination and creativity to play and create in their own way. They are part of the category of toys that fits into Sensory play. The toys supplement children’s overall development by facilitating an environment where they can engage in meaningful experiences and practice essential motor, social, and cognitive skills via open-ended and child-centered play. Gioia To Play offers an array of activities for day-to-day play time, homeschooling, and teachers. Additionally, the play sets are proven aids to occupational, behavioral, and speech therapists. “Our designs are inspired by our day-to-day family life and topics that create meaningful and valuable playtime. Our playsets include themes such as sea life, construction, garden, and farm, and we continuously add new ones. We create seasonal sensory playsets to match the ever-changing seasons of the year.”
IS Projects | Nocturnal Press
Miami, FL
Born and raised in Delray Beach, Ingrid Schindall is a passionate and productive printmaker and book artist based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is almost always found standing next to a press at the fine art printmaking studio she founded called IS Projects. She has a methodical yet curious and experimental studio practice. Her prints and artist books have been exhibited internationally and nationally. She is devoted to her writing practice and has produced six limited edition books, all written, designed, hand-printed, and bound by the artist.
“I have been an artist as long as I can remember and have been lucky to have family and friends who have been supportive from the get-go. I fell in love with printmaking in high school and haven’t looked back- attending the California College of Art in San Francisco for a precollege printmaking program then receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in printmaking and book arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. After graduating, I traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa to work as an apprentice printmaker at David Krut Projects then ran a small book binding studio in Baltimore for a couple of years before growing tired of winter and setting my sights on somewhere warmer. I was born and raised in Delray Beach, Florida so when I started making plans to set up a more substantial studio, South Florida was naturally in the running. I found FATVillage, the main art district in Fort Lauderdale, and after a very fruitful conversation with the founder, Doug McCraw, I signed a lease for a small studio space. I set up IS Projects and Nocturnal Press in 2014 and we have been the premier public-access fine art printmaking studio in the tri-county area since. Looking back, it felt like the area was really ready for someone like me, with a bunch of printmaking equipment, to come down here and help bring the community together around these niche and amazing media. I’ve been fortunate to work with hundreds of local and visiting artists to create everything from artists’ book editions to business cards. We’ve taught hundreds of workshops and hosted an annual Small Press Fair for 5 years straight bringing together thousands of print, book, and zine artists, enthusiasts, collectors, supporters, and curious. Throughout the years, I have continued to make my own work, consisting mostly of artists’ books and experimental relief prints, and exhibit them locally and internationally. I’m an optimist at heart and my wish is that anyone who comes through the door of IS Projects gains or expands upon enthusiasm for paper books and print. Our collection of equipment includes pieces from the mid-1800s that we still use to create printed works for the likes of Redbull and the Norton Art Museum. It’s an extreme challenge and responsibility to keep this ancient craft relevant but it’s also a joy to come into the studio every day, whether working on the business or creating new artwork, and smell the ink, history, and potential that the space holds.”
IS Projects encourages local artists to practice their craft by providing knowledge, training, and a supportive workspace. In 2016, she founded Fort Lauderdale’s first small press fair, SPF’16, with the help of Sarah Michelle Rupert. She is currently planning the next edition of SPF and Tropic Bound, an artist’s book fair to premiere in 2023!
Khaos Creates
Pompano Beach, FL
Kimberly Ferguson is the artist behind Khaos Creates. Originally from the Caribbean, Kim is deeply inspired by nature and its chaotic forces. She first tried ceramics in college as a fluke and fell in love with “creating something cool from a blob of clay. I declared an art minor but never took ceramics (or being an artist) seriously.” “A few years later, while nursing a broken heart, I found some unfinished pieces from college and decided to complete them. I did one session at the wheel and literally threw all of that negativity into being creative again. It was therapeutic. All my energy went into completing the ideas I sketched years before but was too afraid or insecure to complete. To my surprise, other people began connecting with the pieces, and soon after Khaos Creates was born.”
Khaos Creates Ceramics is about turning life’s chaotic energy into creative, positive, and even comical outcomes. Each piece challenges you to see the glass half-full and encourages embracing chaos as a transformative power. The works are heavily influenced by the fierceness and fragility of nature and womanhood. “I create content with a primary focus on sharing joy, light, and helpful tips. I collaborate with brands I believe in and share honest product insights with my growing online community. I enjoy working with multiple platforms and engagement tools to evoke strong feelings about my collaborations. Much of my worth is highlighted by nature and successfully connects my Khaos family with quality products and services.”
Like an erupting volcano creates fertile land, Khaos Creates celebrates authentically loving all your parts; magical and otherwise.
Le Chic
Miami, FL/ San Antonio, TX
Born and raised in Seattle, Lydia McConnell relocated to Miami about five years ago finally ending up in Texas during the pandemic. “I love to travel, that’s actually what brought me to Miami in the first place. After a long six-month solo backpacking trip through Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia, I decided to make my final stop in Miami before returning home to Seattle. I immediately fell in love with Miami. The architecture is like nothing I had ever seen before. Any time I am traveling discovering new places, cultures, and food, I am full of joy and feel the most alive. Not to mention looking at interesting architecture. I went to school for Interior Design in Seattle and always gravitated toward bold patterns and colors in my designs. Seattle is a wonderful place but most people are afraid of wearing bright colors or using color in their homes. My designs in school weren’t always understood or appreciated by my peers but they brought me a lot of joy. After finishing design school, I knew I wanted to do something creative and design related but I wasn’t sure what. I also knew I wanted to work for myself and not work in an office. I’ve always been a creative person and have always loved working with my hands.
I moved to Miami and I kid you not it was like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz leaving black and white Kansas and entering into the colorful world of Oz. Suddenly it wasn’t only okay to wear color but it was weird if you weren’t wearing bright bold colors. Miami and the culture around me really influenced my designs. I didn’t feel limited by the monochromatic color scheme of Seattle or the judgment of my peers. I was able to create designs that truly made me happy and I hoped would make other people happy too. I joined a makerspace where I learned how to use their laser cutter. I started making earrings and decided to try and sell them at a local weekend market. After that, the business just took off. It might seem like a weird transition to go from Interior Architecture to User Experience Design to owning my own jewelry business but I use most of what I learned in school on a day-to-day basis. The first half of design school was focused on space and the use of shapes which I use daily in designing. Color theory is also something I use daily.”
Le Chic Miami creates unique hand-painted wooden earrings. “My design process is to create the earring designs in Illustrator, I then laser cut the earrings out of wood and finally hand paint them. As a brand, I am most proud of our relationship with our customers. We really appreciate our customers and take all their suggestions to heart. Whenever one of our customers asks us to make their custom design, we’re more than happy to do so. Many times, their earring ideas have ended up being a part of our permanent collection. We want our customers to not just wear our brand, but feel a part of our brand. When I started Le Chic Miami, I wanted to create something that brought joy to the world, and that made people smile. I wanted whoever was wearing my earrings to feel a sense of joy when they put the earrings on.”
We have now grown to a team of 4 artists based in San Antonio, TX. Our goal is to create unique hand-painted wooden earrings that will brighten your day.
Loret
Hollywood, FL
Born in California and raised in Florida of Cuban-American descent, Loret Gomez started her career as an artist at the young age of 10. Her art included mosaics, charcoals, watercolors, sculpting, oil and acrylic painting. She began designing jewelry to express her own creativity and fashion style. “I remember drawing my sketches and begging my mother to take me to the neighborhood jeweler to have my designs created. I would intricately explain every detail of my drawing to make my vision come true.”
Loret now designs and fabricates handmade artisan jewelry combining precious metals and the finest gemstones to create memorable jewelry with brilliant color combinations, textures, and shapes. Inspired by the different countries she has traveled to; her designs are all influenced by the unique essence of each country. She enjoys treasure hunting for unique materials which mostly include semi-precious stones from Latin America, Murano glass from Italy, pearls from China, and vintage artifacts from the world over. She hopes each piece gives her clients a sense of the pulse, energy, flavor, heart, and soul; of every street, village, town, and city which she’s traveled to gather and create each one-of-a-kind piece.
Loret still starts with a rough sketch of her new creation. She enjoys engineering how to build her design. Then she creates the piece either by forging, sawing, twisting, and fabricating the metal or sculpting designs in wax and then casting them in sterling silver. Each piece is meticulously polished, and the process ends with an amazing photoshoot where the piece comes alive. Loret loves working with unexpected materials, such as black coral (sourced from our Florida beaches), Fordite (a unique antique resin from the Ford automotive cars), and Surfite (resin from surfboards – Loret collaborates with a local surfboard artist). “I create for myself, if I love it, I will make more for my clients. I am always challenging myself to make new collections. I want to make every woman feel beautiful.”
Lori Arbel
Parkland, FL
Pursuing her artistic muse since childhood, from as early as 5 years old, Lori Arbel has had an interest in art and knowledge. Many people think of a library as tall walls with boring, ancient volumes. But she saw it as a place with inky treasures and one that offered advice. “I’d go to the library and I always had a stack of arts and crafts books,” said Arbel. “I remember being at the kitchen table making paper-plates arts and crafts with my cousin, and at that moment, I remember saying, ‘I love this.”
Arbel later went to the University of Florida for her two-year undergraduate degree and a minor in photojournalism and art. She used art as a method in college to help heal and worked through the heartache of her mother’s death. She was then inspired to become an art educator, and at Florida International University she earned her master’s in art education. Later on, after the difficult birth of her child, Arbel used art to sort through the emotional challenges and creative shutdown that followed. “It was then that I was affected most profoundly by its power to heal. And it was then that I started teaching others how art could be used for healing in stressful situations. And how it can actually promote inner happiness and well-being.” Arbel is known for her mixed-media artwork, including drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, montages, and designs.
“I am an artist, creative life coach, and lightworker guiding moms, teens, and our community through personal journeys of self-discovery and, often, the discovery of their own talents. My passion to create mixed-media art and photography – and to help others bring out their own inner artists – has led me to teach in NYC and South Florida schools and community spaces for 20+ years. Whether finding personal expression in art or helping students do the same, I try to offer a positive, energetic perspective.”
Arbel’s first full-time job was 20 years ago as an artist at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. After leaving Manhattan, she returned home to Parkland. She volunteered as a teaching artist with Eagles Haven, a wellness center created for the MSD community following the mass shooting. “We created art together,” said Arbel. “It helps to heal and be in a loving and supporting environment.”
Marusca Gatto
Delray Beach, FL
Marusca Gatto is a Cultural Arts Director, DDA, and a member of the Palm Beach Cultural Council. Currently, she is Downtown Development Manager with the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, in Delray Beach, Florida. She has a decade of professional work in the arts. She was an instructor of glass fusing at the Creative Art School at Old School Square, Corning Museum of Glass, and Rochester Arc and Flame Center.
Since 2009, in her spare time, Marusca also owns and runs Marusca Gatto Glassworks, a kiln-formed art glass studio in Delray Beach, Florida. Marusca’s work includes glass sculpture, chandeliers, platters, sconces, and table tops for found wrought iron tables. She also creates sushi platters, nightlights, and other functional art glass pieces.
Mark lester
Atlantic Beach, FL
Growing up in Northeast Florida, Mark Lester drew inspiration at an early age from local natural environments. This interest translated over time into creating work that attempted to capture the sense of expansiveness and depth he experienced in these arboreal settings. Lester began pursuing a degree in Fine Arts from UNF in 2016 and was selected as MOCA’s Student Artist-in-Residence in 2018. During this time these ideas began to catalyze more clearly in his work, and the residency became a formative experience for his development of construction methods and use of materials. His work explores precise forms found in nature and attempts to find a balance between these forms and those that are more mechanical and geometric.
After graduating in 2019, Lester took several years off to work and travel in Europe and is currently back in Jacksonville teaching ceramics and making his own work. He was the ceramic artist in residence at the Guttenberg Center for the Arts in Guttenberg New Jersey for the summer 2022 term.
“My work is a blend of sculptural and functional ceramics, designed both for wall spaces and to be viewed in the round. Using clay as a base medium and incorporating other media as needed, I construct layered pieces that reveal just enough interior to suggest the existence of hidden spaces beyond what is immediately visible. The imagination is thus enabled to engage with the piece as an unknown and expansive environment.”
Older Sister
Celebration, FL
Laurel started her jewelry line as a mode of catharsis during the pandemic, and as an homage to her family, who has always supported and encouraged her to “create magic.” Her earrings are handmade with love, often imprinting them with antique trinkets from her grandmother and beach shells from her travels.
Samantha Booth
Boca Raton, FL
“I had an incredible ceramics professor years ago in college who I learned so much from. He was detail-oriented in his throwing techniques and free and abstract in his glazing. It was the best combination. I was just a beginner and although I loved it, I didn’t really see how I could make selling my own pottery a full-time job. I became an art teacher and then had children. Pottery definitely took a back seat to a busy life. In 2016 I went to a small pottery studio near my home to do something fun for myself and it all came back instantly. I started bringing home so much of my pottery and with nowhere to store it, a friend suggested selling it so I set up a shop on Etsy. Six months later HGTV magazine found our Etsy shop, then MTV used a sculpture of ours in a museum heist! ABC used our mug on a TV series and Palm Beach Illustrated featured our bowls. We’ve been in Real Homes Magazine and worked with Etsy on collaborations for worldwide release. My mom saw my new work and having been a stone carver and sculptor herself, she joined me in the ceramics studio. Here we are years later growing, working hard, and selling around the world on Etsy. We have joined together to each do what we do best and make pottery with beautiful animal sculptures. Every piece in our shop is individually handmade, hand-glazed, and one of a kind.”
The animal planters and sculptures are done by Beatrice Booth (who is an award-winning New York City artist. Her marble sculpture has been mentioned in the New York Times.)
The vases, planters, and mugs are all made by Samantha Booth, on the potter’s wheel, or built from slabs of clay.
“My mom and I love working together to create the best of both worlds, sculptures, and wheel-thrown pottery all in one.”
Sir Charles Doggy Provisions
Miramar, FL
It all started with a love of crafting and of course, dogs. “When I was 3 years old, I had fashion shows with my dolls and stuffed animals. As I grew older, I always knew I wanted to be in the fashion industry somehow. I grew up watching my grandmother sew couture dresses from scratch without ever having a formal education. I lived and breathed fashion, creativity, and crafting. When I went to college, for a brief moment, I thought I could be a child psychologist (lol!). I was good at it and I fell into the self-doubts and other people’s voices in my head telling me I’d never make enough money in a creative field. I tried for one semester and quickly realized that you can’t force a creative person to do something they don’t love, just like you can’t teach someone to be creative, they just are! So, I go my degree in fashion and somehow ended up as a footwear designer, which I absolutely love. I never imagined I’d end up designing shoes, especially men’s dress and athletics which I’m doing now. I won’t deny, I often fantasize about doing something different career-wise, but even then, they’re always creative careers. I couldn’t imagine not having art or creativity in my life!”
Growing up, I was the kid that always brought home stray dogs, or volunteered at the animal shelter. I love dogs and I’m still that kid in many ways. Being a designer and someone who’s always had one or two dogs, I taught myself how to make a lot of accessories for them. I love making things that are a little different from what I see in the marketplace, sometimes taking inspiration from the fashion world to make trendier pieces. My dog Charlie is the muse for all of my creations. One day, I decided to cut the collar off a man’s dress shirt to put it around his neck and the rest is history. I hadn’t really seen anything like that for dogs and he got compliments everywhere we went, so I decided to start making more. I make lots of other accessories now too but the shirt collars are really what started it all, combining my love for designing and creating with my love of dogs.
As a creative, I’ve always had a full-time job designing, but I haven’t given up on the idea of doing something for myself and owning my own brand or business. I started taking my hobby of creating dog accessories and apparel more seriously and started thinking of it more as a business. I started on Etsy and now I sell on my own website and local markets. I feel that my dog accessories are unique because I create things that are practical but also kitschy or trendy. There’s a lot of competition out there but I still really love what I’m doing and I think that reflects in my products.
Socami
Pompano Beach, FL
For people who love natural ingredients, Socami soaps and skin care products are made with plant-based oils and vegan butters, naturally colored with clay, herbs, and hand-processed organic fruit peels. Each ingredient is carefully chosen for the benefit it brings to the skin. Socami is a small family-run business offering 100% natural handmade products. They are dedicated to crafting high-quality healthy skincare that customers love to use or buy as luxury eco-conscious gifts.
“We are passionate about looking after our beautiful planet and take pride in creating sustainable zero-waste products delivered in plastic-free packaging.”
2WIN! Studio
Miami, FL
Sarah Ferrer was born and raised in Miami. After graduating from the New World School of the Arts in 2013 she completed her BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute majoring in Ceramics. She was also able to complete a certificate program focused on Asian art. Through the influence of the certificate program, after graduating in 2017, Sarah moved and started a new life in Amami Ōshima (奄美大島), Japan. In Amami, she completed an apprenticeship in the ceramic studio, Yachaboyaki (野茶坊焼). She studied under the ceramic master Junichi Ikenomi (池波陶柳) for three years becoming his first and last apprentice.
Since returning to the US in 2020 Sarah became a founding member of 2win! Studio in 2021 alongside her twin sister Samantha Ferrer.
